This wild Severance season 2 theory might reveal the show’s biggest twist
Fans of the acclaimed Apple TV+ series Severance season 2 have been buzzing about Helena/Helly's character since the first episode's release on January 17, 2025. Soon after the episode aired, a popular fan theory emerged on Reddit, claiming that Helly R. did not return to Lumon with her MDR co-workers. It was, instead, Helena pretending to be her innie to spy on the macro data refiners.
This fan theory gained even more traction following Helena's actions in the second episode, Goodbye, Mrs. Selvig. While episode 1 focused exclusively on the innies, episode 2 dealt with the outies in the real world. Below is a look into the popular fan theory making Severance fans' heads spin.
Disclaimer: This article is speculative in nature and features the author's opinions about Severance season 2.
Why would Helena pretend to be Helly in Severance season 2?
In Severance season 2 episode 2, Helena Eagan goes into damage control mode to fix the mess created by the innies during the overtime contingency. To take stock of the situation, she watches security footage of the innies to understand how they managed to breach the severance protocol in the first place.
One particular moment stands out to Helena - her innie kissing Mark S. (from episode 8), which she ends up watching repeatedly. This scene raises many questions as to Helena's thought process and intentions. As seen in the episode, Lumon will go to great lengths to protect its image and standing in society.
Hence, it is not beyond Helena, the future CEO of Lumon, to ensure that the MDR workers do not continue investigating Lumon's secret activities. By posing as Helly, she can keep her company one step ahead and prevent a repeat of the overtime contingency or any similar future incident.
Also, it is the only way for Helena, and Lumon by extension, to discover what the innies saw during the overtime contingency and plan their next move accordingly. Thus, according to the theory, Helena may be watching the footage to capture Helly R.'s body language and mannerisms to help her fit within the group without raising suspicions.
Also read: Severance: What does 'fetid moppet' mean? Jame Eagan's confrontation with Helena explained
What did Dan Erickson say about Helly's lie from Severance season 2?
In Severance season 2 episode 1, when the innies share what they learned about themselves in the outside world, Helly R. lies to her friends. She hides that her outie is the daughter of Lumon's CEO, Jame Eagan, and makes up a story about her outie living alone.
Her lie may be a spur-of-the-moment thing to buy herself some time to process the shocking revelation before she can confide in her friends. The show's creator, Dan Erickson, supports this line of thinking. He told Variety on January 17, 2025, that Helly felt "a lot of shame" and worried she "won't be accepted by her friends."
"Helly made the most horrifying discovery that she could have made — because she is, it turns out, what she hates the most. There's a lot of shame that comes with that, and there is a concern that she won't be accepted by her friends. She knows they all vilify the Eagans, and she is one. She doesn't want to have to take on that baggage."
Helly's true identity inside Lumon is one of the most burning questions since Severance season 2 returned on Apple TV+. Hopefully, the upcoming episodes will offer clear answers one way or the other.
Stay tuned for the episode recap of Severance season 2 episode 3 soon after it airs on Apple TV+.
