After a spectacular first season, Severance managed to top itself with its second season on Apple TV+. The show’s sequel outing on streaming featured several incredible moments as Mark and his coworkers continued to wage war against Lumon Industries. Severance as a whole is a prime example of top-tier television, but season 2 took the series to greater heights than before. Now that the show has finally concluded its second season, it’s clear that these ten moments made it the best of Severance so far.
Mark runs through Lumon – “Hello, Ms. Cobel”
After a three-year hiatus, Severance continues its story in season 2 with one of the most jaw-dropping opening scenes ever. Waking up right after Milchick shuts down the Overtime Contingency Protocol, Innie Mark finds himself back on Lumon’s severed floor. He then runs through the maze of hallways, looking for Ms. Casey, with the camera following him in an incredible, long take with several impossible angles. This exhilarating opening is an outstanding cinematic achievement that hooks the audience back into the show as Mark returns to his mind-bending prison at Lumon.
The Macrodat Uprising film – “Hello, Ms. Cobel”
After Mark’s Innie reunites with Helly, Dylan, and Irving at Lumon, they are all taken down a dark hall to what seems to be the dreaded Break Room. Instead, they enter a whole new room where they are treated to a claymation video about the “Macrodat Uprising” that they carried out in season 1. With Keanu Reeves voicing a talking Lumon building and Irving going full Heatmeiser, this video is an offbeat but whimsical recap of the events of season 1 that reintroduces Lumon as a company that says it has reformed but really hasn’t.
Milchick receives his paintings – “Who Is Alive?”
When Lumon tries to “reward” Milchick for his work as severed floor manager, they gift him with paintings of Kier as a Black person to help him “see [himself] in Kier.” This form of Blackface clearly offends Milchick, as the White people running Lumon reduce his identity to his skin color with these paintings in an ignorant attempt to appear inclusive.
Though Natalie is smiling over these paintings, it’s clear that they are both too scared to speak out against their corporate overlords. Severance has tackled oppression and prejudice through Lumon’s treatment of the Innies, but this scene shows how out of touch Lumon is when it comes to workplace diversity, effectively setting off Milchick’s disillusionment with the company.
Milchick’s Cold Harbor dance – “Cold Harbor”
It seems that Lumon took notes from The Wolf of Wall Street for this moment. After Mark completes his Cold Harbor file at Lumon, he is treated to a marching band performance courtesy of Milchick and the Choreography and Merriment Department. At the same time, Gemma is escorted to the Cold Harbor room on the testing floor, beginning her journey toward her ultimate end. With quick cuts, flashy visuals, heartpounding music, and synchronized editing, this sequence builds up hype for the final battle against Lumon in season 2 At the center of it all, Milchick breaks out some killer dance moves like the diva that he is, making for one of the most bizarre, well-crafted scenes in the entire show.
Mark’s reintegration begins – “Who Is Alive?”
In order to learn if Gemma is alive at Lumon, Outie Mark decides to undergo the reintegration procedure with Reghabi’s help. As Reghabi hooks his brain up to a machine and asks him questions based on his memory, this scene makes for a clever reflection of his Innie’s orientation interview at Lumon as Mark’s mind flashes between the present day and his first day at Lumon. With such suspenseful buildup, unnerving audio, and psychedelic visuals, this moment makes it clear that he has just begun a twisting psychological journey with his reintegration.
Gemma’s failed escape – “Chikhai Bardo”
The entirety of “Chikhai Bardo” can be singled out for director Jessica Lee Gagné distinctive presentation of Gemma’s origins with Mark, as well as her life imprisoned beneath the severed floor at Lumon. Though Gemma succeeds in returning to the severed floor, she switches back to Ms. Casey, whom Milchick convinces to return to the elevator and go back to the testing floor. This heartbreaking scene reminds audiences of the horror of Severance, as the characters remain in their Hellish prison at Lumon because they put themselves back there again and again.
Burt and Irving’s Farewell – “The After Hours”
This scene seems to set up Burt’s Outie killing Irving on behalf of Lumon. Instead, Burt gives Irving a train ticket, telling him never to return to the town of Kier. Despite all the bad things Burt has done for Lumon, this scene proves that there was always a good person inside of him. However, this scene is especially tearjerking as Irving tries and fails to start a romance with Burt, just like their Innies did. Once again, this series presented a tragic end to these star-crossed lovers, but one that seems to finally give Iriving some relief as he leaves Kier.
Mark argues with himself – “Cold Harbor”
While the season 1 finale showed Mark’s Innie exploring the outside world for the first time, “Cold Harbor” took the next step by having Mark’s Innie and Outie communicating for the first time. Switching between his two halves at the birthing cabin, Mark uses a camcorder to communicate with himself in a mind-blowing scene that shows the Innie and Outie worlds colliding with great drama.
Though Mark’s Outie reconciles with the torment he put his Innie through, he is forced to contend with the fact that the latter has created a life for himself at Lumon. As a result, his Innie refuses to risk killing everyone’s Innie, including himself, in his Outie’s quest to take the company down, creating a greater ethical dilemma for the characters in Severance.
Irving exposes Helena – “Woe’s Hollow”
During this intense scene at the end of “Woe’s Hollow,” Irving threatens Helly’s life, thinking she is an Eagan posing as an Innie. Forcing Helly’s head into the water, Irving finally gains the upper hand when he exposes Helena as a spy and forces Milchick to switch her back to her Innie. Similar to Helly, John Tuturro seamlessly switches between anger and sadness with his character, making for an incredible display of acting. Ultimately, this reunion between Irving and Helly is short-lived, as Milchick immediately fires Irving and permanently reverts him to his Outie, essentially killing his Innie. It’s an unusual but heartbreaking death scene for one of Severance‘s beloved characters, ending one of the show’s best episodes on a high note.
The final scene – “Cold Harbor”
It seemed impossible for Severance to top its cliffhanger ending to season 1, but “Cold Harbor” nailed it. After Mark’s Outie spent the whole season trying to reunite with Gemma, his Innie chose Helly over her in the end and remained on the severed floor at the end of the finale. This scene burns itself into viewers’ minds as Gemma bangs on the door, calling for her husband as he walks off with another woman.
This shocking moment harkens back to classic films such as The Graduate and The 400 Blows, as Mark and Helly run off into the unknown, deeply in love but unsure of their futures, with the episode ending on an unforgettable freeze frame on the duo with Mel Tormé’s “The Windmills of Your Mind” playing in the background. If season 1 didn’t cement Severance as television’s best show, then frankly, this scene did.
