Severance Theory Report 1: The Helly/Helena Conspiracy

Welcome to a new series about theories for the TV show Severance.

If you haven’t yet watched Severance yet, head over to my recommendation post Might I Tempt You With Old Man Yaoi?  Otherwise, as long as you’ve watched the show through season 2 episode 2 Goodbye Mrs Selvig, you should be good to go.

Theory: The Helly R that showed up on the Severance Floor at the beginning of Season 2 is actually Outie Helena.

Probability: Almost Certainly True

I’m starting off with an easy one. I fully expect this to be proven true in a matter of days.  Still, there’s a dedicated group of people on Reddit that believe this theory is bull (and lies) and upvote each other like mad despite the evidence, so I feel it’s worth putting it all together anyway. There’s still a chance it’s wrong so until definitively proven, it’s still categorically a theory. 

So let’s lay out the evidence.

The elevator dings tell the story.

A lot of people noticed right away that something was funky with the elevator dinging sounds at the end of episode two, but Reddit user r/LonelyIsland made an absolute fantastic video and even put it up on YouTube for us all to enjoy. It really speaks for itself. 

Basically, Helena is missing the dinging sounds that indicate that a switch has occurred. I don’t think these sounds are actually diegetic sounds, but rather cues for the audience, and they are certainly trying to tell us something here. 

This piece of evidence alone is why I say it’s “practically confirmed,” but the theory spawned way back in episode one, so let’s go back and look at that evidence as well. 

Running out of the elevator.

Trigger warning: Mentions of attempted suicide.

Mark and Irving come off the elevator in much the same state they were above ground in the OTC. Mark had just learned the truth about Gemma and was desperate to find her, and Irving was pounding on Burt’s door. These were continuous actions for both of them. 

But Helly was running out of the elevator the second the doors opened. The last we saw her above ground she was being tackled, so we would assume she’d be bracing herself against that, or even be on the ground reacting from the momentum like she did from her attempted suicide. She was in no way running and this doesn’t match the way things were left off above ground.  

Her reaction to the hug.

When Mark hugs her, she hesitates. This could have multiple meanings for both Innie and Outie. As an Innie, she might just be in shock that she’s woken up again after what they did. As an Outie, she might be taken aback by the behavior because she doesn’t have this type of relationship with Mark. Or anyone, really. In the second episode of the season, we’re shown she has a rather tragic, isolating, and cold family life. I’m going with the latter, and see this as further proof of this theory. I admit this one could go either way. 

The eagerness to point out there are no cameras.

When Mark is hesitant to talk about what happened above ground, astutely pointing point that Lumon might be waiting for them to tell each other what happened because they don’t know, Helly immediately jumps in to point out that the cameras have been removed. This basically confirms that that is, in fact, the plan. Lumon doesn’t know what the Outies did above ground and she’s there to spy. The cameras were removed to get them to talk, but they need to notice that they were removed first.  

She’s suddenly eager to believe Milchick.

After their introduction to the new and improved Break Room, Milchick reaffirms that there are no cameras or microphones monitoring them. Helly is eager to believe him, which is extremely unlike her.  This is Helly “Go Lick a Boot” R. Helly, who was willing to swallow a pin cap and stick her head through broken glass to get a message to her Outie because she didn’t trust that Lumon was passing along her messages. And now she believes Milchick when he says they aren’t listening? Seems weird, man. 

Helly’s fake story.

Helly lied about what happened to her above ground.  The obvious reason is because she didn’t want to admit to her true identity. That’s what we’re being led to believe so far, and what the creators are hinting at in interviews, but that just doesn’t track for me.  When Helly first learned about the OTC her first reaction was “this is good. We can use this.” So I feel like her first reaction to learning about her powerful and well-connected true identity would be similar.  

I suppose this is another one that could go either way, but I feel like she’d want to take advantage of this and burn the company to the ground even more. I also feel this is more evidence for the theory, but conceded those arguing against it could make a case for the opposite. 

Fumbling with her computer switch.

Helly has been working at the company as an Inny for at least three weeks. Long enough to know where the switch for her computer is. And yet we’re very intentionally shown that she’s fumbling reaching for her computer’s on switch at the end of the episode. This is a subtle one, but I feel it’s meaningful nonetheless.

We could have been shown anyone turning on their computer. Mark, who wouldn’t continue without his crew would have been an obvious choice to close out the episode. Dylan, who has been tempted back into the fold with the promise of family visitation would have also been impactful. Or Irving, who is a heartbroken mess that’s become a wildcard could have hit us with a meaningful and mournful expression after flipping the switch on. But we’re shown Helly. And we’re shown her fumbling. 

What’s next?

The next episode releases Thursday night and I can’t imagine this conspiracy will go on for much longer.  I suspect this will be confirmed then.  

Other theories I’m considering covering are the Ricken Is An Eagan, Kier Will Be Resurrected, Mark Will Burn A Message Into His Eyes, and a few more ideas that are floating around (why the hell did Rebeck’s bird peck her in the back of the head of all places???).

Stay tuned for more!

Author: Angel Wilson

Angel is the admin of The Geekiary and a geek culture commentator. They earned a BA in Film & Digital Media from UC Santa Cruz. They have contributed to various podcasts and webcasts including An Englishman in San Diego, Free to Be Radio, and Genre TV for All. They identify as queer.

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