‘Severance’ Season 2’s Most Intimate Scene Is Also One of Its Most Tense Find help us

movies

06/02/2025

Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for Severance Season 2.

Turning the mundane into the important is something that Apple TV+’s Severance excels at doing, and even moments without any dialogue can still have plenty to say. The romance between Mark S. (Adam Scott) and Helly R. (Britt Lower) has been quietly building for some time and reached a crescendo near the end of the first season, which is what makes the events of the latest episode so confounding. When Mark and Helly ultimately refrain from kissing, it’s clearly a tease for viewers, but it’s also a hint that things aren’t exactly what they seem. Britt Lower is already a standout this season through her portrayal of both Helly’s innie and outie, but her performance also serves as a testament to how well the series can mess with the minds of its audience.

‘Severance’ Knows How to Create a Proper Tease

One of the most important character relationships in Severance is Mark and Helly, especially since they’re the first two people we meet during the series premiere. The unique workplace at Lumon Industries is not one which encourages emotional expression, and Helly has good reason to dislike Mark when they first meet. As time passes, they become strong allies, but it’s unclear if their relationship will fully evolve into something more serious. Therefore, when Helly quickly kisses Mark before Dylan G. (Zach Cherry) activates the Overtime Contingency Protocol in the Season 1 finale, it is just as much of a pleasant surprise for viewers as it is for Mark himself.

Season 2’s third episode, however, inverts this dynamic in a specific way. When the two begin plotting their next strategy in the hallways of Lumon, there is a brief moment when it looks like Mark and Helly might kiss again. Instead, the silence lingers, with neither making a move on the other. Not only is it a very refreshing depiction of two people who struggle to nonverbally communicate, but it also leaves the viewer wanting more, adding a small “will-they-won’t-they” element to this complex relationship. There is mutual tension in the scene, making it feel romantic yet awkward, and it’s notable that Helly is the one who chooses to back away. This feels very out of character for someone who took the initiative by force last season, and it points to a major fan theory that might yet prove true.

Ever since the season premiere, fans have speculated that Helly has been overridden and replaced by her outie Helena Eagan, who is observing the severed floor in secrecy. This might sound far-fetched at first, but there are small hints that might point to it being a possibility, like when Helly struggles to engage in the work at MDR that she has already mastered. More notably, she also lies to the others about what she saw during the OTC, and it’s unclear why she would do so when she trusts the group so deeply. It would also make sense for the plot, since Helena is trying to get back in the good graces of her father, Lumon CEO Jame Eagan (Michael Siberry), after her innie sabotaged the company gala in the Season 1 finale.

‘Severance’s Latest Episode Just Revealed an Even Uglier Side of Lumon

Our expectations were already low.

In ‘Severance’ Season 2, Helly Remains Frighteningly Ambiguous

helena-jame-eagan-severance-season-2-episode-2 — Image via AppleTV+

Although it’s clear that Adam Scott is the face of Severance, Britt Lower feels almost as important, initially serving as the eyes of the audience in the series premiere. Since we don’t learn Helly’s true identity until the season finale, she plays the outsider for most of the first season; only now are we positioned to see the other side of her. Unlike the others, Helly remains diametrically opposed to her outie’s goals and personality, which means the task Lower has is twice as difficult. There have been plenty of great performances from the main cast this season, but hers remains unique in a way that displays her diversity as an actress by making viewers adore and despise both sides of her character in equal measure.

While on the severed floor, Lower portrays Helly in a far more guarded state this season, one which makes her feel unpredictable. Refusing to kiss Mark, which would be expected from a much colder personality like her outie, leads viewers to second guess what they thought they knew, even if there turns out to be a rational explanation. In a series full of twists and turns like this one, almost anything feels possible, and it remains difficult to trust what you see with your own eyes or take the motivations of characters at face value. Whether or not Helly has been replaced by her outie, Severance is bound to keep viewers on their toes, creating a sense of dread not many shows have been able to capture — and one that might remain for the rest of the second season.