The Reason Seth Milchick and Harmony Cobel Remain Unsevered in Severance

Warning: this article contains SPOILERS for Severance season 2, episode 1.

Severance Season 2 Returns with Intriguing Questions

The critically acclaimed series Severance has made its much-anticipated return with season 2, reigniting interest in the enigmatic world and its compelling characters. The show explores the lives of employees at Lumon Industries, who undergo a controversial procedure called severance, essentially partitioning their memories between their workplace existence and life outside of the office. This complex narrative structure allows for a gradual revelation of each character’s dual personality, particularly that of Mark Scout (played by Adam Scott), which has contributed to the series’ stunning reviews.

Initially, Lumon Industries presents itself as a stable and secure company due to its sensitive operations. However, as the series unfolds, it takes on a more ominous and cult-like atmosphere. The season 1 finale showcased the “innies,”or the severed versions of characters, embarking on a perilous quest for knowledge about their external lives. This struggle raises questions about the implications of severance, as it becomes evident that not all Lumon employees have undergone this procedure, leading to significant power dynamics within the organization.

Not All Lumon Employees Are Severed, Including Mr. Milchick and Ms. Cobel

Higher-Ups Retain Full Access to Their Memories

Among the cast of Severance, certain key characters, particularly Mr. Milchick (Tramell Tillman) and Ms. Cobel (Patricia Arquette), are notably not severed and retain full memory of their lives outside the company. Unlike the four employees of the Macrodata Refinement department, who have been severed and are desperately trying to communicate their harrowing experiences to their external selves, Mr. Milchick and Ms. Cobel wield the power of awareness, making them uniquely influential figures within Lumon.

Each Friday, fans can tune in to a new episode of season 2 at 3 am EST/12 am PST on Apple TV+, keeping the intrigue and excitement alive.

In addition to Mr. Milchick and Ms. Cobel, other non-severed characters, like security head Mr. Graner and a woman named Natalie, have surfaced, suggesting that there may be further undisclosed non-severed employees within Lumon. The decision to sever employees aims to prevent them from sharing workplace secrets, allowing higher-ups to exploit their knowledge of both the outside world and the imprisoned “innies”to maintain control over the narrative that unfolds on the severed floor.

The Advantages of Not Being Severed: Control Over the Outies

Increased Control Through Additional Knowledge

As non-severed employees, Milchick and Cobel have the advantage of closely monitoring their subordinates’ activities outside the workplace. Their surveillance extends to tracking incidents involving characters like Petey, as well as Milchick’s manipulation of Dylan using the Overtime Contingency in season 1. Their position ensures that while “outies”remain blissfully unaware, “innies”cannot share pertinent information about their experiences, safeguarding Lumon’s darker secrets.

This selective dissemination of information enables Milchick and Cobel to craft narratives that control what employees perceive. For example, during Helly’s attempt to resign, the bosses’ interventions illustrate their extensive grasp over the division between severed and unsorted memories. This pattern continues into season 2, where the “innies”confront revelations regarding their influence on the outside world—information that must be tightly controlled to maintain the status quo.

Cobel’s Manipulative Tactics: A Case of Power Abuse

Embedded in Mark’s Life: Cobel’s Cunning Strategy

Among the ranks of non-severed employees, Ms. Cobel’s tactics stand out for their brazen nature. Serving not only as Mark’s supervisor but also as his neighbor under the alias Ms. Selvig, she plays a dual role that allows her to infiltrate his personal life. Acting as a friendly yet controlling presence, she learns intimate details about Mark’s identity while deceptively engaging with his family members under the guise of being a maternal health expert.

However, this manipulation leads to severe repercussions when “innie”Mark encounters Ms. Selvig at a social gathering, subsequently triggering backlashes that expose Cobel’s duplicity to both the board and Mark himself. Ultimately, her misuse of power results in her dismissal from Lumon, yet it seems clear that this is not the last we’ll see of her scheming ways in season 2. Cobel’s awareness of Lumon’s inner workings signals potential future threats to both the organization and its unwitting employees, leaving audiences eager to discover her next moves.

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