Severance fans reveal convincing theory about what Lumon’s MDR really does

There’s still a while to wait until Severance Season 2 drops, but before it does, a new theory has emerged about what Lumon’s MDR is actually doing with those numbers. 

It’s one of many questions we need Severance’s second chapter to answer. Since the very first episode, Mark’s “innie” (Adam Scott) and his mysteriously sparse Macrodata Refinement team have been plowing through grids of numbers, despite not knowing why. 

They each have their own theories; Dylan (Zach Cherry) thinks they’re preparing the ocean for humans to live in following an apocalypse on earth, while Irving (John Turturro) believes they’re removing swear words from movies. 

All they know for now is that certain numbers feel “scary” to them, and when they do, it’s their job to isolate the digits and drop them in virtual buckets at the bottom of the screen. That’s it – that’s their entire job. 

As said, we’re going to have to wait until Severance Season 2 drops in January 2025 to find out more about the true intentions of the bosses at Lumon Industries.

However, one fan has added to the popular theory that they’re involved with training some sort of advanced AI – perhaps an artificial recreation of Lumon founder Kier Eagan – with different departments training different parts of the brain. 

Taking to Reddit, they elaborated, “A lot of psychological trauma and fear happens in the amygdala and therefore can’t fully be affected by the brain implant. 

“Therefore, if innies are indeed getting reset constantly, their feelings would kind of remember that they were very afraid right before the reset. 

“If Lumon were to show them certain numbers at the reset, MDR innies would be afraid of them and categorize them as ‘spooky numbers’. This could help train the AI’s emotionality and its emotional responses.”

The MDR department isn’t the only detail that supports this Severance theory. In a previous Reddit post, one viewer argued that the refiners are separating code in relation to the Four Tempers Kier believed defined humans: woe, frolic, dread, and malice.

“Employees are severed so they do not inject their own personalities and themselves into Eagan,” they continued.

“Refiners must ‘feel’ the emotion of the numbers. Innies have no past experiences / emotions to contaminate the code.”

The innies are essentially blank canvases, and this theory would explain why they are surrounded by Kier artifacts such as his Compliance Handbook and the bizarre artwork.

“Lumon impresses Kier into their minds in order to channel his spirit into the work,” they explained, adding, “The house is not there as part of a museum. It is for Kier to return to his home and a familiar environment (it is also located in the perpetuity wing – his life is meant to become perpetual).”

Many fans have supported this theory, with one adding to it by writing, “I love this theory. It makes perfect sense! You think they used Gemma Scout as a test subject for resurrection?” To which another replied, “Hmmm resurrecting Gemma! Can definitely see that.”

A third added, “Maybe it was a deal Mark made with them and was somehow wiped. We will resurrect your wife but you have to get severed, and you will have no recollection unless you specifically ask.”

One person said that while they try not to dig too deep into the clues, the Severance plot point is about something sinister: like deciding who lives, dies, or gets severed against their will. 

For now, all we can do is speculate. While you wait, be sure to check out all the shows coming to streaming this month, as well as the best binge-worthy series. Also, here’s everything we know about Squid Game Season 2, Stranger Things Season 5, and The Last of Us Season 2.