Severance Has Got A Pregnancy Problem

Don’t get it twisted – I love Severance.

Not since the days of Lost have I been so enthralled by a TV show, so desperate to see the next episode, so deep in the fan theories, YouTube video essays, and character shipping.

The Apple TV series, created by Dan Erickson and executively produced by Ben Stiller, first landed on screens back in 2022, and has been providing audiences with a sufficiently twisted, and entirely unique, sci-fi thriller ever since.

If you’re unaware, the show follows a group of employees who work on the ‘severed’ floor of a company called Lumon. In order to work here, they must undergo a controversial procedure known as ‘severance’, splitting their memories in two between their work and their personal lives.

The work in Lumon is mysterious and important, as is the show itself. It’s fiercely original (a rarity, it seems, in media today), and has got a stacked cast including Adam Scott, Britt Lower, John Turturro, Patricia Arquette, and Christopher Walken.

Severance season two is currently rolling out on Apple TV, and although the series’ mysteries are as intriguing as always, there is one plot point that some viewers are not overly thrilled by. Spoilers for season two of Severance, so far.

Following the overtime contingency debacle of season one, the severed team return to their floor – only this time, Helly R is not herself, but Helena, her outie, and heir to Lumon,

During a team building outing, Helena sleeps with Mark S before eventually being found out and allowing Helly to return to her body. Later, Helly decides to have sex with Mark herself, in what appears to be a bid to take back the power stolen from her.

These instances seem to be setting Helly/Helena up to become pregnant with Mark’s child, a situation that would no doubt prove deeply concerning for Helly, who hadn’t intended to sleep with Mark in the first place.

A pregnancy would also cause some potential issues for Lumon down the line, particularly if fan theories about Mark’s lineage are to be believed. But the pregnancy itself isn’t the issue – it’s that the only main female character in the show is going to be experiencing it.

@pootinkycore bob #severance ♬ original sound – grapo

Pregnancy plot devices are nothing new in the sci-fi world. For decades, the female body has been presented as a host, a means of producing a new being that will either save or destroy the world.

Often, female characters are reduced to the abilities of their bodies, becoming nothing more than concubines bringing life into the world. They do little else except get pregnant, give birth, and mother their children.

In Severance season one, Helly was defiant, ruthless, and willing to do anything to escape from Lumon. In season two, her freedom has been further abused, and yet her only act of rebellion (so far) is to have sex with Mark.

Since its release, Severance has been lauded for its incredible storytelling and deep lore. Its ability to continuously surprise audiences is a welcome change in a TV landscape that’s largely saturated with predictability – so why does a potential Helly pregnancy feel a little bit, well, safe? 

At the time of writing, there are still four episodes of season two left. There’s all the time in the world for Severance to turn this anticipated plot on its head, and give Helly the chance to regain her bodily autonomy.

After all, when the US is only continuing to reduce the autonomy of womem in real life, it would be a shame not to.