Warning! This article contains spoilers for Severance season 2, episode 8.
Harmony Cobel’s story in Severance season 2, episode 8 may have just revealed the key to taking down Lumon. The ending of Severance season 2, episode 8 concluded a bottle episode focused on a previously mysterious character of the show. Before now, Harmony Cobel’s Severance identity was confusing, be it her actual backstory or her alternate identity as Mrs. Selvig. However, Severance season 2, episode 8 saw Harmony return to her hometown of Salt’s Neck, and the journey reveals a great deal about her past.
Despite most of Severance‘s usual cast of characters being missing from the episode, it provided some elements that promise ramifications for the future. Although these reveals did not link explicitly to the massive moments tied to Gemma from Severance season 2, episode 7, there are ways they could still impact the overarching story of the show. The final scenes of Harmony Cobel’s journey poke some holes in the words of the Eagans, potentially raising a way to tear down Lumon’s reputation in an important way.
Severance Season 2 Confirms That Harmony Cobel Is No Longer Loyal To Lumon
Her Crisis Of Faith Came To A Head
Perhaps one of the bigger reveals of Severance season 2, episode 8 is that Harmony Cobel no longer has undying faith in Lumon. This has been hinted at since the ending of Severance season 1, which saw Harmony being fired from Lumon and subsequently smashing up a shrine she held in Kier Eagan’s honor. Despite briefly looking to get back in Lumon’s good graces after the Overtime Contingency was activated, the company still tried to get rid of her by keeping Milchick as the head of the severed floor. From then on, Harmony’s loyalty has been shaken.
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Severance’s Eagan Family Tree Explained
The Eagans play a huge role in Severance, and their family tree is briefly explained during the crew’s visit to the Perpetuity Wing in season one.
As it turns out, Severance season 2, episode 8 was the turning point that made her fully commit to being against Lumon. Harmony acknowledges that Lumon ruined her hometown of Salt’s Neck before Severance began due to the shutting down of a factory that provided a massive economic boost to the area. She also criticizes her grandmother, Sissy, stating that she owes Lumon no loyalty. This, combined with some big reveals about Harmony’s past as an employee of Lumon, imply that her faith in the cult-like company is gone for good.
Why Harmony Cobel’s Designs Are The Key To Bringing Down Lumon
Harmony Cobel Was Forced Into Silence By The Eagans
The reveals about Harmony’s past as a Lumon employee were that she was responsible for designing some of the biggest severed protocols the show has included so far. Be it Severance‘s Overtime Contingency protocol, the Glasgow Block that allowed Helena Eagan to masquerade as Helly R, or other important aspects of the severed chips, Harmony Cobel was the mastermind behind each of them. This was revealed in Severance season 2, episode 8, given that Harmony’s reason for returning to Salt’s Neck was to retrieve the physical evidence that proves so.
If it was exposed that Jame Eagan took credit for Harmony’s designs and used her faith to manipulate and blackmail her, this would surely be a massive scandal…
Upon presenting this information to Sissy, Harmony is asked why she did not mention this before. Harmony states that she was told “Kier’s knowledge is for all” and that if she tried to take credit, she would be banished. Sissy mentions that Jame Eagan invented these elements of the severed chip, which Harmony reveals is what the rest of the world’s populace thinks also. If it was exposed that Jame Eagan took credit for Harmony’s designs and used her faith to manipulate and blackmail her, this would surely be a massive scandal that Lumon may not recover from.
Lumon already faces a lot of scrutiny from the public for their less-than-humane methods. Harmony now holds the key to not only worsening the public’s perception of Lumon by exposing their lies but also has a lot of knowledge about how those on the severed floor are treated. If she truly chooses to go against Lumon, she now has a lot of ammunition that could contribute to Lumon’s downfall.
Why Harmony Cobel Needs Mark’s Help With Her Fight Against Lumon
Mark Can Be Her Man On The Inside
In the final moments of Severance season 2, episode 8, Harmony is shown talking on the phone to Mark. She demands to know everything about his Reintegration process in Severance season 2, hinting that she needs his help to fight against Lumon. The reason for this is simple: she is on Lumon’s radar as a potential enemy. The company is already implied to be spying on her, be it her secretive travel method to getting to Sissy’s house or the confirmation that Mr. Drummond is trying to find her.
For this reason, Harmony cannot simply enter Lumon’s highly secure offices or the severed floor anymore. As such, Mark could be Harmony’s mole. It could be the case that Harmony needs more files or other elements from the severed floor to make her opposition to Lumon more secure. With Mark now Reintegrated, she could tell him exactly what to look for and send him down to the severed floor to retrieve whatever she needs. Regardless of the specific method, it is clear that Mark and Harmony need to team up in Severance going forward if they stand any chance of overcoming Lumon.
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