Severance Season 2's Helly Twist Explained By Series Creator

The following contains spoilers for Severance season 2, episode 4.

Severance creator Dan Erickson explains the shocking Helly twist from season 2, episode 4. Season 1 ended with MDR teammates Mark, Helly and Irving executing the Overtime Contingency and experiencing life as their Outies. The gang's visit to the outside world proved brief, however, as Severance season 2 saw them all returning to the Severed Floor, along with Dylan, to continue their vital microdata refining work.

Season 2, episode 4 just pulled out the rug on the team, though, revealing that Helly never actually came back from her excursion outside, as her Outie Helena took her place on the MDR team. Severance creator Erickson explained this stunning Helly twist, revealing that such a move was in the works from early in the show’s life (via EW):

"Even going back to season 1, we talked about the implication of the Overtime Contingency, where you can have an Innie posing as an Outie," We thought, 'Well, that would likely mean that the inverse is possible, too.' That becomes this really terrifying idea because then this group, who has come to trust each other in season 1, suddenly has to ask the question of whether they can still trust each other, because you can't ever be 100 percent sure that who you're talking to is who you think they are.

Erickson then detailed why Helly was chosen as the character who would be replaced by her own Outie:

We talked about different characters who might do that, and ultimately, Helly/Helena made the most sense because she would be the one with the most to gain from infiltrating that group.

Erickson also talked about why the reveal was timed for episode 4:

We talked about when exactly to reveal it to the audience, and at the end of the day, we thought that the most interesting version was for us to learn along with the characters. So much of the show is about being in their subjective experience and being surprised about things along with them. I mean, that's the entire season 1 finale episode, it's all us finding out these things along with them, and so we wanted to have that sense again.

What Helena's Outing Means For Severance Season 2

The Reveal Changes Everything

Helly’s season 1 sojourn to the world outside Lumon revealed that her Outie Helena is, shockingly, the daughter of Lumon CEO Jame Eagan. Helena’s plan in severing herself was to help quell a growing anti-severance movement by showing how happy the Innies are in their sterile little office world. But the project only led to Helena becoming curious about the goings-on inside Lumon, and specifically Helly’s relationship with Mark.

Helena’s shady activities made for intriguing viewing throughout the first three Severance season 2 episodes, as the show dropped little hints that something was up with the person everyone else assumed was Helly.

Severance season 2, episode 4's ending saw the MDR crew's bizarre outdoor team-building exercise take a dark turn when Irving revealed that he was on to Helena's lies, growing enraged enough to try to drown her in a river. Milchick executed a last-second save, calling in for Helena's Severance chip to be activated, turning her into Helly. Irving was immediately fired from Severance, an act which erased the Innie from existence.

Helena's snooping activity within Lumon seemingly ended with her violent outing by Irving. Mark, meanwhile, will be dealing with a lot of feelings, as it sinks in that the sexual liaison he thought he had with Helly was really with Helena. The remaining members of the MDR team have a lot of work to do in rebuilding trust, after the worst team-building exercise ever.

Our Take On Severance Season 2’s Helly Twist

A Lot Of Fan Theories Were Proven Right

Britt Lower as Helly/Helena in Severance

Helly really being Helena was guessed by a lot of Severance fan theorizers, so in that respect, the big episode 4 twist is maybe not such a shocker. Helena’s shady activities made for intriguing viewing throughout the first three Severance season 2 episodes, as the show dropped little hints that something was up with the person everyone on the MDR team assumed was Helly.

Britt Lower flashed her acting range by portraying a subtly different character throughout those episodes, playing a suspiciously awkward, watchful version of Helly. Now she'll get to play a Helly who has been traumatized by her sudden return to consciousness in the middle of being drowned. Viewers who read between the lines knew the Helly reveal was coming, but it’s nonetheless a shocking development, and one that will change everything for Severance going forward.

Source: EW