【vintage eroticism】

SeveranceSeason 2,vintage eroticism episode 7 finally gave us an insight into what's happening to Gemma (Dichen Lachman) on the ominous "testing floor" — and as you probably already guessed, none of it's good.

We've already broken down "Chikhai Bardo" in detail, with theories on everything from what those different doors mean (and how they connect to the MDR files) through to what Lumon is actually trying to accomplish by putting Gemma through all this.

SEE ALSO: Can consent exist in 'Severance'?

Other fans have made similar speculations since the episode aired, with Reddit user u/MysteryRawDog arguing that Lumon's main aim appears to be completely severing a person from any negative life experiences.

---

You May Also Like

---

---

Reddit

When Mashable's Belen Edwards spoke to Severancecreator Dan Erickson about episode 7, his comments seem to support this theory.

"I will say what's interesting here is that she's going through these painful or unpleasant experiences and then she's leaving, and the question that's being asked throughout the episode by Dr. Mauer (Robby Benson) is, to what degree is anything leaking through?" Erickson said. "Is she walking out of that room with any emotional echo of what she was going through in that room? So far it seems that she's not, so that's the throughline that I think is happening with what's going on in those rooms."

Mashable Top Stories Stay connected with the hottest stories of the day and the latest entertainment news. Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

Another big question, however, concerns the final door. What about "Cold Harbor", the room that Gemma has yet to go in, but which shares a name with the file Mark (Adam Scott) is working on?

Well, following on from the idea that each room represents a different form of suffering, one commenter on Reddit speculated that "Cold Harbor" might be related to death.

---

Related Stories

---

• 'Severance' finally reveals what Lumon is doing to Gemma. It's terrifying.
• 'Severance' creator Dan Erickson breaks down Gemma's 'nightmarish' experience at Lumon
• Can consent exist in 'Severance'?
• 'Severance' Season 2, episode 6: What's with those documents Mr. Drummond finds?
• 'Severance's Dieter Eagan story is more important than you think

Credit: Reddit

"I think Cold Harbor will be the death of another, and the miscarriage scene was foreshadowing," they wrote.

It makes sense, doesn't it? The name "Cold Harbor" already evokes the concept of death, and it's also one of the most intense experiences of suffering a person can experience. If Lumon is trying to sever feelings of grief, it seems likely that this would be one of the final negatives life events that they work a test subject like Gemma up to. Mark and Gemma also have their own personal connections to grief — Gemma through the miscarriage, and Mark through the miscarriage and the loss of Gemma. Would this make them the ideal test subjects?

Severance Season 2 is now streaming on Apple TV+, with a new episode every Friday.

Topics Severance

• Entertainment
• Life
• Tech
• Deals
• Games
• Shopping
• Science
• Social Good

• SpaceX's Starlink satellite launch in pictures
• More delivery robots head to college campuses to bring you late
• Why Instagram should take that viral hoax seriously
• Apple Card has its own Twitter account
• Scientists find supercolony of penguins on the remote Danger Islands
• Luna Lovegood actress explains why she's distancing herself from 'Harry Potter'
• Asus' new white leather
• 'Friends' star Marcel the monkey is set to be a TV star again
• We Test a $1,000 CPU From 2010 vs. Ryzen 3
• Nintendo isn't officially upgrading recently bought Switch consoles

• ChatGPT rolls out voice and image capabilities
• 'Quordle' today: See each 'Quordle' answer and hints for September 25, 2023
• Orange M&M is now a Gen Z icon because of its extreme anxiety
• Video and audio calls on X, formerly Twitter, will be for paying subscribers only
• TikTok's egg
• Cuteness for Fun and Profit
• 'Not Wordle' memes take over Twitter
• Twitter is listing famous families that would only get 4 free COVID
• Staff Picks: Solstad, Agee, Gates
• The Sound of Sound: Two Remembrances of Ornette Coleman

• Best Beats deal: Save $50 on Studio Buds at Best Buy
• Finally a 'dream job' contest that let's you decide what that is
• Apple Card has its own Twitter account
• A drone raced an ambulance to deliver medical supplies and won
• Insane wildfire photo perfectly sums up America in 2017
• Twitter is pissed after guy takes selfie with Nick Cave, but doesn't know who he is
• This cat hanging with his boys took the best selfie of all time
• Do you need a VPN? Quite possibly. Here's why.
• Perplexity's new Deep Research tool is powered by DeepSeek R1
• Someone made a really, really cute game based off that 'This is fine' dog

• Eufy L60 robot vacuum: Get it for $279.95 at Amazon
• How comments about women's 'ambition' cost an ad exec his job
• Nintendo isn't officially upgrading recently bought Switch consoles
• Smoky Anchorage has the worst air quality in the U.S.
• Free Rita's Italian Ice: How to get free Italian Ice on March 20
• Apple Card has its own Twitter account
• Everything coming to Amazon Prime Video in September 2019
• Fiona Apple debuts catchy anti
• Outdoor speaker deal: Save $20 on the Soundcore Boom 2
• Everyone's favourite 'Simpsons' boss Hank Scorpio gets a punk theme song