Just to be safe, SPOILERS for the Season 2 finale of Severance are ahead. You can watch it with an Apple TV+ subscription.
Since Severance’s Season 2 finale dropped on the 2025 TV schedule, I’ve been in many heated conversations about Mark’s choice. I’m, of course, talking about Adam Scott’s character’s decision to run back into Lumon with Helly instead of going outside with Gemma. It was a controversial choice that left fans floored. So, now, the lead of Severance has opened up about what his Innie did and what viewers should “remember” when thinking about it.
Innie Mark running back into Lumon with Helly. That is the exact opposite of what was planned, as the goal was for both him and Gemma to escape the company. It’s sparked quite the reaction online, and during The Awardist podcast, Scott was asked about why his character did that, because it’s unclear what exactly the Innies will do since they can only stay on the severed floor.
2025 Emmy nominee said:
It’s helpful to remember that these people are… Mark is, for all intents and purposes, two and a half or three years old. And Season 1 was sort of about childhood in a way, and a loss of innocence, at least for Mark it was. I think for all of them [it was], for Irv and for Dylan as well, because Helly comes in and really pushes us to this place. But, in Season 2 it’s sort of [about] adolescence.
I think this is vital to consider. Literally, all the Innies know is life inside of Lumon, and they’ve been actively growing up there. Their lives began when that elevator door opened and they were severed, and to them, that’s their whole world. It’s not what’s outside.
So, in Innie Mark’s head, he was probably thinking about saving himself and Helly, because if he went through that door, he might not exist again. In my mind, at this point, the Innies and Outies are two different people, and have totally different priorities, life experiences and values. Of course, they won’t make the same choices.
That, mixed with the fact that Mark is in a “rebellious stage,” explains his choice, as Scott said:
These two are going through this rebellious stage, and they’re in love with each other. And so I don’t think they’re necessarily thinking that far ahead. I think that Mark is just looking on the other side of the door, and he sees someone that to him is Ms. Casey, and he knows that’s his Outie’s wife. He knows what he’s supposed to do. But if he walks out that door, there’s a chance that he’ll cease to exist. He doesn’t know for sure one way or the other, and on the other side of the hallway is the person he’s in love with.
As a viewer, it’s hard to fathom that Mark left his wife, Gemma, at that door and ran back in. However, you have to remember that to Innie Mark, she’s unknown; she’s only Ms. Casey. She’s not his wife; he loves Helly. So, I get his choice.
Obviously, it’ll have repercussions in Severance Season 3, and I think that’s the point. Mark wasn’t thinking ahead; he made a last-second choice and didn’t consider what was next, as Adam Scott said:
So I don’t think he’s really thinking anything really long-term; he just knows in that moment the choice that he feels he has to make.
Think about it, when you were young and before you truly understood the complexities of the world, spontaneous decisions were easier to make. In this case, Innie Mark isn’t thinking about the repercussions or what might happen to his Outie, probably, he’s making the decision that’s best for him.
If he didn’t turn around, he might never see Helly again, and his work trying to save all the Innies could end. In short, if he walked through that door, his life could end, because we don’t know what Outie Mark would have done next. Only knowing that and being basically the age of a defiant kid makes his logic understandable.
So, make sure to keep that in mind as you continue to think about that mind-blowing finale and what could happen next when Severance returns.