I’m officially an Apple TV+ convert. Prior to literally a few weeks ago, I never ever used to be interested in procuring any more streaming subscriptions. I had Disney+, Netflix, and Amazon Prime—I was good. But then, the first episode of Severance season two came out… Now, given that I was beginning to lose count of my fake email addresses (created solely to secure free week trials) I thought it was finally time to take the plunge and surrender my debit card details in the hopes that it would be all worth it.

And now, only two episodes into Severance season two, I can confidently say that you couldn’t pry my Apple TV+ subscription out of my cold, dead, severed hands.

There was a time when I genuinely believed that Night at the Museum would be Ben Stiller at his all-time best, but then he gifted us with Severance. Behind the camera in this case, Stiller has successfully spearheaded one of the most interesting and engaging series I’ve ever seen. Severance gives me mad onion energy—there’s always a new layer to be peeled back. And with lots of layers and questions, comes lots of fan theories.

So, what exactly is season two of Severance about? Which questions do we think will be answered? And what are some of the most exciting fan theories circulating online?

Severance is a science fiction psychological thriller TV series created by Dan Erickson, with Ben Stiller serving as executive producer and primary director. The central plot focuses on four employees at Lumon Industries, a fictional and high-key mysterious corporation.

The four employees—played by Adam Scott, Zach Cherry, John Turturro, and Britt Lower respectively—have all undergone “severance,” a medical procedure that involves implanting a chip into the individual’s brain, thereby severing their memories between work and home. While their “innie” is on the severed floor, they remember absolutely nothing about their lives on the outside. And when their “outie” leaves work at the end of the day, they have zero recollection of their 9 to 5.

It’s a tricky show to describe in a condensed way because even though the primary concept of the series is relatively straightforward, the plot is incredibly intricate and stuffed to the brim with deeper meaning.

watched severance and am now trapped in the maze of trying to figure out what they do for work pic.twitter.com/th98snxFRW

— trin (@lovelltrin) January 27, 2025

Severance is crazy because one character can be one of primary protagonists and the main villain at the same time. This story is just insane https://t.co/WJKpluDdtQ

— Cosmonaut Marcus is Back (@CosmonautMarcus) January 26, 2025

One thing is for sure though, everyone loves this show. I’ve not met one person who’s not been immediately enthralled by the sheer level of mystery behind those iconic Lumon elevators. This isn’t just a show people, it’s an experience.

No one will see this and I don’t fucking care. #Severance is operating on a completely different playing field than anything else in television. The writing, acting, cinematography, world building, all of it. Every detail. S2, E2 was their best yet. Just, wow. pic.twitter.com/PWmi2ulTMA

— Joey (@SoManyWays2Joey) January 25, 2025

One of the most prominent theories regarding Severance season two is that Helena Eagan (aka, Helly’s outie) is actually the one who descended the elevator in episode one. Indeed, a number of fans are convinced that Helena is cosplaying as her innie in order to learn more about what the other employees know and potentially to build upon her connection to Mark. 

helena eagen walked outta that elevator and not helly r i fear #Severance pic.twitter.com/UXk5SfFTdw

— Adams (@cockaflocka) January 17, 2025

Helly’s reappearance in Lumon definitely felt off, her reunion with Mark was arguably awkward and she proceeded to lie about her experience of “waking up” at the end of season one. Moreover, as seen in episode two, Helena evidently has a fascination with the close connection Helly and Mark formed over the course of the first season. Could it be that she chose to integrate herself with the others on the severed floor in order to experience a little bit of romance herself?

#Severance

Season 2 Episode 3

[SPOILERS]

From the walk, to the way she talks, and the Irving holding hands moment… but the moment that really stood out to me was how she didn’t want or didn’t know how to take the lead in kissing Mark S. It’s 10000% HELENA!! pic.twitter.com/bcYhB4Fh6p

— Movie Files (@MovieFilesLive) January 31, 2025

If there’s one thing Lumon’s higher-ups love, it’s Kier Eagan—the founder of Lumon Industries and god-like figure who is worshipped and revered by the majority of the employees on the severed floor.

It’s been a running theory for some time now that the work the employees are doing in Lumon has something to do with resurrecting Kier. One of the reasons people believe this is because they feel Mark, Helly, Irving, and Dylan represent the four tempers—a philosophy discovered by Kier that suggests that every human soul possesses some quantity of either Woe, Frolic, Dread, and Malice.

If you think about it each of the core four represent one of Keir Eagan’s 4 Tempers.

Helly – Frolic
Mark – Dread
Dylan – Malice
Irving – Woe

Now do I think this means anything theory wise? No, I just thought it was a fun little tidbit.#Severance

— Jasper (@JasperRaspberry) January 18, 2025

So, it would then make sense to imagine that these four employees have been recruited to the severed floor because only they can do the right work which will in turn lead to Kier’s resurrection.

Severance theory I am convinced is true:

The Egan family’s main goal is immortality. They are working on cloning/transferring consciousness so they can live forever and possibly revive Kier/past Egan-ites. It explains the goats as they are used to test/clones already.

1/

— Adam Awes (@AdamAwes10K) January 29, 2025

While this theory might seem a little outlandish, anyone who’s watched the show will know how embedded the lore of Kier is into the company and indeed how set the Eagan family are on transforming the entire world into “Kier’s children.”

Now this might be my favourite theory. A recent Reddit thread went viral after a user suggested that the Eagan family is so obsessed with pineapples because, similar to the fruit, they too can reproduce without sexual intercourse. As many of us know, fruit is a prominent symbol throughout Severance—particularly tropical fruit.

“Perhaps the solution to ‘making all mankind Keir’s children’ is making babies like pineapples make babies. It keeps the bloodline pure and they don’t have to mess with the incest (which I bet they tried back in the day),” the post read.

One particularly interesting comment underneath the theory read: “That makes the painting in the first episode make a lot more sense now. The one with the 4 heads on the ground. That’s how pineapples are grown. You cut off that top green part and stick it in the ground. The rest of the plant recreates itself. I think it could be a major clue to how Gemma survived or how they made her come back.”

One of the biggest remaining mysteries in the show is how Mark’s wife Gemma—someone we believed to be killed in a car accident—is alive. We of course know she is alive and well because Gemma is in fact Ms Casey, the Wellness Director on the severed floor.

what every mention of Gemma in severance feels like to me pic.twitter.com/UYnFeZopr0

— cate (@seaofbelIs) January 24, 2025

So, which theory is your favourite? New episodes of Severance season two drop every Friday on Apple TV+! So get watching everyone.