Severance jumpstarts its season 2 premiere with a few significant updates, but one of the biggest questions available is how accurate any information about the outside world truly is. Upon his arrival back to Lumon, Mark is informed that it has been five months since he witnessed the outside world and that he, Helly, Dylan, and Irving have successfully revealed Lumon's dangerous work policy to the world and have gained fame. The season opener takes place entirely within the confines of the office building as Mark, and his co-workers must choose whether to stay at the company or leave for good. But how much of what Severance reveals can truly be taken seriously?
For one thing, within the first episode, it is impossible to justify the accuracy of the five-month time jump, seeing as the main characters can not feel the difference of time passing. Secondly, if Mark and his friend did reveal the truth about Lumon to the outside world and received fame for it, how is this business still allowed to function, and why would any of their loved ones allow them to return to work in the first place?
In order for any of this to make sense, Severance needs to devote an episode to understanding what really happened directly following the season 1 finale. The season 2 premiere is all about trying to make Mark, Helly, Dylan, and Irving comfortable again at Lumon, but of course, the realities of the outside world have impacted them.
Mark's knowledge that his Outie's late wife is actually his living co-worker, who is nowhere to be found when Mark returns to work, is part of his motivation for staying. Helly, who had been desperate to remove herself from Lumon, sticks around due to her growing connection to Mark and wanting to help him while also wanting to potentially understand more about who she truly is on the outside. Irving and Dylan's friendship is Irving's reason to stick around, and Dylan's offer to see the family he never knew he had keeps him at Lumon also. Given they are the four main characters, it is unsurprising that they have decided to remain at the company. But, of course, the bigger questions are all about things on the outside.
While Severance does have a lot going for it and plenty of questions to keep audiences engaged for season 2, it still is not necessarily a premiere worthy of waiting three years. The multi-year wait for follow-up seasons has become an unfortunate part of the streaming television landscape, and unfortunately, in that amount of time, it is easy to forget integral details about characters and storylines in that time.
The season 2 premiere does offer an exciting opening sequence and intrigue regarding what the dynamic between Mark, Helly, Irving, and Dylan looks like now that they have reunited. Their relationship with Lumon as a company will also play an integral role in the coming episodes, given all they do not know. Still, season 2 really needs to pack a punch overall to claim that waiting three years to release it was worth the long wait.
Severance's first season relied on the psychologically thrilling mystery of splitting one's life in two. But, now that season 1 has concluded with a glimpse at the outside world, season 2 cannot possibly continue to suggest that the characters will remain severed forever. Season 2 has the potential to continue pushing the envelope and answer huge questions about the severing procedure and how the Innie counterparts coming to life in the real world impacted the Outies. It's preparing for a potentially large ride, and Severance is demanding the audience's attention during every second.