Warning! This article contains spoilers for Severance season 2, episode 3.
Dylan’s storyline inSeveranceseason 2, episode 3 only proves how cruelly effective Lumon can be at manipulating its employees. The story of the episode centered aroundSeverance’s ensemble cast of characterslooking for Ms. Casey/Gemma. This was the case forSeverance’s Innie and Outie personalities, with Mark and Devon also formulating a plan to get a message to the former’s Innie and ask who he meant when blurting out"She’s alive"in the season 1 finale.
Beneath the offices of Lumon, Mark S hatched a similar plan to find outwhere Ms. Casey is inSeveranceseason 2. Mark and his MDR compatriots draw up a sketch of Ms. Casey and photocopy them, taking them to the other departments of the severed floor to see if anyone else knows where she is.Although Helly and Irving were committed to Mark’s cause, Dylan was shown to remain in MDRand continue his work. The reason for Dylan’s reaction stems from his previous interactions withMilchick inSeveranceseason 2, proving Lumon’s manipulation to already be working.
Dylan Isn’t Helping Mark With His Gemma Mission Because Of Lumon’s Incentives
AfterSeveranceseason 1’s ending, Lumon began implementing new ways to placate the Innies and convince them to keep working. One such method of manipulation was revealed inSeveranceseason 2, episode 1, but solely to Dylan. Milchick took Dylan behind the wall of his office to a table that showcased plans for the Outie Visitation Suite that, should Dylan continue his work peacefully, would allow the employee to contact his Outie’s family and learn more about his life outside of the office.
Dylan is likely worried that these incentives could be taken away and that he will no longer get to learn more about his family if he steps out of line…
Herein lies the reasoning behind Dylan’s lack of help inSeveranceseason 2, episode 3. Dylan is likely worried that these incentives could be taken away and that he will no longer get to learn more about his family if he steps out of line. This explains why he does not rebel alongside Mark, Helly, and Irving inSeveranceseason 2, episode 3, instead dutifully conducting his work in exchange for a brief meeting with his wife in the new Outie Visitation Suite.
Innie Dylan’s Interaction With Gretchen Explained
Dylan’s Obedience Did Not Go Unrewarded
While the other MDR workers were out searching for Ms. Casey, Dylan was escorted to what was once the Security Room housing the switch forSeverance’s Overtime Contingency Protocol. This room has since been converted and is now the Outie Visitation Suite, with Dylan receiving an 18-minute session with his Outie’s wife, Gretchen. Overall, the meeting is depicted as a fairly awkward encounter, likely due to the mixed feelings it would raise. For Gretchen, she is seeing a man she loves with an entirely different personality, who cannot even say that he loves her back and lives solely for MDR work.
Severance: What Lumon’s Macrodata Refinement Department Does
Many aspects of the Macrodata Refinement Department’s job remain unclear in Severance, but the show drops many clues about what Lumon expects from it.
For Dylan, he is seeing a window into a life he can never fully experience, proving just how evil Lumon is by making this “perk” a somewhat torturous experience for both. The point of the meeting from Lumon’s perspective was to make Dylan want more information. Now that he has had the meeting with Gretchen, he will only want to learn more about his life on the outside.This will incentivize Dylan to continue committing to his MDR work, furthering the company’s sinister Cold Harbor plansas the season goes on.
Will Dylan Turn On The Rest Of The MDR Team In Severance Season 2?
Dylan Could Become A Turncoat, For Tragically Sympathetic Reasons
The question going forward intoSeveranceseason 2’s remaining seven episodes is how this will affect Dylan’s camaraderie with the other MDR workers. After a while, Helly, Mark, and Irving will likely wonder why Dylan is not helping with their efforts to uncover Lumon’s lies. Dylan has been instructed not to tell the others of the Outie Visitation Suite, potentially leading to conflict if he decided to lie to them as a means of ensuring more visits from Gretchen and potentially even his children.
Moreover, Lumon could attempt to use Dylan as a mole so that the company can gain more information about Mark’s plans.If the company threatens Dylan’s family and/or raises the possibility of no more visitations in the future, Dylan could turn on his friendsand relay information to Lumon. Dylan has been driven by his family since learning of their existence inSeveranceseason 1, so these realities are certainly not impossible. How this storyline truly develops remains to be seen, butSeveranceseason 2 has at least proven Lumon’s dark manipulation tactics to be endlessly effective thus far.
