Severance Season Two, Episode Seven: Deeper Down the Rabbit Hole of "Chikhai Bardo"
The seventh episode of Severance season two, "Chikhai Bardo," has left viewers reeling in its wake. It’s a mesmerizing, maddening, and deeply unsettling piece of television that answers some long-held questions while simultaneously creating a labyrinth of new ones. Even after multiple viewings, the episode’s true meaning remains elusive, shrouded in symbolism and surreal imagery. It handily surpasses even the show’s prior forays into the bizarre, making the Kier Eagan memorial park with its doppelgangers feel almost quaint in comparison. "Chikhai Bardo" is a full-blown Severance fever dream, brought to life with stunning artistry.
A massive congratulations are due to Jessica Lee Gagné, the show’s director of photography, who makes her directorial debut with this installment and crafts a truly unforgettable episode. The visual language is as potent as the narrative, contributing to the episode’s overall sense of disorientation and unease. But beyond its aesthetic achievements, what is "Chikhai Bardo" actually about?
The episode title itself provides a crucial entry point. As Gemma explains within the episode, "Chikhai Bardo" refers to "the same guy fighting himself. Defeating his own psyche. Ego death." This description perfectly encapsulates the internal struggles that both Gemma and Mark are experiencing simultaneously. Each character is trapped within their own mental landscape, bouncing between past and present, innie and outie, grappling with their current realities and fragmented identities. It’s worth noting that the Chikhai Bardo card itself has appeared before, pilfered by Dylan in season one, the frantic search for which led to Mr. Milchick briefly activating innie Dylan in his outie’s home, setting up the overtime contingency we saw play out in the season one finale.
The episode confirms the long-suspected truth: Mark’s wife, Gemma, is alive. But that revelation is only the tip of the iceberg. We learn that Lumon is actively holding Gemma within the building, subjecting her innie to a series of bewildering and potentially torturous experiments. Her outie is aware of this, and deeply despises it. Further, the episode unveils the tragic loss of a baby that Gemma and Mark were expecting, adding another layer of grief to their already burdened past. We also glimpse the night Gemma disappeared, the point after which Mark believed her to be dead, the event that ultimately drove him to undergo the severance procedure.
Mark, meanwhile, remains unconscious after his self-induced reintegration escalation. His mental state takes the form of a journey through his memories with Gemma. These flashbacks offer a poignant glimpse into their relationship, showcasing their meet-cute, shared meals, loving moments, heated arguments, and their final night together. These scenes paint a portrait of a deep and enduring love, adding weight to Mark’s decision to be severed in the aftermath of Gemma’s supposed death. Her disappearance becomes the inciting incident, the cornerstone of the entire series.
The core of the episode centers on the mysterious "testing floor" at Lumon, accessible through the exports hall and the elevator that torments Irving’s dreams. Gemma is subjected to daily trials in various rooms, each demanding a different persona. Each time she enters a room, she becomes a new innie, devoid of memory of her previous experiences. She may, however, experience the residual physical and emotional effects of these trials, such as the aftermath of hours of dental work or the overwhelming dread of writing countless thank you notes, a task she’s always loathed.
Two figures preside over Gemma’s experiences on the testing floor: a nurse, played by Sandra Bernhard, and Dr. Mauer, portrayed by Robby Benson. The nurse prepares Gemma for each day’s trials, while Dr. Mauer oversees the experiments in each room. While the specifics of the testing floor remain intentionally vague, the prevailing theory is that it serves to push the boundaries of severance. By subjecting Gemma’s innies to extreme stressors, Lumon seeks to understand the limits of memory, identity, and control. Gemma is, essentially, a human crash test dummy, enduring a series of meticulously crafted mini-productions designed to elicit specific responses. She is forced to endure an abusive Christmas, an agonizing session with a dentist, and even a simulated plane crash, the logistics of which remain a terrifying mystery.
The implication, underscored throughout the episode, is that Gemma may have multiple innies, with Ms. Casey being only one of them. This multiplies the horror and hints at a far more complex and insidious application of the severance procedure than previously imagined. Each day is "always Christmas" because she’s cycling through different innies tailored to specific tasks and experiences.
Throughout her time on the testing floor, Gemma seems to have entered every room except one: "Cold Harbor." The camera lingers on this name, signaling its importance. This is, of course, the name of the project Mark S. has been working on, the one that Lumon prioritizes above all else. Gemma yearns to know what lies within that room, and her curiosity mirrors the audience’s.
While the contents of "Cold Harbor" remain unknown, we are shown a space that may be connected. The camera pans from inside a computer, revealing a person resembling an alternate version of Mark S. He is surrounded by individuals who appear to be doppelgangers of the four main severed floor employees, overseen by Mr. Drummond and Dr. Mauer. They are all intently watching their look-alikes as they work. This appears to be Lumon’s method of tracking Mark S.’s progress on the Cold Harbor project, which remains stalled at 96%. The nosebleed is blamed for the delay, but we know that the nosebleed was a consequence of reintegration complications following Mark S. and Helly’s sexual encounter.
The testing floor takes a significant toll on Gemma. She senses that her presence at Lumon is fundamentally wrong, and she eventually reaches a breaking point when Dr. Mauer falsely informs her that Mark has remarried and started a new family. In a moment of defiance, Gemma attacks Dr. Mauer with a chair and attempts to escape. She makes it to the elevator and into the hallway, only to be confronted by Mr. Milchick. He manipulates her into reverting to her Ms. Casey innie, who is predictably disoriented. Milchick then lies to her about her outie visiting the building and forces "Ms. Casey" back into the depths of Lumon.
The episode itself is structured as a lyrical dance, interweaving Mark’s memories with Gemma’s experiences. The montages of their relationship are beautifully rendered, revealing new facets of Mark’s character and highlighting Gemma’s warmth and strength. We gain a deeper understanding of their connection, appreciating the depth of their love despite their struggles.
Beyond the central narrative, several other details warrant attention. After losing their child, Mark and Gemma visit an IVF office at the Butzemann Family Center. (Butzemann translates to "boogeyman" in German.) Dr. Mauer is briefly seen observing them in real life. This raises the disturbing possibility that he was acting as Gemma’s Harmony Cobel, infiltrating their lives both inside and outside of Lumon.
When Gemma discusses "Chikhai Bardo," she is filling out a personality test she received in the mail. Mark dismisses it, but Gemma finds it enjoyable. Given that similar personality tests are used within Lumon, it is possible that this was an early form of interaction with the company, perhaps one of the incidents that brought them to Lumon’s attention.
Mark’s present-day storyline, while less prominent in this episode, contains crucial moments. Devon learns about Mark’s reintegration from Reghabi and is informed that Gemma is alive. Reghabi expresses concern that Devon might contact Harmony Cobel. While Harmony has been absent in recent episodes, her return seems inevitable. Devon ultimately decides against contacting her, at least for now.
The individual who was previously seen picking up dental equipment from Optics and Design while whistling "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" reappears in this episode, once again whistling the same tune and carrying dental equipment. This confirms that it was, in fact, Dr. Mauer who was collecting the supplies. As is typical of Severance, every detail, no matter how seemingly insignificant, is interconnected.
The fundamental question of why Lumon faked Gemma’s death remains unanswered. However, there’s a suggestion that it’s linked to the Cold Harbor project. Drummond and Mauer state that once Mark completes Cold Harbor, their time with Gemma will be over. This implies that Lumon’s manipulation of Gemma was a means to an end: to ensure Mark’s involvement in the project. Gemma may have been a pawn, a reason to lure Mark into the company’s clutches. This possibility is deeply unsettling.
"Chikhai Bardo" is a remarkable episode that simultaneously provides answers and creates a host of new, more disturbing questions. Is Gemma alive? Yes. What is she doing at Lumon? Undergoing bizarre tests. But why did they fake her death? Why are these tests necessary? How many others have been subjected to similar trials? What is their purpose? These are the questions that linger, burrowing deep into the viewer’s mind.
The show’s ability to provoke such profound questions and leave such a lasting impact is a testament to its quality. However, with each layer of mystery peeled back, there is a growing concern that Severance is venturing into territory that is almost too overwhelming. "Chikhai Bardo" is a stunning achievement, but it also raises the specter of a narrative that could become too intricate, too convoluted, even for its own good.
