Spoilers for “Severance” season 2 episode 7, “Chikhai Bardo,” lie forward.
Properly, that was a wild one, wasn’t it? “Chikhai Bardo” throws its hat within the ring for the most vital episode of “Severance” season 2 by lastly revealing what is going on on with Mark Scout’s (Adam Scott) spouse Gemma (Dichen Lachman). We already knew she’s nonetheless alive and working in Lumon’s Severed Ground underneath the innie identification of firm wellness counselor Ms. Casey. Nonetheless, there’s so, a lot extra occurring.
As with all the pieces Lumon-related, issues aren’t nice along with her … however there was no option to know simply how dangerous her scenario is. In a nutshell, Gemma is trapped in hell. Numerous hells, in truth — what appears to be her actual outie is successfully imprisoned in a mysterious a part of the Lumon complicated, and her a number of innies are every pressured to spend their whole existence in what’s, from their standpoint, the identical room. She’s endlessly caught in disagreeable “Groundhog Day” loops, like going to the dentist or having to write down numerous thanks playing cards for terrible Christmas items.
It is a horrible predicament, and whereas we are able to solely guess whether or not she stepped into this experiment willingly or if she was tricked, coerced or outright kidnapped, it is fairly plain to see that Gemma would not get pleasure from herself. However on the very least, her predicament presents some solutions to the present’s first and most lasting thriller: What, precisely, is the Macrodata Refinement division doing?
The recordsdata Mark’s staff is refining are related to the rooms Gemma is visiting
All of the rooms Gemma has to go to in response to some as-yet unrevealed schedule share names with the recordsdata Mark and the remainder of the Macrodata Refinement (MDR) staff are engaged on. As an illustration, the Christmas reward reply room that she appears to seek out significantly uncomfortable known as Allentown. That is additionally the title of Mark’s “freshman fluke” file, which he solved in report time and for which he obtained a crystal head as a reward. Different rooms we see embrace Tumwater, Cairns, and Dranesville, that are additionally MDR file names. We even spot the dreaded Chilly Harbor, which is a room Gemma hasn’t visited but and in addition a vital file Mark is engaged on.
As such, the MDR staff’s work have to be instantly related to the issues that occur to Gemma and her varied innies. To this point, we have been led to grasp that the recordsdata and the feelings they elicit are tied to the idea of Kier Eagan’s 4 Tempers — Woe, Frolic, Dread, and Malice. The physician (Robby Benson) supervising Gemma additionally particularly asks whether or not she feels related feelings (despair, fervor and gaiety), which means that the which means of the experiments is to make her really feel the feelings that the MDR staff makes use of to refine the corresponding recordsdata.
For a present that sometimes prides itself on being a trippy mind-bender, the quantity of publicity “Chikhai Bardo” lays on the desk all however confirms that no matter else is occurring, MDR staff’s efforts are intrinsically tied to the struggling Gemma goes by. What’s extra, her connection to Mark appears to be a key part in Lumon’s no-doubt devious plans.
