This article contains spoilers about Severance season 2.Severance creator Dan Erickson speaks on one key moment from the season 2 finale. Severance season 2 wowed audiences, with some of its episodes being among the highest-rated in the series overall. On the same day as the finale hit Apple TV+ on March 21, Severance season 3 was confirmed to be in development. The upcoming season will have to unpack some of the sophomore installment’s most significant moments, including the fallout of a video-assisted conversation between Mark’s innie and outie.

Addressing this interaction between innie and outie Mark, Erickson speaks to TV Insider about the relationship between the two versions of Mark. The creator admitted that “the conversation does change the nature of their dynamic.” This time, Erickson says, innie Mark is “curious about his outie.” At the same time, it confirms for the innie version that “the outies don’t necessarily see them as people and more as a means to an end.” He cited more reasons why innie Mark loses trust in outie Mark, in a statement fully realized below:

Where do Mark’s innie and outie stand with each other at the end and beginning of this episode?

Dan Erickson: It’s a great question. I think that conversation does change the nature of their dynamic. It’s their first face-to-face conversation that they’ve been able to have, but I think they go into it much more curious about each other, or at least innie Mark is curious about his outie. I think that you can read that on Adam’s face. There’s a little sense of wonder, this is so weird. I’m actually talking to this guy who’s sort of been this presence in my mind all my life, but now he’s speaking to me.

What he realizes over the course of the conversation is it confirms this idea that’s been building in his mind, which is that the outies don’t necessarily see them as people and more as a means to an end. There are a couple of moments throughout [the conversation] where [innie Mark] starts to get the sense that he’s being sold something by this guy and he might not be able to trust what he says. The moment where outie Mark gets Helly’s name wrong, that’s the moment where the whole thing kind of crumbles. But it was just such a joy to watch that all play out on Adam’s face and through the brilliant editing of that scene, which really did make it feel like a real conversation.

What This Means For The Marks In Severance

Outie Mark Had Been Trying To Communicate With His Innie Before

In some ways, both innie and outie Mark are living the characters’ dreams from early in the season. In episode 3, outie Mark is assisted by his sister, Devon, in an attempt to develop a system to use a bright flashing light to communicate messages with his innie. He was hoping to imprint the words “who is alive” onto the Mark body’s retinas in order to have his innie help answer the question of what he meant when he said “she’s alive” in the Severance season 1 finale. In the “Cold Harbor” episode, the Marks finally get to communicate.

Related

Severance Season 2’s Cliffhanger Ending Explained In Detail & How The Finale Sets Up Season 3

In Severance season 2’s ending moments, Mark makes one crucial decision that only affects his outie but also significantly impacts Gemma and Helly.

But as per Erickson’s explanation of this conversation, the talk does not necessarily have the desired outcome for outie Mark, who desperately wants to reunite with his wife, Gemma. Erickson essentially breaks down several times wherein outie Mark fails to fully humanize his innie, getting his innie’s lover, Helly’s, name wrong and thus giving his innie “the sense that he’s being sold something by this guy and he might not be able to trust what he says.” This distrust could have ultimately led to innie Mark’s shocking final decision.

Our Take On The Conversation Between The Marks In Severance

Outie Mark Is Not Going To Be Happy With His Innie’s Decision

TV Show

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Severance

8/10

Release Date

February 18, 2022

Showrunner

Dan Erickson, Mark Friedman