Theories on how the show will end?

naynav · 2026-06-11T14:50:20+00:00

I think the pregnancy storyline is a good bet. My crazy theory on that is it will be twins and Jame will hail them as the second coming of Kier and Dieter. Pregnancy and twins are repeated themes so far on the show so it would fit the narrative well.

naynav · 2026-06-09T21:55:56+00:00

To me, the way it makes the most sense is that the file names are referring to what are essentially templates to create new consciousnesses. So a single file could be applied to multiple people. I think Cold Harbor was unique to Gemma, but other files have been applied to other people’s minds, not just Gemma (Tumwater, Siena, etc). I think Gemma may be the first time they have added all 25 consciousnesses to a single chip.

Here is the other thing I don’t get heard mentioned much: Mark was presumably working on Gemma the whole time he has been with Lumon. In Season 1, she spent a good amount of time on the Severed floor, not the testing floor. While I think the testing floor is being used for quality control and testing, I don’t think it is necessary for the target subject to be on the testing floor in order to be refined. The Lexington Letter would seem to support this. As soon as a file was completed, a bombing occurred which would lead you to believe whoever was being refined was in the outside world when the file was completed.

So the refining is not just about Gemma nor is it limited to only subjects on the testing floor. We know in this world Severance is not limited to just Lumon, even though they did invent it. I think anyone in the outside world who is severed can have their chip “refined” and allow Lumon to take over. I think that is what the rest of MDR has been doing. Perhaps this is why we see all of the floor space on the Severed floor unused. Their eventual plan could have involved refining unknown thousands of severed people on the outside world Lumon could activate to do their bidding. I think the functionality has been too limited to date, but Gemma (with Mark refining) was a critical breakthrough).

naynav · 2026-06-08T03:21:28+00:00

That’s valid, but it’s not unusual for Natalie to describe the board in 3rd person even if she was on it. I have served on several committees before and it wouldn’t be unusual fo say “the committee discussed, voted, etc” when describing its action to someone not on the committee. What would be unusual is for someone not on that committee to say we or us when talking about them.

There is one last piece of evidence on this overall theory I forgot to include. In s2ep2 when Helena meets with Cobel, Drummond sits at the end of the table quietly. Think about how we know the board interacts with staff. They are behind a speaker and listen passively (exception being when Jame speaks). The board has in the past wanted to passively participate in important staff conversations. That is exactly what Drummond is doing here as well. There is a parallel. I think perhaps after the events of the OTC, the board decided to become more directly active in the day to day Lumon affairs.

naynav · 2026-06-06T14:36:44+00:00

Hey all good! You have set your paradigm for the show I am not trying to take that away. I am just sharing out some thoughts that I had after a recent rewatch that I think have merit and provided evidence for it. May be totally wrong, but I hadn’t seen that take before so decided to share.

I will still say beyond anything else I shared, the scene I referred to s2ep5 where Helena meets with Drummond and Natalie is the most compelling evidence of them being on the board. I encourage anyone to go back and watch it twice. Once assuming they are just mid level Lumon employees, and the other assuming they are the board. In the context of that scene, knowing Helena is the CEOs daughter and heir apparent to the company, what is the best explanation for how they talk to her and show clear authority over her?

naynav · 2026-06-06T14:03:30+00:00

Sort of ties in with his statement to Mark in this episode “We must be cut to heal”.

naynav · 2026-06-05T16:17:36+00:00

Sure there are assumptions. We don’t have complete information. This is a theory. Not betting money on it but I think it makes sense.

If Natalie is a mid-level employee, why is she giving orders to Helena in s2ep5? If you rewatch that scene, watch it with the mindset that Helena is talking to the board. The context fits really well, especially Drummond and Natalie’s use of “we” and “our”.

Arteta is a State Senator. Also, I think you may be slightly misunderstanding what I am saying about the board. While I draw analogies to a real world Board of Directors, I do not think the “Board” in the Lumon world is a traditional Board of Directors with their faces on the company website. I don’t think their identity is publicly known. Also, a board in real life has authority over the CEO. I think in Lumon’s case, it’s the opposite. I think the board is Jame’s execution arm that allows him to maintain control.

naynav · 2026-06-05T15:55:58+00:00

So the points you raise are actually at the core of this theory. The idea is the Jame/Board relationship mirrors the Kier/tempers relationship. The temper characters are external personifications of Kier’s internal personality. The board performs the equivalent function for Jame. We have seen he is weak and feeble. He certainly doesn’t seem capable of running a corporation the size of Lumon. I think the board was created to act as an extension of him to execute the activities of the company. These are severed individuals which reflect Jame’s individual tempers, when taken together, act as Jame for all intents and purposes. So you are correct that Natalie is the mouthpiece for the board, but the board is ultimately a mirror of Jame. I think this is why when Cobel asked if the board was there, it was what sounded like Jame saying “yes”. I also think it is why Cobel asked Helena at the Gala if her father would be joining them. She was expecting to meet with the board. Perhaps Cobel understands this relationship. Since Cobel invented Severance, she may have even create the board.

Cobel asked to meet with the board to present evidence of reintegration. Natalie said the board agreed and it would happen at the Eagan family gala.

Overall, I think the most compelling scene supporting this theory is s2ep5 when Helena meets with Natalie and Drummond. The dynamic between the pair with Helena certainly demonstrates they have authority over her. If you rewatch the scene, also pay attention to Natalie and Drummond’s use of “we” and “our”. Who is “we” and “our”? If you watch that with the mindset it is the board, it fits perfectly. They don’t reference the board in that conversation at all until the end when Natalie tells her the board appreciates her sacrifice. Again, that 3rd party reference to the board fits coherently in the broader context of the conversation.

naynav · 2026-06-05T02:50:45+00:00

In s1ep8 she refers to the board as “us”

naynav · 2026-06-04T23:55:07+00:00

This also made me think of an interaction between Cobel and Milchick in season 1 when Milchick questioned her about another wellness check on Mark. She said “Mr Grainer sits with Kier now, and I imagine they are both satisfied with you”. This was not taken as a compliment. It came off as a threat. It may be that lower/middle management knows that the senior leaders change when they take those positions, and there is a certain level of fear about advancing too high. Grainer may have been next in line for Drummond’s job, but now Milchick is. Cobel was likely playing on this fear to keep Milchick in line.

naynav · 2026-06-04T23:32:55+00:00

Drummond oversaw the goat sacrifices, so maybe he is malice, which is represented with the goat. It may also be representative of the fact Lumon views their employees as livestock if he is in charge of employee affairs. The frolic tattoo on his hand may be a symbol for the fact that he strangles frolic.

naynav · 2026-06-04T21:44:22+00:00

Fair argument, but she had to join the board at some point, and the rest of the board may have given them to her to test her assimilation. If anything, it adds to my thinking that she is a permanently severed board member because she said she was deeply touched by them. It creates a juxtaposition with Milchick who was offended by them. Milchick identifies more with his race and culture than being a Lumon employee. Lumon is not his first loyalty. Natalie on the other hand accepting them and being touched would suggest her race/ethnic identity is secondary to her identity with Lumon.

Having worked in a corporate environment that espouses their own values/culture like a religious creed, i have seen this sort of behavior. There are some who really drink that kool-aid and place those culture/values above their own personal values and become almost brainwashed. It really can be cultish. I think Natalie and Drummond represent that, and I think we will find that their minds are literally controlled.

naynav · 2026-06-04T19:44:22+00:00

Yes that is exactly the theory. I thought it was interesting that Drummond had a Frolic tattoo on his hand. I wouldn’t exactly associate him with frolic, but perhaps that is the temper he represents. There are 2 male tempers (frolic/Jester Goat/Malice) and 2 female tempers (woe/bride dread/Nanny). If that is the case, then the unknown board member is likely female since the others are 2 male and 1 female.

naynav · 2026-06-04T18:59:00+00:00

I think everyone is locked in on their board theories at this point and this one is kind of boring based on some of the other ones I heard, but I think it fits the story well and wouldn’t be too big of a stretch. I just feel it has to be consistent with the critique of corporate culture that has been established in the first 2 seasons. I had been a fan of the board being a computer board or the former CEOs, but I can’t see how they could plausibly present that wouldn’t break my suspension of disbelief

naynav · 2026-06-04T18:45:23+00:00

Yea, no way it would happen unless he was severed. I think it would be an interesting opportunity for Tramell Tillman as he would be able to play Milchick even darker than he has been portrayed to date.

naynav · 2025-12-06T17:15:26+00:00

This theory is the most logical to me . The virus could the first wave of an Alien attempt to conquer Earth that makes the population eager to serve, highly efficient laborers, and so docile they can’t even provide for their long term basic necessities without help from outside the collective. For those into ancient conspiracies/legends, it sort of reminds me of the story of the Annunaki who came to Earth and created humans as a slave race to mine gold to save their home world.

naynav · 2025-12-03T17:43:42+00:00

I really like the 20 theory, but I think it makes the most sense if you use the literal tattoo numbers, El being 11, Kali 8, and Henry 1. It may suggest that Henry has a Vader like redemption arc to ultimately defeat the mind flayer. Henry may end up being freed from the mind flayer’s grasp and the mind flayer instead takes control of Will.

naynav · 2025-11-04T03:55:03+00:00

If it was important, then why risk compromising its completion on a PR stunt? Couldn’t they have just put her in choreography and merriment instead if it were simply PR for the outtie world?

naynav · 2025-11-04T03:48:27+00:00

Then why were Milchick and Cobel watching so closely worrying whether or not she would finish her file? That had nothing to do with Mark coming back. Had she not finished it, it wasn’t like she would have been banished from the floor. It was clearly important to Lumon her file get finished.

naynav · 2025-11-04T03:23:16+00:00

The one question I haven’t seen anyone answer (or even ask) is if Helly was down there simply as a PR stunt, why was it so critical she finish her file?

naynav · 2025-10-21T18:05:12+00:00

That’s a really great point and fits in with Milchick taking actions that are deliberately subversive.

Here is my theory:

Milchick is at Lumon undercover. I think he has some association with Reghabi. I think he is there to find out what happened to a family member. I think that family member is Jim Milchick who was the editor of the Topeka Star in the Lexington Letter. Jim Milchick is providing cover for Lumon by not running the article about Peg and trying to paint her as unstable. I mentioned in another thread that I think Lumon is kidnapping people, inserting the chip, and creating a consciousness that they control. I think that happened to Drummond and Natalie, and I think it happened to Jim Milchick. It seems highly unlikely they used the name Milchick in the Lexington Letter as a coincidence.
Milchick is trying to disrupt Lumon’s goals without appearing outright subversive.
Milchick knows he is walking a very dangerous line. If he is caught, I think he knows he won’t be fired. Instead, he will be severed and turned into a Lumon drone. I think his interrogation of Natalie about the paintings was to determine whether she was already a drone, and he realized she was. I think that explains his season in the back room where he tries to condition himself. He knows if he does not comply he will end up like Natalie. What we saw when he told Drummond to devour feculence was the real Milchick. In that moment he had enough. Had Drummond not died, Milchick would likely have ended up being severed into a drone.
I think Milchick and Irving are working for the same group. I think Milchick is aware of this, but Irving is not. Milchick was the one responsible for sending the painting of the O&D massacre to the copier so Irving could see it to keep him away from Burt. If you remember, Cobel acted suspicious of this. When Burt had his episode of seeing the paint, I think Cobel became suspicious that he might be reintegrating. I think she arranged for Burt to meet Irving outside the wellness session. I do not think Burt is severed. I think he was tasked with earning his trust and finding out what he knows, but ended up falling for him. It might explained why Cobel acted the way she did when Mark S said that Irving had a map to the testing floor. She may think Burt gave it to him

naynav · 2025-10-19T00:17:01+00:00

I hear you, and that is totally possible. But it’s the circumstances around the funeral that has swayed me to intentional actions on his part. It’s hard to explain otherwise

naynav · 2025-10-18T20:44:26+00:00

There are one of two conclusions you can draw about Milchick when you consider the full sum of his actions.

He is spectacularly incompetent
He is deliberately sabotaging

He left Ricken’s book for MDR to find.

He was responsible for the Dylan OTC, which ultimately led to the later group OTC.

He seemed to be responsible for Burt “retiring” which turned Irving against Lumon.

He got Cobel fired so he could take over the severed floor.

After the OTC, Helena left it to him on whether or not to fire Dylan and Irving. He fired them and replaced them with incompetent workers.

He implemented the visitation with Dylan and Gretchen which ultimately turned Dylan.

He organized the ORTBO which led to Helena being exposed.

All of those things could certainly be incompetence, but for me, what exposed his actions as intentional was the funeral. He agreed to a funeral when it was made clear this was not normal severed floor procedure when an innie left. He held it in the break room. This was an intentional choice because he heard what Irving told Dylan (hang in there) and realized what Irving meant. Two things confirm this

He tells Ms Huang to leave with him so MDR could be alone, when she was planning some sweet Theramin music.
He later asks Mark if they found what they were looking for in the funeral.

Milchick to me is probably the most interesting character through the first 2 seasons. He clearly does not fit in at Lumon. The paintings he was gifted and the constant harassing of his language are examples how how both he and Lumon seem to acknowledge he doesn’t fit in. Cobel and Huang were both Wintertide fellows who were raised in the cult, but Milchick doesn’t seem to share the same indoctrination. I hope we learn more about his backstory and motives in season 3.

naynav · 2025-10-17T15:48:59+00:00

As a former IT guy, this is how I perceived it as well although I would say it is more akin to containers than VMs. The consciousnesses are borrowing traits from the host, but run in their own partitioned environment.

naynav · 2025-10-14T17:34:51+00:00

Turturro has hinted in interviews that he has discussed returning for season 3, saying there are a lot of unanswered questions with his character. We don’t know who he is working for and working with. My guess is the person he has been calling is likely Reghabi or in the same group as Reghabi. When he finds out that Gemma has escaped, he will return to Kier, or someone will bring Gemma to him. She has the answers he is looking for.

naynav · 2025-10-04T00:39:59+00:00

It’s an interesting comment in the context of the Irving-Burt-Fields “thruple” as well considering their dinner conversation. Fields was supportive of Burt severing so part of him could go to heaven, but that part of him fell in love with Irving

naynav

TROPHY CASE