10 Biggest Questions Severance Season 3 Must Answer

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Severance season 2.

Now that Severance season 2 has come to its explosive end, there are numerous questions that the Apple TV+ series must answer in its third installment. After three long years, Severance finally returned for its second season at the start of 2025. This new batch of episodes brings viewers back into the world of Mark, Helly, Irving, and Dylan, severed employees at the mysterious and creepy Lumon Industries. By Severance season 2’s ending, many huge plot points took place. Some answered audiences’ questions, but others made the previous questions even more dire, or created new questions entirely.

While unanswered questions can be frustrating, Severance actually thrives on its mysteries. The show gives viewers just enough information to get by, then slowly sneaks in hints, twists, and shocking reveals. For example, at the start of Severance season 2, fans wanted to know what happened to Mark’s wife, Gemma, and if she was really alive. The series answered this to a certain degree, but also added new layers of intrigue. Now, Severance has a whole new set of mysteries to solve when it returns for Severance season 3.

10

Is Gemma Safe?

Severance Season 3 Needs A Real Mark & Gemma Reunion

The number one question that comes to mind after watching the Severance season 2 finale is whether Gemma is truly safe or not. After successfully getting to the long, dark hallway, Mark coaxes Gemma from her final Lumon test and leads her out to the exit door. There, she waits for Mark to follow her, but now in the mind of his innie, Mark chooses to stay with Helly. The hope is that Gemma could still escape Lumon, even if Mark doesn’t come with her, yet if she waits too long, this may not be the case.

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There are likely two avenues Severance season 3 could go down with Gemma. Either she manages to leave Lumon and finds solace with Devon or the Eagans catch her and hold her hostage until they decide what to do. If the former happens, it will be imperative that season 3 gives audiences a real reunion between Gemma and outie Mark where he explains what has happened. On the flip side, if Lumon traps Gemma once more, the show will have to make this captivity different from the old one.

9

What Was Lumon Going To Do To Gemma?

What Gemma’s Cold Harbor Test Means

In a similar vein, Severance season 2 begs the question: what was Gemma’s fate going to be? Harmony Cobel told Mark that when he finished Cold Harbor, Gemma would be killed. However, in the finale, audiences see Gemma enter the Cold Harbor room, where she is instructed to take apart a baby crib. It could have been that Lumon was going to kill Gemma after she successfully completed the test. On the other hand, her death may have been more than just murder; perhaps, Lumon had grander plans for her.

Along with Gemma’s fate is the mystery of her final test. In Severance season 2, episode 7, it is shown that Gemma spends her days entering different rooms where a new innie version of herself must complete grueling tasks. In Cold Harbor, her only purpose is to take apart a crib, which seemingly represents the crib she and Mark had bought when she was pregnant. Gemma seems not to know who she is in the room, and this seems to be a good thing for Lumon. Potentially, Gemma’s final test proves that she has become the perfect, malleable innie.

8

Will Mark, Helly, & The Innies Be Killed?

How The Innies Can Survive Without Lumon

Along with Gemma, the fates of Mark, Helly, and the other innies are also at stake. After freeing Gemma and killing Drummond, Mark is in serious trouble with Lumon, and potentially, the law. Plus, Helly and Dylan are accessories to the crime since they locked Milchick in the bathroom. In this way, there is no telling how Lumon will deal with them. They could shut down the severed floor altogether, essentially killing all the innies, but then again, now that Cold Harbor was ruined, Lumon may still need its innies.

This leads to an even bigger existential question, which is whether the innies can even survive without Lumon. Although they mainly exist on Lumon’s severed floor, Mark is able to access his innie at the Lumon birthing cabins. Additionally, the Severance season 1 finale saw the innies take over their outie bodies. Therefore, there is some chance that the innies could escape Lumon and still manage to live, though this would put their outies lives into question.

7

Can Mark Really Be Reintegrated?

What Would A Reintegrated Mark Look Like?

Branching off from outie vs innie lives, Severance season 2 casts doubts on the idea of reintegration. For several episodes of Severance season 2, Mark works together with Reghabi to try to reintegrate his outie and innie selves. Initially, it seems to be successful, as Mark’s memories and lived experiences begin to collide. However, the process also takes a physical toll on him and forces him to stop. Mark assumes that he can reintegrate after saving Gemma, but his innie suspects that it won’t be that easy.

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To be fair, innie Mark makes some great points. Even if Mark were to combine both versions of himself, there is no telling what this would really mean for him. Arguably, innie Mark and outie Mark have two very different goals and ambitions, and it is impossible for one person to achieve both of those. In this way, reintegration may not be the solution it was originally made out to be, and in fact, could be another death sentence for innie Mark.

6

How Did Irving Know About The Dark Hallway?

How Will Irving Appear In Severance Season 3?

As much as Severance season 2 made things happen for Mark and his peers, it also left some scenarios open-ended. For example, Irving’s drawings of the long, dark hallway and his directions helped Mark to save Gemma. However, it still isn’t entirely clear how Irving knew about the hallway in the first place, and now that his innie is gone, the answer will be much harder to figure out. Perhaps Irving started out like Gemma somehow.

On top of this question, Severance season 3 will have to see Irving take on a different role. The second season sees Irving make waves when he realizes that Helly is actually Helena, leading him to be fired. After that, he reunites with Burt, and ends up escaping so that Lumon cannot find him. So, Severance season 3 will have to see Irving in a totally new place with a new purpose, one which may shed light on his knowledge of the hallway.

5

Where Is Miss Huang?

How Ms. Huang Connects To The Bigger Picture

Another character who may take on a renewed role in Severance season 3 is Miss Huang. At the end of Severance season 2, Miss Huang finishes out her leadership program at Lumon and Milchick announces that she will be sent away from her family to carry out new duties. It is unclear where exactly Ms. Huang is going or what she will be doing, but it seems unlikely that this will be the last audiences see of her character.

Something particularly interesting about Miss Huang’s future is that Severance has already given small hints as to her role in the show’s bigger picture. In Severance season 2, episode 8, viewers learn that Cobel became a part of Lumon because her town was used specifically by the company. As a young person, Cobel rose through the ranks of Lumon, becoming their perfect soldier. In theory, this could be a similar situation for Miss Huang. Lumon may be training her early for its latest missions.

4

Whose Side Is Milchick Really On?

Milchick Is Severance’s Wild Card

One more member of Severance’s cast that is of interest is Mr. Milchick. Throughout Severance season 2, Milchick proves that he is an imposing leader, but also may not be respected by those above him. Thus, Milchick has something of a chip on his shoulder as he tries to keep the severed floor in control. Despite the fact that Milchick fights against Helly and Dylan in the Severance season 2 finale, his “devour feculence” diss against Drummond may hint that Milchick isn’t entirely with Lumon.

Ultimately, Milchick may be Severance’s biggest wildcard at this point. He clearly has some level of power at the company, but it is also obvious that certain elements of his position do not sit right with him, such as his harsh feedback and the portraits given to him by the company. Severance season 3 may go so far as to see Milchick rebel just as Mark and his peers have.

3

What Did Jame Mean When He Said Helly Had The Fire Of Kier In Her?

Helly’s Potential Role In Severance Season 3

In Severance season 2’s final episode, Helly has a concerning conversation with Jame Eagan. He explains that he has long been looking for someone who has “the fire of Kier” inside of them, and apparently, Helly has it. Jame doesn’t explain what this means for Helly, but it seems more likely than not that he will want to grant her a higher purpose than just macrodata refinement. In this way, Severance season 3 might see Helly in a new position that she may not even want.

One theory is that Jame will try to give Helly the position as his heir instead of Helena. On one hand, this could be interesting as it would allow Helly to be part of the outside world. Then again, Lumon is clearly evil, and is not a company that Helly wants to be a part of. Considering how opposing Helly and Helena are, Severance season 3 will have to pit the characters against each other in some way.

2

What Was Drummond Going To Use The Goat For?

Will The Goat People Return In Severance Season 3?

Severance has no lack of strange details, and one of the strangest is the goats on Lumon’s severed floor. In season 2, Mark and Helly discover the goat herders who are tasked with taking care of the animals, but it isn’t quite clear what the goats are used for. In the finale, Gwendoline Christie’s Lorne is called into a strange room with Drummond, who is seemingly going to sacrifice the goat for Kier, yet Mark ultimately disrupts this scene.

Severance’s goats seem to be the key to what Lumon is ultimately planning, which could be anything from cloning to reincarnating Kier. It does also seem to be linked to Gemma and her imminent death. Since Mark freed Gemma, Severance season 3 will likely see Lumon trying to recreate what it did with Gemma, and hopefully, this will come with more information about the goats. Plus, it seems likely that Lorne will also face punishment for her violence against Drummond.

1

Why Are Mark & Gemma So Important To Lumon?

How Can The Innies Overcome Lumon?

Finally, one of the most riveting questions after Severance season 2 is why Mark and Gemma are so vital to Lumon? Cobel reveals that Mark’s macrodata refinement work is actually him building up Gemma’s tempers, but there is no explanation for why they were chosen for this task in the first place. Lumon must have picked Gemma for a reason, which is why Mark was sucked into the company, or vice versa. Severance season 3 needs to give more clarity as to why Mark and Gemma are the supposed chosen ones.

In the end, Severance season 2 sees Mark do more than just rebel against Lumon. He frees his wife and kills an elite member of the company. This will undoubtedly have major fallout in season 3. More than that, though, Severance season 3 will bring audiences closer to seeing how this story could end. With more episodes, it will hopefully become clearer how Mark can win against a company as powerful as Lumon.

TV Show

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Severance

8/10

Release Date

February 18, 2022

Showrunner

Dan Erickson, Mark Friedman

Writers

Dan Erickson