Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Severance Season 2, Episode 1, “Hello, Ms. Cobel.”
Severance‘s second season premiere just gave us a big clue about Mark Scout’s mysterious work at Lumon Industries: it’s a project called “Cold Harbor.” So what exactly is Cold Harbor in Severance Season 2, and how is Mark’s wife, Ms. Casey, involved with it?
What Is Cold Harbor in Severance Season 2?

As noted above, Cold Harbor is the name of the project Mark Scout’s innie is working on at Lumon. The specific nature of said project remains out of reach for now, though. All we know is that it involves Mark sorting encrypted, emotion-inducing numbers on his computer screen and that, as of Severance Season 2, Episode 1’s closing moments, he’s 68% of the way through this task. Why Mark has to sort these numbers and what happens when he’s done is the show’s biggest mystery (yes, bigger than the goats). But knowing Lumon, it’s nothing good.
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A popular fan theory is that Cold Harbor ties in with the four tempers: a quartet of characteristics Lumon founder Kier Eagan claimed all human souls consist of. Eagan identified the tempers as woe, frolic, dread, and malice – and the folder titles on Mark’s screen are seemingly abbreviations for each. So, according to the theory, Cold Harbor’s purpose is mapping the psyche itself. Why? Some folks think this will allow Lumon to refine the severance chips, enhancing their effectiveness. Others are convinced that the endgame is resurrecting Kier and other deceased Eagan family members. Only time (and Severance Season 2’s nine remaining episodes) will tell!
How Is Mark’s Wife Ms. Casey Connected to Cold Harbor?
That brings us to the “Mark’s wife” of it all. Severance Season 2, Episode 1 also indicates that Mark Scout’s deceased other half Gemma – known inside Lumon as the very much alive Ms. Casey – is somehow tied to Cold Harbor. After all, her face flashes up on Mark’s screen while he works. So, what’s the deal with that?
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Again, we’re light on concrete answers at this stage in Season 2’s run. But it’s possible what Mark’s doing when he sorts numbers is effectively reconstructing Gemma’s soul. This would tie into the Kier Eagan resurrection theory, although speculation that this involves cloning “Ms. Casey” is apparently off-base. Severance stars Adam Scott and Patricia Arquette explicitly denied that Casey (or anyone else at Lumon) is a clone in a recent Entertainment Weekly interview.
Severance Season 2 is currently streaming on Apple TV+, with new episodes dropping Fridays.
Published: Jan 17, 2025 12:45 pm