Severance
creator Dan Erickson comments on Lumon’s interest in experimenting with Dichen Lachman’s Gemma. After season 1 premiered on Apple TV+ in 2022, the hit sci-fi thriller series returned earlier this year with its sophomore outing, revealing more about the mysterious Lumon Industries as Mark (Adam Scott) goes deeper down the rabbit hole. After playing a minor role in earlier episodes, Severance season 2, episode 7, puts Gemma front and center, exploring her relationship with Mark and showing just what the company has been doing to her on the Testing Floor.
In a recent interview with GQ, Erickson is asked about what exactly Lumon sees in Gemma and why they are experimenting on her, and he’s careful not to reveal any concrete answers. The creator says Gemma is seen as an “ideal candidate,” but for what exactly he won’t say:
Honestly, that’s a question that we haven’t answered yet, and there is that lingering question in her mind and in the viewer’s mind because we know there was something special about her. They considered her an ideal candidate for what’s going on down there. We don’t still fully understand what that was and why she was the right person for it.
The interviewer then pushes for more answers, asking if Gemma became of interest to Lumon as early as the blood drive featured in episode 7, which marks the first meeting between her and Mark. The episode features a cut to a Lumon blood machine, raising questions about what the company is up to, and Erickson suggests that there may be something to this theory:
My feeling is that she has been on their radar for some time. I don’t think this was a snap decision. Lumon, they’re very meticulous in how they make these decisions. I think you’re onto something there.
Mark & Gemma Are Part Of Something Bigger
The Severance season 1 finale started the engine that is now driving Mark’s story in season 2. Outie Mark and Innie Mark are both determined to learn more about what happened to Gemma, especially after the revelation that she isn’t dead as Outie Mark believed. Episode 7 doesn’t really advance Mark’s investigation into this, but it does finally reveal what is happening on the Testing Floor, with Gemma seemingly having been severed not just once, but seemingly dozens of times as she goes into a series of different rooms.
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Every Testing Room Gemma Enters In Severance Season 2 Episode 7 & What They’re For Explained
Severance season 2’s ep. 7 gives a glimpse of a few rooms on Lumon’s testing floor, which leaves space for many theories surrounding Gemma’s future.
Though Erickson doesn’t reveal exactly what it is that made Gemma an “ideal candidate” for this, episode 7 reveals that it is connected to Mark’s work on a project called Cold Harbor. It has become clear that Mark is the key to completing this mysterious project, and the latest episode reveals that one of the doors on the Testing Floor has a Cold Harbor label, suggesting that it isn’t just Gemma who is an ideal candidate, but Mark, too. As a pair, Gemma and Mark, potentially because of their genetic makeup in their blood, are crucial to completing this Lumon mission.
In an interview with Variety, Lachman noted that even she hasn’t been let in on exactly what’s going on, but she notes that Dr. Mauer (Robby Benson) was present at the scene in the fertility clinic, speaking to just how vast Lumon’s sphere of control is.
Our Take On Gemma In Severance Season 2, Episode 7
Episode 7 Is A Season 2 Standout
Image via Apple TV+
A lot of the emotional weight of Outie Mark’s story in seasons 1 and 2 comes down to his love for Gemma, whom he believed to be dead. Episode 7 takes a much-needed detour and shows the Mark and Gemma relationship to audiences, and it now makes far more sense why Outie Mark has been so depressed essentially since the show began.
Episode 7 also makes the case that Gemma is deserving of a far bigger role moving forward, with Lachman delivering a standout performance. Thankfully, with three episodes still remaining in season 2, this Severance cast member looks like she could become a more major player as the show’s sophomore outing barrels toward its conclusion.
New episodes of Severance season 2 release on Fridays on Apple TV+.
Source: GQ
Severance
8/10
- Release Date
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February 18, 2022
- Showrunner
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Dan Erickson, Mark Friedman
- Writers
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Dan Erickson