Summary
The You You Are,a self-help book written by Mark’s brother-in-law Ricken Hale (Michael Chernus), was easily one of thefunniest parts ofSeveranceseason one. The sort of pompous, overwitten claptrap that any discerning person on the outside could see right through, it nevertheless had a deep effect on the Innies who read it, its dime store philosophizing leading to genuine self-actualization. The first season was rarely funnier than when Ricken’s questionable words would scroll across the screen, reverently narrated by the author himself.
Creator Dan Erickson and his fellow writers could have easily left it as a running joke and moved on, but season two has shown that onSeverance,nothing happens without consequences. In episode three, “Who Is Alive?”, Natalie (Sydney Cole Alexander), a liaison toLumon’s mysterious Board, surprises Ricken at home to discuss adapting his book for Innie-specific use, much to the chagrin of his wife Devon (Jen Tullock). This is quite a change from Lumon’s approach in season one. Rather than treat the book as contraband, they’re now trying to use it to their advantage. But if the book has such an impact on the Innies, what advantage could there be in helping them learn more about their inner selves?
Lumon Wants to Get Deeper Into Mark’s Outie’s Life
One of the most puzzling parts of season one was why Mark’s bossMs. Cobel (Patricia Arquette)was posing as his neighbor in order to keep tabs on him on the outside. Not only that, she also infiltrated Devon’s life by getting herself hired as a lactation consultant after Devon and Ricken’s daughter was born. The Lumon higher-ups were quick to label this behavior as part of their reason for firing Cobel, but it’s clear that Mark is more important to them than the other Innies. Given their inscrutable nature, it would hardly be surprising if they let Cobel take the fall for invading Mark’s Outie’s privacy while also finding other ways to do just that.
Ricken means well, but he’s clearly a bit too convinced of his own brilliance, and Lumon sees him as someone they can manipulate to their advantage, appealing to his vanity to earn his trust. He’s also not one to keep secrets very well, telling the guests at his dinner-free dinner party in season one about Mark’s severed status without asking him first. Lumon no doubt sees him as a potential source of information about what Mark is up to, which might definitely come in handy since Ricken is aware of the contact Mark’s innie made at the end of season one.
But if they just wanted to get information out of Ricken, there are probably other ways to do it than going to the trouble of establishing a working relationship with him. Ricken could also be a useful, unwitting ally in keeping Mark in Lumon’s grasp, since Mark is his main link to the severed world, and he’d likely ask him to keep going to work until the book was complete. The series hasn’t exactly explained why Lumon is going to such great lengths to keep Mark around, but it has something to do with thecompletion of the “Cold Harbor” project, which appears to connect to Miss Casey, the severed identity of Mark’s supposedly dead wife Gemma.
There’s also been some hint over the past couple episodes that Lumonmight have an interest in Devonas well. Beyond Cobel posing as her lactation consultant, both Natalie in episode three and Milchick in episode two seem to want to know more about Devon than she’s willing to share. After theevents of the season one finaleand everything that’s followed, Devon wants nothing to do with Lumon, and her reaction after walking in on Natalie and Ricken’s conversation further confirms her suspicions. Lumon might think they can control Devon and Ricken (and honestly, as far as Ricken goes, they’re probably right), but she’s clearly not going to make it easy on them.
Lumon’s Image Rehab
Another reason why Lumon might want to collab with Ricken onThe You You Are: Severed Editioncould be related to their desire to control their public image in the wake of the Overtime Contingency. While it seems like the only Innie whose actions had much reach was Helly, public opinion of the severance process is already not great in the show’s world.Lumon wants to show the Inniesand the world at large that severance is good for humanity, and that being a severed worker isn’t the kind of prison sentence the Innies might make it out to be. To that end, it probably helps their image to appear to care about their workers' well-being by offering them the opportunity to read a text other thanthe Eagan family literature.
As goofy as it appeared to viewers, Ricken’s book did seem to have a genuine effect on Mark’s Innie and the others who discovered its wisdom. It wouldn’t be surprising if Lumon were trying to co-opt the book’s message and fold it into their own mythology, to give the Innies a chance at self-actualizing in a way they can control. Whatever the reason might be, it’s another example of just how far Lumon is willing to go to control every aspect of their workers' lives.
