Ricken is a black sheep of the Eagan family. He married an unapproved woman named Rebecca and was punished. To redeem himself, he volunteered to be severed when the tech was still in its infancy. For a while it worked fine, and he did his severed job as Rick N. But it soon malfunctioned and made him into an over the top buffoon. His memory scrambled, he incorrectly remembered his name as Ricken, but forgot his heritage and his wife. To avoid blowback, the Eagan family forced Rebecca to undergo severance, knowing it would scramble the incriminating things she knows. Her brain similarly damaged, she remembers her own name as "Rebeck A.", and though she doesn't remember her marriage to Ricken, finds herself connected to him, admiring him to a near-embarrasing degree.
I was always suspicious of the normal-but-altered names. I assumed it was a way of indicating the near furure or alternate timeline but now I will look twice. Maybe Jame was James without a last name and Lumon habitually dropped the S as if he was Jame S.
Wow. Is this a theory, or found during research? If the latter, what sources are there to research other than the show itself and that short document (can't recall its name) leaked months ago? This is blowing my mind...
@@HobokenSquatCobbler I'd been hung up on the weird names for awhile. It wasn't until I saw this video and the possibility that ricken was an Eagan that it started to come together. The names, the weird entitled behavior despite establishing that ricken and Devin aren't wealthy (the birthing cabins), the eerie following ricken has amassed even though he's an idiot, the existence of previous black sheep in the family. He's gonna be a mirror of Kier himself, except more of a fun house mirror than a dark mirror
I think you nailed it on Ricken. Ricken is an eagan. And even helped recruit Mark to volunteer to be severed. He told Marks innie that he always felt guilty for suggesting Mark volunteer to be severed to help deal with his grief. And his books are ways to get Mark to snap out of it. You cant run from your grief, you have to wake up and face it. Thats the best theory yet.
The line where Ricken makes that reference completely flew under my radar, until now! It just so happens that I'm writing something related to the subject, so thanks for the reminder. I'll shout you out in the next video.
when did he said he felt guilty about suggesting that Mark be severed? he said he regrets making Mark feel less than for going through with the procedure
I think the biggest clue that Ricken is significant (or at least support your theory) is when Burt says something about the Eagans communicating to them in many ways, not only through the artworks or [something about the rule book blah blah]..and then it immediately cuts to Ricken's book.
I think this is just Burt trying to make Irving less offended by reading the book because he’s interested in reading it for whatever reason (he loves art, he might love literature as well)
@@TheSwolOne I think red may indicate the presence of Eagan blood. Throughout the show, Helly is the only one who wears red as an innie, and Ricken's book is red/has red pages. Corbel also takes a significant interest in Ricken and Devon's family, likely because the baby is of Eagan blood and she has an undying loyalty to the family.
The Compliance Handbook has three appendices, so four volumes in total (you can see them on the shelf under Kier's portrait in the office). Ricken basically wrote the Defiance Handbook, and it's his fifth book. Coincidence?
I think it's an interesting idea that there's a board, which is supposed to be comprised of multiple people, but we hear only one voice. I think that supports my theory of past Eagen CEOs living inside Jame.
Maybe she knows how many books Ricken has written because every time he writes a book he makes a big deal about leaving a gift copy on her neighbors porch?
@@Marukanitel she isn’t severed she has memories in and outside, she goes through the stairs to leave when fired. Her goal is to see whether people can be reintegrated or not believing that is what happened to Petey she is trying to test mark and prove it to be seen by the board. Why does not party man remember he left the book inside? Best actor of them all.
Ricken doesn't have to be an Eagan for everything else you said about him to be true. He is a Christ-like character, and not in the heroic self sacrificing sense, but in the literal sense, where he is a spiritual teacher to the lost. It would make sense for him to be an Eagan, he was very diplomatic about Marks choice to sever.
Hi, Pheobe! There is a strong chance that his involvement will be crucial to how things play out when the dust settles. I hope that this subtle attempt at gearing him up to be the savior is actually true.
So glad I found your channel. Great to see someone making videos just for the passion and making a whole series for this show. Love your content and looking forward to the s2 theories from you
The Eagan family/Lumon's plans as far as Kier is concerned would be continuity for for both the family/Lumon(keeping an Eagan at the helm). When I think about myself as a parent, I would like to help my kids to be successful and to learn from my mistakes to make their paths easier. And what better way to do that than to simply transfer my consciousness into them. "History lives in us, whether we learn it or not"
Wow, thank you for this great analysis and summary of the Eagans. One thing that occurred to me regarding Ambrose Eagan was that his tenure as CEO began when Europe went to war in 1939, and ended the year that the US joined the war. Coincidence, or..? Somehow I feel the unusually short duration, unexplained end, historically significant period, and the description of Ambrose as the “black sheep” of the family must be meaningful. Was Ambrose in league with the Nazis until the US’s entry into the war made such an association an embarrassment? Or perhaps even worse, Ambrose objected to a secret alignment between Lumon and the Nazis and was then ejected…?
I pinned a really good comment to the top about Ambrose. Severance writers really thought they could slip that little tidbit in there and we wouldn't lose our minds trying to solve it 😂
Ricken's book causes chaos to the Lumon way, there is no doubt he is a major player but i can see many many other ways Kier would manifest and Ricken never crossed my mind until your theory
I read in a reddit post, I cannot find it, but the actor for ricken confirmed that his parents in the show were eccentric theatre writers or something like that. Also i believed he mentioned his fanily comes from “old money”. Also another interesting tidbit is Mark's neighborhood is named after Baird Eagan.
Your Severance coverage is really concise, fun, and informative. Can't wait to see more and I want to dip into your Black Mirror stuff as well. Keep it up!
I'm still curious why Ricken wanted Mark to go home to get his book and then had him share when there were dozens of copies of the book available on the table while Ricken did his reading. I'm also curious as to who was operating the Overtime Contingency when Milchick was at Dylan's? It takes two and the only two we know of - Cobel wasn't told it was happening, and Graner was getting his head bashed in. If it was the Security Guard who was the second one?
My guess is that it was a signed copy. Maybe it had some significance to him because of that. But who know... it may have had something special in it for Mark to see. There must be other people who work on the severed floor like Graner and Milchick. The interesting thing to me is that whomever that was that killed the OTC had to know the whole operation was out of order, so I'm curious to know who it was.
@@V4Vonnie that would make sense. I was wondering why after he was bit he didn’t wear any bandages. I thought a show as well thought out as this one wouldn’t have such a glaring issue with consistency.
Is there a family tree anywhere stating how each of the Eagans are related to each other? Also curious how there are female CEOs with the family name -- did they remain unmarried, or did they keep the family name after marriage, and what of their (if any) children's family names? Lastly I am REALLY curious if Helly is simply the next in line, or the only one left in line. That could make a big difference about how expendable she is. Also loving the content and format :)
Always a pleasure ravel lord! I don't think we ever get a family tree, which would have been cool to have. I wondered the same thing regarding the connections. We have no clue exactly how these people are related to another. They never mention if Kier & Imogen had children or not. My guess is the women CEOs probably keep their name, married or not, being that they take that family lineage and heir so seriously. Just my guess.
You’re ability to catch little details is amazing. I never noticed the sign that said VIP section at pips haha ! Love your content! Super stoked for season two, the trailer for season two was one of the best trailers I’ve seen for anything ever. I’ve watched it 100 times !! so good!
Out of all those I think the "all the Eagans go into one mind" theory where next up will be Helena is the best one. I feel like that makes sense and fits in well with the severance chips concept. I dont know if I like Ricken or Mark being Eagans, but its definitely not impossible & they could probably make it work. I feel like the reveal with Helena is good but I'd rather the other characters be something different you know? Like, something big and surprising in a different way rather than like "surprise, more Eagans!". We don't really know much about the outside world to think of what that could be, but definitely there seems to be something up with Mark's old school anyone who's worked there. So there must be some kind of reveal relating to the inner workings of the school I'd think. One theory I think is really good is the one where Cobel is actually against Lumon and is going to end up somehow teaming up with the others. That one I feel like there's decent amount of hints to, like the medical mask hint (except what she says to Helly at the end makes me confused on wtf her aim is for sure),. I also just like that as a trope and feel like its fitting here. It reminds me of another show that did that, except they killed the guy off right when he was about to join the main protagonists!!! So disappointing (I'd say what show it is but that'd be a big mid-show spoiler, but its one of the Brazilian Netflix shows). The reason I love the antagonist joins protagonists trope tho is sometimes you get super into an antagonist and like, you want the protags to win of course but you also *really* like seeing the entertaining bad/morally gray guy and don't want them to be sidelined either. So them joining the protagonists is such a good and fun way to do that. And it naturally adds some depth to them since they have to have character growth or shift of some kind to join the protagonists.
Yeah, I really thought Cobel would go turncoat on Lumon and side with MDR against the board. Even though she didn't, I still think she is anti-Lumon but pro-Kier and sees the board as illegitimate forebearers to Kiers vision. I think she hates severance, but her past is somehow intertwined with it, and it stole something from her that she desperately wants back. She's playing the long game (or at least she was trying to). I still think there is potential for her to switch into a protag, she just needs a bigger nudge from the writers. edit:spelling
@@nautilusfiles yeah!!! See like I have the same vibe that they're setting her up for that particular type of role. The fact that she gets fired really makes it feel like it's gonna turn in that direction somehow. I think your idea that she might be thinking Lumon has sorta bastardaized Kier's teachings fills in some of the confusion I had too, it makes a lot of sense!!! I'd love to see that explored if they go that route next season!
Well you did it again great job really help me understand the show much more than I would without you so I appreciate it very much you’re doing a great job
Sorry for the double post, but something unrelated just hit me -- there are some real parallels here between the Eagans and the Sackler Family. If it is coincidence then it is a wicked one.
Bear with me on this. It's out there, but no more so than anything else with this show. I don't think Mark is an Egan. In the very beginning I considered it but find it a lot less likely now. Maybe he's being watched because he is one of their testing subjects. It is possible that Mark was taken from the accident and completely wiped. Devon may not be Mark's sister. His whole post-accident life may be a plant. And, this is why Cobel watches him so closely. Rebeck and Ricken seem to be completely wiped too - innie and outtie. (I just got to your shout out. Thanks!)
Oh, this is not "far out there", it's actually a good theory. I think Ricken is likely severed, but Devon is probably not. I had to go back and re-watch all of Mark's scenes with Devon after reading this. In the final episode, when he reveals to her that he is in innie mode, she responds with "who have you been talking to?". That line... why didn't that set off alarm bells before!? I never questioned Devon before this, mostly because of her scenes at the retreat and her clearly suspicious behavior regarding Severance and investigation into Arteta. The assumed notion that she is an innocent bystander put her outside the scope of suspicion, but this theory makes sense. After all, she is the character chosen to give the line stating that the town is full of Lumon employees. I'm getting Truman Show vibes all of a sudden lol.
@@nautilusfiles WHAT?!? I didn't hear that line either! That's strange and would def be no accident. "Who are you talking to?" Okay, makes sense. "Who are you talking about?" Again, okay. Would make sense. But "Who HAVE YOU BEEN talking TO?" No. Uh uh. Wow. Now I want to go watch that again too, lol. "After all, she is the character chosen to give the line stating that the town is full of Lumon employees."
@@kashmir87 I would not be surprised if she has connection to the group trying to take down Lumon, and was a bit of a honeypot for Ricken (which is why she tolerates his quirkiness and basic writing). While I think information is filtered through a need to know basis, she seemed genuinely horrified that Cobel, who had ties to the severed floor, had her child.
I had an flicker of an idea with Ricken and his guests. I like the old/new testament and the two sides of the same coin idea. I was thinking maybe Ricken's work calls out to escaped innies. The way they all act is like they are learning about the world as they go. And there was one more thing that caught me. Rebek. The lady that Mark shares the book with. She mentions her bird pecking at the back of her head and sores. Maybe the bird is attracted to her chip or she's digging and that's an excuse. Maybe Cobel is aware of Ricken because of his pull. Maybe the car wreck and stealing of Gema while she's dead or brain dead or in a coma was because of the connection to Ricken. The fact that Jame doesn't have an s and Rebek having a line about changing her name again...maybe it is something
I have thought that maybe there's an Old Testament and New Testament in Kier's teaching, too (which wouldn't negate that Ricken's work could be a Newer Testament, of course). There's a moment where Burt and Irv are talking about the Lumon Handbook and Burt says he's 'more of a First Edition kind of guy.'
Did you notice that Eleanor (name of Devon and Ricken's daughter) is almost an anagram of "Leonora"? I think the Ricken being an Eagan theory could be true!
Oh. I just got it. It's a retelling of 'The Fall'. Paradise Lost for a modern audience. So, Helly is Lucifer. The favorite who rebels... to free the other 'Angels'( servants of the GodHead who have no agency or free will), and allow them to become human. Something none of them quite feel like in their real lives. Neat.
my thought is that Cobel shows concern for mark cause she can relate with how he's dealing with loss, since she lost someone very close to her as well. also my guess with her "flirting" was more of a "you're such a handsome young man" that older ladies like to do, but I could be fully wrong I don't remember exactly what she said to him haha
Some interesting theories, particularly the one about Ricken being an Eagan. Now that you mention it, he does kind of look like one. I have a theory about the Eagans. Those “statues” in the perpetuity wing, I don’t think they’re statues at all. They’re too perfect, and if you look into the eyes, it looks like there’s a soul inside. I think it’s the Eagans themselves. And I don’t think they’re dead. I think they’re in a state of suspended animation. That might be why it’s called perpetuity; it’s meant to keep them alive, in some way, forever. The “revolving” Jame talks about could have something to do with this process. The problem with this theory is that we see Jame in the flesh in the last episode, but maybe they can go in and out of that state, at least for a while. Maybe the revolving makes it a little more permanent.
I suspect that Keir’s character is named after Keir Hardie, founder of the UK Labour Party. He too worked as a manual labourer as a young boy - lessons from which formed his vision for the Labour Party - and lived during a similar time period (1856-1915).
Every time I’ve seen the wax figure of Kier Eagan in the Perpetuity wing, I’ve thought how much he looks like the Wilson brothers, Luke and Owen, who were both in The Royal Tannanbaums with Ben Stiller. Just now @3:53 I’m struck by how much Myrtle Eagan’s figure looks like Gweneth Paltrow, who also co-starred in that film (Stiller, Luke Wilson, and Paltrow each played one of the 3 adult Tannenbaum siblings). I highly doubt it’s relevant to the show, but maybe an Easter Egg put there by O&D (I mean the Production Designers…. obviously no one in O&D would have seen the film)?
The problem with using Harmony’s offhand “5th Book” comment as evidence, is that she is SO OBSCENELY obsessed with Mark (I think she might even be going thru his trash… they just talk way too much about trash cans??) -- so, in this universe it makes perfect sense that she also knows Ricken has written 5 books. Presumably, they all arrive to Mark in one excited way or another, thus Harmony (be it by trash-digging, intercepting at the threshold, or breaking into Mark’s house while he’s gone) has seen these books.
Hmmm. Didn't Kier die long ago though? I'm pretty sure Jame mentions the showing the first chip to Helena as a child. I really like theory about the board being all the past Eagans, but don't see how its supposed to really work...
4:21 Gerhardts is also the place where Mark goes on a date. So Lumon owns everything in that town! The town is called Kier! Reminds me of that Walmart town
Ahhh it’s a small small detail as well and I was just watching it again, bit “Gerhardt” also has a business named after him in one episode. Imma watch again and point it out on again. But seriously there’s so many small details this show gives us even after all this time
Anyone read A Skinful of Shadows? Its a children's book I read when I was young, and it gave me the same vibes as the Eagans (though the mechanism - tech/magic/etc. likely differs between both stories). The book follows the Fellmottes, some of whom have the magic power to host ghosts. The Fellmottes use senior members of the family to host the souls of "worthy" dead members of the family, so when the lord dies, they'll have a little ceremony where the ghosts are transferred into the heir, and since there's only so much "room" in a host, the new lord's soul tends to get crushed down to nothingness during the ceremony. There's also a class structure where "worthy" ghosts are preserved forever, heirs with the family magic are cherished but ultimately get their souls crushed and lesser members of the family who have the gift (i.e. illegitimate children) are kept around, not to ensure that as many ghosts are preserved but rather to ensure that the select "worthy" ghosts are preserved if the lord dies while the heir is away. People who are possessed have different social standings, and being possessed leads to all sorts of quirks with memories and skillsets. The vibe is so similar to the Eagans that I wouldn't be shocked if this book was an influence - some of the writers probably have kids about the right age to have read it, so I don't think its too much of a stretch?
@@nautilusfilesloll that is my real name. I've been dwelling on this video for the last week. It was always interesting to me that Ricken hosted a "no dinner" dinner in the first episode and Lumen incentivises the waffle party and other foods throughout the episode. Just some food for thought no pun intended (or wacky theories this time).
@@rickenfatania I'm still totally confused by what the no dinner thing might mean. Is it just another way to get Ricken's weirdness across to the audience... like the whole three bed thing? Then again, when you think about all the other references to food, like you mention, it feels like it must be saying something else. Also, there's also a lot of talk about eggs and melons. So weird.
I have a theory about cloning that the eagan CEOs are always the same, rotating. This makes more sense with the revolving quote that jame gives to his daughter. The problem is that they can clone their bodies but not their mind and that is also why they want to perfect the chip. i think gerhardt, kier and jame look very similar and Helena looks a bit like lenora. It is a stretch as the other men do not look that similar and it is hard to establish some cyclical pattern but it would fit well with the concept of perpetuity. We also have no information about helena's mother at a gala about her. how the eagan are related but: - ambrose and myrtle are born 1 year apart. they are probably brother and sister, children of kier. - Baird is too old to be a child of ambrose and myrtle. he is probably also a child of kier. to be a descendant he must probably be a child of kier - Gerarth could be the first clone among this theory
@@dannyp-ufc8883 I wasn't even aware of 1899 until now. Just watched some trailers and it looks like a must watch. Added to the list. Thanks for the heads up
I hadn't thought about Ricken being an Eagan but it does make sense. Also, the remark Ricken makes when he's doing his talk in the last episode... he doesn't know why his voice gets husky and airy.... remind you of anyone? Could he be Helena's brother, Jame's son? But he has no memory of it as he's been severed from that part of himself to avoid any family secrets being let out? Cobel also asked Milchick to read the book and to check for things. Why else would she pick up the book when leaving Mark's house? She obviously is observing him and his work.
Something significant happened with Lumon in the 40s, during WWII, I’m sure of it. Charlotte Cobel was born in 1944 (or was she just in hospital then?). Ambrose Eagan, the “black sheep”, was CEO for only three years, 1939-1941, ending the year the US joined the Allies in WWII. Irving’s father was in the military. His dad could have been a young man in the 40s and fought in WWII.
I think the chip itself is central to the mystery. My theory is the chip was originally created to preserve the minds of prior Eagans creating a “mind hive” that, over time, became the “Board” of Lumen. Jame showed the chip to Helena when she was a youngster and she made the offhand comment that it was “pretty and everyone should have one” and it got him thinking. Lumon then started research and development of chips to alter the minds of the general public which led to severence.
I think she's wearing Petey's chip. She made the chain for it just before she put it on, indicating that it is new. His reintegration probably symbolizes hope for her.
Do notice that it says history lives *IN* us. I think that's a clue to the Eagen CEOs being alive inside the current one - sharing their memories, knowledge and "wisdom", to help grow the company and progress its goals.
I’d like to see you cover Ted Lasso, especially in advance of Season 3 coming out. It’s obviously COMPLETELY different from Severance but I think it has a lot to look at in terms of writing and storytelling principles.
I liked Ted Lasso and I think there are several characters in the show worth talking about. I plan to focus on sci-fi and drama, but not strictly. As long as the characters/story intrigues me, it's on the menu :)
I know it’s a bit on the nose, but the Ricken = Rick N. Rebecca = Rebeck A. Mark S. = Marcus theory makes so much sense. Maybe Mark and Ricken are like cousins or something, and the whole mythology of the book is them reconnecting? Wouldn’t be surprised if Ricken’s book has a parallel or is an anthesis to Kier’s Lumon Bible thing
Instead of Mark being a secret Eagan which doesn’t really make sense unless there is a big twist to everything IMO. I think it’s way more likely that Mark is a genetic match for Jame Eagan and they are trying to set Mark up to put Jame’s mind into Mark as a way for him to live forever or something. Maybe they were setting Petey up for that at first but they found out he had gotten sick or something. I wish season 2 would hurry up lol
Jame Eagan is always wears conservative suits, collarless, like from the future. similar to the suits they wore in Aliens and a Space Odyssey 2001. and interesting to note, at the reading, Ricken is also wearing conservative clothing, most noticeably, his shirt collar. again, futuristic like Jame Eagan's clothing
The only other Jame I've ever run across in film or literature is Jame Gumm who was Buffalo Bill in Silence of the Lambs. I can't believe that's just a coincidence. Maybe just a nod to a creepy character, but such a crazy rare name.
i don't know if it makes much sense for mark and his family to be eagans because it conflicts with romance plot of mark and helly. do you think they would set it up for them to be related?
I think the book guy purposefully tries to probe mark in the last episode, asking about the trip 4 of them took, but then never showing him the photo. Right in the next scene, his boss goes from suspicious to certain that mark is not an outtie. The child she took, was also nicely kept in the room, which looks like she handed over to someone because she was in hallway when it was handed over to her and not in carrier. The book guy also didn’t look too concerned about the child and it appears like he is buying time. I don’t think he is the one, but he def knows more.
A bit of both. There are some sections where I need to script it so that I make sure I don't miss key points. Half the time I use bullet points and speak freely, so that requires a lot takes or stitching up. Editing is MAGIC! Thanks for the comment, Stephen :)
Where did you get all this backstory on Kier? It's fantastic. There have been theories that MDR is doing the coding for the founders for them to return. But, if they are not currently functioning, who is the Board? EDIT: As soon as I posted this you literally started discussing it.
Ambrose is Ricken's grandfather. He was the black sheep of the family because he married someone he wasn't supposed to, leading him to be fired from his role as CEO. Ricken is only partially aware of his important but understands enough to not talk about it to anyone.
Gerhardt Eagan started doing crazy experiments in his quest to out do Leonid Brezhnev’s eyebrows. Sadly, he failed. Anyway, it’d be so nightmarish if Ricken ends up being an evil “final boss” rather than a good guy. I don’t think he was intended to be either in the beginning, but writers like looking through fan theories and adopting the best ideas.
I think that theres something with Ricken (Rick, N) maybe he left lumon and his memories were taken and thats why he seems sort of a naturopath, hippy guy- he grew up in the Egan cult and that's why he holds onto that way of life but he speaks fake wisdom with sincerity
So Kier became almost 100 yrs old?! Hm... It has to be about more than just the workplace because politics are involved. Also, there is a restaurant named Gerhardt’s and Mark lives in Baird’s Creek. It feels like all of Kier, PE is constructed more than we think. Regarding Ricken, in the final episode he expressed disdain for Mark doing the procedure so being related to Ambrose doesn’t seem farfetched.
It sounds like Kier is pretty much a company town. Everything is somehow related to Lumon and the Eagans. Even the bank statements Mark is a member of has an Eagan name.
@@nautilusfiles Thank you for replying to my comments. I’m rewatching now because I’m obsessed! I also just noticed Petey told Mark he has filed a complaint in the past. Maybe he has been reset like Irv. I think resetting MDR would be a viable punishment and could be interesting to watch how they come to the same conclusions in different ways in S2 (or frustrating). Keep up the videos!
@@rockslam Thanks, Roxanne! Yeah, I'm very curious to see Lumon's response and how the crew work their way back to rebellion. It's inevitable. It reminds me a bit of the early seasons of The Good Place.
Here are my Canadian 2 cents... About the "PE" state... I tend to think that, since outdoor scenes have been filmed in Newfoundland, CANADA, a nearby province (and the place ferries to Newfoundland leave from) called Prince-Edward Island, (PEI in Canadian parlance), it would seem not so strange that the producers would have used PE as a "State"...
I think the break room might have a double meaning because they are trying to “break” them in there & this is off topic but I also believe that some some women are severed to strictly take care of children . That would explain the lady telling Mark’s sister “she had a lot of help” in the fancy cabin. That also might be what the baby goat thing is about. An experiment to see a severed person raising kids as a job
Wow another excellent video I’ve literally just finished this season and your theory about the board being made up of all the past CEO’s seems like you could be on to something there, very clever I think you may be right
Thanks, Fin! Appreciate the kindness. I can't take credit for all the theories. Some of it is my own opinion in addition to what I find while researching on the internets. I more or less, pick ones that I think are plausible in addition to my own theories and add my own thoughts to it. That said, I do think the CEOs being "alive" and acting as the board makes a lot of sense when you consider how secretive the writers are about their identities. Thanks for stopping by :)
According to the perpetuity dates, Ambrose and Myrtle were born three years apart when Kier was forty seven. I am guessing that Ambrose and Myrtle are grandchildren of Kier. They may be brother and sister, but it is more likely that they are cousins. This means that the Eagan family is larger than we now know. The dates make it appear that Lumen leadership is not passed down from parent to child. I think there are a lot of Eagans and probably a fair amount of infighting over who gets to run Lumen. Aside from Kier, the people become CEO in their late 40;s to early 50:s and do not live longer than about 75. I get the feeling that Jame is close to the same age as Lenora and is probably about seventy three years old. Whatever the Eagans do to themselves makes them age quickly.
One more thing for the record: if the Academy was gonna dole out Emmys to a show with only one season under its belt and SNUB Better Call Saul and Bob Odenkirk - AGAIN, those Emmys should have gone to Severance, not Squid Game. Best Drama, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Director.
I think Mrs Nobel is so close to mark because she's actually keeping an eye on Rebecca and Ricken's baby because it was secretly chipped. If they can secretly kidnap Gemma they could secretly chip their baby. She lives next to mark instead of Rebecca because mark lives in severed subsidized housing and it's easier to get a place next to him. Which might be why Gemma was kidnapped and chipped in the first place. Mrs cobel/selvig had a convenient set of baby skills. Just can't figure out why she would want to chip the baby. It would be the first baby chipped though so maybe it's some kind of experiment.
I think you got the milk and cookies scene wrong. I think she was trying to probe him to see if he would divulge any information about him having Pete in his basement, without breaking from her kookie old lady alias. It inadvertently turned out to be the perfect cover for him when he called out sick with a stomach issue.
Are we certain she knew Pete was in his basement? She never had visual confirmation. I think we're supposed to believe she's been housed next to him to keep an eye on him, generally. I got the impression that she does this kind of thing on the regular. I agree that she is pressing him for info, but I think she's more concerned with the integrity of his severance and discovering evidence of cracks in it.
the trouble with a lot of information about the Eagans is that its presented to innies inside the company. We know Lumon is incredibly sensitive about information getting out or in the severed workplace AND the lie through omission and manipulate the innies in different ways. It is safe to assume that the perpetuity wing is presenting a false or heavily distorted history to the innies to ilicit some kind of reaction or asert historical control. By historical control I mean the only history the innies know is what they are told, and a lot of the Eagan history is about serving Kier
What if they create immortal people within the chip that is inserted in their brain? They can transfer from one person to another over time with the chip. The Revolving is the transfer of the Innie to a new body and they live on???
It's incredibly sus how kier lived so long after the life he had: inbred, tuberculosis, clotting disorder, civil war, child labor, chemical factory work. His long life i think has to do with lumons primary business: cultivating immortality for a man they believe to be god or godlike. So whatever he and his company figured out before his death mightve been slapshod but now theyve had another century to refine the process so maybe theyre preparing for Kiers forthcoming, the revolving
Revolving…. Do Kier and Imogene take turns as CEO, sitting at each other’s side? Kier was inbred, so inhabiting their own descendants may be in keeping, and replacing memories is the whole central thing of Lumen…
Ricken is a black sheep of the Eagan family. He married an unapproved woman named Rebecca and was punished. To redeem himself, he volunteered to be severed when the tech was still in its infancy. For a while it worked fine, and he did his severed job as Rick N. But it soon malfunctioned and made him into an over the top buffoon. His memory scrambled, he incorrectly remembered his name as Ricken, but forgot his heritage and his wife. To avoid blowback, the Eagan family forced Rebecca to undergo severance, knowing it would scramble the incriminating things she knows. Her brain similarly damaged, she remembers her own name as "Rebeck A.", and though she doesn't remember her marriage to Ricken, finds herself connected to him, admiring him to a near-embarrasing degree.
Thank you. This is great. Wish I found this during my research. Pinning it for everyone to see.
@@nautilusfiles happy to contribute!
I was always suspicious of the normal-but-altered names. I assumed it was a way of indicating the near furure or alternate timeline but now I will look twice. Maybe Jame was James without a last name and Lumon habitually dropped the S as if he was Jame S.
Wow. Is this a theory, or found during research? If the latter, what sources are there to research other than the show itself and that short document (can't recall its name) leaked months ago? This is blowing my mind...
@@HobokenSquatCobbler I'd been hung up on the weird names for awhile. It wasn't until I saw this video and the possibility that ricken was an Eagan that it started to come together. The names, the weird entitled behavior despite establishing that ricken and Devin aren't wealthy (the birthing cabins), the eerie following ricken has amassed even though he's an idiot, the existence of previous black sheep in the family. He's gonna be a mirror of Kier himself, except more of a fun house mirror than a dark mirror
I think you nailed it on Ricken. Ricken is an eagan. And even helped recruit Mark to volunteer to be severed. He told Marks innie that he always felt guilty for suggesting Mark volunteer to be severed to help deal with his grief. And his books are ways to get Mark to snap out of it. You cant run from your grief, you have to wake up and face it. Thats the best theory yet.
The line where Ricken makes that reference completely flew under my radar, until now! It just so happens that I'm writing something related to the subject, so thanks for the reminder. I'll shout you out in the next video.
@@baby_venusianno he's right... you need to rewatch the series 😅
when did he said he felt guilty about suggesting that Mark be severed? he said he regrets making Mark feel less than for going through with the procedure
I think the biggest clue that Ricken is significant (or at least support your theory) is when Burt says something about the Eagans communicating to them in many ways, not only through the artworks or [something about the rule book blah blah]..and then it immediately cuts to Ricken's book.
Very interesting detail
I think this is just Burt trying to make Irving less offended by reading the book because he’s interested in reading it for whatever reason (he loves art, he might love literature as well)
@@TheSwolOne I think red may indicate the presence of Eagan blood. Throughout the show, Helly is the only one who wears red as an innie, and Ricken's book is red/has red pages. Corbel also takes a significant interest in Ricken and Devon's family, likely because the baby is of Eagan blood and she has an undying loyalty to the family.
The Compliance Handbook has three appendices, so four volumes in total (you can see them on the shelf under Kier's portrait in the office). Ricken basically wrote the Defiance Handbook, and it's his fifth book. Coincidence?
I think it's an interesting idea that there's a board, which is supposed to be comprised of multiple people, but we hear only one voice.
I think that supports my theory of past Eagen CEOs living inside Jame.
Reminds me of the end of Dollhouse when Echo is host to a dozen personalities including her boyfriend.
Ricken has the right eyebrows to be an Eagan. That’s for sure.
Hi, Irene! I thought the same thing! 😂
Maybe she knows how many books Ricken has written because every time he writes a book he makes a big deal about leaving a gift copy on her neighbors porch?
Was it ever explained how the hell one of his books got in severance floor??
Yes
@@Marukanitel
@@Marukanitel she isn’t severed she has memories in and outside, she goes through the stairs to leave when fired. Her goal is to see whether people can be reintegrated or not believing that is what happened to Petey she is trying to test mark and prove it to be seen by the board.
Why does not party man remember he left the book inside? Best actor of them all.
That Ricken theory is wild. I love it
I hope it's true. It would make for a great story!
Ricken doesn't have to be an Eagan for everything else you said about him to be true. He is a Christ-like character, and not in the heroic self sacrificing sense, but in the literal sense, where he is a spiritual teacher to the lost. It would make sense for him to be an Eagan, he was very diplomatic about Marks choice to sever.
Hi, Pheobe! There is a strong chance that his involvement will be crucial to how things play out when the dust settles. I hope that this subtle attempt at gearing him up to be the savior is actually true.
Your videos are getting me so pumped for season 2! Can’t wait to see what you cover next
Love to hear that! I still have lots more Severance planned, but I'll be mixing in new shows/characters soon!
So glad I found your channel. Great to see someone making videos just for the passion and making a whole series for this show. Love your content and looking forward to the s2 theories from you
Welcome! Glad to hear you enjoyed the video and thanks for the kind words.
The Eagan family/Lumon's plans as far as Kier is concerned would be continuity for for both the family/Lumon(keeping an Eagan at the helm). When I think about myself as a parent, I would like to help my kids to be successful and to learn from my mistakes to make their paths easier. And what better way to do that than to simply transfer my consciousness into them. "History lives in us, whether we learn it or not"
I think this is the whole point of Ms. Carol! I think maybe they used her after the accident to test resurrection to be used on the Eagans.
Wow, thank you for this great analysis and summary of the Eagans. One thing that occurred to me regarding Ambrose Eagan was that his tenure as CEO began when Europe went to war in 1939, and ended the year that the US joined the war. Coincidence, or..? Somehow I feel the unusually short duration, unexplained end, historically significant period, and the description of Ambrose as the “black sheep” of the family must be meaningful. Was Ambrose in league with the Nazis until the US’s entry into the war made such an association an embarrassment? Or perhaps even worse, Ambrose objected to a secret alignment between Lumon and the Nazis and was then ejected…?
I pinned a really good comment to the top about Ambrose. Severance writers really thought they could slip that little tidbit in there and we wouldn't lose our minds trying to solve it 😂
Ricken's book causes chaos to the Lumon way, there is no doubt he is a major player but i can see many many other ways Kier would manifest and Ricken never crossed my mind until your theory
I read in a reddit post, I cannot find it, but the actor for ricken confirmed that his parents in the show were eccentric theatre writers or something like that. Also i believed he mentioned his fanily comes from “old money”.
Also another interesting tidbit is Mark's neighborhood is named after Baird Eagan.
Yeah he said that in the Post Show Recaps podcast episode he was in too.
Your Severance coverage is really concise, fun, and informative. Can't wait to see more and I want to dip into your Black Mirror stuff as well. Keep it up!
I'm still curious why Ricken wanted Mark to go home to get his book and then had him share when there were dozens of copies of the book available on the table while Ricken did his reading.
I'm also curious as to who was operating the Overtime Contingency when Milchick was at Dylan's? It takes two and the only two we know of - Cobel wasn't told it was happening, and Graner was getting his head bashed in. If it was the Security Guard who was the second one?
My guess is that it was a signed copy. Maybe it had some significance to him because of that. But who know... it may have had something special in it for Mark to see. There must be other people who work on the severed floor like Graner and Milchick. The interesting thing to me is that whomever that was that killed the OTC had to know the whole operation was out of order, so I'm curious to know who it was.
Milchek has to be a clone of many.
@@V4Vonniehmmm, interesting theory. I kinda like it!
@@V4Vonnie that would make sense. I was wondering why after he was bit he didn’t wear any bandages. I thought a show as well thought out as this one wouldn’t have such a glaring issue with consistency.
@@monicarenee7949 he did wear a bandage
Funny. Kier & The Eagans was the nane of a cover band I was in in high school. We played mostly Kraftwerk songs.
😮
No, really??? Or are you just pulling our legs?
@@DawnDavidson I... oh, wait! Losing powe
Is there a family tree anywhere stating how each of the Eagans are related to each other? Also curious how there are female CEOs with the family name -- did they remain unmarried, or did they keep the family name after marriage, and what of their (if any) children's family names? Lastly I am REALLY curious if Helly is simply the next in line, or the only one left in line. That could make a big difference about how expendable she is. Also loving the content and format :)
Always a pleasure ravel lord! I don't think we ever get a family tree, which would have been cool to have. I wondered the same thing regarding the connections. We have no clue exactly how these people are related to another. They never mention if Kier & Imogen had children or not. My guess is the women CEOs probably keep their name, married or not, being that they take that family lineage and heir so seriously. Just my guess.
Great episode. Your video essays on "Severance," especially the ones concerned with theories, are the best out there. Thanks for making them.
im late this upload but we here gang!!!! Aint even finish and the vid is perfection. 10k subs before the end of the year.
Good lookin out, Noell! Thanks for coming though again!
You’re ability to catch little details is amazing. I never noticed the sign that said VIP section at pips haha ! Love your content! Super stoked for season two, the trailer for season two was one of the best trailers I’ve seen for anything ever. I’ve watched it 100 times !! so good!
Out of all those I think the "all the Eagans go into one mind" theory where next up will be Helena is the best one. I feel like that makes sense and fits in well with the severance chips concept.
I dont know if I like Ricken or Mark being Eagans, but its definitely not impossible & they could probably make it work. I feel like the reveal with Helena is good but I'd rather the other characters be something different you know? Like, something big and surprising in a different way rather than like "surprise, more Eagans!". We don't really know much about the outside world to think of what that could be, but definitely there seems to be something up with Mark's old school anyone who's worked there. So there must be some kind of reveal relating to the inner workings of the school I'd think.
One theory I think is really good is the one where Cobel is actually against Lumon and is going to end up somehow teaming up with the others. That one I feel like there's decent amount of hints to, like the medical mask hint (except what she says to Helly at the end makes me confused on wtf her aim is for sure),. I also just like that as a trope and feel like its fitting here. It reminds me of another show that did that, except they killed the guy off right when he was about to join the main protagonists!!! So disappointing (I'd say what show it is but that'd be a big mid-show spoiler, but its one of the Brazilian Netflix shows). The reason I love the antagonist joins protagonists trope tho is sometimes you get super into an antagonist and like, you want the protags to win of course but you also *really* like seeing the entertaining bad/morally gray guy and don't want them to be sidelined either. So them joining the protagonists is such a good and fun way to do that. And it naturally adds some depth to them since they have to have character growth or shift of some kind to join the protagonists.
Yeah, I really thought Cobel would go turncoat on Lumon and side with MDR against the board. Even though she didn't, I still think she is anti-Lumon but pro-Kier and sees the board as illegitimate forebearers to Kiers vision. I think she hates severance, but her past is somehow intertwined with it, and it stole something from her that she desperately wants back. She's playing the long game (or at least she was trying to). I still think there is potential for her to switch into a protag, she just needs a bigger nudge from the writers.
edit:spelling
@@nautilusfiles yeah!!! See like I have the same vibe that they're setting her up for that particular type of role. The fact that she gets fired really makes it feel like it's gonna turn in that direction somehow. I think your idea that she might be thinking Lumon has sorta bastardaized Kier's teachings fills in some of the confusion I had too, it makes a lot of sense!!! I'd love to see that explored if they go that route next season!
@@nautilusfiles also thank you for replying to me :') your vids are so good keep up the good work!
Hey, thanks for the great comments and the support. I appreciate it!
If Mark is in Eagan, then Innie Helly kissing him gives off that Princess Leia vibe.
Just rewatched this amazing series. Really good analysis here. Appreciate the effort
Love your videos!
Thank you!
Well you did it again great job really help me understand the show much more than I would without you so I appreciate it very much you’re doing a great job
Thanks, Dean. Glad you enjoyed it and I appreciate the comment!
Did not see the Ricken theory coming. Wow. I'm going to have to watch S1 for a fifth time.
Love the Ricken theory. Was thinking he was at least being set up as a new cult leader in the wider world but didn’t think he might be an Eagan.
I'm rooting for this theory to be true, too!
I recall seeing a bank or credit card statement and the envelope read "Myrtle Eagan Credit Union. It might have been in a stack of mail for Mark S.
You did! Myrtle Eagan's name is attached to the local bank, apparently.
Been watching too much true crime UA-cam.
I needed this.
Hey, Heather! Been down the true crime rabbit hole. So addicitve!
Sorry for the double post, but something unrelated just hit me -- there are some real parallels here between the Eagans and the Sackler Family. If it is coincidence then it is a wicked one.
Now worries! Hadn't thought of that, but you're right, there might be some inspiration there. The similarities are strong.
Thank you for the deep dive, i didn't have time to do it myself and i NEEDED this extra info. Appreciate you homie.
I got you! :)
Bear with me on this. It's out there, but no more so than anything else with this show. I don't think Mark is an Egan. In the very beginning I considered it but find it a lot less likely now. Maybe he's being watched because he is one of their testing subjects. It is possible that Mark was taken from the accident and completely wiped. Devon may not be Mark's sister. His whole post-accident life may be a plant. And, this is why Cobel watches him so closely. Rebeck and Ricken seem to be completely wiped too - innie and outtie. (I just got to your shout out. Thanks!)
Oh, this is not "far out there", it's actually a good theory. I think Ricken is likely severed, but Devon is probably not. I had to go back and re-watch all of Mark's scenes with Devon after reading this. In the final episode, when he reveals to her that he is in innie mode, she responds with "who have you been talking to?". That line... why didn't that set off alarm bells before!? I never questioned Devon before this, mostly because of her scenes at the retreat and her clearly suspicious behavior regarding Severance and investigation into Arteta. The assumed notion that she is an innocent bystander put her outside the scope of suspicion, but this theory makes sense. After all, she is the character chosen to give the line stating that the town is full of Lumon employees.
I'm getting Truman Show vibes all of a sudden lol.
@@nautilusfiles WHAT?!? I didn't hear that line either! That's strange and would def be no accident. "Who are you talking to?" Okay, makes sense. "Who are you talking about?" Again, okay. Would make sense. But "Who HAVE YOU BEEN talking TO?" No. Uh uh. Wow. Now I want to go watch that again too, lol.
"After all, she is the character chosen to give the line stating that the town is full of Lumon employees."
@@nautilusfiles "who have you been talking to?" Oh yikes. It's gonna be gut-wrenching if Devon turns out to be "in on it," so to say.
@@kashmir87 I would not be surprised if she has connection to the group trying to take down Lumon, and was a bit of a honeypot for Ricken (which is why she tolerates his quirkiness and basic writing). While I think information is filtered through a need to know basis, she seemed genuinely horrified that Cobel, who had ties to the severed floor, had her child.
Excellent work! I kove all of the gathered info about the Eagens! Really great background for the theories
Thanks, Rendall! Always good to hear from you!
I had an flicker of an idea with Ricken and his guests. I like the old/new testament and the two sides of the same coin idea. I was thinking maybe Ricken's work calls out to escaped innies. The way they all act is like they are learning about the world as they go. And there was one more thing that caught me. Rebek. The lady that Mark shares the book with. She mentions her bird pecking at the back of her head and sores. Maybe the bird is attracted to her chip or she's digging and that's an excuse. Maybe Cobel is aware of Ricken because of his pull. Maybe the car wreck and stealing of Gema while she's dead or brain dead or in a coma was because of the connection to Ricken. The fact that Jame doesn't have an s and Rebek having a line about changing her name again...maybe it is something
I have thought that maybe there's an Old Testament and New Testament in Kier's teaching, too (which wouldn't negate that Ricken's work could be a Newer Testament, of course). There's a moment where Burt and Irv are talking about the Lumon Handbook and Burt says he's 'more of a First Edition kind of guy.'
Did you notice that Eleanor (name of Devon and Ricken's daughter) is almost an anagram of "Leonora"? I think the Ricken being an Eagan theory could be true!
Oh. I just got it.
It's a retelling of 'The Fall'.
Paradise Lost for a modern audience.
So, Helly is Lucifer. The favorite who rebels... to free the other 'Angels'( servants of the GodHead who have no agency or free will), and allow them to become human. Something none of them quite feel like in their real lives.
Neat.
my thought is that Cobel shows concern for mark cause she can relate with how he's dealing with loss, since she lost someone very close to her as well. also my guess with her "flirting" was more of a "you're such a handsome young man" that older ladies like to do, but I could be fully wrong I don't remember exactly what she said to him haha
Some interesting theories, particularly the one about Ricken being an Eagan. Now that you mention it, he does kind of look like one. I have a theory about the Eagans. Those “statues” in the perpetuity wing, I don’t think they’re statues at all. They’re too perfect, and if you look into the eyes, it looks like there’s a soul inside. I think it’s the Eagans themselves. And I don’t think they’re dead. I think they’re in a state of suspended animation. That might be why it’s called perpetuity; it’s meant to keep them alive, in some way, forever. The “revolving” Jame talks about could have something to do with this process. The problem with this theory is that we see Jame in the flesh in the last episode, but maybe they can go in and out of that state, at least for a while. Maybe the revolving makes it a little more permanent.
i noticed that the neighborhood where mark lives is named baird
I suspect that Keir’s character is named after Keir Hardie, founder of the UK Labour Party. He too worked as a manual labourer as a young boy - lessons from which formed his vision for the Labour Party - and lived during a similar time period (1856-1915).
Every time I’ve seen the wax figure of Kier Eagan in the Perpetuity wing, I’ve thought how much he looks like the Wilson brothers, Luke and Owen, who were both in The Royal Tannanbaums with Ben Stiller. Just now @3:53 I’m struck by how much Myrtle Eagan’s figure looks like Gweneth Paltrow, who also co-starred in that film (Stiller, Luke Wilson, and Paltrow each played one of the 3 adult Tannenbaum siblings). I highly doubt it’s relevant to the show, but maybe an Easter Egg put there by O&D (I mean the Production Designers…. obviously no one in O&D would have seen the film)?
The problem with using Harmony’s offhand “5th Book” comment as evidence, is that she is SO OBSCENELY obsessed with Mark (I think she might even be going thru his trash… they just talk way too much about trash cans??) -- so, in this universe it makes perfect sense that she also knows Ricken has written 5 books. Presumably, they all arrive to Mark in one excited way or another, thus Harmony (be it by trash-digging, intercepting at the threshold, or breaking into Mark’s house while he’s gone) has seen these books.
I don't think all of the CEOs are stored in the chip, just Kier. The revolving is when the next CEO severs themselves with a copy of him.
Hmmm. Didn't Kier die long ago though? I'm pretty sure Jame mentions the showing the first chip to Helena as a child. I really like theory about the board being all the past Eagans, but don't see how its supposed to really work...
4:21 Gerhardts is also the place where Mark goes on a date.
So Lumon owns everything in that town!
The town is called Kier!
Reminds me of that Walmart town
Ahhh it’s a small small detail as well and I was just watching it again, bit “Gerhardt” also has a business named after him in one episode. Imma watch again and point it out on again. But seriously there’s so many small details this show gives us even after all this time
"Jame" was also the character's real name in "Silence of the Lambs", the "Buffalo Bill" character.
Anyone read A Skinful of Shadows? Its a children's book I read when I was young, and it gave me the same vibes as the Eagans (though the mechanism - tech/magic/etc. likely differs between both stories). The book follows the Fellmottes, some of whom have the magic power to host ghosts. The Fellmottes use senior members of the family to host the souls of "worthy" dead members of the family, so when the lord dies, they'll have a little ceremony where the ghosts are transferred into the heir, and since there's only so much "room" in a host, the new lord's soul tends to get crushed down to nothingness during the ceremony. There's also a class structure where "worthy" ghosts are preserved forever, heirs with the family magic are cherished but ultimately get their souls crushed and lesser members of the family who have the gift (i.e. illegitimate children) are kept around, not to ensure that as many ghosts are preserved but rather to ensure that the select "worthy" ghosts are preserved if the lord dies while the heir is away. People who are possessed have different social standings, and being possessed leads to all sorts of quirks with memories and skillsets. The vibe is so similar to the Eagans that I wouldn't be shocked if this book was an influence - some of the writers probably have kids about the right age to have read it, so I don't think its too much of a stretch?
great video can't wait for season 2
Hey, Ricken! You and me, both! They have so much explaining to do, but I bet they'll create many new mysteries as they do answers.
@@nautilusfilesloll that is my real name. I've been dwelling on this video for the last week. It was always interesting to me that Ricken hosted a "no dinner" dinner in the first episode and Lumen incentivises the waffle party and other foods throughout the episode. Just some food for thought no pun intended (or wacky theories this time).
@@rickenfatania I'm still totally confused by what the no dinner thing might mean. Is it just another way to get Ricken's weirdness across to the audience... like the whole three bed thing? Then again, when you think about all the other references to food, like you mention, it feels like it must be saying something else. Also, there's also a lot of talk about eggs and melons. So weird.
super interesante la ultima teoría, muy buen video
Muchas gracias, Ariel :)
The whole outtie world might be just another layer of lumon
This theory gives me the heebie jeebies!
I have a theory about cloning that the eagan CEOs are always the same, rotating. This makes more sense with the revolving quote that jame gives to his daughter. The problem is that they can clone their bodies but not their mind and that is also why they want to perfect the chip. i think gerhardt, kier and jame look very similar and Helena looks a bit like lenora. It is a stretch as the other men do not look that similar and it is hard to establish some cyclical pattern but it would fit well with the concept of perpetuity. We also have no information about helena's mother at a gala about her. how the eagan are related but:
- ambrose and myrtle are born 1 year apart. they are probably brother and sister, children of kier.
- Baird is too old to be a child of ambrose and myrtle. he is probably also a child of kier. to be a descendant he must probably be a child of kier
- Gerarth could be the first clone among this theory
Did you catch the German show "Dark"? That was probably my favorite recent show until severence dropped
Yup, I love Dark! I was obsessed with it for a while. Incredibly complex story and characters but it's worth the challenge.
@@nautilusfiles Yeah it was hard work at times but worth it for sure. They're new show 1899 is due out this year I think
@@dannyp-ufc8883 I wasn't even aware of 1899 until now. Just watched some trailers and it looks like a must watch. Added to the list. Thanks for the heads up
Love your vids
I hadn't thought about Ricken being an Eagan but it does make sense. Also, the remark Ricken makes when he's doing his talk in the last episode... he doesn't know why his voice gets husky and airy.... remind you of anyone? Could he be Helena's brother, Jame's son? But he has no memory of it as he's been severed from that part of himself to avoid any family secrets being let out? Cobel also asked Milchick to read the book and to check for things. Why else would she pick up the book when leaving Mark's house? She obviously is observing him and his work.
I wonder if we’ll ever get an origin episode feature some of these past ceo’s. I wonder how they were getting this weird shit off in the 1950’s
I'm sure it was more hush hush back then
Something significant happened with Lumon in the 40s, during WWII, I’m sure of it. Charlotte Cobel was born in 1944 (or was she just in hospital then?). Ambrose Eagan, the “black sheep”, was CEO for only three years, 1939-1941, ending the year the US joined the Allies in WWII. Irving’s father was in the military. His dad could have been a young man in the 40s and fought in WWII.
@@sopyleecrypt6899 interesting
I think the chip itself is central to the mystery. My theory is the chip was originally created to preserve the minds of prior Eagans creating a “mind hive” that, over time, became the “Board” of Lumen. Jame showed the chip to Helena when she was a youngster and she made the offhand comment that it was “pretty and everyone should have one” and it got him thinking. Lumon then started research and development of chips to alter the minds of the general public which led to severence.
this is great stuff.
Ahh!!!! This is the best breakdown period. .. Outside of insinuating that Ms. Cobel can have kids!!!
OMG The Board may just be all past CEOs of Lumen
The statues might quite possibly be the bodies of the dead Egans that they will inhabit after the idea of consciousness transfer is perfected.
I've seen a few theories like that. If those turn out to be animatronic bodies, I'll lose my mind.
Your theory @ 7:14 reminds me of Book of the New Sun.
Harmony is actually wearing her mother, Charlottes chip in her necklace she puts on each morning
I think she's wearing Petey's chip. She made the chain for it just before she put it on, indicating that it is new. His reintegration probably symbolizes hope for her.
Theory 1: The board is the All of Eagans that died in the past.
Do notice that it says history lives *IN* us. I think that's a clue to the Eagen CEOs being alive inside the current one - sharing their memories, knowledge and "wisdom", to help grow the company and progress its goals.
This also supports the hive mind/collective consciousness theory
Than it makes sense that they call Jame Eagan the board.
The goats are hosting the chips from each of the former Eagan CEOs
This works for me. They might be the temporary hosts, being prepared for the next revolving, involving Jame.
@@nautilusfiles Your work is certainly very good- kudos
@@pesky-media Hey, thanks for the kind words :)
Rickon and Gerhardt look very similar. I wonder if clones are grown at Lumon, and the chips can be implanted, providing a sort of eternal life.
I’d like to see you cover Ted Lasso, especially in advance of Season 3 coming out. It’s obviously COMPLETELY different from Severance but I think it has a lot to look at in terms of writing and storytelling principles.
I liked Ted Lasso and I think there are several characters in the show worth talking about. I plan to focus on sci-fi and drama, but not strictly. As long as the characters/story intrigues me, it's on the menu :)
I know it’s a bit on the nose, but the Ricken = Rick N. Rebecca = Rebeck A. Mark S. = Marcus theory makes so much sense.
Maybe Mark and Ricken are like cousins or something, and the whole mythology of the book is them reconnecting? Wouldn’t be surprised if Ricken’s book has a parallel or is an anthesis to Kier’s Lumon Bible thing
I do not think Lumen being founded the year the civil war ended and they treatment of their employees is a coincidence
Instead of Mark being a secret Eagan which doesn’t really make sense unless there is a big twist to everything IMO. I think it’s way more likely that Mark is a genetic match for Jame Eagan and they are trying to set Mark up to put Jame’s mind into Mark as a way for him to live forever or something. Maybe they were setting Petey up for that at first but they found out he had gotten sick or something. I wish season 2 would hurry up lol
I had a similar speculation until they revealed Helly’s outtie…
Jame Eagan is always wears conservative suits, collarless, like from the future. similar to the suits they wore in Aliens and a Space Odyssey 2001. and interesting to note, at the reading, Ricken is also wearing conservative clothing, most noticeably, his shirt collar. again, futuristic like Jame Eagan's clothing
The father and the son.
The only other Jame I've ever run across in film or literature is Jame Gumm who was Buffalo Bill in Silence of the Lambs. I can't believe that's just a coincidence. Maybe just a nod to a creepy character, but such a crazy rare name.
i don't know if it makes much sense for mark and his family to be eagans because it conflicts with romance plot of mark and helly. do you think they would set it up for them to be related?
I think the book guy purposefully tries to probe mark in the last episode, asking about the trip 4 of them took, but then never showing him the photo. Right in the next scene, his boss goes from suspicious to certain that mark is not an outtie. The child she took, was also nicely kept in the room, which looks like she handed over to someone because she was in hallway when it was handed over to her and not in carrier. The book guy also didn’t look too concerned about the child and it appears like he is buying time. I don’t think he is the one, but he def knows more.
Do you script your videos? or just use points. cause you explain things so concise 😂
A bit of both. There are some sections where I need to script it so that I make sure I don't miss key points. Half the time I use bullet points and speak freely, so that requires a lot takes or stitching up.
Editing is MAGIC!
Thanks for the comment, Stephen :)
Where did you get all this backstory on Kier? It's fantastic. There have been theories that MDR is doing the coding for the founders for them to return. But, if they are not currently functioning, who is the Board? EDIT: As soon as I posted this you literally started discussing it.
There are a few wikis for the show, which is where the bulk of it came from. I think some of that was info sourced from the handbook itself.
Ricken has Kier in it with cn/nc left over.
Ambrose is Ricken's grandfather. He was the black sheep of the family because he married someone he wasn't supposed to, leading him to be fired from his role as CEO. Ricken is only partially aware of his important but understands enough to not talk about it to anyone.
Gerhardt Eagan started doing crazy experiments in his quest to out do Leonid Brezhnev’s eyebrows. Sadly, he failed. Anyway, it’d be so nightmarish if Ricken ends up being an evil “final boss” rather than a good guy. I don’t think he was intended to be either in the beginning, but writers like looking through fan theories and adopting the best ideas.
I thought she knew what number book it was bc she keeps taking them from Mark's house
I like the Ricken theory. 😁
I think that theres something with Ricken (Rick, N) maybe he left lumon and his memories were taken and thats why he seems sort of a naturopath, hippy guy- he grew up in the Egan cult and that's why he holds onto that way of life but he speaks fake wisdom with sincerity
Great video! What is the background music?
Which track? I think I used two in the main. Or do you mean the closing?
@@nautilusfiles The track that starts about 5:00, with the Latin feel.
@@d-synt That one is called "7th floor Tango" by Silent Partner. It's on the YT music library.
@@nautilusfiles Thank you!
So Kier became almost 100 yrs old?! Hm... It has to be about more than just the workplace because politics are involved. Also, there is a restaurant named Gerhardt’s and Mark lives in Baird’s Creek. It feels like all of Kier, PE is constructed more than we think.
Regarding Ricken, in the final episode he expressed disdain for Mark doing the procedure so being related to Ambrose doesn’t seem farfetched.
It sounds like Kier is pretty much a company town. Everything is somehow related to Lumon and the Eagans. Even the bank statements Mark is a member of has an Eagan name.
@@nautilusfiles Thank you for replying to my comments. I’m rewatching now because I’m obsessed! I also just noticed Petey told Mark he has filed a complaint in the past. Maybe he has been reset like Irv. I think resetting MDR would be a viable punishment and could be interesting to watch how they come to the same conclusions in different ways in S2 (or frustrating). Keep up the videos!
@@rockslam Thanks, Roxanne! Yeah, I'm very curious to see Lumon's response and how the crew work their way back to rebellion. It's inevitable. It reminds me a bit of the early seasons of The Good Place.
If/when they bring Kier back, I so want him to be played by Jeff Bridges!
Here are my Canadian 2 cents... About the "PE" state... I tend to think that, since outdoor scenes have been filmed in Newfoundland, CANADA, a nearby province (and the place ferries to Newfoundland leave from) called Prince-Edward Island, (PEI in Canadian parlance), it would seem not so strange that the producers would have used PE as a "State"...
I think the break room might have a double meaning because they are trying to “break” them in there & this is off topic but I also believe that some some women are severed to strictly take care of children . That would explain the lady telling Mark’s sister “she had a lot of help” in the fancy cabin. That also might be what the baby goat thing is about. An experiment to see a severed person raising kids as a job
Wow another excellent video I’ve literally just finished this season and your theory about the board being made up of all the past CEO’s seems like you could be on to something there, very clever I think you may be right
Thanks, Fin! Appreciate the kindness. I can't take credit for all the theories. Some of it is my own opinion in addition to what I find while researching on the internets. I more or less, pick ones that I think are plausible in addition to my own theories and add my own thoughts to it. That said, I do think the CEOs being "alive" and acting as the board makes a lot of sense when you consider how secretive the writers are about their identities. Thanks for stopping by :)
According to the perpetuity dates, Ambrose and Myrtle were born three years apart when Kier was forty seven. I am guessing that Ambrose and Myrtle are grandchildren of Kier. They may be brother and sister, but it is more likely that they are cousins. This means that the Eagan family is larger than we now know. The dates make it appear that Lumen leadership is not passed down from parent to child. I think there are a lot of Eagans and probably a fair amount of infighting over who gets to run Lumen. Aside from Kier, the people become CEO in their late 40;s to early 50:s and do not live longer than about 75. I get the feeling that Jame is close to the same age as Lenora and is probably about seventy three years old. Whatever the Eagans do to themselves makes them age quickly.
Ooohh.. the Ricken theory is cool
One more thing for the record: if the Academy was gonna dole out Emmys to a show with only one season under its belt and SNUB Better Call Saul and Bob Odenkirk - AGAIN, those Emmys should have gone to Severance, not Squid Game. Best Drama, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Director.
I think Mrs Nobel is so close to mark because she's actually keeping an eye on Rebecca and Ricken's baby because it was secretly chipped. If they can secretly kidnap Gemma they could secretly chip their baby. She lives next to mark instead of Rebecca because mark lives in severed subsidized housing and it's easier to get a place next to him. Which might be why Gemma was kidnapped and chipped in the first place. Mrs cobel/selvig had a convenient set of baby skills. Just can't figure out why she would want to chip the baby. It would be the first baby chipped though so maybe it's some kind of experiment.
I think you got the milk and cookies scene wrong. I think she was trying to probe him to see if he would divulge any information about him having Pete in his basement, without breaking from her kookie old lady alias. It inadvertently turned out to be the perfect cover for him when he called out sick with a stomach issue.
Are we certain she knew Pete was in his basement? She never had visual confirmation. I think we're supposed to believe she's been housed next to him to keep an eye on him, generally. I got the impression that she does this kind of thing on the regular. I agree that she is pressing him for info, but I think she's more concerned with the integrity of his severance and discovering evidence of cracks in it.
the trouble with a lot of information about the Eagans is that its presented to innies inside the company. We know Lumon is incredibly sensitive about information getting out or in the severed workplace AND the lie through omission and manipulate the innies in different ways. It is safe to assume that the perpetuity wing is presenting a false or heavily distorted history to the innies to ilicit some kind of reaction or asert historical control. By historical control I mean the only history the innies know is what they are told, and a lot of the Eagan history is about serving Kier
What if they create immortal people within the chip that is inserted in their brain? They can transfer from one person to another over time with the chip. The Revolving is the transfer of the Innie to a new body and they live on???
It's incredibly sus how kier lived so long after the life he had: inbred, tuberculosis, clotting disorder, civil war, child labor, chemical factory work.
His long life i think has to do with lumons primary business: cultivating immortality for a man they believe to be god or godlike.
So whatever he and his company figured out before his death mightve been slapshod but now theyve had another century to refine the process so maybe theyre preparing for Kiers forthcoming, the revolving
Revolving…. Do Kier and Imogene take turns as CEO, sitting at each other’s side?
Kier was inbred, so inhabiting their own descendants may be in keeping, and replacing memories is the whole central thing of Lumen…
Ricken kinda looks like Gerhardt Eagan, definitely there’s a catch