Full spoilers observe for Severance season 2, together with episode 7.
Episode 7 of Severance season 2 has joined its forebears on Apple TV+ – and this week’s installment, titled ‘Chikhai Bardo’, just isn’t solely a Gemma-focused installment, but in addition one full of huge reveals and new mysteries. I believe, then, that you’ve many extra questions in regards to the the place the more and more well-liked Apple TV Original’s story goes.
So, if you need extra details about Gemma’s previous, recent particulars on Project Cold Harbor, and extra in addition to, I’ll do my finest at offering them. Massive spoilers instantly observe for this season’s seventh episode, so flip again now if you have not watched it but.
Severance season 2 episode 7 ending defined: Gemma’s backstory revealed
Gemma Scout is among the most mysterious characters in Severance. In a collection filled with enigmatic people, that takes some doing, however it’s true! The solely issues we knew about Gemma till ‘Chikhai Bardo’ have been that she’s Mark’s spouse, is not lifeless (which, till the season 1 finale, Mark had been led to consider for over two years), and was a severed Lumon Industries worker who, till season 2 started, was the wellness director of the nefarious biotech firm’s Severed Floor division.
Severance‘s latest entry simply disclosed many extra particulars about Gemma’s previous. It opens with Gemma attending a blood donation drive at Ganz College library, which is the place she meets Mark, who’s a historical past professor at stated school. Long story quick: they fall in love, transfer in collectively, get married, and ultimately attempt to have a child.
As it occurs, Gemma falls pregnant, however suffers a miscarriage. It’s a soul-destroying, traumatic occasion that ultimately sees Gemma and Mark develop into more and more distant, however not earlier than they struggle as soon as extra to have a baby (this time, through IVF, which proves to be a fruitless endeavor).
Thankfully, Gemma and Mark’s relationship proves stronger than I anticipated and they look like doing much better by the evening of her ‘dying’. Mark is unable to hitch Gemma a social gathering as a result of he is obtained a paper to complete writing or grading. Gemma informs Mark she’ll be house round 10pm, however that dialog proves to be the final one they will have as a married couple. In the very subsequent flashback scene, one which’s completely devastating to look at, two law enforcement officials arrive on the Scout family to inform Mark about Gemma’s demise. Evidently, Mark felt an unbelievable quantity of guilt over his spouse’s dying as a result of he wasn’t the automobile’s driver, or could not save her after her allegedly deadly automobile crash, which serves as one other key motive why he opted to endure the severance process.
We be taught extra about Gemma’s hobbies and pursuits throughout this journey down reminiscence lane, which Mark is experiencing after slipping right into a coma on this season’s sixth episode, too. You can learn extra about why he fell unconscious in my Severance season 2 episode 6 theories piece. Anyway, throughout episode 7’s varied flashback sequences, we discover out that Gemma loves vegetation, can communicate Russian, and is a well-read particular person. The latter is made clear by her lecturer career and her understanding of Bardo, a Buddhist idea concerning life and dying. I’ll clarify what that is in additional element later and the way it ties into this episode’s title.
Severance season 2 episode 7 ending defined: what’s Lumon attempting to perform with Gemma and does she escape?
Lumon’s endgame stays a thriller, however ‘Chikhai Bardo’ gives some new particulars about what is going on on inside the partitions of the clandestine group.
For one, Gemma is as key to the puzzling undertaking know as Cold Harbor as Mark is. We first heard about this throughout this season’s premiere and you’ll learn extra about it in my Severance season 2 episode 1 theories article.
Regardless of what Cold Harbor finally ends up being, we all know it is the ultimate take a look at topic room (extra on these later) that Gemma should go to – certainly, she says as a lot throughout a dialog with Lumon’s cryptic scientist (extra on him later, too) in episode 7. Clearly, she’s integral to the “mysterious and essential” (Lumon’s phrases, not mine) work that Lumon is finishing up, however Mark’s ‘innie’ wants to realize 100% completion of his Cold Harbor work earlier than Gemma can entry it. I believe, then, that we can’t be taught what Cold Harbour truly is till this season’s penultimate or ultimate entry.
That’s if Mark’s ‘outie’ would not discover a manner to assist Gemma escape, anyway. She tries to take action on her personal – she’s been held towards her will for years, so it is smart that she’d try to take action – in top-of-the-line Apple TV+ exhibits’ newest episode, however it’s a mission that proves to be a futile one.
After knocking the mysterious, unsuspecting physician unconscious with a chair in her room, Gemma steals his all-access key card and, after stealthily avoiding her orderly through this ground’s labyrinthine corridors, she arrives at and makes use of the elevator. However, Gemma quickly passes via the elevator’s severance barrier, which causes her Ms Casey persona to emerge. Upon exiting the elevator on the Severed Floor and strolling down the hall to achieve the sector itself, she’s greeted on the exit by Seth Milchick, aka the Severed Floor supervisor. He instructs the bewildered Ms Casey to show round and head again to the place she got here from, which she duly does. Gemma re-emerges after the elevator passes via the severance barrier once more and, after being met by her nurse because the elevator doorways open, a visibly upset Gemma is led again to her room.
Severance season 2 episode 7 ending defined: who’s the mysterious physician who appears obsessive about Gemma?
Until now, this enigmatic particular person has remained anonymous. We’d solely seen him as soon as earlier than, too – he is the mysterious man who’s seen visiting Optics and Design to amass some instruments in Severance season 2 episode 5.
Thanks to ‘Chikhai Bardo’, we now know who he’s: Doctor Mauer, who seems to be a full-time, everlasting Lumon worker and, like most of the company’s elite workforce, a Kier devotee.
As I discussed earlier, it appears he is developed an unhealthy obsession with Gemma, which seems to go all the best way again to her IVF therapy. In a blink and you will miss it second, Mauer may be seen passing (and staring!) at Gemma and Mark as they determine the place to sit down within the fertility clinic’s reception/ready space. In the confines of Lumon, he isn’t solely accountable for noting down Gemma’s solutions on the finish of on daily basis, but in addition conducts every experiment with Gemma within the aforementioned take a look at rooms. He even makes use of quite a few disguises in order that none of her ‘innie’ personalities can work out who he’s.
It’ll be attention-grabbing to see how he reacts to Gemma in season 2’s ultimate three episodes. After all, she attacked him with a chair and stole his all-access move to mount an escape effort. Will he maintain that towards her, or will his clear emotions for Gemma override any hostility he might have in direction of her? Whatever occurs, Gemma is clearly not secure with him – and, with Drummond telling him (within the beforehand talked about secret commentary room) that he’ll “must say goodbye” to Gemma as soon as Project Cold Harbor is full, I’m fearful {that a} doubtlessly unhinged Mauer will try to preserve Gemma for himself.
Severance season 2 episode 7 ending defined: what’s with the take a look at rooms that Gemma visits and what number of are there?
If the above did not have sufficient theory-inducing materials for followers to pore over till season 2 episode 8 arrives, the reveal of this sub-Severed Floor space actually does.
Dubbed the ‘Testing Floor’ by director/government producer Ben Still on this week’s episode of The Severance Podcast, it is a sector with a seemingly infinite variety of rooms that Gemma is the take a look at topic for. Each doorway accommodates its personal severance barrier so, every time Gemma enters a unique room, it unlocks a unique ‘innie’ persona inside her. Still confirmed that Gemma has a number of ‘innie’ personalities on The Severance Podcast’s newest episode, too.
But I digress. Essentially, every room is akin to a role-playing situation, with Gemma pressured to behave out varied on a regular basis and/or life-threatening conditions, resembling Christmas Day or a flight that is experiencing excessive turbulence, with Doctor Mauer. On this specific day, Gemma visits six totally different rooms: Billings, Cairns, Lucknow, St. Pierre, Wellington, and Zurich. She additionally visits the room often known as Allentown the day after.
We do not find out about every room’s situation in episode 7, however we do discover out what lots of them are known as. Other room names I noticed as Gemma walks down this ground’s hallwasys embody Dranesville, Siena, Loveland, Rhodes, and Tumwater. Many extra are revealed on a blink and you will miss it shot of a pc monitor in Lumon’s secret commentary room (extra on this in a second), too, which you’ll be able to see within the picture above.
It is not among the many take a look at room names within the above picture, however there’s one experiment house that’ll have instantly piqued the curiosity of lots of you: Cold. Harbor.
Severance season 2 episode 7 ending defined: what do these take a look at rooms must do with Project Cold Harbor?
First talked about in Severance season 2 episode 1, Project Cold Harbor is the greatest enigma of the hit thriller thriller collection’ sophomore outing.
Unfortunately, ‘Chikhai Bardo’ would not shed any new gentle on what it truly is. We do be taught, although, that its progress bar has been caught at 96%. This a lot is made clear throughout a dialog between Drummond and Mauer in Lumon’s secret commentary room (I’ll focus on this subsequent, promise!), with Drummond saying it hasn’t up to date since Mark S had that nosebleed in season 2 episode 6, which is a brief however important setback for no matter work he is finishing up.
Will Mark’s ‘innie’ return to Lumon and full Cold Harbor earlier than season 2 ends? His ‘outie’ might want to wake from his coma first – and you’ll see if he does by scrolling via the remainder of this text.
Severance season 2 episode 7 ending defined: why is there a secret commentary room at Lumon?
Alright, so what’s this secret commentary room that Lumon has? It seems to be a spot that the corporate can spy on its Severed Floor workforce. That a lot is clear by these unsevered Lumon workers having the ability to watch every severed worker through a digicam feed that is plugged straight into Mark S and firm’s laptop screens.
One speedy time lapse later and it is clear why Lumon is conserving tabs on its severed employees: it desires to make sure that they attain 100% completion on every take a look at room, which is able to enable Doctor Mauer to conduct his roleplay experiments with Gemma. During stated time lapse, we are able to see Mark’s ‘innie’ finishing work on Cairns and Dranesville – and, as I outlined above, these are two of the rooms that Gemma visits at totally different factors in episode 7. That serves as extra proof that Lumon’s severed workforce wants to finish every undertaking earlier than Mauer and Gemma can entry a brand new take a look at room.
Severance season 2 episode 7 ending defined: does Mark wake from his coma?
Yep! Before episode 7’s finish credit roll, Mark regains consciousness. At the very least, this means he is partway via the reintegration course of – i.e. the experimental process that mixes the ‘innie’ and ‘outie’ personas of a severed particular person.
And after I say ‘partway’, it is as a result of I do not consider he is achieved full reintegration. Remember, Reghabi – the previous Lumon scientist who devised the progressive however harmful method – instructed Mark’s sister Devon that they wanted to restart the method as soon as he’d come to. With Reghabi leaving Mark’s house after Devon devises a plan to name Harmony Cobel, aka the previous Severed Floor supervisor, for assist, I do not assume Mark’s reintegration has been accomplished. I absolutely count on him to proceed ‘leaping’ between the actual world and Lumon on this season’s final three episodes, then.
Severance season 2 episode 7 ending defined: what’s ‘Chikhai Bardo’? And does it inform us something about this present’s story?
In some Buddhist traditions, the idea of Bardo refers the intermediate, transitional, or unseen state between dying and being reborn. It has six levels (often known as bardos), of which Chikhai Bardo is the fourth bardo and the primary that pertains to the ‘throughout dying’ cycle. It marks the precipice of the ‘ultimate interior breath’, too, which a dwelling being takes earlier than it passes.
The time period Chikhai Bardo seems to have a double which means on this episode, then. The first pertains to Mark’s comatose state as, till he reawakens, it is unclear if the reintegration course of will succeed (he is nonetheless alive!) or fail (nicely, he is lifeless). Essentially, he is on the cusp of dying till he regains consciousness in episode 7’s ultimate scene.
Chikhai Bardo additionally pertains to Gemma. Not solely does she point out it by identify throughout a dialog with Mark as they focus on some laminated playing cards (see the picture above) throughout one flashback, however Gemma can be on the sting of a knife in terms of the life-death expertise. Any considered one of her ‘innie’ personas might be snuffed out by Lumon immediately (it is already finished this to Burt and Irving) and, let’s be frank, she’s not precisely dwelling whereas she’s being held captive as a take a look at topic by Lumon. In reality, you may argue her imprisonment is akin to being caught in purgatory, which, per Catholic doctrine, is a intermediate state between life and dying. Hmm, the place have I heard such the same description like that earlier than…
One ultimate factor on Bardo. It’s a classical Tibetan phrase that is not the one one uttered in episode 7. Indeed, throughout a sit-down meal (proven through flashback) with Mark, Devon, and Ricken, Gemma makes use of the Tibetan identify for Mount Everest, which is Chomolungma. Dichen Lachmann, who performs Gemma/Ms Casey, was additionally born within the Nepalese capital Kathmandu, which is taken into account to be the gateway to Tibet for vacationers. The extra you already know, eh?
