What is the ‘Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald’? Truth behind Severance Season 2 song
Apple TV+/Creative CommonsSeverance Season 2 Episode 5, ‘Trojan’s Horse’, kicks off with the Exports Hall “guy” whistling an ominous tune. Turns out, it’s called the ‘Wreck of Edmund Fitzgerald’, and of course there are theories.
Although Severance doesn’t waste any time with each new episode that drops, there are still so many unsolved mysteries in the Apple TV+ series (I’m not complaining – breaking down hidden details and clues is half the fun).
In Season 2, we find out what happened to both the Innies and Outies after the Overtime Contingency Protocol, culminating in last week’s disastrous ORTBO (outdoor retreat and team building occurrence).
Irving’s Innie is now dead after he nearly drowned Helena Eagan, but before his tragic departure, he learned about the Exports Hall. Felicia revealed the O&D department used to take deliveries there, but “now they send a guy.”
What is the ‘Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald’?
The ‘Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald’ is a 1976 folk song by Gordon Lightfoot, which memorializes the 29 crew members who died in the sinking of SS Edmund Fitzgerald in Lake Superior on November 10, 1975.
In Severance Season 2 Episode 5, we see the “guy” Felicia was referring to transporting a tray of what looks like dental utensils down to the Exports Hall. Along the way, he whistles ‘Wreck of Edmund Fitzgerald’.
Given no detail is wasted in the TV show, it’s led to some serious speculation about whether there’s a deeper meaning behind the song’s placement. Over on Reddit, one fan highlighted the long-running theory that Lumon is trying to resurrect the late founder Kier Eagan.
They point out that this couldn’t happen cryogenically, as the first time this process was applied was in 1967 – long after Kier’s death in 1939.
The Redditor then highlights the lyrics in the tune: “The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down, of the big lake they called Gitche Gumee. The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead, when the skies of November turn gloomy.”
“Lake Superior is the deepest and northernmost of the Great Lakes and is located between the Canadian province of Ontario and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula,” they continued.
“It has been discussed that the painting Kier Invites You to Drink of His Water appears to show the Great Lakes from a very weird perspective, and how this may indicate that the city of Kier, PE may be somewhere in the region.
Apple TV+“‘The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead’. Lake Superior has been notorious as a ‘watery graveyard’ due to its depth and extreme temperatures… Could Lumon have invented primitive cryonics in 1939 with this concept?”
Another pointed out the parallels of the imagery between the sunken ship and Cold Harbor, the name of the file Lumon is desperate for Mark to finish.
“It could also be a reference that through the work of Severance, they will never give up the dead,” added a third.
“Ms. Cobel says, ‘Your friends are going to suffer. Mark will suffer. You will be long gone. But we will keep them alive, in pain!’ and this made me believe that Innies could potentially be kept alive forever, in pain. Perpetuity also means the state of quality of lasting forever.
“Ms. Casey obviously died and is somehow inside of Lumon. I also thought it was very strange how Milchick and Harmony referred to Petey’s Severance chip.
“When Harmony shows this to Milchick, he says, ‘That’s Petey?’ and Harmony confirms ‘That’s Petey,’ which made me believe the chips were capable of holding our consciousness, like Petey could be implanted in another body and this would allow him to live forever.”
Now, we do kind of have an answer as to why ‘Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald’ was included in the episode. According to director Ben Stiller, he’s just a fan of Gordon Lightfoot – but what he says beforehand suggests otherwise.
In a conversation with the NYT, Stiller was asked about the song, and whether or not it’s a clue for what Severance and Lumon are up to. “I’m not going to say anything,” Stiller replied.
The interviewer said, “I knew it,” to which Stiller teased, “I want to leave all options open. But, no, I’m just a Gordon Lightfoot fan. I used ‘Carefree Highway’ in ‘Escape at Dannemora’.
“I will hopefully always be able to use his music because I think he’s one of the great artists of our time.”
Case closed? Maybe yes, maybe no. In Severance, it’s hard to believe anything is ever that simple. As Stiller himself said, all options have been left open for now.
You can find out when the next episode drops with our guide to the Severance Season 2 release schedule, and read more about the Glasgow Block and the Grakappan. We’ve also got recaps of Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, and Episode 4.
Oh, and make sure you check out what’s dropping during Dexerto’s We LOVE TV & Movies week too.