Why Is Helly Lying About Her Outie Identity?

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Severance Season 2 Episode 1, “Hello, Ms. Cobel.”]

Severance is back and already raising several questions in its second season, with the biggest one being: Why did Helly (Britt Lower) lie about being her outie’s identity?

As viewers know by now, in Season 1’s finale, Helly discovered when her innie form was awakened in the outside world, her true identity is that of Helena Eagan, the daughter of the current Lumon Industries CEO, Jame Eagan (Michael Siberry). So when she returned to the severed floor in Season 2, her story about her outie life should have been about discovering her identity, but instead, Helly tells her fellow MDR (Macrodata Refiners) something entirely different.

Apple TV+

When Mark (Adam Scott) questions her about what she saw when she “woke up” outside of the severed floor, Helly tells him as well as fellow MDR teammates Dylan (Zach Cherry) and Irv (John Turturro) she was in a “really f**king boring apartment.”

As the questioning went further, Mark asked if she lived alone and Helly said yes, “I was watching some nature show on TV wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt.” The picture she paints couldn’t be further from the truth though as Helly woke up in Helena’s world, donning a fancy gown with full makeup and hairstyling for a gala presentation.

While Helly’s story seems to captivate her coworkers, when Irv asks about what she did next, she reveals she went outside and found a guy she describes as a gardener and that she told him everything she could about Lumon with the hope he’d pass the information on.

“A gardener? A night gardener?” Irv then questions, poking a hole in her story. So, why did Helly lie? There are a few different avenues for the reasoning behind it.

Perhaps, Helly wants to keep her identity a secret until she can gather more information about Helena Eagan. After all, since she and the MDR team were trying to tear down Lumon from within, would they turn their backs on her if they were to discover her true identity? Her fear of being rejected could be a driving force.

Then again, considering Lumon’s practices, especially when it comes to severed employees, who is to say they didn’t mess with Helly’s mind somehow? There’s also the third, more insidious option: Helly isn’t Helly, but rather Helena.

If that were the case, there would need to be a major explanation for how that’s possible, as severed employees are transformed into their innie selves via elevator ride into the company’s lower floors. What are your theories about the reason for Helly’s lie? Sound off in the comments section, and stay tuned to see how it plays out as Season 2 of Severance continues.

Severance, Season 2, Fridays, Apple TV+