Innies only know life on the severed floor. The MDR team has achieved enough independence to advocate for more. The Overtime Contingency affirmed that they were miserable down there. They were being tortured. They had to get the message out. That certainly changed the perspectives of several of their Outies. However, existence for Innies largely remained the same. Lumon put in place new incentives to try to keep them content. And yet, the Innies saw the outside world. They stepped into their Outies' lives and suddenly knew what was possible. A divide has always existed between Innie and Outie. The severance procedure was presented as a way to achieve balance. It was always an unfair divide. One individual had control. The Outie gets to choose to go to work. The Innie is just expected to fulfill the demands of the job. They receive no clarity on what they are actually doing. In fact, the grand scheme of Lumon's mission remains rather hazy. The show gets away with unresolved plot points because of the urgency of the narrative and the specificity of the characters. Innie Mark is far from the person who once ran down the halls in search of Ms. Casey knowing she was his Outie's wife. He instinctively did that. And now, he has been forced to contemplate the entirety of his being. His wants and needs are separate from his Outie's. He is presented with an opportunity to make his own decisions. They may be futile. He maintains that control.
All of this is elegantly portrayed through a conversation between Innie and Outie Mark. It occurs at the birthing cabin over a camcorder. Cobel wants answers about the progress of Cold Harbor. They are running out of time if they want to save Gemma. That's more than some abstract idea. It's something that requires both Innie and Outie to be on the same page. Innie Mark received some clarity about why he was created. However, he remains deeply skeptical of his Outie. That's especially true when considering how different Helly is from Helena. The latter created this business while the former is Innie Mark's greatest love. His world was forever changed when she stepped onto the severed floor. He's being asked to give all of that up. His freedom is being ripped away without any guarantees of appreciation or acknowledgement. Outie Mark must ask a tremendous favor of his Innie. He makes contact now because he needs him. Innie Mark understands the severity of the situation. He doesn't want to be tricked. Every slip Outie Mark makes is further evidence of distrust. It's blatant when Outie Mark mentions Helly. He wants to manipulate his Innie like so many others at Lumon do. He needs him for a specific purpose. Innie Mark only exists on the severed floor. So he has to navigate to the exports hall for Outie Mark to retrieve Gemma and then navigate her safely to an exit. Innie Mark feels devalued. He exists to serve a role. After that, he can easily be cast aside.
Outie Mark chose to undergo reintegration. That proved to largely be a let down as the season developed. It offered the promise of Outie and Innie coming together as one. Yet they still exist as separate individuals. Their personalities are just as divided as ever. Teaming with Cobel means Mark can't approach Reghabi again. Cobel may know how to perfect the procedure since she created severance. It still involves a ton of testing. That's essentially what the MDR team provides. The completion of each project creates a new Innie persona for Gemma. She is then taken to rooms to test whether the emotional barriers hold. It's extreme because it's done on one person. 25 separate identities now reside within her mind. The numbers serve as a way to mine the tempers laid out by Kier. They are connected to Gemma's mind. Innie Mark had a direct effect on her life. He had no idea. He contributed to the torture. He doesn't have time to process that. He delivers his ultimatum. He sets his boundary and demands to see the severed floor next. Returning to work offers more eerie visuals. It amplifies the tension and threats considerably. Yet the emotions are fueled by that dialogue between Innie and Outie Mark. They have separate goals. They could understand each other previously. But now, they are total strangers. They share a body. They will each pursue what makes them happy no matter what. It requires no more thinking than that. They can't lose what they desire again.
Helly is willing to let Mark go. Jame approached her because he likes her more than his daughter. She resembles the spirit of Kier that everyone in the Eagan family uplifts. It's not a compliment to Helly. She wants nothing to do with this family. She cares about Mark. She serves as his support system as he completes Cold Harbor. Lumon believes they can offer this massive celebration for Mark finishing 25 projects during his time with the company. The celebration is more momentous than that. Cold Harbor was previously billed as one of the greatest achievements in human history. That set up a lot of expectations. The final reveal is somewhat disappointing. Dr. Mauer makes Gemma essentially step into her former life. He must see if any emotional attachments linger once the severance transition occurs. It's a successful test. Gemma follows commands and disassembles a crib. She also accepts Mark's offer to run away with him. As such, the emotional barriers of this project may not be as strong as the company desires. That's purely speculative. It's more important to assess the motives for why Innie and Outie Mark embark on this mission. It's the right thing to do for Innie Mark. He's willing to sacrifice his existence. He does so knowing the company plans on ending the employment of his entire team. It doesn't matter that Dylan rejected his Innie's resignation. That conveniently allows Innie Dylan to step forward in an act of deviance against Milchick once more. He needed that confidence boost as well as the acknowledgement that he shouldn't envy his Outie's life.
The Innies must stand united together. They far outnumber the Lumon employees who know the grand plan. They are being tortured by those in charge. In fairness, Milchick is as well. He has realized the Eagan family doesn't particularly care about him. He is expendable. He may become a disgruntled former employee like Cobel. He lets another disaster occur. He's trapped in a bathroom. Helly rallies a marching band in solidarity. It's striking when the performers refuse to stop the routine when Helly pleads for help. When given their attention though, she shapes their minds. Every severed employee has lost something on this job. Lorne raises goats just for them to be slaughtered. It adds to the symbolism. It's nothing more than that. A creature dies operating under the belief the sacrifice will help guide others to enlightenment. Lorne's department grows attached to these creatures. Drummond expects her to accept being the one to kill Emile. She refuses to do so. In fact, she turns against her captor. She rises up just like the other severed employees. The fight between Mark and Drummond is brutal. Mark's slim frame is outmatched by Drummond's imposing figure. Lorne evens the odds. It's impressive. It's also darkly humorous when Innie Mark tries to keep Drummond alive to exploit him only for the gun to go off during the elevator. It's an alarming scene for Outie Mark to find himself in. It also provides the blood necessary to enter the Cold Harbor room. He was lucky and ultimately successful in this mission.
The season was designed around the need to get Gemma out of Lumon. The finale concludes with that happening. Innie and Outie Mark get her to safety. So many nuanced dynamics play out between the two of them in a matter of minutes. Their personalities have been split in multiple ways. They have to trust each other without questioning the urgency of the situation they are in. They have to go along for the ride. Innie Mark pushes Gemma to her freedom. She pleads for him to join her. She doesn't understand his doubts. Innie Mark loves Helly. He suddenly has to choose between them. Helly arrives to make the visual even more potent. It's impossible for Mark and Helly to be running off to a better life together. They are stuck on the severed floor. The Lumon executives probably won't take kindly to their latest destructive actions. Yet they hold hands and run down the hallways together. They are bonded on this journey. They can't escape each other. They want as much time together as possible. It's simultaneously fleeting and hopeful. It's devastating to leave Gemma all alone. It's frustrating that some mysteries weren't solved by the conclusion of the season. Some plots had to be condensed in service of this tense moment. Nothing could linger for too long. Plenty of doubts remain. Yet the true honesty emerges through human connection. That transcends every layer of severance. Each person is deserving of a life. They should fight for it. That's precisely what the severed employees are doing. They do so regardless of what the consequences may be. The show paints itself into a corner with this ending. Yet that's the precise place where the creative team enjoys being. It forces more bold choices moving forward. That's rewarding especially as it pertains to the unique characters presented in this fantastical premise. It's all so moving and beautiful without ever losing its sense of worry and dread either.
