Severance leaves major season one cliffhangers

Severance spent most of its first season lining up questions regarding the truth of what was occurring in and outside of the Lumon office and what the company does. The season 1 finale, “The We We Are,” has the job of bringing the inside workers to the forefront of their minds in the outside world. It also has the job of setting up exciting cliffhangers.

The workers get to understand their outside counterparts better, with Mark learning he has a sister and the author of his beloved novel is Mark’s brother-in-law. However, Mark’s time on the outside also gives insight into horrifying truths. His boss at Lumon has been a trusted confidant by his outside counterpart and weaved herself into his family.

Mark also has a major bombshell reveal in the episode’s final moments. Mark had initially had the severance procedure thinking it could help him deal with the grief of losing his wife a few years prior. But, due to work Mark’s knowledge, he shouts out that Mark’s late wife is still very much alive.

Considering Mark shouts this in public and front of his sister, how will this affect things for the outside Mark if or when someone eventually tells him the truth? But, Mark is not the only one uncovering secrets.

Helly’s disgust toward the severance procedure has been clear since the beginning, and yet, one of the biggest surprises for her is that she is the daughter of Lumon’s CEO.

However, Helly does not just stew in silence. Instead, she publically speaks out against the severance procedure to everyone during her speech. Although Helly’s outside counterpart may have to do some sort of damage control, it may be too late as people could realize that the working personas are miserable.

Irving’s time out in the world is less intense, as he discovers his outside counterpart is an artist and has gathered information on Lumon and the company’s employees. However, his most important adventure is tracking down Burt’s outside persona. In the episode’s final moments, Irving is still knocking at Burt’s door as the hint suggests that the outside counterpart is seconds from taking control.

So, what does this mean for season 2? “The We We Are” managed to avoid revealing the answers to plenty of questions. However, it still ended on cliffhangers, which will be essential to how the story moves forward.