The Prestige TV Podcast
‘Severance’ Season 2, Episode 7 With ‘Lost’ Cocreator Damon Lindelof
Fri, 28 Feb 2025
Jo and Rob go from door to door to recap the seventh episode of ‘Severance’ Season 2. They run through a handful of listener questions before discussing their interpretations of the lore-heavy episode, the grim nature of the testing floor, and whether or not Gemma decided to get severed (4:12). Along the way, they highlight what makes this the strongest episode of the show to date and Jessica Lee Gagné’s dazzling directorial debut (34:55). Later, Joanna is joined by ‘Lost’ cocreator and showrunner Damon Lindelof to talk about why he loves ‘Severance,’ his Season 2 theories, the challenge of mystery box shows, and much more (01:15:27). Email us! prestigetv@spotify.com Subscribe to the Ringer TV YouTube channel here for full episodes of ‘The Prestige TV Podcast’ and so much more! Try Coffee mate Creamers Now: http://coffeemate.com Hosts: Joanna Robinson and Rob Mahoney Guest: Damon Lindelof Producers: Kai Grady and Donnie Beacham Jr. Video Supervision: John Richter Additional Production Support: Justin Sayles Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Chapter 1: How does 'Severance' explore the concept of identity?
Has not been inside. What do you think is in there, Jo? I don't know. Is it a room of puppies? What do you think is happening?
Oh, for sure. Yeah. Rainbows, sunshine, lollipops, something like that.
Well, real talk on that front. I think it's not hard, given the structure of the show, to draw a line between what is happening in these rooms and, say, the four tempers that we've been put right before us so often in Severance. And if that is the case, we're getting all negative emotions in this episode. We're getting the Christmas card thank you writing. We're getting the plane turbulence.
We're getting the two-hour dental exam. We're not getting anything that looks a lot like frolic, I'll say that. And so I'm not ruling out the possibility that whatever's happening in Cold Harbor could be a positive emotion.
How optimistic for you?
No, I'm not feeling good about it. I'm just saying this is a thing that is possible. But if the end game of this sort of severance is shielding out negative feelings, there will be no need to sever out positive feelings. So it's probably still absolute shit, whatever is happening in there. But the absence of frolic is noted.
Well, we'll always have it tattooed on Drummond's hands if we need it.
Certainly will.
Okay, so we mentioned that Gemma has a number of not only personas, but also she has wigs and costume changes and something that you texted to me, Rob. Rob is very assiduous about not talking about the episode. He does not burn pod. We don't pre-chat about the episode.
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Chapter 2: What theories emerge from 'Severance' Season 2, Episode 7?
And how that intake is very much like, who are you? Right? Who are you is like an odd way. It's not like, what's your name? Nice to meet you. I'm Mark. Anything like that. Who are you is not usually how one interacts. But I like that idea is like a connection between the two. If you want to call the Heli sprawled on a table, losing her mind to meet cute. In its way. Yeah, in a way.
Not a lot of Heli in this episode, obviously. Right. One thing I want to flag on pregnancy watch. Not our favorite subject. I don't know how Helly or Helena will be pregnant three days after having sex with both Marks. I don't know how any of this works. I don't know if that's where we're going to go. I was struck a little bit by Gemma's miscarriage.
And she's in the shower, sat on the floor, holding her legs in almost exactly the same position and fashion we saw Helly last week in the hall when she's removed her shoes and is kind of going through a crisis. And look, Severance loves a mirror. Severance loves recursion. Severance loves playing Gemma and Helly opposite each other, visually speaking.
I don't know what to make of any of that, but I think we got to throw it out there.
I didn't even consider that. My mind went immediately to Vesper Lind in a Bond movie.
I mean, no Daniel Craig around to suck her fingers, but you know.
Question mark. But wow. Upsetting. Thank you for raising that. I'm sorry. That's okay. But on that front, like talking about Ellie, something that like actually a couple of our listeners pointed out that I thought was interesting was this idea that, you know, if sort of building on something that Damon was talking about in our conversation about this idea of like,
If you're attracted as innies, you're going to be attracted as outies. We get this with like our guys, Bervang. We get this with Helena and Mark and Helly and Mark, you know, that there are sparks of flying no matter what the combination is, because there is something in you that is attracted to something in them. Does it mean anything? And again, we got a couple emails about this.
Does it mean anything that Mark had no real spark with Miss Casey?
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Chapter 3: How does the testing floor in 'Severance' depict a new layer of horror?
To be untucked.
To be untucked. Okay.
But he could flash it. Yeah, during a timeout.
Yeah.
But yeah, he might get teed up.
Okay. So... If Luca flashes his belly button to the camera at the Laker game tonight, everyone will know why. It will be Damon Lindelof's work. Thank you so much, Damon Lindelof, for coming on the podcast. We appreciate you.
What a way to end. Thanks for having me. Can't wait to meet you, Rob.
And you'll be back for our podcast on House of R?
Yes. Yeah. Oh, absolutely. I feel like I just did it in the waiting room.
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