Warning! This article contains spoilers for Severance season 2’s finale.
Severanceseason 2’s Cold Harbor reveal is shocking, but it was perfectly foreshadowed by one hidden detail from episode 7. From its early moments,Severanceseason 2 intrigued viewers and immersed them in its sci-fi drama by raising many questions about Lumon’s purpose and how it connects to the Cold Habor file Mark had been working on. Toward its ending moments,Severanceseason 2’s episode 1also established that Mark’s Cold Harbor file had something to do with Gemma.
However, with what followed, theApple TV+ sci-fi showintentionally kept viewers in the dark about the meaning of the MDR file’s name and its connection with Gemma.Severanceseason 2’s episode 7finally revealed that Cold Harbor was also the name of a room on the testing floor at Lumon. However, it avoided delving into the details of what was inside the room. Season 2’s ending finally discloses what lies inside the mysterious Cold Harbor room. However, a closer look at one scene from episode 7 confirms that the show had given away its Cold Harbor twist long before the finale.
Severance Season 2’s Episode 7 Flashback Foreshadowed The Cold Harbor Revelation
When Gemma finally enters theCold Harbor room inSeveranceseason 2’s finale, she finds herself facing the same crib that she and Mark had bought when they were expecting a child. The crib would have instilled strong emotions in Gemma because she and Mark associated it with their failed pregnancy. However, since Lumon turns her into a whole new innie when she enters the room, she seems to have no recollection of what the crib once meant to her. Even when she dismantles the crib, she shows no mental distress, which confirms that the Cold Harbor project has worked.
Severance Season 2’s Cliffhanger Ending Explained In Detail & How The Finale Sets Up Season 3
In Severance season 2’s ending moments, Mark makes one crucial decision that only affects his outie but also significantly impacts Gemma and Helly.
Severanceseason 2 features a series of flashbacks in episode 7 that walk through Gemma’s struggles with childbirth. They also feature a sequence in which Mark frustratingly dismantles the crib after realizing that he and Gemma may never become parents. Eagle-eyed viewers may have noticed thatthe packaging box of the crib has “COL d’ARBOR” written on it, which seems to foreshadow how the Cold Harbor project would test Gemma’s memory of the crib. Since Severance is known for its attention to detail, this clue cannot be coincidental.
The Cold Harbor Crib Detail Proves Lumon Has Been Targeting Gemma For A Long Time
Lumon Has Been Tracking Mark & Gemma Far Longer Than They Realize
Given how Gemma and Mark bought the crib long before Gemma was believed to be dead, it seems like Lumon had been keeping an eye on the couple long before they actively associated themselves with the company. AsSeverancepreviously established, Mark was a history professor and had nothing to do with Lumon before he got himself severed. Gemma, too, was previously not involved with Lumon in any capacity. However,the moment the two characters seemingly entered the local fertility clinic to seek help, they became targets for the company.
With “COL d’ARBOR” written on the crib’s box, it is hard not to believe that Lumon intentionally made Gemma and Mark experience the tragedy of not being able to have a child.
This is even hinted at in another flashback where Dr. Mauer briefly appears in the background moments after Mark and Gemma enter the local birthing clinic. With “COL d’ARBOR” written on the crib’s box, it is hard not to believe that Lumon intentionally made Gemma and Mark experience the tragedy of not being able to have a child.They orchestrated every event in their lives in such a way that Gemma strongly associated her failed pregnancy with the crib.
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As shown inSeveranceseason 2’s finale, this association eventually allowed Lumon to test the efficacy of the memory-manipulating chip by observing whether Gemma’s final innie would retain her outie’s most traumatic memory. While Lumon’s overarching purpose inSeveranceremains unknown, the company might be hoping to use the chips to erase all pain and suffering from the human world. Just like they managed to free Gemma’s Cold Harbor innie from the pain of her outie’s failed pregnancy, they hope to free humanity from all emotional burdens.
Severance
Severance is a psychological thriller series featuring Adam Scott as Mark Scout, an employee at Lumon Industries who undergoes a “severance” procedure to separate his work and personal memories. However, as work and life personas mysteriously begin to collide, it quickly becomes clear that not all is as it seems. Created by Dan Erickson and directed by Ben Stiller and Aoife McArdle.
