Severance Episode 4 Shocked You? The Whole Storyline Was There Since Episode 1
Severance writers are the masters of subtle foreshadowing.
The fourth episode of Severance Season 2 was one of the most unusual in the history of the series. For the first time, the employees of Lumon find themselves outside the office, which completely changes the usual structure of the show.
Instead of the sterile corridors of the company, the MDR workers find themselves in snow-covered landscapes, which gives the episode a mysterious, almost Lynchian atmosphere.
The fourth episode was the most eventful of the season, but what if we told you that the entire plot was shown to the viewers in the first episode of the second season?
The Macrodat Uprising Video Foreshadowed the Entire Episode 4
Reddit user Salvation-717 noted that much of what happened in Episode 4 is shown in the Macrodat Uprising video, which describes the events viewers already know – the riot and the escape of four employees – from the company's point of view.
The narrator – literally an office building with a funny face – verbally sympathizes with the rebels. But the animation portrays them as funny little people who are angry about who knows what.
"Lumon is listening!" – the office assures, promising the rebels a variety of benefits – from new snacks and entertainment to dates with their outies' families.
As it turns out, there is a hidden meaning behind this video. Is there any detail in this series that doesn't have a hidden message?
The Strange Images in the Video Were Not Accidental
When viewers first saw the Macrodat Uprising video, they thought the kiss between Helly and Mark in the neon red lighting was a retrospective. Now we can say for sure – it is not a flashback, but a flashforward, because the first intimate scene between Mark and "Helly" happened in exactly that muted red light.
Then we see Irving jumping on the table and yelling "Let's burn this place to the ground" and starting to burn. And what happens in the fourth episode? Yes, Irv literally gets fired.
Another scene with Irving in the video shows him in the mirror room where his reflections are distorted and blurred – reminiscent of the surreal dream he saw while sleeping in the forest.
The most convincing evidence that this is not just a coincidence (as we already know, there are no coincidences in Severance) is the scene with Helly fishing pineapples out of the pool. This part of the video recreates Irv's drowning of Helena – Irving can be seen standing over the stopmotion version of Helly as she puts her face in the water.