‘Severance’: Why Mark & Gemma Are the Show’s Best Couple

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Severance Season 2 Episode 7, “Chikhai Bardo.”]

“Where’d you go?” It’s a question that’s posed to both Mark (Adam Scott) and Gemma (Dichen Lachman) at different points in Severance Season 2’s pivotal installment, “Chikhai Bardo.” Although neither of them provides a vocal response, viewers are plagued to know that the spouses’ minds wander to each other as they remain separated by the powers at Lumon.

This is also one of the many reasons that Mark and Gemma are the show’s best couple. Yes, even more than Mark’s innie and his workplace love, Helly R. (Britt Lower). While we have affection for that duo as well, this latest installment of the Apple TV+ series filled in the blanks surrounding Mark’s Season 1 sadness and solidified Gemma’s spot as Mark’s true love.

As viewers will recall in Season 1, Mark’s outie spends his time wallowing in the grief of Gemma’s supposed loss, believing she died in a car accident a couple of years prior. Stashing Gemma’s personal belongings in boxes stored within his basement, Mark attempts to bury the past, just like how he does so by severing his mind, unaware his innie would be crossing paths with Gemma’s innie, Ms. Casey, on a semi-frequent basis.

Apple TV+

And while nothing romantic ever occurred between them in Season 1, their wellness sessions did lead to sparks of connection, exacerbated by items of Gemma’s, like a candle we’d seen tucked away in Mark’s basement boxes. Ultimately, Ms. Casey was sent down the exports hallway, in an elevator to an unknown floor that was uncovered in this episode, “Chikhai Bardo.”

Gemma’s experimented on in a range of rooms, where various personalities were seemingly activated, and her memories plague her as she dreams of better days with Mark, mirroring the depression we saw from him in Season 1. This is juxtaposed with warm and cozy flashbacks, beginning with Mark and Gemma’s first meeting and their initial romance as colleagues and fellow intellectuals.

Glimpses of their home life reveal days passed reading books, dancing in the walls of their gorgeous home, and spending quality time with Mark’s sister Devon (Jen Tullock) and her husband Ricken (Michael Chernus). But when they explore the possibility of expanding their love and family with a baby, a miscarriage and infertility put a strain on their relationship.

Apple TV+

Even with this hurdle, Mark and Gemma make sure to remind one another of their love, and just like Gemma, Mark remembers it all, even amid his reintegration roadblock. As his mind attempts to recuperate, Gemma goes through hell on the lower floors of Lumon, but she doesn’t lose her will to fight, and it reminds us of Mark’s dedication to risking his own life in order to try and find out the truth about his missing wife.

While we never fully learn how Gemma ended up in Lumon, little Easter eggs throughout the episode hint that the company has had its eye on the pair since the beginning of their time together in the outside world. Doomed to fall victim to Lumon’s clutches, Mark and Gemma’s longing for one another seems to transcend severance as their outies continue to fight for their reunion.

But such a luxury remains intangible as their innies stand in their way. The episode title, “Chikhai Bardo,” refers to this conundrum, as Gemma noted to Mark while looking at cards with illustrations of a man fighting himself. She said “Chikhai Bardo” is a term referencing an ego death, in which a man must battle himself.

Apple TV+

We’ve seen this with Mark throughout the season, particularly with the reintegration process as he tries combining his innie and outie consciousness. Gemma’s version of this is seen when she manages to overpower one of the predatory doctors on the secret floor, stealing a badge and making her way to the elevator, only for her Ms. Casey persona to be activated, forcing her to forget the reason for her attempted escape.

Gemma’s resulting anguish when she’s sent back down to the floor she’s being held captive on is palpable as she collapses onto the floor in tears. Until now, we’ve only ever seen Mark’s side of the situation, but seeing Gemma’s yearning for Mark as she endures such atrocious scenarios only makes us root for their victory even more than before.

Again, while we appreciate the innie version of Mark’s connection with Helly R., it somehow pales in comparison to the grand love that was felt between his outie and Gemma in this episode, only serving to elevate Season 1’s echoes of that love through Mark’s grief. And it must be noted that when Mark was with Helly’s outie, Helena, during the ORTBO in Season 2’s fourth episode, he imagined Gemma there.

Gemma’s always there, running through Mark’s mind, whether it’s her or her innie Ms. Casey, even if it is inexplicable to Mark’s innie. And don’t get us started on Mark’s Season 2 premiere run directly to the Wellness Center, only to discover Ms. Casey is missing.

Related

'Severance' Aftershow: Creator Dan Erickson on Mark & Helena's Meeting in the Real World

All season Mark’s been looking for her in both his forms, and that kind of dedication deserves a pay-off. What will happen next is for the show to uncover, but we’d be lying if we said this single episode didn’t sway us to become Mark and Gemma’s biggest fan, eagerly awaiting this pair’s potential reunion. Perhaps if they reunite, they may be able to finally vocalize an answer to that heart-shattering question, “Where’d you go?”

What do you think of Mark and Gemma’s origin story and current predicament? Let us know in the comments section, below.

Severance, Season 2, Fridays, Apple TV+