WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for Severance season 2, episode 7!ThoughSeverancehas finally revealed what Lumon has been doing with Gemma down on the Testing Floor,the question still remains of how exactly they convinced her to join their experimental pursuits – and why they had to fake her death to do so. At the start of the series, it’s revealed that Mark underwent the severance procedure following the death of his wife, Gemma, two years ago, as she tragically died in a car accident. However, toward theend ofSeveranceseason 1, it’s confirmed that Gemma is actually still alive, having been severed and held at Lumon.
After subsequently being kept in the dark,Severanceseason 2, episode 7 finally gives some answers about Gemma’s experiences since her “death.” All this time,Lumon has been experimenting on Gemmain various rooms on the Testing Floor, each corresponding to files “refined” by MDR. While she seemingly has a different Innie for each room, Gemma herself is still conscious when in her bedroom and walking the halls. Still,it isn’t explicitly revealed why Gemma originally agreed to work with Lumon and sever herself, but some dark clues about her recruitment hint at a tragic promise made by the company.
Lumon Subtly Sought Out Gemma During Her Fertility Struggles With Mark
Dr. Mauer Worked At The Fertility Clinic
ThroughoutSeveranceseason 2, episode 7, hints are subtly dropped about how exactly Lumon found Gemma and why they wanted her to be their new test subject. AsSeverance’s “Chikhai Bardo” episodeexplores the backstory of Mark and Gemma’s romance, it’s revealed that the two experienced some devastating struggles with fertility and pregnancy prior to her death. After Gemma tragically suffered a miscarriage, she and Mark continued to try to get pregnant for some time, which led them to seek assistance at a fertility clinic.At the clinic, Lumon’s logo appears on the sheet Gemma fills outwith her information.
Severance Season 2 Episode 7 Ending Explained: What The Flashbacks Mean
Severance season 2’s episode 7 proves to be the most happening installment in the series, featuring not only flashbacks but also reveals about Gemma.
While Mark and Gemma are at the clinic, a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment reveals thatSeverance’s new character Dr. Mauerwas working at that fertility clinic. When Mark was turning a corner, Dr. Mauer was passing right by him, indicating this was the first time he met with Gemma on the outside world.It’s implied that her appointment there was when Dr. Mauer decided that she would be a good candidate for their new revolutionary severance experimentsat Lumon, which he would later spearhead with Gemma on the Testing Floor.
This isn’t the first time that we’ve seen these flashcards, however, as Dylan found them back inSeveranceseason 1.
The idea that Lumon recruited Gemma at the fertility clinic is also supported by the reveal thatshe was sent some flashcards after the clinic put her on a mailing list. Mark even comments on Gemma going through the flashcards, which have her interpret the images and draw corresponding pictures. This isn’t the first time that we’ve seen these flashcards, however, as Dylan found them back inSeveranceseason 1. In response to Dylan finding those flashcards, Milchick had to implementSeverance’s Overtime Contingency Protocol, highlighting just how important they were to Lumon’s secret work with Gemma.
I’m Convinced Lumon Told Gemma They Could Help Her Have A Baby In Exchange For Undergoing Severance
Lumon Took Advantage Of Her Pain & Grief
Considering Lumon had recruited Gemma through the fertility clinic, it seems their strategy for getting her to join their experiments had to have been related to her struggles. Dr. Mauer had been a doctor at the clinic, which would make Gemma trust him more easily, and he also knew how desperately she wanted a baby and the grief and pain that had been consuming her after her failed pregnancy. Taking advantage of that desperation,I believe that Dr. Mauer got Gemma to agree to work with Lumon by promising the experiments would help her have a successful pregnancy.
IVF and other methods of conception weren’t working for Gemma, soshe likely felt that she didn’t have anything to lose by trying again and being a test subject for a new medical procedure. Dr. Mauer most likely gave her a Lumon-coded sales pitch about how this revolutionary testing would not only change the world, but would also finally give her the baby that she and Mark had been trying to conceive for so long. Of course, it would meanundergoing Lumon’s severance procedure, which had officially been around for about 10 years at that point.
Why Lumon Would Need To Fake Gemma’s Death (& Does She Know That Mark Thinks She’s Dead?)
Lumon Couldn’t Have Anyone Looking For Gemma During Their Testing
The curious part, however, is whether Gemma agreed to fake her death. It’s believed that she willingly signed onto Lumon’s experiment – though certainly without understanding the full weight of what she was getting into – buther love for Mark was still too strong for me to believe that she opted to fake her death. Rather, it seems like Lumon coerced her into coming to the office that night, with the company then staging a car accident, creating a fake body for Mark to identify (perhaps one of the “twins” fromSeveranceseason 2, episode 4?), and falsifying a death record.
Mark was told by the authorities that Gemma died when her car crashed into a tree while driving on an icy road.
However, Lumon needed the world to believe that Gemma was dead in order to carry out their secretive experiment for two years. By claiming she was dead, rather than just missing,they could keep Mark from trying to look for her. Additionally, with Mark drowning in his own grief after Gemma’s “death,” Lumon would then be able to recruit him as another severed employee, with Mark himself proving to be crucial to the experiment and, ultimately, theCold Harbor file.
That doesn’t explain why Gemma wouldn’t question Mark’s ability to get remarried; he wouldn’t be able to do so unless they signed divorce papers or Gemma was declared dead.
Gemma being oblivious about her death being faked is also supported by the idea that she continues asking Dr. Mauer when she can see Mark. Though Dr. Mauer lies and tells her Mark is remarried with a daughter, Gemma is seemingly led to believe that he thinks she’s alive and knows where she is. Still, that doesn’t explain why Gemma wouldn’t question Mark’s ability to get remarried; he wouldn’t be able to do so unless they signed divorce papers or Gemma was declared dead. As such,she may know about Lumon hiding her survival – at least to some degree.
Severance’s Mark & Helly Pregnancy Theories Would Make The Gemma Baby Story Much Worse
A Popular Fan Theory Claims Helly/Helena Will Become Pregnant
If Lumon truly did recruit Gemma based on the promise that they would help give her a successful pregnancy, then Mark and Helly’s story is going to get even more complicated than before. Since Mark had unprotected sex with Helena at the ORTBO and again with Helly on the severed floor inSeveranceseason 2, episode 6, there’s been a growingtheory that Helly/Helena will become pregnant. Theethical dilemmas around Helena/Helly potentially being pregnant would add a whole other layer toSeverance’s exploration of bodily autonomyand Innie/Outie identities.
Severance Season 2’s New Intro Seemingly Confirms A Massive Dark Twist For Mark & Helly
After Severance season 2, episode 4, the show’s opening credits sequence seems to foreshadow a twist that will change Mark and Helly’s characters.
Furthermore, the potential reveal of a Mark and Helly pregnancy would make the backstory of Mark and Gemma’s fertility struggles all the more devastating. It seems that Gemma’s “death” was incited by her pregnancy struggles, and she may have even severed herself with the hopes of finally getting a baby with Mark. That still hasn’t happened after two years onLumon’s Testing Floorand, meanwhile,Mark’s Innie has found love with Helly, the Innie of the daughter of the CEO of the company controlling Gemma, which would only be made more tragic by a baby being involved that’s not her own.
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Not to mention, how would Outie Mark contend with this information? If he found out that he was going to be the father of his boss’ baby that he technically didn’t even conceive? If he learned that, meanwhile, his wife, who he thought was dead, had been right below him five days a week, still desperately trying to get back to him? WithSeveranceseason 2’s remaining episodes gearing up for some more shocking twists after “Chikhai Bardo,” it seemsMark’s whole world is about to change regardless after he discovers the truth about Gemma, Helly, and Helena.
