The ending of Severance Season 2 Episode 5 is the show’s most heartbreaking scene so far

The closing moments of Severance Season 2 Episode 5 are heart-wrenchingly upsetting; in an instant, Mark has never been so close to the truth, but it’s out of reach.

Severance is a comedy; if Milchick’s indulgently verbose dialogue, Ricken’s hollow philosophizing, and Dylan’s inane interview at a door company don’t make you laugh, it’s probably not the TV show for you.

It’s also subtly (and sometimes, overtly) harrowing. Its dystopian premise has an appeal; most viewers probably don’t have jobs in line with their passions, and they’d be happy to check out of their brains until they get to come home from work. That, in itself, is sad; the series – and Lumon – thrives on the idea that people would rather give away half of themselves for convenience than embrace life in its entirety.

Less broadly, its main character’s plight is incredibly tragic. Mark severed himself to escape his grief over the loss of his wife, Gemma (according to Milchick, he felt like he was “choking on her ghost”). However, he’s now being forced to reckon with a horrifying idea: he mourned a woman who’s alive, and he still can’t bring her back.

Mark sees Ms Casey in Severance Season 2 Episode 5

Apple TV+

In the final scene of Severance Season 2 Episode 5, Mark asks to push ahead with reintegration – but Asal Reghabi is wary, given what happened to Petey. “Are they hurting her?” he asks about Gemma. “I don’t know,” she chillingly replies.

Suddenly, he starts hearing Ms Casey’s voice. His realities start to collide until he finds himself in an unfamiliar hallway. He steps out into a bright white corridor, just like the ones in Lumon – uncharted territory for Mark’s Outie.

“Your Outie listens to music while shaving, but not while showering,” Ms Casey says. “Your Outie prefers two scoops of icing in a serving, but they must be the same flavor. Your Outie once captured a butterfly.”

Suddenly, she’s standing behind him, but she vanishes as quickly as she appears, fading into the ether of the memory he’s trying to recapture. Mark is left standing alone, crying in his basement, staring into the space that just resurrected his wife before his eyes.

Why it’s the saddest scene in Severance so far

Apple TV+

Severance turned two words into the most electrifying cliffhanger in TV history: “She’s alive!”

Season 2 has forced Mark – and us – to confront the reality of those words. This is a man whose reason to live was stolen from him, and he retreated into emotional limbo; adrift in the spectrum of acceptance and misery. We’re desperate for them to reunite, but the series isn’t shying away from the horror of that revelation and the pain of that journey.

He’s had three things to go on: Reghabi’s vague testimony, the “what if?” possibility of his Innie’s outburst, and Devon’s suspicion that it may have something to do with Gemma. No matter what he’s been told, there has to have been a part of him that didn’t believe it.

That changes at the end of Episode 5. His experience of his Innie’s memory is the first time he sees Gemma alive with his own eyes; his worst fear and greatest hope confirmed all at once.

And, before he can reach out and feel what he lost, his brain snatches it away; one second it’s a dream, and the next it’s a waking nightmare. The emotional gravity of this moment cannot be understated: somewhere, deep in Lumon’s labyrinth, his wife is alive and he doesn’t know how or why – or when he’ll ever see her again.

You can find out when the next episode drops with our guide to the Severance Season 2 release schedule, and read more about Cold Harbor and the Glasgow Block.

If you want to refresh your memory, we also have recaps of Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, and Episode 4.

Make sure you check out what’s dropping during Dexerto’s We LOVE TV & Movies week too.