Severance invites speculation like few shows can. Its mysteries are carefully constructed to have multiple possible answers, and the fan community has developed some brilliant theories. Here are the best ones—including some that turned out to be right.
Top 10 Theories
1. Ms. Casey is Mark's Wife ✓ CONFIRMED Fans noticed subtle clues: the wellness sessions felt too intimate, Ms. Casey seemed to recognize Mark. Season 1's finale confirmed what theorists had guessed.
2. The Goats Are Former Employees The goats on the severed floor have mysterious significance. Some fans believe they're failed severance experiments or former employees reduced to animal intelligence.
3. The Board Doesn't Exist Is there actually a board of directors, or is it a fictional authority used to justify decisions? The recorded board messages could be fabrications.
4. Innies Are Immortal Without access to outside time, innies might never age mentally. Their consciousness exists in an eternal present.
5. Lumon Is Preparing for the Afterlife Kier Eagan's quasi-religious writings suggest he believed in an afterlife. Perhaps severance is meant to prepare consciousness for existence beyond death.
6. Multiple Severed Floors Exist The severed floor we see is just one of many. Other floors, other experiments, other purposes.
7. The Numbers Are People What if the "scary numbers" in MDR represent actual humans? Each number sorted is a person categorized.
8. Severance Affects the Outie Too The procedure changes the outie in ways they don't realize. Their emotions, decisions, and relationships are altered.
9. Ricken's Book Is Propaganda Mark's brother-in-law's self-help book seems ridiculous, but what if Lumon planted it to guide Mark's thinking?
10. The Whole Town Is Severed Kier, the town Lumon is based in, might have some form of community-wide severance. The entire population could be under Lumon's influence.