Mrs. Cobel notably did not want to speak to the Board with Helly at the end of Severance Episode 3, but why?
Patricia Arquette's former Lumon employee finally got some of the spotlight in the latest Season 2 episode, as some of what happened to her post-Season 1 was revealed. This saw her running from the Lumon offices and the drama she left behind her there, only to eventually turn back and perhaps face the music.
This culminated in a final conversation between Cobel and Britt Lower's Helly outside Lumon HQ, as Cobel begged for her job back. However, when she was finally offered back into the office, she mysteriously made a break for it.
Why Did Cobel Run From Helly in Severance?
After requesting that she get her job back in Severance Season 2, Episode 3, Patricia Arquette's Mrs. Cobel turned her back on Britt Lower's Helly only after she seemingly gave in to her negotiation tactics.
This was a confusing moment for the character as all of Mrs. Cobel's scenes in the episode to that point had been focused on her having a change of heart. She was heading back to the Lumon offices at the heart of the Apple TV+ thriller to seemingly accept the job offer tabled to her an episode earlier.
When confronted with the prospect of coming back though, she ran. What is notable here though is that Mrs. Cobel only made a break for it after Helly offered to go inside and "speak with the Board."
The Board has remained an ongoing mystery in the series so far. This governing body rules over Lumon with little to no information about the group being offered to the audience or the employees at Lumon itself.
The Board bizarrely does not speak directly on calls, they do not show their faces in the office, and they use their pawns throughout the Lumon ranks to do their bidding rather than get their hands dirty themselves.
Simply the mention of them scares Mrs. Cobel off, to the point where she turns around, gets back in her car, and drives away without hearing Helly out about the new offer they may have for the former Severed Floor manager.
While no definitive reason is given within the episode itself, some have speculated it could have something to do with Mrs. Cobel's knowledge of what "speaking with the board" actually means.
The popular theory among fans is that this mention of The Board could spell danger for Mrs. Cobel, and that is why she was quick to run off. Having worked for years within Lumon's ranks as an unsevered individual, she has seen behind the curtain. She knows just how much power they hold.
Hearing a mention of the managing body could have been a hint to her that they planned on killing (or at least severely hurting her). She hears that name and runs, knowing it likely spells her doom.
Instead of death, perhaps it means something like a forced severed procedure, wiping the Mrs. Cobel fans have seen to this point from existence and replacing it with a whole new separate, easily manipulatable personality (something like what seems to be going on with the likes of Ms. Huang and Ms. Casey).
This move of bringing the board up seems to be yet another string being pulled by Britt Lower's Helly (or Helena), who is possibly hiding her true identity as a member of Lumon's founding family from her severed coworkers (read about Helly's Severance Season 2 secret here).
Maybe this moment between Helly and Mrs. Cobel could be the turning point for the former manager.
Perhaps Cobel will run from this encounter and force herself to (intentionally or not) align with Adam Scott's Mark S and his severed friends, throwing a wrench into Lumon's plans and pushing the company to the brink.
Severed Season 2 continues with new episodes debuting every Friday on Apple TV+.
