Warning! This article contains spoilers for Severance season 2’s finale.
Although Mark’s reintegration inSeveranceseason 2 was seemingly going well, nothing eventually came out of it. This story progression makes it hard not to wonder whether Reghabi’s reintegration method has failed. SinceSeveranceseason 1, reintegration has been one of the most intriguing concepts in theApple TV+ sci-fi show. According to Reghabi, successful reintegration promises to overlap a severed individual’s innie and outie personas. However, despite Reghabi’s best efforts to convince Mark to get reintegrated, Mark initially remains apprehensive about the procedure.
After seeingPetey die inSeveranceseason 1, Mark cannot help but question whether he would meet the same fate if he agreed to get reintegrated. Reghabi still manages to convince him in season 2’s initial episodes by confirming that Gemma is still alive in Lumon. Realizing that he can only save his wife if he gets reintegrated, Mark allows Reghabi to start the process. However, what initially seems like one of the most important story developments inSeveranceseason 2 later takes a backseat, raising many questions about the effectiveness of the process.
So Far, Reghabi Has Failed To Reintegrate Both Mark & Petey
Petey Died, And Mark Barely Survived
Petey died inSeveranceseason 1 after he opted to get reintegrated. Instead of taking some accountability for his demise, Reghabi dismissed it by claiming that Petey started ignoring her after getting reintegrated. She assures Mark that if he had listened to her and taken the necessary provisions to look after himself, the reintegration process would not have killed him. Since Reghabi seems to know what she is doing, one cannot help but believe her. However, by theend ofSeveranceseason 2, it becomes evident that Reghabi’s reintegration procedure, so far, has been a failure.
Every Override Protocol In Severance Explained
While Severance has confirmed how a few override protocols work, there seems to be an air of ambiguity surrounding several others in the sci-fi show.
InSeveranceseason 2’s early episodes, she seems to do a decent job initiating Mark’s reintegration. This allows Mark’s innie and outie to get visions of their alternate lives, proving that, deep down, some parts of them have been reintegrated. However, even after Reghabi “floods” Mark’s chip and nearly kills him in the hope of escalating the process,Mark seems far from achieving full reintegration. His two personas maintain separate identities, and his innie even refuses to believe reintegration works. Owing to this, it would be fair to conclude that Reghabi has failed.
Cobel Might Find A Way To Reintegrate Mark In Severance Season 3
Cobel Might Have Already Figured Out How Reintegration Works
Just because Mark has not achieved full reintegration does not mean the process has been a complete failure.Severanceseason 2 establishes thatsince both versions of Mark experience and perceive space and time differently, it will be a while before they align. Some aspects of the two characters' personalities have also seemingly overlapped. For instance, the fact that Mark’s innie goes through so much trouble to saveGemma inSeveranceseason 2’s finale suggests that a part of him feels his outie’s grief for his wife, even though he decides to stay behind with Helly.
The fact that Cobel invented the severance procedure and all the override protocols surrounding it suggests that she would know about the possibility of reintegration more than anyone else.
InSeveranceseason 2, Cobel, too, finally breaks free from the spell Lumon had cast on her and decides to switch sides after realizing how Jame Eagan took credit for her inventions and gave her nothing in return. The fact that Cobel invented the severance procedure and all the override protocols surrounding it suggests that she would know about the possibility of reintegration more than anyone else. Cobel even tries to convincethe Board inSeveranceseason 1 that reintegration is possible, proving that it can be achieved.
Apple TV+ has confirmedSeveranceseason 3.
By combining her knowledge of the procedure with Reghabi’s learnings from her experiments, Cobel might be able to help Mark achieve full reintegration inSeveranceseason 3. However, afterSeveranceseason 2’s events,Reghabi seems less reliable than Cobel. The way she has been experimenting on Mark despite seeing what the reintegration did to Petey makes it hard not to wonder if she is secretly working for Lumon. Hopefully,Severancewill wholly explore the reintegration storyline in season 3 instead of treating it as a mere plot device to move the narrative forward.
Severance
Severance is a psychological thriller series featuring Adam Scott as Mark Scout, an employee at Lumon Industries who undergoes a “severance” procedure to separate his work and personal memories. However, as work and life personas mysteriously begin to collide, it quickly becomes clear that not all is as it seems. Created by Dan Erickson and directed by Ben Stiller and Aoife McArdle.
