The season finale of Severance airs tonight on Apple TV+. At 9 p.m. EST, we will finally find out what exactly Mark and the macro data refinement team have been doing. Across its two seasons, the show has been packed full of symbolism. For instance, the religious allusions construct Lumon as a cult with Eagan as its God and the innies as disciples. The eating habits of the are also symbolic, thought to represent cultist rituals that demonstrate Lumon’s control over its employees. One scene in season 2, episode 9, highlights this symbolism.
At the beginning of the episode, Helena Eagan (a.k.a Helly R.) slices a hard-boiled egg into six equal pieces and arranges them circularly on a plate. Her father, Jame, sits nearby and sips his coffee. Helena slices the white of the egg into tiny pieces and begins eating, leaving the yolk untouched. Jame then says to her in an ominous tone, “I wish you’d take them raw.” Helena’s slow consumption of her breakfast combined with Jame’s comment is disturbing, but what does the egg in Severance actually mean?
Why does Jame want Helena to eat eggs raw?
Writing for Screen Rant, Lewis Glazebrook recalls a discussion in season 1, episode 2, about the eating habits of Kier Eagan, the founder of Lumon. Mr. Milchick tells Helly that Kier Eagan’s favorite breakfast was raw eggs with milk. Jame expressing the wish for Helena to eat raw eggs suggests that he wants her to be more like the founder, since she is the heir to the company. Additionally, the fact that both Kier and Helena eat only eggs for breakfast shows how cult-like the Eagan family is. Finally, Glazebrook suggests that Jame could be testing whether Helena’s severance boundaries are holding or whether Helena recognizes raw eggs as Kier’s favorite meal, as only Helly knows this.
Is Helena pregnant?
In a Reddit thread discussing theories from the show, Reddit user Joldinski mentions how a scene in last week’s episode showcases a shot that looks similar to the female reproductive system. Eggs are often seen as a sign of fertility and conception. Reddit user SeniorGap6784 ties the separation of the egg into equal slices to the division of cells in a growing embryo in the same thread. However, we know that pregnant people are not supposed to eat raw eggs. The imagery of the egg, as well as Helena’s choice to eat the egg cooked, suggests that she could be pregnant with Mark’s child. Fans expect this could be officially revealed during tonight’s finale.
What is the importance of the image on the plate?
The plate Helena eats off of contains an old-timey illustration of two adults seemingly fighting over a child, pulling the child’s arms in opposite directions. When Helena arranges the slices of the egg, the child’s face is in the center. TikTok commenter @foulgamernz sees this as a clear indication of Helena’s pregnancy. Furthermore, Reddit user soundchaser4631 says that the image on the plate indicates that Helena and her innie, Helly R., will end up fighting over claims to motherhood of the child, as both characters have had sex with Mark.
Why does Helena only eat the egg white?
Many fans are making the connection that the egg white represents outies and the yolk represents innies, while the egg overall represents the brain. By separating the white and yolk, Helena is literally severing the egg and only eating the outie section. Reddit user BVDintheSEA theorizes that Helena’s choice to boil the egg, cut it into perfect tiny slices, and only eat the white represents her exerting the little control she has and reflecting her utter lack of agency over the rest of her life.
Is this scene connected to Gemma?
We know from season 2, episode 7 that Gemma is trapped on the testing floor of Lumon, where Lumon is trying to create multiple innies within the same person, severing her multiple times. The slicing of the egg into multiple pieces could represent this creation of multiple innie Gemmas. Reddit user BlackLion-74 mentions that Gemma visits six rooms a day on the testing floor, and Helena slices the egg into six pieces. This furthers the connection between the egg and the idea of severance.
Clearly, the egg scene has many possible interpretations with large implications for the season finale and the future of the show. But decide for yourself what this scene means, if it even means anything at all. After all, we could be looking too far into it. Reddit user itsbigms jokingly comments, “Severance fans don’t [overanalyze] a 2 minute long scene challenge.”