Warning! This article contains spoilers for Severance season 2, episode 7.
Severanceseason 2, episode 7 saw Doctor Mauer lying to Gemma several times, with one about Mark’s life being particularly dark and intentional.Severance’s Doctor Mauer was first teased in season 2, episode 5. He appeared as the whistling worker who entered O&D, obtained dental tools, and departed back down the elevator toSeverance’s Exports Hall, also known as the Testing Floor that Irving’s Outie had been endlessly painting. Mauer had a much bigger role inSeveranceseason 2, episode 7, with the episode finally revealing what Lumon has been doing to Gemma.
As it turns out, Lumon is trying to enhance the severance chips so that each individual person has several different Innies depending on where they are. Gemma was shown splitting between herSeveranceOutie and numerous Innies, with one room featuring her as the wife of Mauer during Christmas or another as a passenger on a crashing airplane. Gemma, however, was naturally growing tired of Lumon’s tests - as mostcharacters inSeverance’s castare - and kept prodding them to let her go, leading Mauer to tell some harsh lies about Mark.
The Lie Is Similar To Lumon’s Other Severed Tactics
Image via Apple TV+
InSeveranceseason 2, episode 7, Mauer tells Gemma that Mark has moved on. He insists that Mark has since married someone else and had a daughter. This comes after Gemma asks if she can leave Lumon and finally reunite with Mark, with the doctor hoping that the lie will placate her into staying and completing her work alongside him.
This links to the severallies Milchick told inSeveranceseason 2’s premiere, with each one being a way to pacify the MDR workers enough to complete their work. Mauer’s lie to Gemma was used similarly, but, evidently, had the same effect as Milchick’s did with the MDR workers by stoking more rebellion. This lie prompts Gemma to attack Mauer, even leading to her attempted escape from Lumon’s Testing Floor.
The Doctor Isn’t Completely Lying About Mark Finding Love Again
Mark Has Found Love, But Not How Gemma May Assume
What makes Dr. Mauer’s lie inSeveranceseason 2, episode 7 more interesting than Milchick’s is that there is a grain of truth in it. Although Mark does not have a daughter, he has found love since Gemma’s supposed “death.” This love has come in the form of his relationship with Helly, though it is Mark’s Innie that has these feelings.
Mark’s Outie still loves Gemma enough to prompt him to undergoSeverance’s Reintegration processto find her. Sadly, though, Gemma will not understand the difference as Mark was not a Lumon worker until after she was taken by Lumon. Despite her insistence that she does not believe Mauer’s claims, Gemma could be told the lie enough to the point where she believes it and begins conducting her work for Lumon without resistance. If so,Severanceseason 2’s lingering Cold Harbor mystery will be completed.
