**’Severance’ Season 2 Delves into Consent and Identity Through Two Crucial Sex Scenes**
The second season of *Severance* enriches its examination of bodily autonomy and consent with two distinct sex scenes, each provoking ethical inquiries regarding identity and agency.
### Helena and Mark’s Misleading Encounter
In Episode 4, called *”Woe’s Hollow,”* Innie Mark (Adam Scott) thinks he is intimate with Helly (Britt Lower) during the Outdoor Retreat and Team-Building Occurrence (ORTBO). Unbeknownst to him, he is involved with her Outie, Helena Eagan, who is masquerading as Helly to surveil the Macrodata Refinement Innies. This sequence is contrasted with an unsettling dream from Irving (John Turturro), subtly suggesting that there is more to the situation than meets the eye, even before the audience uncovers Helena’s deceit.
Two episodes later, after Helly is back at Lumon, she and Mark strive to reclaim the memory taken from them by Helena. They set the scene of the ORTBO using a tarp in a vacant office, leading to a much more intimate and consensual interaction.
### The Morality of Consent in a Severed Universe
These scenes underscore the intricacies of consent in the world of *Severance*, where individuals can split their consciousness and effectively create a different persona within their body. Michele Meek, an associate professor of communications at Bridgewater State University and author of *Consent Culture and Teen Films*, states that consent isn’t simply a “yes” or “no.” It resides in a gray area that *Severance* compels us to analyze.
Helena’s trickery in Episode 4 brings the concept of informed consent into question. Planned Parenthood defines consent as “freely given, reversible, informed, enthusiastic, and specific.” Because Mark thought he was engaging with Helly, Helena’s actions deprive him of making an informed choice.
Meek likens this situation to a real-life scenario in which someone unknowingly has sexual relations with a twin, believing them to be another person. In these instances, the deceit invalidates consent, rendering the act non-consensual. This aligns with the legal idea of *conditional consent*, which asserts that consent is provided under certain conditions. If those conditions are not met—such as Mark being under the impression he was with Helly—the act is regarded as non-consensual and could even be categorized as sexual assault in various legal jurisdictions.
Beyond legal ramifications, Helena’s actions carry a manipulative essence. She not only monitors the Innies but also capitalizes on Mark’s feelings for Helly to engage in a relationship she might not have in her Outie existence. Additionally, there is a notable power dynamic, as she establishes control over her Innie by being with Mark first.
### The Mind-Body Conflict in Severed Relationships
The second intimate scene between Mark and Helly in Episode 6 (*”Attila”*) introduces another ethical dilemma: What does consent signify when one part of a consciousness is inactive? Although the scene is portrayed as consensual—both characters verbally express their desire to engage—the issue remains about their Outies, who lack a voice in the situation.
Meek notes that consent is typically perceived as both an internal and external process. While affirmative consent emphasizes verbal and action-based agreement, *Severance* exposes a deeper concern: If one aspect of a person’s consciousness is oblivious to a sexual act, can it ever genuinely be consensual?
The series has already shown that physical realities transition between severed identities. In Season 1, a news report disclosed that a Lumon employee became pregnant while stationed in the Severed Floor, despite having no recollection of the conception. Similarly, in *”Attila,”* Outie Burt’s (Christopher Walken) husband, Fields (John Noble), expresses worries about whether Burt and Irving’s Innies had unprotected intercourse, possibly exposing them to STIs unbeknownst to them.
These instances reinforce the disquieting truth of severance: Even if an Innie consents to sexual activity, their Outie may awaken to physical consequences they never approved. This mirrors real-world conversations surrounding sex under intoxication, where an individual may not remember an encounter yet still face its repercussions.
### *Severance*’s Continuous Investigation of Consent
While Season 2’s intimate scenes place consent in the spotlight, *Severance* has consistently interrogated the ethics surrounding bodily autonomy. In the series premiere, Helly views a pre-recorded message from her Outie, Helena, consenting to the severance procedure. Yet, as Meek points out, consent is not a singular choice—it must be ongoing and subject to renegotiation.
Lumon repeatedly contravenes this principle. In Season 1, when Helly throws a speaker at Mark’s head, Lumon misleads Outie Mark about