The second episode of Severance season 2 brings back an element missing from its predecessor: the show’s surreal, animated opening sequence. Severance’s showrunners have updated the intro for season 2, tying it into visual themes present in the first episode, like the clutch of balloons given to Mark S. by Mr. Milchick.
So it stands to reason the animated intro may also provide some hints about the narrative themes and events that the second season of Severance will explore. Let’s unpack.
Severance season 1’s animated intro exclusively focused on Adam Scott’s Mark S/Mark Scout, and the overlaps and clashes between his innie and his outie. The animation communicated Mark’s depressive state and his two consciousnesses bleeding into each other, a phenomenon represented by oozing black slime. The intro reinforced the color themes of Severance: Macrodata Refinement green, Lumon blue, and red, a color associated with the real life of one’s outie.
In hindsight, there’s also a more subtle nod toward candles that connected Mark S. and Ms. Casey/Gemma; Mark, in red, is shown melting into a green chair, echoing the two-color candle seen in Mark’s wellness session with Ms. Casey and a hint at their relationship.
Severance season 2’s animated intro brings in even more diverse themes and imagery. We see Mark torn between Helly and Gemma. The image of his two love interests blur together in the opening animation’s final shot of the Testing Floor elevator. Mark’s descent into lower floors — and what appears to be deeper into his own brain — as he walks down a staircase likely refers to further exploration of Lumon by Mark and his colleagues in season 2, as they attempt to discover the whereabouts of Ms. Casey/Gemma.
Irving B. also makes a brief appearance in the intro in an intriguing way: Irv’s face is emblazoned on a Lumon mug, a container that overflows with white-colored brass instruments. Irving is said to be a lover of music, yes, as Ms. Casey describes his outie as “fond of records” — but we only see him listening to Motörhead’s “Ace of Spades” in season 1. Not exactly jazzy. (The brass instruments may be a callback to the “Defiant Jazz” played in season 1, and could reflect a renewed sense of defiance from Irving, who was previously a staunch rule follower and Lumon enthusiast.)
Other imagery utilized in season 2’s intro include:
The animation company that produces Severance’s animated title sequences, extraweg, may not mean everything it included in season 2’s intro literally, of course. These are simply our best guesses about what the showrunners and extraweg may be trying to communicate. Your best spoiler-laden theories, insights, and corrections are more than welcome in the comments.
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