Severance Theories #9 [What's Up With The Food?]
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- Опубліковано 26 вер 2024
- This is a video about some of the weird things related to food found in the Severance TV series. We'll discuss some of the more popular theories I've come across and decide if they are legit.
The "foodless dinner", water and Lumon's array of products are under suspicion, and we'll also talk about a theory related to Harmony Cobel that comes from a viewer of the channel.
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SOUND EFFECTS
Intro Waves on Shore: Video by Paata Gogua from Pexels
Transition Title Water Background: Video by James Cheney from Pexels
Birdseye view of ocean waves: Video by Ruvim Miksanskiy from Pexels
Seagull Sound: freesound.org/...
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This video falls under fair use as a critique and analysis of a created work and has been transformed in the process of doing so. I am not the owner of the work or creator of the footage used.
#Severance #tinfoilgang #SeveranceTheories
The foodless dinner always struck me as more of a metaphor that Mark doesn't really get to eat. At least, he can never enjoy eating on the outside. On the inside he just had to trust his body is being taken care of. While also seeming like a pretentious thing some new age people would do, the foodless dinner is depriving Mark of one of the few things he actually gets to experience that his inner self never gets.
Yes! & the guy saying 'food's just fuel' is echoing something a lot of people say. But think about if ALL we were allowed or capable of doing had to be argued in those terms, or in terms of what's good for Lumen. So what if 'food's just fuel?' Isn't it also one of the things that we can do for the sheer joy of it? A pleasure that we can enjoy for the brief time we're alive? & preparing your own food is an act of independence, a choice you get to make about how you're feeling that day. We all have favourite foods etc. But if Lumen gets its way, I think anything that's not 'productive' to Lumen, will be removed from the experience of being human. We'll basically be robots without any needs or desires outside of following Lumen's rules. & yeah, I think there's something very sus about the water & the soap. For sure. & I don't think the soap is 'just soap'.
As far as food, what also struck me as odd is in episode 1 is when the freshly severed Helly asks "Am I cattle?". But now with the rest of season 1 complete, that sounds so much more ominous . . .
Huh. I hadn't thought of that line at the time of writing, but it certainly comes off differently now. Did they feed us this line so that we would dismiss the idea out of hand, only for us to find out later that it turns out to be true to some degree. Lumon intends to save the world -from what? Maybe their actions are in response to this imagined broken dystopia we have yet to witness, and they've determined that there is opportunity to advance their goals by stepping in? Could be interesting.
I agree. "Was I grown in a lab?" is an idea I think will come back.
Anyone else getting soylent green vibes?
@@nautilusfiles or…maybe that was her subconscious seeping through as she is an eagan after all maybe she knows what real food is, she also knew what Delaware was which is also weird, maybe that was a memory left behind
She asked if she was "livestock."
Side note: the food in the vending machines follows the show's color coding, like just about everything else. The four tempers correspond to four colors, green, blue, red, and yellow. These correspond to woe, malice, dread, and frolic, respectively. Green/woe for depressing vegetables, blue/malice for foods that can provoke allergies (peanuts), red/dread for strong/offputting foods (beets), and yellow for the 'fun' food of sunflower seeds.
Love it!
Something is clearly weird with attitudes toward food in the Severance universe, but I don't think it's necessarily scarce-even though that's specifically a theory that innie-Dylan proposes to Helly. As soon as the foodless dinner is over, Devon serves Mark a sandwich, and the food itself seems unremarkable. It doesn't seem like a small, rationed portion. Nor does Mark comment on it at all. Devon and Mark roll their eyes together at the pretentiousness of the event they just left, in line with our thoughts as the audience. We know something is off with Patton and the rest of Ricken's friends. Their perception of the world and its history is almost childlike, as if their consciousness were plopped down into a culture without any contextual information to ground them. Which, to me, sounds a lot like being severed. I think Ricken, Patton, Rebeck, and the rest of them are not just crunchy hippie weirdos. I think they're severed crunchy hippie weirdos, and their selves out-and-about in Kier are their "innies".
Edit: There's also food on every table we see at the restaurant in episode 6, as Mark is munching on fries.
I believe they are ex employees or employees from a competitor that uses the Severance technology
Especially with their names - rebeck could have been a Rebecca however we see with the severed people their names are all one or two syllables (like Helena being Helly even though no one at the gala seems to call her that.) and Ricken could have been Rick N. and just called himself by the whole name, or Patton being Pat N.
It also could be setting mark up for the same thing - changing his name to Marcus
There's also the weirdness of the food available to the Severed employees-- the vending machines seem to sell only options like sunflower seeds, dried blueberries, ginseng, etc. Their celebrations are melons and eggs. The closest thing to a dessert we see any of them get to eat the entire time is at the waffle party. I was assuming it was related to the cult of Kier and that health food/healthy eating might be particularly important to them (controlling your tempers, controlling appetites, etc), and/or that it's another method of micromanaging the Severed employees and trying to control their health, but it might also speak to food being harder to get. If grocery prices are high in the outside world, maybe a gift card to Pip's is a more worthwhile gift than we'd think, too.
Limit two tokens per day, as well!
vip section at Applebee's is 🔥
I always assumed it was because tasty and high calorie food is a pleasure reserved for outties. Personally I’d be pissed if my innie was eating a bunch of high calorie foods and making me gain weight
I always got the impression that Lumon is a corporate cult inspired by the Kelloggs (Christian fundamentalists who believed eating corn flakes could stop you from feeling sexual urges). All of the food the innies get is bland and "healthy." This could also be because there is zero knowledge of either life to the other, Lumon needs to keep things like allergies and health concerns like cholesterol and sodium intake in consideration (eggs seems to indicate that either they don't care if any employees are vegan on the outside or that they know they aren't).
I always assumed the outies don’t want their innies snacking on unhealthy things. People don’t like eating vegetables etc.
I just took the weird food to be part of the odd and timeless (yet kind of retro) atmosphere of the show. Deviled eggs and melon balls are very 1970s. Time will tell. The writers strike is something I support. But I am not happy that the second season has been delayed.
My day 1 theory is that the people in town are also severed and employees of Lumon but its their innies that eat so the outies just dont remember.
I can get behind this theory, too. I think that there a ton of severed people in town who are not aware of it. They are probably there for the purpose of testing/observation of severed people in the wild.
I want to know why they never show the innies eating lunch! Are they supposed to survive on those tiny packets of raisins and nuts from the vending machine? Maybe their lunch breaks are also staggered to keep them from becoming friends, but they should still get a meal while they’re at work. Also, Lumen must feed them lunch since no one carries anything into the office.
I think it's cause the outies eat so the innies never really had to experience hunger
I love this kind of channel. Just a guy overly-obsessed with a show, spending lots of time and efforts doing researches, making lots of videos over-analysing every single little thing in the show. It's always amazing to find a channel like this after you've finished a show and is eager to dive deep into everything.
i remember in a high school english class learning about the significance of meals and food to a story/plot/conflict. sitting together for a meal can be so mundane - so if it's shown, there's often an important reason for it. i haven't thought enough about it here but i'm grateful you have lol
also Liz's theory about Harmony is BRILLIANT and i'm really hoping there's truth there. that feels so real.
Yeah, food, alcohol and cigarettes seem like the most common tools writers/directors use to create a backdrop for important conversations. Severance went through the trouble of including a dinner scene -without food. It is hard to think that this isn't messaging something about this world.
Lost was the perfect example of “too many theories that ended up better than the actual show”
The same producers of lost also released FROM which is a complete mess and waste of time,2 episodes worth of content spread over 10 episodes and nothing makes sense
When Milchick is bitten, Irving immediately identifies the EMT treatment he should receive. So there may be a connection between Harmony/Selvig and Irving.
??? I’m not following
@@chynawatkins7064on another one of his severance theory videos he was asking how Petey got the recorder with the tape… we’re not sure who is working on the “inside” so it could be Cobal IE (harmony cobal aka Mrs. Selvig) or Irving.. because remember Irving has that suitcase filled with all things Lumon as if he’s out to take the company down/or he’s worked a different department like in his other video that said Irving could have been transferred from a different department and his memory “wiped clean.” Maybe… I could be totally wrong
@@citygirl713 wow I can’t believe I never suspected that. He 100% could have come from a different company because it just makes no sense to me that he’s such a die hard Eagan fan but also seems to be having his memories blend together while also keeping it secret because if he was so much about the rules then wouldn’t he be telling about the black goop that he is seeing?
I think also the 'dinner' scene is a setup for the themes of narcissism which we see EVERYWHERE. E.g. the Eagans believing they're some blessed royal line, Helena Eagan driving her innie to suicide and not giving a shit because of her image and family (could be some other motive but we don't know yet), all of Ricken's friends (and Ricken himself) are egotistical, especially Patton... "I'M THE ONE WHO FOUND YOUR CHILD". Christ.
This world is an exaggerated suburban dystopia, and the way Patton talks about food just being fuel to distract from their 'conversation', where they all sound so confident yet say idiotic things, and offer a condescending narrative when pretending to care about Mark.
Another idea I had is that food is something external which everyone can take part in together and appreciate, giving them a shared connection to something beyond themselves, but they are all too self-absorbed to focus on, and appreciate, the beauty in something that isn't their own half-baked philosophies and grandiose monologues.
Something occurred to me on my second viewing.The vending machine food is all healthy low calorie snack's of small portions. Which makes a lot sense if you think about it.The Outies/Lumon wouldn't want their Innies to be consuming significant amounts of calories while at work. Then have Outies potentially gaining weight without control or having the pleasure of actually eating the food themselves. Even the food incentives like the Melon/Egg bar would be relatively low in calories and not frequent enough to cause issue. The waffles would be the only exception. But even then that doesn't occur that often to a single individual. It wouldn't surprise me if all the coffee is fake or at least decaf. Outies wouldn't be happy to come home too wired on caffeine to sleep. Saying that I wouldn't be surprised if all the food is "Fake". Engineered to look the part. Perhaps even tastes pleasant enough to someone who doesn't know better. But contains almost no nutritional value. Either way food is just another part of the illusion that Lumon has cooked up to keep them compliant and incentivised.
Irving and Mark’s conversation was just Irving making up an excuse to see Burt after they’d been discouraged from going to O&D
The thing i immediately noticed about food was that no severed employee brings a lunch to work. This makes the food incentives provided by lumon really valuable to the innies because they’ve never had a proper meal. Except for the tiny snacks in the vending machine (which is also probably restricted) all food is a reward.
@@ByrdieW There is a department kitchen though, it has a microwave at least, and someone in the comments mentioned a fridge with a lunch paper bad (signed with someone name).
Wild theory, but this got me thinking about how much food plays into someone's culture and upbringing. We all have recipes and meals that we're nostalgic for because we ate them as kids, or meals that were passed down through generations. But the Severed don't have that. They are just blank slates. Maybe the foodless dinners are somehow symbolic of not having ties to anything in the past (or even Ricken wanting to disconnect from his Lumon roots, if we are going with that theory.) Devon ends up making Mark a sandwich because they are the closest familial relationship we get to see.
It would also make sense why the most sought after food for the innies, the Waffles, is then forcibly tied to a Lumon brainwashing session that creates a weird nostalgia for the company and its heritage.
The food, coffee or even the items in wellness having the Lumon logo, can at first be seen as just a company providing it's own products to employees... but it also gives uhm... Nestlé vibes.
Maybe that's my Swiss perspective, as this multinational is our own. But basically they are everywhere... a majority of foods, some water, the coffee, everywhere.
They also have the Nestlé museum and when I saw the Perpetuity Wing I couldn't help but think about that museum 😆 that's what makes this show so uncanny; many things already exist, just in a slightly less creepy way but if you think about it...
That’s M&M Mars and Proctor &Gamble here in the States. Soon to be Amazon everywhere? 😱
I was rewatching severance and I noticed that Alexa said on average she attends 2 births per day as a midwife. That seemed like a lot to me? So I looked it up, and today in the US there's about 1 midwife per 35 births. So, it could suggest a midwife shortage, a doctor shortage, a population problem, or babies being born in excess for a specific, potentially creepy, reason. We don't have enough data from the show yet to say for sure, but it stuck out as weird to me on a rewatch
Interesting catch! Another detail I didn't think to look into. Thanks for posting and if it comes up in a future video, I'll give you a shoutout
One of the big things I’ve always wondered is, what if the whole town is playing a kind of game with the severed employees? Pulling a Truman show if you will. For instance, all the protesters might be a way to push the employees to work harder, a way to almost encourage them to prove the protesters wrong? Like even with all the people Mark interacts with out of work, they all act stale, like NPCs in a video game. I might be way off the mark but it’s just something I thought I’d share
How does that work? The innies have no memory of anything that happens outside the compound.
Seriously can't wait for season 2 to start. I do love theory crafting and thinking on all of this, but I'm literally drooling thinking about the next lore morsel they're going to give us haha.
As much as I want season 2 to be here now, I would bet that by the end of it we'll be just as spun up as we are now (perhaps even more lol).
@@nautilusfiles You are very correct and i feel like a war happened before we get to watch the show.
I hope the writers strike doesn’t effect it to much.
@@hbeachley It might and the second season should have been on already.
@@geoffreylane5606 what? The second season is out already? What am I watching this other crap for?
"If I invited you to a Waffle Party and...this happened..." 😂
When I first saw the dinner party I had a feeling it was the upper class that was able to get access to nutrients rather than food
I remember the scene in which Mark S. was refilling the soap dispenser in the bathroom and also the scene in which Irving asks about why the soap isn’t labeled “soap”.. but I never noticed the detail about employees washing their hands 10 times per day in the employee orientation pamphlet/booklet.. interesting detail.
The fact that you just said you talk about my three favorite shows… yellowjackets, severance, black mirror
I’m so glad you brought up “Lost” as it was a great show, no matter what anyone says.
Something being in the food is kind of a given I think, since we have the impression the entire time that Lumon controls everything and they seem super wealthy and powerful. Something is up with that town anyway...
Also the fact that Selvig is neighbours with Mark is just so mysterious it kills me more than what's up with Gemma, other departments, Ricken and family...
Can't wait to see it. It's been so long since the first season I don't know how I'll take watching the show week by week when it' comes out.. I swear I'll have to wait until the whole thing airs because I'll go crazy with this show going episode by episode... Binging the first season was a blessing hahah
LOL, well I usually binge the first half of a tv season when it's ready then finish the rest after it's aired. I can't stand the waiting. The full extent of Lumon's reach is a big question for me. I agree, we have every reason to think it's far-reaching and they have no problem with doing dirt to get what they want. They seem to operate like a massive tech company; unlimited resources with secret tech even the govt isn't aware of.
"But they call it dinner"
It's established that Ricken deliberately wanted a foodless dinner for the purpose of opening up conversation.
"my friend in Lima hasn't had a food based dinner event in..."
Patton lies to aggrandize himself with his group of friends, hence the stupid conversation about World War 1, Patton didn't actually talk to anyone about this, it's just something he's making up for the sake of conversation, also in the last episode we see him jump up to announce he was the first to find the baby when it was in fact Mark. He wants to be the centre of attention, the smartest person in the room, the best conversationalist, the confidant, all of the above. He also likes to manufacture drama, one example being when at the last episode he asks Mark if it's right for Devon to allow her baby to be a part of the reading. All of these are indicators that Patton is not a reliable character.
I don't really think there's a lot of evidence for a food shortage or even that a food shortage is a component of the plot.
Throughout the whole first season, we see that everything is covered in snow, so we kinda assume that its winter. But what if its the middle of summer and the whole earth is covered in snow year round, and that's why there is a food shortage, that Lumon is trying to solve, or may even have caused in the first place..
I think there is foreshadowing in the intro, and it shows us that Lumon is using the workers as ingredients to make some type of beverage, and injectable substance. Could Lumon be harvesting DNA? And perhaps the workers are refining by categorizing that DNA, to suit Lumon's goals. Maybe trying to breed a genetically severed person.
I'm always so excited when I see you've uploaded a new video! Keep it up man :)
Thanks, Alma! Will do!
what if the water IS the food ? Meaning it wouldn't be plant based, and the "foodless dinner" scenes where everyone just has a glass of water in front of them would make sense....
I'm so glad you watch patriot! One of the most underrated shows of all time. Michael Chernus was also great in Perpetual Grace, another show made by the same people who made patriot. Another hidden masterpiece
Food analysis? I'm here for it
I just watched the show and food is a theme because food is sustenance but we also learned to enjoy it, and make an art and culture out of it. Food holds so many similar themes to our work.
I think the foodless dinner is like a job that doesn't enrich you. Or maybe it's showing Mark the social-life benefit that work brings when we ignore the work itself.
It's more of a philosophical entry in the show than a literal one anyway.
I was pleasantly surprised by the _Eyes Wide Shut_ moment of the dancing. The bizarre masks adding to the effect. It was genuinely disorienting to see, But Dylan had obviously seen it before. The dancers seemed surprised that he left, so I am curious to know how the ceremony is completed.
What's with the food?
Well if you hussel the letters in Kier Eagan's name, you get 'Ik nera ega'
Ik in Dutch = I
Nera in French = will not
Ega in Latin = eat
So, his name is basically telling not to trust the food he's presenting you.
Oh wow!
I’m not really adding much to the convo about food specifically but I do like that the power of LUMON extends to everything including the food. Their logo is plastered on everything! A big “we own and make everything you possibly need” reference but also, if you consume, work, and do everything through LUMON, including being severed, we technically also own you. 😈 it’s def a big cliche for a corporation but I like how it’s visually represented through all the branded products.
Remember when Petey was at the convenience store, he said something to the effect, he needed tokens to eat?
Sweet sweet Severance Methadone.
Good vid!
MDR is refining people by purifying their minds by altering their mental state. They do not know this as all they see are numbers, but the number is probably a map of the human mind with data collected by the implant. They alter it by removing or replacing the bits that affect the four emotions the kier finds important. Three of which could be considered negative. The Outcome is a person whose behavior has been altered without them realizing it. The timetable on the file probably involves some time-sensitive action that must happen outside the world. If they don't complete the file, then Lumon misses the opportunity. I don't think people are eating because their minds have been messed with, and they now don't value food. This could be used as a control mechanism From Lumon for some unknown reason. Maybe Lumon wants to cure obesity so they alter people's desire for food. Mark doesn't have a problem getting liquor and the convenience store seemed stocked. Not sure there's a food shortage. I'm also Guessing the Big water tower is important. Either a broadcasting antenna or the source of all water in town.
I think it has something to do with eventually planning to transfer the eagens consciousness into other bodies, I think they're being kept alive artificially. It is obviously too many people, I doubt it's so they can have a lot of options, but I think it has something to do with them wanting to make sure the bodies they may eventually inhabit follow their health/wellness philosophy
Great Vid as always Been away for a bit but great to back! looking forward to season 2!
Dan! Good to see you, man! Thanks for the support!
Couldn't have wished for a better ending to a Friday night, thanks Nautilus, sooo hyped for season 2! Let's GOO!
Appreciate it, Mareks! I'll keep the fire going until season 2 hits!
What would this show be without the crackpot theories? All the best show provoke conversations, I love this
the whole thing sound like john harvey kellogs and the cult of brand and following
Kids, what's for dinner? Dinner with no food, just water. Lumon raisins, blueberries, sunflower seeds, etc. in the office vending machine. Baked cookies from Mrs. Selvig. Bloody Petey asking for tokens so he can eat something at the gas station convenience store. Melon bar, waffle party, egg bar. Egg drop challenge. Mark eating a sandwich that was made for him by his sister. Goats being bottle fed. Seems to be food for elementary school children in that the innies are children in their development.
Interesting when Mrs. Selvig eats that cookie that's completely burnt like a piece of charcoal.
Points for using a screenshot of the can if Salve from that episode of Ren and Stimpy
regarding the soap....I remember being at disneyland and another guest told their friend way they need to label their soap lmao...I think the show demonstrates social commentaries on things need to be specified for some people and was funny when Irv brought this up 😂😂
Remember how Harmony took Gemma's waterbottle from Mark's house? Maybe Gemma was also a Tegan, and Mark has a tendency to fall for them (Helen, Gemma) and if Harmony is a servant or maybe the mother of Gemma, she has an obsession with Mark and a need to protect Gemma and Helly's consciousnesses to make sure they don't get permanently deleted. I wonder if one of Milchick's loved ones also only exists within severance, so he is desperate to keep lumon functioning. AlsoIf Gemma was a Kegan that would explain Mark's loyalty to Lumon...
no mention of chamomile and lavender cookies?
unfortunately Lost lost it's way, I am really hopeful that Severance will do better. All signs show to 'yes'
But their prizes are all food related. And the egg bar is the most coveted prize.
Great vid as always.
I *DID* actually have my mouth washed out with soap once as a kid. It was at a babysitters house in the mid 1970s.
I think the water theory, well, holds a lot of water. That's why their logo is a drop and why they have a big-ass water tower. I recently read that it's illegal to have the sign of the red cross, a red cross on a white background, so some shows have a white cross on a red background. Sounds familiar? 6:32 - but with a drop. Drop of blood? Water? Maybe. Both are signs for regeneration and life, and with severence - where they manipulate the mind, I think they do something to both body and mind.
About washing hands thoroughly: in hospitals it's to reduce significantly the risk of infection. I'd say it's safe to say that Lumen doesn't want anything from the outside to pollute its experiment - or for anything they're doing to go out - just like the severed minds.
Извините, не владею английским языком в удовлетворительной степени, пользуюсь автоматическим переводчиком.
Я хотела сказать о капле как о логотипе. В СССР маленькие значки в виде капли крови давали донорам крови. Но не всем, это был знак того, что человек неоднократно жертвовал свою кровь для здоровья нуждающимся. Это был очень устойчивый символ.
There was a comment about not putting post-its on their face since it clogs the pores of the outies, I figured the healthy vending machines with only 2 tokens a day and the egg and melon parties were related to not putting on weight at work.
But also, they work 8 hours a day, do they not get a lunch break at all? No one brings a bag lunch that we see. We don't see anyone brining them food either except for the parties. Irv said something about creamer being a motivator years ago, maybe it's to keep food as motivation?
I think the idea of them not bringing bag lunches is also to make sure they don't get any hints about their outies. Lumin wants to control every aspect of the innies existence, so they wouldn't want the sudden appearance of a pulled pork sub to throw off the curve of what the innies think their outies are.
The outies pick Lumon sanctioned bag lunches for each workday. I think that’s in the handbook or was on a Reddit AMA with the writers.
I found out about the show two days ago, binged it and here I am. I haven’t looked up but the entire production seems lower budget to me, I just assumed the lack of food is due to that.
has anyone noticed that all the food, even vending machine food is all healthy?
Yayyy! A new one! Maybe it’s predictive programming of what’s to come in the future of our own lives…? Like food shortages, massive inflation, job losses with AI taking over(the coup?)/gone wrong.
At first, I thought this was a person with MPD/DID, but with the chip in the brain, there are so many things to think about. Instead of crickets, they eat whatever the machines have. Someone mentioned it and I forgot. Did any of that make sense? 😂Anyway, excellent!!! I can’t wait for season 2! Thanks, Nautilus Files!
Hey, Eva! Yeah, it made sense, and it gave me some ideas! The whole thing makes me think there is some sinister element to the plot that's been hidden so far. Something about the outside world that is just as big as Lumon's biggest reveal.
I always thought it was odd that they had very little food at work. And then when they had that party in the office and they only had fruit, melons to be exact it seemed like Milchic made it seem like it was a luxury to have this served. But now I wonder if they only gave them this because heavier foods would make them sleepy. If I remember correctly, one of the rules is that they cannot fall asleep. In addition, the waffle party is held at night. Right before going home to eventually sleep.
True, I wondered why the food at these parties always seemed lame. There's no variety, just the same food item presented in different ways. Lumon should have the bread to put out a much better spread. I assumed either food isn't easy to get, or they pick items that won't trigger their outtie memories via the scent? What you said about light food makes perfect sense too. That's why there's never any heavy proteins?
Regarding the reason sleep is not allowed, I think it has something to do with the shared subconscious that both sides their severed brains are connected to. Sleep could weaken that "wall" between the conscious and subconscious mind, so to speak. So, when innie Irv dozes off and hallucinates those paint drips, it's because his outtie's buried subconscious memories of painting are slipping through.
Lol, not sleeping has been a rule at every job I've ever been on. The reason the innies don't eat (a lot of ) food is that it's just part of the control mechanism. If they were able to munch on snacks all day long, then the rare melon parties would be less significant to them. The outies might not be away that the innies don't get to take lunch breaks. Lumon might have lied to them and said. that they'd think they'd sneak messages in their lunch boxes. Either way, the compound is a highly disciplinarian prision, basically, and that's why their meals are highly controlled.
I literally said “cantaloupe and honeydew, they’re only giving them the worst parts of a fruit salad.”
my 2 cents is that there is more then 2 splits! the same way in psychology you have the 3 levels of the human mind! the conscious the preconscious and the unconscious
This series reminded me so much of lost. Like when the polar bears first appeared on the island. It was such a whaaaaaa moment. Same with the goats here. The fun part of mystery shows is always the first season. When there aren’t many answers yet and it’s all in your head
I always thought the water drop reference was odd. Also, the tower stood out to me that it must be something. Nice catch on the soaps.
Didn’t they also say something about Rebec chewing or not chewing and her smelling bad during the reading party?
Random theory question… : Who turned the switch for the OTC for Milchick when he visitied dylan at his home?
Still an unknown. We know it isn't Cobel, and it normally requires two people to trigger, so there must be other people on the floor that work in management that we haven't met yet.
idk only ghosts gather at empty plates. also the soap is ectoplasm 😂
Two and a Half Milchiks sounds like the name of a band 😂😂😂
I don't like 30 minute videos and I would watch a 30 minute video from you
Thanks for another great video 👍
4:55 maybe it means that those people are all clones from severance and not real people, which is why they don’t need food?
Oasis... I see what you did there 😝🤣🤣
So, I've been thinking about that foodless dinner party and the fact that the show is supposed to take place in an alternate timeline. When did the timeline split? If Mark is an expert on WW1, it probably splits sometime after that. We also know that the show takes place in a fictional state with the abbreviation "PE." Why? Thus far, there's no reason the show couldn't just have been set in an alternate PA or DE. I also notice that Kier died in 1939 - the year Germany invaded Poland in real life. Could be random, but it does seem like the writers wouldn't pick such a significant year for no reason. What if the timeline diverged as far back as the 1920s or 1930s and an entirely different World War 2 occurred? Perhaps a US/UK war if the Washington Naval Conference failed and now Prince Edward Island belongs to the US. OK, that's pretty specific, but the World War 2 being different thing feels like there may be something there.
That's why I thought the nipple salve was a little suspect
Lol tighten the thin foil. Hats off to you sir.
wish this was more focused on the actual food
When Mrs selvig brought Mark the cakes in episode 2, I had the eerie feeling she'd laced them
Loving your videos.
Your point that the Lumen towns might be a sort of Oasis made me think of Blake Crouch’s “Wayward Pines Trilogy.” (Credit to my wife for mentioning his during our first severance watch, and Spoiler Warning for anyone who hasn’t read that series).
Wayward Pines is about an Idyllic small American town where something is very very off. Over the course of the first book, our protagonist learns that the story takes place thousands of years in the future, when all humans except the residents of this town have devolved into a posthuman superpredator species. The isolated town exists as a sort of life raft for humanity, biding its time until thy can hopefully gain some upper hand over this murderous species. We also learn that the main antagonist of the story is both controlling and surveilling everyone in the town, and literally the savior of humanity.
Characters in that series aren’t “severed” as they are in this show, but they are put to sleep for thousands of years (some consensually, some nonconsensually), and then gradually awakened into the town. There are some characters with parallels to Severed, including a sherif/enforcer type who knows the truth (Milchick), and a daughter of the chosen/powerful family who rebels against the high-control society of her forebears (Helly).
I’m not sure what to expect from the series based on Crouch’s books, but I think the possible twist that the Lumon is doing whatever Lumon does in order to preserve a semblance of humanity may not be far off.
If nothing else, it’s a fun, quick read while we wait for season 2.
Hi Nautilus - Love your videos and after finishing Severance recently, I've basically been binging your content.
One thing I haven't noticed anyone talk about in these theories is this university that Mark and Gemma used to work at. When he meets with Reghabbi in that underground lab, he remarks that he used to teach at that school, but the building now appears to be abandoned. As professors in history and Russian literature respectively, did Mark and Gemma raise the flag on the advancing authoritarian tendencies of Lumon? Maybe foment some protests on campus? Did Lumon buy the school to shut all that down?
Maybe the MDR unit is actually a place where people who are a threat to Lumon essentially work at "reeducating" their outties by excising the bad/anti-Lumon impulses from their own consciousness (by putting the "numbers" that tie to a feeling into buckets). Ms Cobel's job is to oversee that the outliers are "completely rehabilitated," which is why she is constantly testing Mark to see whether he is all fixed up yet.
FINAL thought: the hope is that once you ARE all fixed up, they can just leave the Innie on and have you walk out of the office as that person, no longer a threat to Lumon and their power. Some of the weirdos from Ricken's dinner party perhaps have been through this already.
The Gang is back
Patriot is my favorite show that got cancelled ever.
I really can't help but like Ricken. Somehow he's insufferable and pretentious--and yet loving and kind. I get the impression he truly means well. This probably means he's an evil Kier clone or something, lol.
I know this video has been a while ago but Irving talking about the handsoap not having any label doesn't seem to have any under meaning. He questioned it as to why it doesn't have a lavel to have an excuse to visit Burt. Dylan made a good point that's true irl that you know it's soap and don't need to label it.
While that's true, I find it odd that they go through the trouble of labeling everything else, even when it's obvious, like paper. Irving has his ulterior motive, but I still believe the audience is being told this for a reason.
wow!!! i didn't even realize they weren't even eating food
Why would a society that's experiencing food scarcity tolerate random participation in egg-drop challenges for corporate team building? Unless one is trying to design more nutritious eggs, it seems unnecessarily and even dangerously wasteful.
On Mark's Department Chief To-Do list, one of the duties is to check employee lunches. There's also a scene in the breakroom where Irving opens the refrigerator, picks up a large brown bag with a blue and white label on it, looks at it, and puts it back. It appears that lunches are supplied by Lumon, most likely taking into account preferences, allergies, and dietary restrictions. Since Innies can't bring in their own lunches, wouldn't be allowed outside for lunch, and there's apparently no cafeteria on the severed floor for different departments to mingle in, it makes sense that Lumon would pre-supply lunches.
I'm not a medical professional so I might just be missing something obvious, but why would Milchick need a full tetanus toxoid panel after Dylan bit him? Dylan's not a rabid person or anything. Maybe he says that because Dylan (along with the other severed employees) have in fact been laced with potentially toxic substances with unknown effects, and is trying to protect management or something similar.
There is also a big elephant in the room that no one is talking about. Why aren’t people asking about the timeline. They use early 2000’s flip phones, 90’s vehicles, and 80’s computer usage.
Good question. This has been discussed quite a bit on reddit. The thing is, some of the tech is old-looking, while some looks very current. Mark uses a smartphone when he is in Pip's Diner, for example. Devon uses a modern looking laptop to view modern webpages at home. The security guard uses a modern metal detector, and the monitor on his desk is a flat panel. Also, note the monitors in the chip procedure room were also modern. Yet... the computers in MDR look to be circa 85'. The computers in MDR could be explained as a security measure. More advanced tech means a broader surface for external and internal attacks (USB, WIFI, IR, etc.). It could explain why Milchick's camera looks like cameras from the 70s.
Artistically speaking, it could also be a style choice or visual reminder of just how disconnected and dystopian the Severed floor and adjacent world is from our reality. I can't explain the cars. Latest models appear to be early 90s, but I would chalk that up to style choices, until we get more. There might be a reason why modern cars don't exist, and I'm going to guess it ain't a "happy" reason.
@@nautilusfiles As mentioned before, this experiment might be more than just the lower floor of a building.
I chalk it up to the unreliable narrator trope. I suspect that much of the underground office is some sort of illusion. I bet the reason their "work" looks so strange is because Lumon sort of rewrites their memories creating an abstract facsimile in their brain that vaguely corresponds to reality.
Right? If Lumon has the power to control their memories, it's not much of a leap to suggest that they can control perception in real life, or that the events we're seeing on screen are actually edited memories. Either way, Lumon may have other memory or brain manipulating advanced technology that they don't explicitly mention.
Another theory I've had is that the reality is pretty mundane. That they're just kind of boring office workers that agreed to the crazy severance procedure because they wanted relief from their own trauma, but the hell that is their existence inside is just a sort of hallucination brought on as side effects. The bit about the office war devolving into bloodthirsty violence and cannibalism makes me think that there's possibly some subjective reinterpretation going on. Maybe they have to take drugs to make the severance work, and we're just seeing a drug trip. There's an interesting analogy here, the Lumon workers are a bit like druggies, repeatedly engaging in an easy fix, papering over their psychological problems with this drug/tech/procedure. They're doing it to themselves.
Mark is the "reincarnation" or "host" for Kier Eagan
foodless theory only makes since because cobel told helly that they will suffer at the last episode
Fav guy posts my fav type of content! ❤ winningggg.
I havent watched all your video's yet but no one talks about how the outies have no long term memories or atleast talked about. No one has said anything about their life before lumen or if so only about traumatic events but only in a weird way as if it is the anly thing they remember.
Another great vid bud
Thanks, bro. Always appreciate a visit!
Great analysis! thanks for the food-for-thought. You mentioned Lost, are you watching From?
Yeah, I finished the first season just a few weeks ago. Good stuff!
Great video! One question I have, and this may be another topic to analyze- how did “The You You Are” end up inside Lumon headquarters and why?
It was brought by Selvig after taking it from Mark's porch.
Passed it to Milchick to check for notes, codes or something.
While checking it something happened and the book was left in the room, later it is found by Irving while in one of his escapades.
@@SRaburrido that makes sense actually- weird that they wouldn’t be concerned about it disappearing though? Think about how Milchek reacted when Dylan took the ideogram from O&D- seems almost intentional that it was left there but I’m not sure if Cobel fits that motive
It may be like the situation with the ideographic card; Milchick knows it's missing but doesn't want anyone else to know that while he investigates. He's quick to employ CYA protocols when the mood strikes lol.
Can u suggest some more shows like Severance
Fantastic and funny as always 👍🤘😎
I see you, Mike! Much appreciated!
@@nautilusfiles my pleasure 🙏
And as are you my friend @@nautilusfiles
I think Ms Selvig/Cobel replaced baby Eleanor with a clone baby at the end of the episode- the babies cries sound like the baby goats cries
Maybe Eagan is a play on Vegan. Kier = dark. So Dark Vegan. Which would make Hellys "Are we livestock?" line that more ironic. I'm gonna rewatch to see if anyone eats meat.
Not sure you spoke about this in a video but was Mark reset? It seems he aided Petey but has no memory of it even in severed form?
Yeah, I think it's possible. It depends on how he helped Petey. I wondered if he helped Petey because they're good friends, not truly understanding how or what exactly Petey was up to. He seems like he has no clue about anything related to Petey's sudden disappearance.
I have been wondering if the innies eat lunch. All we've seen them eat is snacks from the vending machine, and they can only have two a day. Two snacks is not enough to keep you nourished for the whole day. The outties obviously don't bring lunches (although I don't see why they couldn't as long as there are no labels on anything). Do they serve lunch and we just haven't seen it? What if the outties have food restrictions that the innies don't know about? They told Helly about her food allergy but only as a fun fact, not as a mandatory part of her orientation. I also assume they would be more careful about making sure Helly doesn't die of an allergic reaction, but do they do the same for the rest of the innies? As someone with food restrictions, I would be really stressed about not being aware what other people are feeding me and always wondering if they told my innie
there is a grade to the food, melon party is only melon, end quarter egg is only egg and retirement party is only watermelon, if you look closely the watermelon use all of the watermelon, the white Rine is cut with the red and pink middle. it is not a children party it is more like control diet to focus on the food and only that type of food.