Mark’s innie’s decision in Severance season 2’s ending moments leaves one feeling bad for the outie, but many earlier story developments from the show suggest the outie deserves no less empathy than the innie. Severance season 1’s ending is arguably one of the best final arcs in sci-fi television history. Although Severance season 2 struggles to top it with its closing story beats, it manages to deliver a brilliant conclusion that stays with viewers long after the credits start rolling.

One of the highlights of Severance season 2’s ending is the sequence where Mark’s innie finds himself at a major crossroads: he can either risk trusting his outie and leave the Lumon office with Gemma or, for once, be selfish by staying inside and pursuing his relationship with Helly. After much thought, innie chooses to stay inside. As Gemma bangs the stairway door, it is hard not to feel bad for her and the outie. However, by empathizing a little too much with Mark’s outie in these final moments of Severance season 2, one seemingly forgets the show’s whole point.

Severance Season 2’s Divisive Ending Shows Mark’s Innie & Outie Are Both Victims

Both Characters Have Been Through A Lot

Almost throughout Severance season 1, Mark’s innie seemed far more rootable than his outie because viewers could see how he was suffering. While the outie got to call the shots on his innie’s fate, the innie remained trapped in a hellish office space where he had little to no freedom to do what he wanted. As season 2 progressed, however, the innie, too, started seeking his own path instead of treading the one laid out for him by Lumon. He fell in love with Helly and did not hold himself back from creating a life for himself inside the Lumon building.

This sudden shift in the dynamic between the two personas of the same character made it hard not to wonder who deserved to live a real life more. While the innie’s tragic circumstances made him an obvious object of sympathy, his season 2 arc made him more complex and layered. Similarly, the outie’s detachment and unawareness of his innie’s suffering initially made him look complicit, but his desire to save his wife, Gemma, made him more likable in season 2.

Owing to this changing dynamic between Mark’s two personas in Severance, many viewers were left divided when the innie decided to become a little selfish towards the end of season 2. It is understandable why many questioned his decision to stay in Lumon, but one must not forget how he is no less of a victim than the outie. Before he finally took control over his life with his final decision in season 2, the innie was voiceless, trapped in a life he did not choose. Like the outie, he felt powerless and oppressed for a long time before he attempted to have a semblance of autonomy over his life.

Mark’s Innie’s Decision Proves The Adam Scott Character May Never Get A Happy Ending

Only One Of The Two Personas Can Ultimately Win

Severance season 2’s ending establishes that Mark is in a lose-lose situation. If his innie wins and manages to sustain himself and his identity in the Lumon building, his outie will suffer and never be able to live with his wife again. Meanwhile, if the outie ultimately wins and manages to convince the innie to walk out of the Lumon office, the innie will be completely wiped from existence. In Severance season 2’s ending arc, the outie tries to convince the innie that they can both coexist in the same body if the reintegration process works.

However, the innie logically argues that since the outie has lived longer than him, even the reintegration would likely give him more control. The reintegration process has also not completely worked so far, which raises many questions about its future implications. What is clear is that Mark is bound to lose regardless of what happens in Severance‘s future installments. His story will likely end on a bittersweet note where one of the two personas will make the ultimate sacrifice of letting go and surrendering so that the other can continue to exist and live a normal life.

Severance

8/10

Release Date

February 18, 2022