A Severance Theory May Answer One Of My Biggest Questions From ‘Chikhai Bardo,’ And It All Goes Back To The Very First Episode

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Despite many months having past since Severance‘s third season was set up by that heartbreaking Season 2 finale for Gemma and Mark, I still can’t quite stop thinking about everything that these characters have experienced. (And am not complaining one bit.) Here lately, I’ve been wondering more and more about Gemma’s trials and tribulations on the testing floor, which were showcased in the gonzo seventh installment.

One of the darkest TV episodes to cross my eyeballs in quite a while, “Chikhai Bardo” is also among the most complex and narratively dense eps of any fictional series, thanks in part to its spread-open timeline, its new locations and characters, and a slew of previously undisclosed details. It’s both fantastic and traumatizing from one end to the next, and still manages to leave viewers with as many questions as answers.

So let’s hone in one perhaps my biggest curiosity that didn’t seem to be directly addressed in any way, but that might have been teased all the way back in the very first episode. (Rewatch the whole series via Apple TV+ subscription to jog those memories.)

My Big Question: How Did Dr. Mauer Specifically Tailor The Testing Floor Rooms To Match Gemma’s Experiences?

While viewers didn’t get to see the full gamut of disturbing Testing Floor rooms that Lumon’s Dr. Mauer set up for Gemma to suffer through, it’d be logical to think that the majority had similar goals of pushing the character to a certain limit of discomfort and displeasure, based in part on her own personal fears and traumas. But considering the mysterious events behind Gemma being more or less abducted and forced into such servitude, it stands to reason she didn’t openly discuss all the things that bother her.

So then, how would Dr. Mauer & Co. be able to, for example, decorate some of the rooms with details and props that audiences themselves already witnessed being within Mark and Gemma’s home? As well, how was Lumon able to pinpoint so many things that Gemma hates for the sake of crafting the different rooms? Did she fill out a giant questionaire when she was first brought in, with “Writing thank you notes” at the top of the list? Doubtful.

In that way, Mauer’s psychological trickery goes well beyond just set decoration. He knows that Gemma hates writing thank you notes, but unlike viewers, he wasn’t present when Mark specifically stated that fact in an earlier scene from the same episode. Sure, Lumon is always listening, but simply hearing or seeing something doesn’t automatically lay out the full context in the way that, say, a therapy session will.

The Theory: Devin Was Referring To Dr. Mauer As Mark’s Therapist In Severance’s Series Premiere

All the way back in Severance‘s mind-expanding series premiere, “Good News About Hell,” Devon asked Mark a caring, but seemingly innocuous, question when they were away from the rest of Ricken’s dinner party guests. At the time, it necessarily couldn’t have meant all that much to the story, but all this time later, that question could have massive implications. As he started to eat his half-sandwich, she asked:

Hey, how’s the good doctor therapy man with that weird little mustache?

It’s indicated that, after an unknown amount of time seeing this therapist, Mark decided that working at Lumon in Innie-mode was doing enough, and he opted out of continued sessions. By and large, that admission didn’t seem to inform very much at the time beyond implying that Mark was still troubled in ways. But after “Chikhai Bardo,” there are more notions to consider.

During Season 1, Devon’s “weird little mustache” comment had some fans speculating that either John Turturro’s Outie Irving or Trammell Tillman’s Mr. Milchick was handling Mark’s therapy sessions. But the events in Season 2 lay out a far more menacing possible scenario: Dr. Mauer was Mark’s therapist.

The Connection: Dr. Mauer Used Mark’s Therapy Confessions To Inform Gemma’s Testing Floor Rooms

As stated above, Lumon utilizes all manner of surveillance to keep tabs on its employees, both on the company’s grounds and in the town of Kier at large. So the company illegally monitoring Mark and Gemma for years almost definitely does play into how all of Gemma’s Testing Floor rooms we know of were designed. But to keep tabs on someone’s every waking hour would take a hell of a lot of attention, and it doesn’t seem like the team handling the refiners goes far beyond Mauer, Drummund and those watching the mini-monitors below MDR.

It’s extremely possible (even likely) that Dr. Mauer (who was seen to be walking amongst other medical staff whenever Gemma went in for IVF treatments) posed as a licensed therapist for Mark around the point when he was first recruited at Lumon. During that time, Mark could have opened up about any number of personal details relating to the ups and downs he experienced with Gemma.

Details like the frustration over an unassembled crib in the house serving as a constant reminder of the couple’s hopes for a child ending in miscarriage. Or the memory of his final conversation with her, when she had to tell him she loved him twice before he said it back. That moment playing back in his head repeatedly is likely a factor that drove him into Lumon’s open (and listening) arms in the first place, so it likely would have also come up during any therapy conversations that Mark would have had.

Dr. Mauer using Mark’s candidness and grief in such a way would be one of the most bizarre examples imaginable of doctor-patient confidentiality being broken. Beyond bizarre, it’s also creepy as a dozen fucks, given Mauer’s transparent obsession with Gemma by the time she gets to the Cold Harbor room. For him to roleplay her final moments with Mark in the Allentown room was purely monstrous.

I bet Mauer doesn’t even HAVE a license to perform therapy. Wouldn’t quite be his biggest crime here, but still.

A Loose Thread Or Two

To be sure, this isn’t the most air-tight theory or answer to my question, since both could be explained in other ways. If Lumon really has been monitoring Mark and Gemma’s lives since around the time of that initial blood test (or prior), the people reviewing everything would likely be able to cull a list of things that scare and bother Gemma, as well as what pisses her off, without the need for Mark to delve further into things.

Plus, chipped-up Mark hasn’t ever come across as the most open person even in close company, even with Devon, so it’s not extremely likely that he would divulge a bunch of treasured memories to a weird-mustached man.

Still, I don’t think any line in this show is a total throwaway, and nothing Lumon-related happens by chance. There’s only one semi-medical pro on this show who’s known to roleplay. So until Dan Erickson or Ben Stiller personally tells me otherwise, while also praising me as a viewer and generally great guy, I’m now going to believe Dr. Mauer was Mark’s therapist, and I’m going to feel icky about it.