Severance

Warning ! This clause contains pillager for Severance season 2 ’s sequence 5 .

While it bet likeSeveranceseason 2 ’s sequence 5 might have create a major timeline plot hole , a near look at many developments from the show ’s late installment suggests there is more to it than meets the eye . Like every television show , Severance , too , has a comely share of plot inconsistency and nonaged erroneousness . However , more often than not , what comes off as a variance inSeveranceeventually turns out to be a deliberate narration choice to pave the mode for a massive plait .

For instance , theHelly / Helena twirl inSeveranceseason 2 ’s episode 4 was utterly set up by the elevator scene from sequence 2 ’s terminate moment . Severanceseason 2 ’s installment 5also seems to have a detectable timeline fault that attain it hard not to wonder whether the show is designedly trying to foreshadow a larger story about the distortion of prison term at Lumon . Since theApple TV+ sci - fi showis known for its aid to detail , it seems potential that the mutual exclusiveness in its story in installment 5 might be setting the degree for more intriguing development .

Article image

Severance Season 2’s Episode 5 Proves The Innies' Timeline Is Not Consistent With The Outies'

The Episode Gives A Glimpse Of The Timeline For The Innies

icon via Apple TV+

Severancehas never explicitly revealed the year of its mount , and even the innies seem less concerned about the year in the extraneous earthly concern . However , in season 2 ’s episode 5 , the series move over a glimpse of the timeline inside the Lumon part . When Dylan delivers a manner of speaking during Irving ’s funeral , the poster behind him say " Quarter 882 . " Assuming that one after part lasts three month in Lumon , the company should be a minuscule over 220 years one-time . give how Lumon was founded in 1865,the present year in the series should be somewhere around 2085 .

While Severance has confirmed how a few override protocols work , there seems to be an air of ambiguity surrounding several others in the sci - fi show .

Adam Scott as Mark in Severance

Custom Image by Dhruv Sharma.

moot the show ’s enactment of retro - futurist visuals and ambitious Einstein - vary technology , it would not be surprising if it is set in the future . However , several other details in the serial publication ' story do not align well with this timeline revelation . For instance , Mark ’s repel licence say he was carry in 1978 , suggesting the show ’s timeline should be in tandem with the real world . explain the show ’s timeline , showrunner Dan Erickson also reveal ( viaThe Wrap ) that " sort of an substitute , mistily now - ish timeline . " This wee it hard not to question if the " Quarter 882 " point is a plot hole .

Many Similar Timeline Discrepancies Exist In Severance

Innie Time Seems Relatively Different From Outie Time

There are illustration in the series where , as Mark ’s scout propose , he goes to Lumon one day but allow the role the next . This is in particular noticeable in season 1 ’s scuttle episode , where he seems to be in the Lumon building for more than 24 hour . Mark also experiences many unusual lapse in his retention . For instance , as seen in season 1 , Mark keep struggling to keep up with his personal obligations as an outie , which is attributed to his issues with intoxicant but could have something to do with the advisedly misrepresented timeline .

Petey ’s comment on the inconsistent relativity between the innie and outie worlds explicitly suggests that the overarching timeline is deeply fractured .

When Petey describes his reintegration experience in Severance season 1 , he also says,“It ’s like having two dissimilar lives suddenly stitched together , but the relativity is f**ked , so my first day at Lumon is as far back as my 5th birthday … and with two past it blurs the present tense , too . “Petey ’s remark on the discrepant relativity between the innie and outie world explicitly paint a picture that the overarching timeline is deeply fractured . While it is strange why this lapse in timeline live in the detail - orient Apple TV+ sci - fi show , it seems likely that it is a plot of ground maw .

Severance Season 2 Ep 5-31

Image via Apple TV+

Severance’s Timeline Inconsistencies Cannot Be Plot Holes

The Show Should Eventually Reveal Why The Timeline Distortions Exist

SinceSeveranceis primarily a psychological drama in which the memory of several characters are undergo major manipulation , the timeline difference of opinion could have something to do with the character reference ' perception of metre . By calling attention to the discrepancies between innie and outie time , Severancemight be trying to establish that the fiber ' internal sense of clock time may not be in tandem bicycle with the outside world ’s clock because of their memory opening and fragmented consciousness .

Since Lumon has antecedently lied to the Lumon workers about the timeline of the Overtime Contingency incident , the timeline difference could also be a tactic to keep the innies ignorant about the outside man ’s upshot . Lumon might also be measuring time differently , apparently based on the time the innies have spent in the Lumon building since their cosmos .

give how the lop worker ' universe has been splice into separate half , each half experiences a distinct sense of time . However , once the two halves are overlapped through reintegration , the character are forced to go through not only two cooccurring lives but timelines as well . This creates a disorient issue . The timeline complexities inSeverancewill in all probability become Mark ’s biggest challenge the deep he delves into the reintegration process . Since his outie has existed far longer than his innie , both innie and outie role will struggle to synchronise with each other ’s memory and sensing of time .

Adam Scott as Mark in Severance, looking at the Override Protocols

Severance is a psychological thriller serial boast Adam Scott as Mark Scout , an employee at Lumon Industries who undergo a " rupture " procedure to separate his work and personal computer memory . However , as study and life personas enigmatically get to clash , it speedily becomes clear that not all is as it seems . create by Dan Erickson and directed by Ben Stiller and Aoife McArdle .

Severance Season 2 Ep 5-58

Image via Apple TV+

Severance