8 new big theories I have after Severance season 2 episode 6, aka ‘Attila’: can Burt be trusted, what is Irving up to, what happened to Mark, and more tom.power@futurenet.com (Tom Power) | usagoldmines.com

Full spoilers follow for Severance season 2 episode 6.

The sixth episode of Severance season 2 has dropped on Apple TV Plus – and, just like every other episode this season (and the last!), it raises more questions than it answers.

So, as I’ve done at various points throughout season 2, I’m going to discuss my thoughts and theories on the mystery thriller’s latest chapter, which is titled ‘Attila’. It goes without saying, but major spoilers follow for Severance‘s newest episode, so make sure you’ve watched it first before pressing on.

1. Mark’s reintegration will show us flashbacks involving Gemma

Well, that didn’t go as well as anyone planned. After his ‘outie’ unexpectedly runs into Lumon CEO-in-waiting Helena Eagan (more on her later) at his local Chinese restaurant, a shaken-up but determined Mark heads home and tells Reghabi that he wants to move ahead with her plan to fully reintegrate him.

Speaking to me before last week’s episode aired, Severance creator Dan Erickson hinted that this would “put Mark in danger” in more ways than one. Unsurprisingly, that’s proven to be the case. A combination of Reghabi flooding Mark’s severance chip with an unknown substance, his sister Devon’s sudden appearance at his house (and the stress that puts Mark’s brain under), and him physically moving when he shouldn’t be leads Mark to not only collapse in his own home, but also start violently convulsing and frothing at the mouth.

Clearly, Mark is going to be in some form of comatose state for an episode or two – and, in my opinion, that provides Severance with the opportunity to explore his history with Gemma, aka his supposedly dead wife who’s actually alive (at Lumon Industries, no less) and going by the pseudonym Ms Casey.

If you watched Severance season 2’s official trailer, you’ll remember the brief shot of Mark and Gemma enjoying each other’s company in a sun-drenched room. Sure, this could be Mark unconsciously dreaming of the life he could have had with Gemma, but I’m convinced it’s a flashback sequence from when they first moved in together. Don’t be surprised if one of season 2’s final four episodes takes a trip down memory lane to show us how they met, fell in love, and, potentially, if their marriage started to fall apart before Gemma’s accident.

2. Harmony Cobel holds the key to the reintegration process

Three episodes have passed since we last saw Harmony Cobel, so fans of the hit Apple TV Original are rightly asking where’s she gone.

You don’t hire an actor as brilliant as Patricia Arquette if you’re not going to use her (and her character) for some revelatory story-based purpose. I’m of the opinion, then, that Cobel knows something hugely important that’ll help Mark to fully reintegrate, rescue Gemma, and bring down Lumon.

Chatting to me before Severance returned, Arquette suggested that Cobel’s loyalty to Lumon would be tested in season 2. With Cobel walking away from Lumon for reasons unknown in Severance season 2 episode 3, it appears she’s starting to question her unwavering fealty to the fiendish biotech company. She’s always had a soft spot for Mark, too, according to Lumon’s Board and Milchick, with the latter telling Mark in Severance season 2 episode 1 that the former believed Cobel had an “erotic fixation” with Mark and wanted to pursue a “throuple” style relationship with his ‘innie’ and ‘outie’. I fully expect Cobel to join forces with Reghabi and Mark, then, to hit back at Lumon by helping Mark to take them down.

3. Burt is a bad guy – and he might still be working for Lumon and Mr Drummond

One of episode 6’s biggest talking points centers on the oft-times uncomfortable dinner that Irving shares with Burt and his ‘outie’ husband named Fields. There’s a lot to unpack from these scenes in ‘Attila’, but there are two big theories that emerged in the wake of that soiree.

The first one I have is that Burt isn’t a good guy. That idea came to me after a religion-based conversation that the trio have, which focuses on a sermon delivered by the pastor of the church that Burt and Fields attend. Their religion believes that a person’s ‘innie’ is a complete individual with their own soul. In short: if an ‘innie’ leads a good, helpful life, they’ve got just as good of a chance of going to Heaven as their ‘outie’ has. The same is true of going to Hell if either/or persona spends their days being evil.

Okay, so what’s this got to do with Burt? It’s insinuated that Burt’s ‘outie’ has done some… less than pleasant things. He decided to undergo the severance process so his ‘innie’ had a shot of redeeming Burt so that, when he dies, his ‘innie’ will join Fields’ ‘outie’ (Fields, as far as we know, hasn’t been severed) in Heaven. Clearly, the Burt we thought we all knew isn’t that person.

But wait! There’s more. At one point in ‘Attila’, we see high-ranking Lumon employee Mr Drummond break into the home of Irving’s ‘outie’ while the latter is enjoying dinner with Burt and Fields. There, Drummond discovers Irving’s stash of documents that include vital information on numerous severed workers.

It can’t be a coincidence that Drummond forces his way into Irving’s home and go through his possessions when he’s not there. That’s got me thinking that Burt, who’s exhibited plenty of disquieting behavior throughout season 2, is still working for Lumon in some capacity. That raises questions about whether he’s actually severed and if he’s not only an important Lumon employee, but also a member of the incredibly secretive Board. Wouldn’t that be a turn up for the books!

4. Irving is a private investigator who’s trying to blow the whistle on Lumon

Severance‘s season 1 finale was full of shocking moments, not least with its revelation that Helly R’s ‘outie’ was Helena Eagan, aka the daughter of Lumon’s current boss. However, we also learned a little bit about Irving’s ‘outie’, too, and that he’s a military veteran.

One of the best Apple TV Plus shows‘ second season suggests he’s much more than that, though. As I mentioned, Drummond finds numerous files in Irving’s apartment with key intel on many severed employees. Before Irving confronts Burt in his car – Irving think he’s stalking him – in Severance season 2 episode 5, we see him talking to a mystery individual on a payphone, too, with Irving telling them that he’s worried that Lumon is onto him.

To me, all of this implies that Irving has been hired as a private detective with the aim of getting to the bottom of what’s going on at Lumon. It would explain why he’s been researching its severed workforce, his likely exploration of Lumon’s secret areas (remember: he was the only one who knew about the dark corridor with an elevator leading to another floor before season 2 began), and would reveal why he joined the severance program (he’d get closer to the truth that way). We’ll see if I’m right at some point, hopefully.

5. Ms Huang is being primed to become the Severed Floor’s new manager

There’s been plenty of online chatter about who Ms Huang is. Some fans reckon she’s a clone of Gemma/Ms Casey. Others say she’s Mark and Gemma’s daughter – or, rather, who their daughter would’ve been if Gemma hadn’t ‘died’ (read: kidnapped by Lumon).

In my Severance season 2 episode 1 theories piece, I predicted Ms Huang was the latest student to graduate from Mrytle Eagan School for Girls. This is the same education center that Harmony Cobel attended before she became a Lumon employee.

It seems Ms Huang is following in Cobel’s footsteps. Indeed, during the only meeting she has with current Severed Floor manager Seth Milchick (more on him in a moment), he tells her that her successful completion of her fellowship – one that’ll maker her “Wintertide material” – is dependent on him.

If, and it’s a big if, this Wintertide Fellowship is a Lumon graduate program that leads to a permanent position at the company, Ms Huang could eventually become Severed Floor manager (Milchick has shown time and again that he’s incapable of holding down the fort…), which would make her Cobel 2.0.

6. Milchick is going to come down hard on MDR and force them to complete Cold Harbor

But back to Milchick. After his rather scathing performance review in this season’s fifth episode, he spends his time trying to iron out his managerial weaknesses in ‘Attila’.

That doesn’t bode well for the Macrodata Refinement (MDR) team. Milchick already told Drummond that he would “tighten the leash” on them in season 2 episode 5. In this week’s follow-up, he’s seen putting Drummond’s ‘constructive’ criticism from said performance review into effect. Milchick isn’t going to give up the position of Severed Floor manager without a fight and, if that means he becomes more of a dictatorial boss in the eyes of the MDR team, it’s a tactical approach that’ll work in his favor and ensure he stays in the right side of Lumon’s Board.

7. Helena is stalking Mark for multiple reasons

I told you we’d come back to Helena. As I mentioned near the beginning of this article, she tracks down Mark’s ‘outie’ to his local Chinese eatery and has a rather unsettling conversation with him. I give it another episode or two before he takes out a restraining order.

But I digress. After their hook-up during episode 4’s ORTBO (learn more about what happened in my Severance season 2 episode 4 ending explained piece), Helena has clearly become besotted with Mark. Why else would she start stalking him in the real world?

I think there’s more to this than Helena simply being a creep, though. I believe she’s keeping tabs on his ‘outie’ to ensure he’s not getting up to anything that might cause issues for Lumon. Sure, she might be doing it without anyone’s permission but, hey, as she tells Mark, she’s the future leader of the nefarious organization, so she can effectively do as she pleases (within reason, of course). After all, it’s in Lumon’s interests to watch Mark’s ‘outie’, especially with his ‘innie’ continuing to ask questions and snoop around within Lumon HQ.

8. Dylan G’s ‘affair’ with Gretchen will lead to her and his ‘outie’ getting divorced

Dylan’s ‘outie’ just can’t catch a break, can he? Not only was he fired by Lumon after his involvement in the ‘innie’ outbreak in season 1’s final episode (to be fair, he was rehired in season 2 episode 2), but now he’s having to contend with his wife Gretchen having an affair with his own ‘innie’.

Alright, so it’s not an affair in the sexual relationship sense, but Gretchen did kiss Dylan’s ‘innie’ during their most recent meeting in Lumon’s Outie Visitation Suite. The fact that Gretchen didn’t tell Dylan’s ‘outie’, aka her husband, about it makes it even worse, too.

I wouldn’t be stunned, then, if Dylan’s ‘outie’ eventually finds out about the fling and divorces Gretchen. I suspect Gretchen’s guilt will eat away at her to the point where she comes clean to her real-world partner, which leads to a permanent separation between the pair. It’s that, or Dylan’s ‘outie’ forbids her from seeing his ‘innie’ again, which could have its own repercussions if Dylan’s ‘innie’ becomes too depressed to continue working on Cold Harbor.

What are your thoughts on any or all of the above theories? Do you think I’m on the right track or talking rubbish? Let me know in the comments!