After a three year long hiatus, Severance is back and with more mystery and cliffhangers than ever. Season one of the hit Apple TV+ show ended with one that changes the lives of everyone on the severed floor.
Severance season 2 starts off with the innies returning from their experiences in the outside world using the Overtime Contingency. While Mark (Adam Scott), Dylan (Zach Cherry,) and Irving (John Turturro) reveal what they discovered in the outside world, Helly hesistates to tell them who she really is. It turns out, she’s Helena Eagan, the daughter of Lumon CEO Jame Eagan. Which, as you could imagine, is a conflict of interest of her innie persona.
Horrified by her outie experience, Helly tells her colleagues that she was a gardener. But Severance fans are digging deeper into this theory of her lying. Why was she really adamant about lying to the innies, and is Helena actually posing as Helly in the innie world?
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Why did Helly lie in the season 2 premiere of Severance?
According to creator Dan Erickson, Helly lied because she discovered a truth that she never wanted to see happen in the real world. “All of the characters were rattled by what they saw, in one way or another,” he told Variety. “And each of them has to make a decision when they come back as to how much of that they are willing or ready to share. Helly made the most horrifying discovery that she could have made — because she is, it turns out, what she hates the most.
If she reveals who she really is, Helly wouldn’t know the repercussions based on something that she never had control in the first place. “There’s a lot of shame that comes with that, and there is a concern that she won’t be accepted by her friends,” Erickson continued. “She knows they all vilify the Eagans, and she is one. She doesn’t want to have to take on that baggage.”
Though she might have gone through with the lie, Irving might have been really suspicious at how mundane her response was. It seems like she’s safe for now, but that veil could be lifted at any point this season, and it might not be looking good for her or the innies.
