“Severance” season 2 spoilers follow.
The mysteries of Lumon Industries continue in Season 2 of “Severance,” and Episode 1 contains some interesting clues about the true scale of the shadowy company. The season premiere takes place entirely in the office. This means we’ll still have to wait for answers about what’s happening outside of Lumon, but new questions are already emerging.
Society has gone through some changes in the five months since Season 1 ended, with a lot of talk about the innies’ quality of life. When Mark (Adam Scott) returns to the office, his old team at Macrodata Refinement (MDR) has been replaced by three new faces, all from other Lumon branches. This gives an idea of the scope of the business, as well as the disparity between branches. Employees compare notes on their former branches’ respective Perpetuity Wings, highlighting how certain areas of Lumon are better funded. One of the employees, Dario R. (Stefano Carannante), also appears to have been previously stationed in Italy, given his native language.
Later in the episode, after the original MDR team returns, Mr. Milchik (Tramell Tillman) brings them to a newly renovated break room. He shows them an animated video that details the events of Season 1 and the subsequent reforms. In part of the video, it is stated that Lumon operates in 206 countries, making it much bigger than viewers might have previously thought.
Lumon is present in more than 200 countries
If Lumon operates in 206 countries, that raises other questions. Currently, the United Nations only recognizes 195 countries. However, this number increases somewhat on other lists, based on areas recognized as sovereign states. For example, the Olympics recognize exactly 206 different committees from around the world, including countries not recognized by the UN like Kosovo and Taiwan.
In other words, either Lumon recognizes this broader vision of independent states and operates in every possible country on Earth, or the world near “Severance” has experienced political upheaval and a redrawing of borders. Regardless, there is reason to be curious. In the same instructional video, it is recalled that Lumon was founded in 1870. That leaves a century and a half for global expansion, but we still don’t know what Lumon actually does. It is stated in the series that it is a biotechnology company, which is partly evident from the dismissal proceedings themselves and the allusions to an abnormally long life seen in the Eagan family.
The exact wording regarding the 206 countries is “from which Lumon operates.” This doesn’t necessarily mean that there are branches in every country, but it certainly looks that way. The building where the show takes place is called Branch 501. However, this doesn’t necessarily make sense. What type of business would require physical locations in hundreds of countries just so people can sit in an office in front of a computer? The office we see on the show is barely filled with employees, so it doesn’t seem like a labor issue either.
Lumon’s size explains its power
One thing that makes more sense after learning of Lumon’s international importance is why protests over the firing proceedings were largely unsuccessful. In Season 1, we see that there is a widespread movement trying to legally ban separations. While a domestic company can certainly have the power to block legislative action through extensive lobbying, Lumon’s status as a global force in biotechnology would give it infinitely more influence over not only the U.S. government, but also on governments around the world.
Until we know more about what Lumon actually does, it’s hard to guess what exact value he might bring to the world’s rich and powerful. But given that the company effectively creates a slave labor force in every country on the planet, it’s largely possible to imagine why officials might want to let Lumon continue its work.
The bigger question is how much of the company’s sectarian religious traditions surrounding its founder, Kier Eagan, are shown to the outside world. While international corporations can amass immense power and influence under global capitalism, the entire culture around Lumon is definitely strange, in a way that you would think would cause more people to be cautious. We’ll have to wait more before all the pieces (hopefully) start to fit together. That’s how shows like “Severance” work.
Lumon could be shrinking instead of growing
Another clue worth mentioning regarding Lumon’s size is that Mark W. says he transferred to Kier’s branch after his closed. This could have simply been due to poor productivity – he mentions to Mark S. that his MDR team never hit a single quota – but it could also indicate that the company isn’t doing very well after its recent bad press . .
While legislation banning the separation procedure clearly didn’t come to fruition, Mr. Milchick makes it clear that the MDR crew’s escape in Season 1 generated a ton of news. This could have been enough to cause some closures and consolidations, especially considering that the different companies Lumon operates in would all have different regulations.
If Lumon suffers, there could be a lot more pressure on characters like Milchik to lock things down. Hopefully, more secrets about what Lumon is really up to will be revealed soon.
