WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for Severance season 2, episode 7!Some long-awaited answers are finally given about Lumon’s work in Severance season 2, episode 7, including the hidden uses for the computers and their data sorting in Macrodata Refinement. One of the most iconic quotes from Severance comes from Mark describing the nature of the Macrodata Refinement department’s purpose back in season 1, telling the skeptical Helly, “The work is mysterious and important.” That sentiment has persisted across all the twists and turns of Severance, though “Chikhai Bardo” gives some shocking clarifications about the secrets Lumon has been hiding in connection to MDR and the Testing Floor.
As Mark’s Outie recovers from his reintegration sickness, Severance season 2, episode 7 simultaneously travels through the backstory of Mark and Gemma’s relationship, the reality of what she’s been experiencing on the Testing Floor over the past two years, and what Mark’s role has unknowingly been in Lumon’s current plans for her. The episode’s exploration of Lumon’s Testing Floor operations opens up viewers’ eyes to dark secrets that have been hiding in plain sight all along, including the double-purpose of MDR’s computer screens, the real meaning of their files, and what they’re actually “refining.”
MDR’s Computers Are Secretly Cameras & Each Innie Is Being Closely Watched
Each MDR Innie Has Their Own Designated “Watcher” On The Testing Floor
Though it shouldn’t have come as a surprise considering the security footage occasionally seen in season 1, Severance season 2, episode 7 confirms that MDR’s computers secretly double as cameras. After the episode rewinds the timeline back to when Gemma’s Innie, Ms. Casey, observed MDR for the day back in season 1, Severance’s camera point-of-view tracks from Mark and Gemma in MDR, through Mark’s computer, down a series of wires, and finally to another corresponding computer screen on the Testing Floor.
It doesn’t appear that MDR’s “watchers” on the Testing Floor are also severed.
As it turns out, each of MDR’s employees has a dedicated “watcher” constantly observing them through hidden cameras in their computer screens. When Mark and his colleagues are working at their desks, the watchers are able to observe everything within the computer screen’s field of view. This allows the watchers on the Testing Floor to analyze the refiners’ emotional reactions to the numbers, report on whether the Innies are absent from their desks or are actually working, and pick up on the conversations being had in that room.
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Additionally, on the back-end, the watchers are also able to see exactly how much progress each of the Innies is making on their files. When the numbers are sorted into different boxes and categories, these watchers track that work and give updates on the files’ progress. For instance, when Drummond and Dr. Mauer go to the “watchers” area on the Testing Floor, they’re able to directly witness and discuss the delay in Mark’s progress on his Cold Harbor file. It isn’t just Milchick or, formerly, Cobel micromanaging the Innies – an entire team is dedicated to monitoring their every move.
MDR’s Files On Their Computers Connect To Different Rooms On Lumon’s Testing Floor
Gemma Has To Undergo Different Experiments/Procedures In Each Room
Another big reveal that comes from Severance season 2, episode 7 is what the files that MDR is working on actually are. Though it was already known that they were categorizing groups of numbers based on feelings and evenly balancing those different categories within a file, it wasn’t clear what it was all actually for. As it turns out, each of MDR’s files corresponds to a different room on the Testing Floor. Siena, Allentown, Tumwater, and Cold Water, among several others, are each the names of different rooms that Gemma has to visit in Lumon’s bottom-floor department.
Severance Season 2’s Remaining Episode Schedule | |
|---|---|
Episode # | Release Date |
8 | March 7 |
9 | March 14 |
10 | March 21 |
Furthermore, we don’t just know that the files are rooms, but we also know what happens in some of them. For instance, one is a dentist’s office in which Gemma has dental work done, one is an airplane flight simulation in which Gemma is put on a crashing aircraft, and one is decorated for Christmas in a past era, with Gemma having to constantly write thank you cards for the gifts. It’s also implied that Gemma has a different Innie for each room, with MDR’s number sorting seemingly working to “refine” the room and Gemma’s corresponding Innie for each file.
Lumon Completely Lied About Getting Rid Of Cameras On The Severed Floor
Lumon Never Stopped Their Constant Surveillance
Image via Apple TV+
Considering MDR’s computers double as security cameras, this is just one more way in which Milchick lied about Lumon’s changes in Severance season 2, episode 1. When the Innies returned after Severance season 1’s ending, Milchick informed them that Lumon had implemented numerous reforms on the severed floor, including the removal of security cameras and new perks like the hall passes, the Family Visitation Suite, and pineapple bobbing. Though it should have been expected, Severance season 2 confirms Lumon was never going to stop putting them under constant surveillance.
Severance
8/10
- Release Date
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February 18, 2022
- Showrunner
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Dan Erickson, Mark Friedman
- Writers
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Dan Erickson