Content Warning: The following article contains spoilers for the Apple TV+ show Severance.
Apple TV+’s Severance left fans with some burning questions after its gripping finale. The sci-fi show has unsurprisingly sparked numerous fan theories on sites like Reddit and Twitter, as its ever-growing fanbase continues to discuss and debate clues and predictions about Lumon and its severed workers.
There are some wild fan theories that actually make sense based on what has been depicted in the series so far. As viewers eagerly wait for more details about its second season, it’s the best time to explore some of the best theories that have come out about the show.
MDR’s Scary Numbers Are Outtie’s Memories
One of the biggest questions about the series revolves around the numbers that Macrodata Refinement workers “bin.” The hasanahmad believes they “have cracked what MDR does,” explaining that they are responsible for “binning the memories back to” their outties. This is why the numbers feel scary for the Refiners, as evoke strong emotions.
Intelligent characters like Dylan could be working to sever their own minds, making the chip in their brains even more effective. This process helps Lumon improve severance as a product, which wealthy clients like the Artetas can purchase.
Irving Bailiff’s Outtie Is Conditioning His Brain
A big reveal during the finale is centered on Irving’s outtie being the mole on the severed floor. A Redditor thinks Irving’s “repeated painting of the testing floor” is reminiscent “of mind control or brainwashing.” Irving could be “trying to program the image of the testing floor into his own memory” in the hopes of his innie recognizing it in Lumon.
By conditioning his innie’s brain, Irving is attempting to bridge the divide caused by the severance chip. The black goo that Irving’s innie occasionally hallucinates could be proof that his outtie’s plan is working.
The Entire Town Is Severed
One of the creepiest story arcs in Severance follows Senator Arteta’s wife, who uses severance to have her innie go through pregnancy in her place. The freshwaterlady says “many of the people in Kier” or Mark’s town “are severed,” thanks to Lumon offering “different types of severance to allow people to mentally ‘skip’ things they dislike.”
It doesn’t have to be pregnancy, it could also be going to a party, running errands, or other mundane tasks. This theory would explain why some residents (like Ricken’s party guests) act weird – it’s their inexperienced innies.
The Revolving Makes Immortality Possible
There are numerous theories out there about what James Eagan meant when he told Helly (posing as Helena) that she will soon be sitting with him at his “Revolving.” MattsIdeaShop thinks that Revolving is a process where they “take out the chip and put it into another body” to allow the individual to “live forever.”
It would make sense for powerful characters like Helena and her family to do something so heinous, as there’s no telling just how influential and wealthy they really are. It’s a common trope for ridiculously powerful individuals to seek immortality, which could be the case in the sci-fi show.
Gemma Is In A Coma
An unresolved storyline that will have to be explored in season 2 is Gemma’s mysterious role in Lumon as Ms. Casey. sStickley has a dark take on how she could have possibly gone from her alleged car accident to the severed floor, detailing how “Gemma’s in a coma” and was bought by the company that has been using coma patients to “experiment with the technology.”
Ms. Cobel could be referring to a whole wing full of unwitting victims when she uses the term “testing floor.” This raises even more questions about how they’re legally able to do so and how they’ve been hiding individuals like Gemma from their families.
The Coup Was Actually A Revolution
There’s a strange legend on the severed floor about a violent coup, with the workers from MDR and Optics and Design both believing that the other division had done it. The greenisthefutureAMA thinks it “wasn't an inter-departmental coup,” but rather “a bunch of severed workers couping against their non-severed bosses.”
If this really happened, it would explain why the company has chosen to keep the divisions so far apart. It would also necessitate the fake story about the interdepartmental coup, as upper management would want to prevent it from happening again.
Irving Bailiff And Burt Goodman Have Been Separated Several Times
Irving and Burt’s relationship has allowed for some much-needed lighthearted scenes in Severance’s bleak world, which is why it was so heartbreaking for fans when Lumon found a way to separate them. Manannan_Vannin believes that’s not the first time it has happened, as “Burt and Irving are drawn to each other because they keep meeting and falling in love,” which leads to them being “reset multiple times.”
Much like the premise of The Matrix Resurrections, not even wiping their memory on the testing floor can keep them apart. Their relationship may have even made it to Irving’s outtie’s consciousness, which explains his obsession with painting the elevator to the enigmatic floor.
Gemma Is Actually Dead
Most of the theories about Gemma tend to favor the idea that she’s still alive. CompetitiveMonitor25 argues that “she really did die” in that car accident, and the Ms. Casey fans know “was created artificially through Mark's memories in the chip,” making her “a literal android or robot.”
Lumon could be finding ways to effectively manufacture zombie-like androids for their own purposes or to be sold off to other companies as workers. Ms. Casey certainly has that emotionless demeanor that could be because she’s not capable of human feelings.
Innies Will Eventually Replace Their Outties
There have definitely been clues in the series that suggest a cult-like environment being built by the Eagans and Lumon around “Kier’s philosophy.” Hadron90 points out how this could be an effort “to create employees so loyal that they eventually” replace their outties.
This could have already happened to characters like Graner, Mr. Milchick, and Ms. Cobel. Mrs. Selvig may not be a fake identity Harmony has adopted, but a real person (her outtie) that Lumon has locked away through the severance procedure and by never turning off the “overtime contingency.”
Lumon Is Building A Superconsciousness
One fan theory about the Revolving goes beyond the Eagan family’s attempts at immortality. The Forsaken-Refuse-8370 believes they are “trying to create a superconsciousness,” not just for the Eagans, but “a single, united, perfect consciousness that everyone on earth shares.”
This could be what James Eagan was referring to when he was talking to Helly about ing “the Grandfather.” Lumon’s mission could be to spread Kier’s philosophy around the world, until everyone is convinced to this digital superconsciousness molded according to Kier’s principles and ideals.