The acclaimed Apple TV+ thriller Severance began its life with a very different idea for its opening scene. Creator Dan Erickson originally wrote the moment where Mark Scout, played by Adam Scott, was to wake up disoriented on the Lumon conference table. In the version that aired, it is Helly R., portrayed by Britt Lower, who awakens first. This switch from Mark to Helly was a pivotal creative decision that shaped the entire narrative and how audiences connect with the show.
This change transformed Helly into the audience’s guide into the strange, corporate world of Lumon Industries. Her confusion and fear as she asks, “Am I livestock?” directly mirrored what viewers were feeling. Erickson explained the reasoning behind this foundational shift, which set the stage for the complex story of identity, corporate control, and rebellion that has defined the series.
The Original Vision: Mark as the First Innie
The original concept for Severance was more surreal. In early drafts of the script, which Erickson worked on for nearly a decade, the pilot opened with Mark S. waking up on the table.
- A More “Fever Dream” Beginning: Erickson has described the initial tone as more like a “Terry Gilliam thing,” comparable to the film Brazil, with a stronger sense of magical realism.
- A Bizarre Entrance: One discarded idea involved Mark being birthed from a giant sphincter in the ceiling, covered in amniotic fluid, before sliding onto the table. This concept was ultimately scrapped when producers, including Ben Stiller, questioned its internal logic within Lumon’s world.
- The Goal of Immersion: The original intent was for viewers to immediately experience the terror and mystery of severance through Mark’s eyes, feeling his disorientation firsthand as he entered the Macrodata Refinement office for the first time.
Why the Creator Changed the Opening to Helly
The decision to switch the opening character from Mark to Helly was not random. Dan Erickson realized that starting with Mark limited the storytelling potential and changed the character dynamics from the very first moment.
“We switched it around for various reasons. Once we had the idea for it to be Helly, there is an obvious thing of once you bring anybody into a setting that was all one way, and you get to introduce an element of diversity to the environment, you’re going to have new ideas introduced that are going to help and improve things.”
This quote from Erickson highlights the core creative reason. Introducing a new person, Helly, into an established environment created immediate dramatic tension and questions.
- Establishing Mark as a Guide: By the time we meet Mark in the final version, he is already a veteran of the severed floor and has been promoted to department manager. This allowed him to serve as a guide, explaining the rules of this divided life to both Helly and the audience.
- Helly as the Perfect Audience Surrogate: Helly’s complete ignorance of her job, her coworkers, and the severance procedure made her the ideal character through which to explore the world. Her urgent questions were the same ones viewers had, creating a strong and immediate emotional connection.
- Driving the Narrative Forward: Helly’s rebellious spirit and determination to escape, established from her first moments, became a central engine for the plot. Her journey from a scared newcomer to a determined truth-seeker helped define the show’s gripping drama.
How the Switch Rippled Through the Entire Series
This foundational choice in the pilot episode created character dynamics that have driven the story through two seasons. The relationship between Mark and Helly, built on this guide-and-newcomer dynamic, evolved into a central romance and a source of major conflict.
In Season 2, this dynamic was turned on its head with a major twist. It was revealed that Helly’s outie, Helena Eagan, a powerful Lumon heir, had been secretly impersonating her own innie on the severed floor to spy on Mark and the MDR team. This created intense complications, particularly regarding a romantic encounter between Mark and Helena (who he believed was Helly) during a company retreat.
The complexity of their relationship was further highlighted in the Season 2 finale, where Innie Mark made a heartbreaking choice. After helping his outie’s wife, Gemma, escape Lumon, he chose to stay on the severed floor with Helly rather than leave and cease to exist as an innie. Actor Adam Scott explained the character’s logic:
“I mean, for Innie Mark, it’s a no-brainer, right?… He realizes that leaving with Gemma means that his life as he knows it is over… he chooses his own life.”
This layered relationship, built on deception, genuine connection, and a fight for autonomy, can be traced directly back to the decision to make Helly the confused newcomer and Mark the established guide in that very first scene.
Foreshadowing in the Season 2 Opening Credits
The importance of Mark and Helly’s connection is visually emphasized in the show’s award-winning title sequence, which was updated for Season 2. The new credits are filled with symbolic imagery that many fans and analysts believe foreshadows future plot developments.
- Shared Visual Themes: The sequence shows Mark’s reflection turning into Helly and then into Gemma, visually representing his complicated ties to both women.
- Symbols of Consciousness: Imagery of Mark removing his own severance chip and his innie self climbing out of his outie’s head strongly hints at the ongoing reintegration process and the blurring of his two selves.
- Speculation on Consequences: Some analyses of the credits, which feature many faceless babies and even a baby with Kier Eagan’s head, suggest they may foreshadow a potential pregnancy following Mark and Helena’s encounter, which could have massive ramifications for the series.
This intricate visual storytelling in the credits underscores how central the Mark-Helly relationship is to the show’s core themes of identity, memory, and connection.
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