TORONTO 鈥� Britt Lower鈥檚 Helly R. entered Lumon as a reluctant recruit. By the Season 2 finale of 鈥淪everance,鈥� she鈥檚 something far more unmanageable: a revolutionary.
The actor says her character in Apple TV Plus鈥� hit series finds her inner 鈥渇ire鈥� to fight for her fellow oppressed co-workers in the season capper, which hit the streamer Thursday night.
The sci-fi drama follows employees at shadowy corporation Lumon Industries who undergo a procedure that separates their work and personal lives, creating a split between their "innie" (work) and "outie" (home) selves. While they are assured their work is 鈥渕ysterious and important,鈥� they begin to uncover the dark secrets of their employer and their fractured reality threatens to implode.
In the finale, 鈥淐old Harbor,鈥� Adam Scott's character Mark teams up with Helly to rescue his outie鈥檚 wife, Gemma, who鈥檚 being held captive by Lumon. If successful, they could bring down the corporation and Mark could complete his 鈥渞eintegration,鈥� merging his innie and outie selves. Though Mark hesitates, wanting to stay with Helly, she urges him to follow through, as her outie is Lumon heir Helena Eagan, making their dream of being together impossible.
鈥淔or all of the innies in that finale episode, the possibility of their consciousnesses going offline, like basically disappearing, is at stake,鈥� said Lower Thursday during an interview about 鈥淒arkest Miriam,鈥� an upcoming Canadian drama she stars in.
Lower provides more insight into the pivotal scenes of the finale, but fans who haven't seen it be warned: this story contains spoilers.
Earlier this season, their co-worker Irving, played by John Turturro, got fired, effectively ending his innie鈥檚 existence. The rest of the innies face the same fate if Lumon shuts down their department, a threat that grows imminent once Mark completes his final file, Cold Harbor.
As a marching band celebrates Mark鈥檚 achievement, Helly and fellow innie Dylan, played by Zach Cherry, struggle to restrain their manager, Tramell Tillman鈥檚 Mr. Milchick, to keep him from thwarting Mark鈥檚 plan. At one point, Helly climbs onto a desk, rallying the band to join their fight.
鈥淔or me, the moment of Helly standing on the tri-desk and remembering her friend Irving and the grief that they're still dealing with, and seeing her brother in Dylan, who's come back to fight with her, and seeing the humanity of the marching band, I think it really lights a fire within her,鈥� said Lower.
鈥�(She realizes) it's not just about her own life, it's about all of these innies鈥� lives.鈥�
Milchick eventually breaks out of the bathroom he鈥檚 been locked inside, only to face a unified front of both the band and Dylan.
Meanwhile, outie Mark manages to rescue Gemma from the testing room floor, and his innie gets her to the exit door. But as she pleads with him to follow her and go home, Helly calls Mark鈥檚 name at the other end of the hallway. Ignoring Gemma鈥檚 desperate cries, innie Mark runs toward Helly, and the two sprint down the hallway hand in hand, to the sound of Noel Harrison's "Windmills of Your Mind," as the episode closes.
Though it seems Helly foils Mark and Gemma鈥檚 reunion 鈥� prompting some on social media to speculate she's secretly Helena 鈥� Lower has a different take.
"I would say I don't know if she does stop him. She shows up and then I think he makes a decision for himself,鈥� she said.
We鈥檒l have to wait for Season 3, which was confirmed by Apple on Friday, to find out where Mark and Helly might be running to.
As for Lower鈥檚 own predictions?
鈥淭hat鈥檚 where the mystery lies,鈥� the actor chuckled. 鈥淚t鈥檚 mysterious.鈥�
鈥淎nd important,鈥� she added with a smile.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 21, 2025.
Alex Nino Gheciu, The Canadian Press
