Severance star reacts to season 2 episode 7 twist, says part of their character "is gone"

This week's episode finally detailed precisely what the character has been going through, following the bombshell season 1 cliffhanger in which Ms Casey and Gemma were revealed to be two sides of the same person.

We learn that Lumon has been subjecting Gemma to twisted experimentation, severing her into more than just the typical two 'innie' and 'outie' personas, which has left her mind fragmented and her perception of events confused.

It remains unclear whether this intense psychological pressure will render her beyond recovery, with Lachman telling Variety that it's possible some aspects of Gemma's former personality have been lost forever.

"I definitely think a part of her — that joy and ease and frivolity — is gone, to some degree," she explained in an interview post-Severance season 2 episode 7, titled Chikhai Bardo. "She just wants to get home to Mark."

Lachman continued: "Ms Casey is quite rudimentary. When I got the script for episode 7, I thought, to justify that quite literal person, who is simplistic in many ways, maybe it's because her mind has been bifurcated so many times.

"Unlike the severed floor, where it's just their work person and their person in the real world, perhaps because Gemma has so many different versions of her mind, that has affected her. That's my fan theory — that there might be a part of her that's gone."

On an optimistic note, she clarified: "But I do think she is essentially there, and her love for Mark and her strength and determination is still there."

The episode depicts Gemma's treatment by Lumon scientist Dr Mauer (played by Robby Benson), who exhibits a disturbing obsession with his subject – even pretending to be her husband in one severed deception.

"She loathes him, obviously," Lachman said of their twisted dynamic. "His relationship with her is totally different because he gets to experience being in all these different rooms with her. He's infantilising her in a way."

As depicted in episode 7, Gemma has attempted to take a stand against her mistreatment, but Lumon has made it incredibly difficult for her to escape by carving her psyche into disconnected segments, leaving her "trapped by her own mind".

Lachman described the storyline as "heartbreaking" and teased that the writers have shared little more with her than they have with the audience, meaning she's clamouring for revelatory details just like the rest of us.

She added: "I do feel like we get a lot of answers this season. It's not all left as a mystery for the sake of a mystery. They are answering questions – and asking even more."

Severance season 2 is available to stream on Apple TV+ with new episodes weekly. Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

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