Severance Season 2 Finally Explains Why Cobel Was Really Testing Gemma & Mark Back In Season 1

WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for Severance season 2, episode 8!As Severance season 2, episode 8 takes a walk back through Harmony Cobel’s (Patricia Arquette) history and upbringing in Salt’s Neck, a major revelation about her work with Lumon is able to finally explain some of her curious behavior from season 1. Though she was arguably the most devout and indoctrinated Kier Eagan follower seen in Severance season 1, Cobel was still keeping her own secrets from the company. Not only was she posing as Mark’s Outie’s neighbor, Mrs. Selvig, but she was also mysteriously conducting her own unsanctioned tests on Mark’s Innie and Ms. Casey on the severed floor.

However, after MDR’s Innies enacted the Overtime Contingency Protocol and risked exposing Lumon’s subjugation and unethical conduct in Severance’s season 1 finale, Cobel was removed from her position as severed floor manager and replaced by Milchick. Though Helena Eagan tried offering her a new role outside the severed floor, Cobel left Lumon, took belongings from her house, and drove to her hometown of Salt’s Neck, where her larger history with the company is revealed. As it turns out, Cobel was integral to originally designing the severance procedure and protocols, explaining her strange behavior with Mark and Gemma in season 1.

Cobel Was Secretly Testing The Limits Of Her Own Severance Creations With Mark & Gemma

Cobel Wanted To Experiment On The Bounds Of Her Own Creation

Throughout Severance season 1, Cobel took it upon herself to test how well the severance procedure worked by asking Mark’s Outie peculiar questions while putting his Innie in potentially risky situations. For instance, Cobel would continue to send Mark’s Innie to wellness sessions with Ms. Casey, at one point even putting a candle from their house in the room, to see whether Mark and Gemma would be able to recognize each other. Meanwhile, on the outside, Cobel would ask Mark questions about Gemma, such as whether he ever felt like he still saw her, to test whether those Innie memories would bleed through.

Patricia Arquette scowling as Ms. Cobel and Karen Aldridge as Reghabi above a background showcasing Lumon's main office in Severance (2022-)

Severance: What Reghabi Means By Cobel Was "Raised" By Lumon

In Severance season 2, episode 7, Reghabi refers to Ms. Cobel as being raised by Lumon, begging the question of what exactly this means.

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It initially seemed like Cobel was just curious about the procedure due to her close work with the Innies and role as the severed floor manager. But, Severance season 2 reveals there’s much more behind her intrigue. The reason why Cobel was willing to take so many risks when testing Mark and Gemma was because she was the one who was responsible for inventing severance itself. The procedure and protocols were Cobel’s designs that Jame Eagan stole credit for, so she had to conduct further tests on her severance inventions in secret through Mark and Gemma/Ms. Casey.

Why Jame Eagan Wouldn't Let Cobel Take Credit For Her Severance Inventions

The Eagans Needed Full Control Over & Claim To The Technology

As far as the rest of the world is concerned, Helena's father Jame Eagan is the person who invented severance and all the protocols and functions associated with it. However, Severance season 2, episode 8 reveals that these were all designed by Cobel, who had dedicated her life to working with Lumon and supporting Kier’s vision. Once she took these blueprints to Jame Eagan, however, he told her that she had to keep her role a secret because “Kier’s knowledge is for all.”

Cobel reveals that she wrote the severance circuit blueprint, base code, overtime contingency, Glasgow block, and "all of it" associated with the technology.

Ultimately, the Eagan family knew how precious this invention could be to their mission, and they needed to ensure they had full control over it. If Cobel took credit, then the control over, manufacturing, and uses for severance technology would be out of their hands. Lumon needed sole control over this technology, and giving the full credit for its design to Jame would uplift the Eagan name while increasing their superiority, power, and glorification in society. The severance procedure would become Jame Eagan’s most powerful legacy in his tenure as CEO, which Severance confirms was all based on a lie.

New episodes of Severance season 2 release Fridays on Apple TV+.

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