“Severance” season 1 finale ended with the show’s biggest revelation till then, and introduced us to a mysterious character- Helena Eagan. We discovered she is Lumon Industries’ CEO, James Eagan’s daughter! The revelation was absolutely eye-popping and resulted in one of the best cliffhangers on TV ever! Though the 2nd season showed us plenty of Helena, her intentions are still ambiguous. Let’s dive into this character to understand her motivations and Britt Lower’s amazing performance as Helena and her innie, Helly.
“Severance” opens with Helena lying on the table, waking up, as her innie Helly R. We get to see the severance chip work with great efficiency as Helly has no recollection of how she ended up there. Mark S (Adam Scott) is the first person she hears and justly dislikes him throughout most of season 1. To Helly, he is part of the machine that has inflicted this predicament upon her. His friendly demeanour irritates her and she hates every minute at MDR, the department she is supposed to work at on Lumon Industries’ ‘severed’ floor. Not much later, Helly’s had enough of her mundane existence and requested to resign, i.e., end her life. As per company policy, all resignations have to be approved by the innie’s personalities on the outside, which in her case, goes to Helena.
We know now why Helena dismissed Helly’s request. Helena’s agenda all along was to use Helly to glorify the life of an innie at Lumon. It’s a bold move to have the CEO’s daughter participate in the company’s most controversial process as a marketing stunt. It’s too big to fail. But along with the revelation of Helena’s identity came questions like – Why would Helena agree to be severed? Does she so strongly advocate the severance process? Or is she doing it to save Lumon? Or was she forced? These questions led to several theories over the internet, with fans continuing to theorise for the next 3 years until the release of Season 2.
As the boss’s daughter, Helena is a powerful person on the outside. And that air of confidence can be sensed in Helly’s rebellious nature. In fact, her defiance is so dominant that she threatens Helena by declaring she’d cut off her fingers if she isn’t terminated. This threat leads Helena to shockingly respond with the words, ‘I am a person. You are not.’ Helena’s genuine lack of empathy towards innies is presented several times throughout the second season.
If we are to look at “Severance” as a character study, then Helena is the most important character because the story is propelled by her actions. Helena and Helly are two sides of the same person, battling each other. This battle between them is aptly visualised in the ‘staircase scene’, where Helly tries to exit the hallway to the staircase and Helena keeps entering it. Like an unstoppable force clashing with an immovable object, they both refuse to give up until Helly finally relents, and asks, ‘Am I dead? Is this hell or something?
We are a part of Helly’s journey from her inception. Her motivations are unambiguous to us. She feels trapped at MDR and wants to get out. The more she is informed of the lack of control she has on her own existence, the more trapped she feels. She is forced to submit and live in the Lumon offices for what seems to her the rest of eternity.
The opportunity to escape appears when the innies discover the ‘overtime contingency’. Helly visits the outside world, and a key piece of Severance’s puzzle is unravelled. She is transported to a marketing event where Helly is used as a mascot to sell the severance process. While it’s a serious punch in the gut for Helly, this is also her moment to get retribution. We don’t get to see the events after her outburst, ‘My name is Helly R. I’m an Innie. And everything they’ve told you about severance is a lie.’. But it must’ve made a huge splash in the outside world of the show.
In season 2, it’s Helena’s turn to make the next move. She immediately begins damage control by recording a video stating she was under the influence of alcohol and drugs, and what was said was meant as a bad joke. She then enters the severed floor, impersonating Helly, which also means that the severed floor can be reached without the chip being activated. Helena’s spy operation goes without a hitch, but the more intriguing scene is the one shown earlier, where on a computer screen she sees Helly and Mark kiss. She replays the scene over and over on her computer. Helly and Mark’s relationship and potential romantic connection are exciting to her. Is it because she has found a way to exact revenge on Helly? Or is it because she lacks romance in her own life?
Also Read: Severance (Season 1) Explained: Recap, Themes and Ending Analysed
There are 2 ways to look at Helena – She’s either a manipulative and vindictive person looking to break her innie, or she is trapped within Lumon’s universe and is subconsciously looking for her own escape. The show conceals the truth in season 2, giving enough credence to each theory. It makes sense if Helena’s actions are an act of vengeance towards Helly, who attempted to kill her. As a spy, she is playful with Mark, which leads to them spending the night together in the episode “Woe’s Hollow.” Upon discovering this, Helly says, ‘What sucks is that she got to have that, and I didn’t. That she used me to trick my friends. Used my body to get close to you. That she dresses me in the morning like I’m a baby. That she controls me, and this company, and all of us. It’s disgusting.’
While Helly sounds right, Helena doesn’t always look like she’s in charge. Having Helly return to the team upon Mark’s insistence shows that Helena is not in control, and business decisions take precedence over her personal choices. It also seems farfetched for her to have sex with Mark just to gain his trust or as an act of retaliation. There are less intrusive ways to do that. There was tenderness in their togetherness. It was lovemaking. When lying together after, she whispers to Mark, ‘I didn’t like who I was on the outside. I was ashamed.’ These words can be interpreted either way, as an explanation for her silence after the OTC event or her genuine feelings.
Helena’s body language provides further clues to her personality. When Helly walks, she has a devil-may-care attitude in her swing. She walks like she owns the place; however, when Helena walks the same walls, she is deliberate, and she cowers at times. The pressures of her position and the desire for her father’s approval weigh her down. The difference is subtle, but it is there. There is a sense of freedom in the way Helly moves.
There is also a mirthful yet assured smile on Helena’s face when she talks to less powerful employees of the company. Brit Lower’s performance in “Severance” is deep and nuanced. The difference between the two personalities is internalised. Through Lower, they are the same person going through different emotions. When Helly returns from Irving, drowning her at the end of “Woe’s Hollow,” the difference between the two identities is stark. She bolts into Mr. Milchik’s office and demands an explanation. When Helena pretends to be Helly, she can’t imagine Helly to be this headstrong and decisive.
Helena’s personal life looks to be devoid of affection or pleasure. Her father is distant and odd. But when Helena is with Mark, she is on an adventure that involves romance and wonder. The motif of innie and outie being attracted to the same person is solidified with the storyline in which Dylan’s innie falls in love with his outie’s wife. But was Helly ever really attracted to Mark? Or is Helly manipulated into falling for Mark by the conniving Helena? Whether this is true or not, one can’t argue that Helena is the catalyst that propels Mark and Helly’s romance.
The most confusing scene of the second season is when Helena meets Mark’s outie at the Chinese restaurant. Helena made the choice to surprise Mark with a visit. This wasn’t a directive from the Lumon board. She is flirtatious with Mark, and, even bizarre, is that he responds to it. I mean, this is a man who’s drilling holes in his head to find his missing wife! The only logical explanation for her action is that she wanted to see Mark again and experience the chemistry they share.
In contrast to Helena’s unclear motivations, Helly’s are crystal clear. She is a bold and moral person who values their freedom. It could also be that the outright distrust Helly has towards Lumon is a manifestation of Helena’s subconscious hate for the company and the board that comes between her and her father. All we can do is speculate for the moment on whether Helena is an antagonist or not. The next season will hopefully reveal Helena’s intentions, and given the show’s originality, there is no doubt that it would make for great TV.
