Why Harmony Cobel Is Using The Breathing Tube In Severance S2 Ep 8, Explained By Patricia Arquette

Patricia Arquette, who plays Harmony Cobel on Apple TV+’s thriller series Severance, explains the breathing tube scene in season 2, episode 8. Airing on March 7, the latest episode, titled “Sweet Vitriol,” dives into Harmony’s past as she drives to her hometown, Salt’s Neck, and spends some time lying on the bed her mother rested on before passing away. In the scene, Cobel takes out her mother’s breathing tube and breathes through it as she breaks down in tears.

In an interview with Vulture, Arquette breaks down the breathing tube scene. The star explains that Harmony’s mother being a drug addict has a fundamental impact on the character. In the absence of parental love, Harmony turns to Lumon for love and acceptance while her aunt, Sissy, “puts a wedge” between them. With the tube being the closest thing she had to her mother, the scene serves as a way for Harmony to say the goodbye she wasn’t allowed to say when her mother died. Check out the actor’s comment below:

First off, Harmony’s mom became an ether addict. Whenever you deal with a drug addict as a child, you don’t get the parenting you need. And then she is trying to please this corporation and her school and her aunt, even though she hates her aunt. On top of that, her aunt put a wedge between Harmony and her mom, and her aunt is very judgmental of her mom, whom Harmony wants to protect even now. So the breathing tube is holding the love she didn’t get. Breathing through it is almost like getting a kiss from her mom, lying in bed and cuddling with her. It’s also tied to her not getting to have any kind of closure, not getting to say good-bye to her mother, and all this trauma is resurfacing because she has been unceremoniously kicked out of Lumon.

What This Means For Harmony Cobel In Severance Season 2

It Makes Cobel’s Backstory Even More Heartbreaking

Severance season 2, episode 8 takes a deep look into Harmony Cobel’s backstory. The breathing tube scene, though seemingly strange, is crucial in depicting the dysfunctional Cobel family dynamics that Harmony grew up in. With the tube being the closest thing she has to her mother, the scene also reveals the shocking distance between Harmony and her mother and the forces that keep them apart, namely Sissy, her mother’s addiction, and Lumon.

Arquette’s comments also shed some light on the drastic emotional impact Lumon’s firing has on Harmony and how she seeks to reconnect with the parental figures in her life only to be heartbroken again. In a separate interview, Arquette touched on how the lack of parental love is connected to Cobel’s cult-like devotion to Lumon up until her recent firing. Her loyalty to the company and the revelation of her being the severance product’s true creator also make her one of the most important people in Lumon’s development, and at the same time, a potential threat.

Our Take On The Breathing Tube Scene In Severance Season 2

It’s Devastating But Effective

It’s heartbreaking that the tube is the only thing Harmony has from her mother. Drugs, Lumon, and Sissy have all kept her away from her mother, and in the end, all Harmony could reconnect with isn’t her mother’s presence, but rather her absence. The breathing tube scene is arguably one of the most memorable moments in Severance season 2. It shows viewers the tragedies in Harmony’s life without explicitly spelling out every detail.

Arquette’s performance is also spot-on in portraying this wounded and twisted character. It’s safe to assume that at this point, Harmony’s shock and heartbreak have become rage after the trip to Salt’s Neck. At the end of Severance season 2, episode 8, Harmony picks up the phone call from Devon, though it’s uncertain what she’ll do with the reintegrated Mark Scott. She can certainly threaten Lumon and express her anger with what she knows, but when her loyalty is being tested again, it’s hard to tell whether Cobel will be able to stand her ground.

Source: Vulture

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Severance

8/10

Release Date

February 18, 2022

Showrunner

Dan Erickson, Mark Friedman

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Dan Erickson