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Severance confirms fan theory in ‘haunting’ scene viewers had been waiting for

The latest episode, ‘Woe’s Hollow,’ has left fans speechless with its shocking reveal

Inga Parkel
in New York
Friday 07 February 2025 17:41 GMT
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Severance Season 2 Trailer

The newest episode of Severance has left fans reeling over a big reveal.

Season two’s episode four, titled “Woe’s Hollow,” featured many shocking revelations, from one character’s death to the unearthing of another’s major secret.

Yet, it’s the latter that has left viewers shaken as it finally confirmed something fans have been speculating about since season one.

*Warning — Major spoilers for Severance season two, episode four to follow*

Since the season two debut of the popular Apple TV+ thriller, fans have been questioning the true identity of one returning Lumon employee, Helly (played by Britt Lower). The show follows a team of office workers who’ve undergone a surgical procedure to separate their work selves (innies) from their outer selves (outies).

Helly is introduced in season one as a troublesome new employee who rejects her life as an indentured office drone and begins asking questions of their almighty employer. She also becomes a love interest for Mark (Adam Scott).

It’s eventually revealed that Helly’s outie is actually Helena Eagan, the daughter of Lumon CEO Jame Eagan.

Britt Lower as Helly/Helena and John Turturro as Irving in 'Severance'
Britt Lower as Helly/Helena and John Turturro as Irving in 'Severance' (Apple TV+)

In the show’s latest episode, the team is taken on a two-day wilderness retreat to allow their innies to experience the outside world. It’s there that Irving (John Turturro) begins to question whether Helly is actually Helena masquerading as her innie.

When he voices his concerns to Mark, though, he’s shot down. Irving accuses Mark of being too romantically involved to be objective about Helly’s real identity, going so far as to criticize him for: “Using your pupils to make love to her while your outie’s wife rots somewhere.”

It’s during the final minutes of the episode that Irving calls Helly/Helena out for her “cruel” comments the night before.

“Helly was never cruel,” he says. “So if you’re not her, then who are you? Who would have the power to send their outie to the severed floor?”

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Irving is then seen dragging Helena to a river demanding that Lumon supervisor Mr. Milcheck (Tramell Tillman) “turn her back” before shoving her head into the water.

“She’s an outie; she’s been an outie this whole time. Ever since she came back. She’s a f***ing mole,” Irving screams as he continues dunking her head underwater. “I’m gonna kill her, Mr. Milchick. She’s not Helly, she’s an Eagen. Turn her back, Mr. Milchick.”

Britt Lower as Helena/Helly and Adam Scott as Mark in 'Severance'
Britt Lower as Helena/Helly and Adam Scott as Mark in 'Severance' (Apple TV+)

Helena manages to make out a desperate plea to Milchick, telling him to “do it.”

A baffled Milchick, standing beside Mark and Dylan (Zach Chery) on a nearby bank, quickly speaks into a walkie-talkie: “Remove the Glasgow block now.”

While submerged underwater, Helena instantly changes back to Helly, prompting Irving to pull her out and cradle her.

“I’m so sorry Helly,” he tells her.

Milchick makes his way down to Irving and Helly, informing the former that he will face an “immediate and permanent dismissal.”

“You have threatened collegial murder in the pod of Woe’s Hollow. For this, there can be no penalty but immediate and permanent dismissal. There shall be no formal valediction, catered or otherwise. Your outie will be notified forthwith,” Milchick announces.

“Your workspace will be cleared, and any personal items discarded. Your file, including any and all interactions and personal relations, will be purged and destroyed. It will be as if you, Irving B., never even existed nor drew a single breath upon this earth,” he adds, summoning for Irving’s “death” over the walkie-talkie.

“This scene will haunt me for the rest of my life,” one person tweeted, with a second agreeing: “This was extremely eerie, they didn’t lie about s2 being a whole lot darker.”

“Irving’s last moment was saving helly, i will always cherish this friendship,” a third noted.

“They killed irving b bc he was too smart, too clever, too wise. little do they know he’s gonna make a comeback and burn the severance building like he promised,” another prophesied.

New episodes of Severance season two are released Fridays on Apple TV+.

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