Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Severance season 2, episode 10!Severancestar Adam Scott and executive producer Ben Stiller have explained innie Mark’s shocking season 2 finale decision and how it will impact season 3. Theend ofSeveranceseason 2saw Mark (Scott) finally free Gemma (Dichen Lachman) from Lumon, sending her outside through the emergency exit. However, before innie Mark leaves, he changes his mind and decides to stay with Helly (Britt Lower). The final scene of the episode shows the pair running down the halls of the severed floor as red lights flash and alarms blare all around them.
Speaking withUSA Today, Stiller and Scott broke down innie Mark’s decision to choose Helly over Gemma in the season 2 finale’s final moments. The executive producer explained how the innies have become their own people,with innie Mark’s feelings being more important to him than his outie’s wants.The series star chimed in by explaining how it makes him “free of this servitude,” showing he’s going to try living without anyone else’s agenda in mind. Check out what they had to say below:
Ben Stiller:We knew that was going to be the ending for a while. We sort of played with the idea of ending on Mark looking between the two, but it felt clear, after having this cliffhanger ending in Season 1, I didn’t want to do that to the audience. It always felt this was the natural way that Mark’s innie would go. And what we wanted to do in the second season was set up in (the Gemma-focused) Episode 7 enough of a reason that you would feel some heartbreak and you would feel torn, and part of the audience would be going, ‘Yeah, I’m with him; go with her,’ and part would go ‘I can’t believe he’s doing that.’
Adam Scott:It would be cruel and unusual to end it on something like that. I’m so glad that we ended where we did, because I love the sequence of Mark and Helly running through the hall and the music; it’s really fun…. He’s finally 100% breaking free of this servitude, first to Lumon and to Kier.
Ben Stiller:[H]is goal is to stay alive. At the end of the day, he knows what that choice is to go out that door for his friends and for him, and he doesn’t necessarily trust what outie Mark says…. [The innies] are starting to mature. In Season 1, they’re kind of kids and in Season 2 (they’re) more like these rebellious adolescents who are coming into their own. Are they going to revolt against Milchick, who’s having his own crisis of conscience in his relationship to the company? There are a lot of unanswered questions. It doesn’t feel like it was the happy ending. I don’t think a severed person is a natural state, and what we’re looking at in Mark is a person who is split. The idea has always been about Mark becoming whole, accepting his grief, until something like that happens.
Explaining the ending toEntertainment Weekly, Scott further emphasized the importance of innie Mark’s choice. The actor called it “a no-brainer” for innie Mark, even though"it’s heartbreaking" to see Gemma lose her husbandto his other self. See what Scott had to say below:
Adam Scott:I mean, for Innie Mark, it’s a no-brainer, right? But it’s difficult — actually, it’s not, because I think emotionally it’s a no-brainer, but logic-wise, they went through logically what’s in front of them and decided, “You should go,” but their hearts told them something else. And I think for Innie Mark and Helly, it’s one thing, but then watching it, I feel horribly for Gemma. Obviously, it’s heartbreaking. And for Outie Mark too, they finally wereright there,and it got pulled out from under them. So I don’t know, I have very mixed feelings about it because I think of it as a two-pronged decision. And when you have colliding interests, but you’re in the same body, then it’s going to come to a head at some point.
Severanceseason 3 was confirmed the same day the season 2 finale aired.
What Innie Mark’s Decision Means For Severance Season 3
How Will Mark & Helly Survive Together?
Innie Mark’s decision to stay on the severed floor with Helly is going to have major consequences comeSeveranceseason 3. Their actions, coupled with Dylan (Zach Cherry) gathering the marching band innies to corner Mr. Milchick (Tramell Tillman),implies the innies are going to try staying in the Lumon building for as long as possible. His decision was already hinted at during his conversation with outie Mark at the start of the episode, having no guarantees that reintegration would still allow him to exist.
Severance Season 2’s Cold Harbor Project & Why It’s So Important For Lumon That Mark Finishes It
Mark’s new project in Severance season 2 is the mysterious Cold Harbor file, which is linked to Gemma & has a major role in Lumon’s bigger plans.
The decision means othercharacters inSeverancewill be dealing with major fallout if they aren’t able to get the severed floor under control. With Mr. Drummond (Darri Ólafsson) dead and Cold Harbor thwarted, there’s nothing else the core innies can do other than stay on the severed floor, otherwise they’ll risk no longer existing. Since innie Mark chose Helly over Gemma,they’re going to have to find a way to stay down there in season 3 to avoid essentially dyingby leaving the building.
Mark’s Dual Conflict Could Spell Disaster
Image via Apple TV+
Since season 2 ends with Mark’s rescue mission,there’s no indication as to how Lumon is going to respond, nor what it means for innies once season 3 begins. However, since he and Helly have decided to be together on the severed floor, it could spell unintentional disaster for the protagonist’s innie if the company is able to forcibly remove everyone from the building. With the consequences still unfolding asSeveranceseason 2 ends, there’s no way of knowing what long-term consequences his choice is going to result in.
