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After an exciting conclusion toSeverancein its first season, audiences had to wait a while for its return. So far, the feedback has been very promising, with our ownSean Boelman providing a strong review of the overall season. We’ll be here providing weekly recaps for the full season, so please check back for all of yourSeveranceneeds. Season 2, Episode 1 — “Hello, Ms. Cobel” — drops us back into the world of Lumon and the white existential hallways of dread.
Severance Season 2 Review — Was It Worth the Wait?
Severance“Hello, Ms. Cobel” Recap
Over a black screen, we get a quick recap of screams and sounds from the end of the first season. Mark S. (Adam Scott) awakens in the elevator at Lumon, dressed for another day at work. He immediately sprints through the office, looking for Ms. Casey. On the way, he runs past a purple office and a few other groups until he finds what used to be Wellness. However, the room is empty and has a pair of green couches. Over his shoulder, we can see another suited man watching in the background, but Mark does not notice him.
He leaves the room and finds the office for the Macrodata Refinement Processing (MDR) team, but instead of our crew from Season 1, Scott is greeted by three new faces. Mark W. (Bob Balaban) introduces himself first, with Gwendolyn Y. (Alia Shawkat) and Dario R. (Stefano Carannante) following suit. Mr. Milchick (Tramell Tillman) welcomes Mark back, carrying a dozen blue balloons with his face on them.
After the title card, Mr. Milchick and Mark walk down the hall, with Mark asking questions about the former MDR co-workers. Milchick informs Mark it’s been five months since the incident and pulls Mark into his new office past a teenager referred to as Miss Huang (Sarah Bock). He also informs Mark that Ms. Cobel is no longer with the company (Lumon tells Mark she tried to pursue him as part of a thruple), Milchick now manages the floor, and the MDR department is seen as the impetus for Severance Reform. Finally, Milchick reveals that Mark’s outie was the only one who chose to return to Lumon. The other three Outies are not willing to be contacted.
Back in MDR, Mark W. tries to discuss the new department, and Dario asks Mark S for a pencil. As he shows his new team the supply cabinet, Gwendolyn asks Mark’s Innie about the outside world. He cannot answer most of her questions, but they’re interrupted by Miss Huang and the “red ball game.” The other MDR members are confused about Miss Huang being a child, but she explains she’s here because of “when she was born.”
Mark W. reveals that he worked with Gwendolyn, and their branch shut down. However, instead of retiring, they moved to a new location. Mark S. tells the group he’s excited to have made four new friends, which results in a tense staredown with Miss Huang when she tells him she’s his supervisor. He adjusts the number, and they keep rolling the ball around the table.
Mark gets into the elevator and immediately returns to work. When he returns, he writes on a post-it note as the new team swaps stories about the differences between their old and new teams. Before Mark S. leaves for the night, Mark W. apologizes to his new supervisor about losing his old team. On his way out, Mark S. puts the note inside Mark W.’s suit jacket.
“Severance” Budget: Apple TV+ Spending a Record Breaking Amount for the Highly Anticipated Season 2
The next day, Milchick and the new MDR are waiting for Mark S., each annoyed that he did not even attempt to hide his handwriting. Mark S. tells Milchick he wants his old team back. Milchick responds by demoting Mark S. from the department manager and giving the position to Mark W. However, Mark S. laughs, telling Milchick they should check the kitchenette. When the new MDR and Milchick go to check it, Mark S. runs through the halls into Milchick’s office. He then plugs in a speaker to the Lumon Board, telling them he needs his team back. Milchick unplugs the speaker.
Milchick walks Mark back to the elevator, reminding him that The Board does not converse with innies. When Mark awakens, he sees a new painting on the wall — this one with a Kier standing over four workers who look like the former MDR team. Slowly, the old team arrives — with Dylan (Zach Cherry), Irving (John Turturro), and Helly (Britt Lower) awakening immediately after the events of the first season. Irving, distraught by missing Burt (Christopher Walken), locks himself in the bathroom. Mark catches the MDR team up to speed on what happened and that five months have passed. However, they’re interrupted by Miss Huang, who was sent by Milchick to bring them to the break room.
MDR walks down the hallway, following Miss Huang, while Mark tells the group they were temporarily replaced. Huang swipes them into the breakroom, and MDR walks down the dark hall. When they arrive in the break room, Milchick stands in front of a projector and screen. He tells them every Innie will see the following video moving forward.
Milchick plays a claymation short titled “Lumin Is Listening.” The video (narrated by Keanu Reeves) discusses the “MDR Uprising” and recaps aspects of the last season. They include Irv telling the group to burn Lumin to the ground, Mark and Helly’s kiss, and Dylan eating new snacks. The short promises new changes to Lumon, which Milchick explains is just the beginning. They, the Innies, will decide if they want to stay at Lumon. He tells them there are no cameras or microphones and leaves them to discuss.
MDR tells each other what they saw, but still distrustful of Lumon, they whisper their information. Mark tells the group that his Outie knew Cobel, his brother-in-law, is Ricken Hale (Michael Chernus), and his supposedly dead wife is Ms. Casey (Dichen Lachman). Helly lies to the group, telling them she lives alone in a boring apartment, watching a nature documentary. Irv struggles to tell them what he saw and, despondent, leaves the room.
The others attempt to follow, but Irv tells them he just wants to walk. Dylan follows while Mark and Helly slowly return to the office. They awkwardly discuss Mark’s Outie’s marriage to Ms. Casey. Helly tells Mark that she’ll help him find out what happened to Ms. Casey and that she is staying. She suggests Mark stays, too.
Dylan catches up to Irv, who admits he failed at their mission. He reveals he saw that Burt was with someone. Irv wants to leave because of the pain he feels missing Burt. Irv reveals his Outtie has also been obsessively painting long, dark hallways with an elevator at the end. He then tries to leave again, but Dylan tells Irv it would make him sad if he did not have his best friend at work. They embrace before Miss Huang asks Dylan to follow her.
In Milchick’s office, he calls tech support and asks them to fix his computer. It continues to read, “Hello… Ms. Cobel,” despite his promotion. He’s interrupted by Miss Huang and Dylan. Once Miss Huang has left, Milchick tells Dylan that his outie’s wife, “Gretchen,” wanted to pass on her name. He then takes Dylan to a side room, where there are blueprints for an “Outie Family Visitation Suite.” Milchick asks Dylan to keep this secret because Dylan is the only one with a family who can use this new perk. He does not want the other members to turn against him.
After Dylan leaves, Miss Huang plays a child’s game while Milchick stares at the computer, repeating “Hello… Ms. Cobel” on a loop. Dylan returns to MDR, where Mark and Helly are already preparing to start their workday. Irving joins the group last, and everyone sits down to work. Mark finds a group of data to refine, and when he does, a quick series of images flashes in front of the screen — including an image of Ms. Casey.
5 Things to Remember Before Watching Severance Season 2
Is it worth watchingSeveranceSeason 2, Episode 1: “Hello, Ms. Cobel?”
To reset the board after a twist-filled finale,Severancewisely takes its time. “Hello, Ms. Cobel” could immediately toss the group back together, but making Mark the driver of their reunion is a far more powerful emotional choice. There are still plenty of questions to ask about the time spent in the real world, especially for the Outies who did not understand their change, but “Hello, Ms. Cobel” choosing to focus on the Innies makes for more interesting television.
Additionally, the group plays to their strengths as an ensemble. “Hello, Ms. Cobel” gives sweet moments to Irv and Dylan. Their bromance was one of the more surprisingly saccharine aspects of the show, and we’re reminded of that connection early. It also allows them to function independently of the Helly/Mark dynamic. That will surely become more complicated now that Dylan and Irv learn of the romantic entanglements via the video in “Hello, Ms. Cobel.”
Speaking of the video, the claymation showcase was a brilliant little touch. Corporate culture loves gimmicks, and “Hello, Ms. Cobel” reminds us that Lumon remains one of those hokey places to work. WhileSeverancehighlights that Lumon remains dangerous — with the wildly passive-aggressive use of the painting proving that point — but the humor the series can still pull from corporate culture is why the show connected to so many.
However, another huge part ofSeverance, and “Hello, Ms. Cobel,” stems from Mark’s introduction back. Why was he the first one to return? It’s hard to believe the other Outies of MDR were unwilling to return. Through this episode, we’re told to believe a lot of ideas from Lumon, but their untrustworthy nature is important to remember.
Perhaps the most shocking element of “Hello, Ms. Cobel” was Helly’s answer to her “Outie’s life.” It immediately begs the question: is this the Innie Helly, who might be ashamed or worried her Outie’s identity will lead to alienation? Or is this actually “Outie Helly,” who potentially underwent Reintegration to have more control over those in MDR? Time will tell, but there were more mysteries in “Hello, Ms. Cobel” to catch.
In the final frames, when Mark purges the data, we’re given a couple of images of note. First, the “68% complete” references something called “Cold Harbor” with an ID number underneath. Second, it shows a running video with a duration of time around 25 minutes. On it, we see a group of four cells, oxygen levels, body temperature, and heart rate tracking. There were jokes last season about whether the process of data refinement was a way for the group to kill other beings. However, after “Hello, Ms. Cobel,”Severancemakes that a far more tangible possibility.
This could also be a way to show what “scary” images we heard about last season. Putting this personal spin on the information could be far more upsetting for the MDR team as they continue to work through the files. Now that they have knowledge of the world and lives their Outies live, that might be more effective for Lumon to force them to work. It’ll be curious to see if this was a glimpse meant for “Hello, Ms. Cobel,” or if Lumon will affect their mental state in the weeks ahead.
Severancereleases new episodes every Friday, starting January 17. “Hello, Ms. Cobel” released on January 17.
Severance Season 2 Episode 1 — “Hello, Ms. Cobel” — Spoiler Review and Recap
Alan French
Film/TV Critic
Articles Published :280
Alan French began writing about television and film by covering the Emmys and Oscar beats in 2016. Since then, he has written hundreds of reviews on TV and movies. He attends film festivals regularly. He is a Rotten Tomato-approved critic and is on the committee for the Critics Association of Central Florida.
