Dichen Lachman returns in a much more prominent role as Gemma's backstory is explained in Severance Season 2, Episode 7, "Chikhai Bardo."
The new episode of the much-talked-about Apple TV+ series dives deep into what really happened to Gemma inside Lumon, giving fans the whole truth behind her disappearance. Elsewhere, Mark's reintegration causes a debate between his sister, Devon, and Dr. Reghabi.
Severance Season 2, Episode 7 premiered on Apple TV+ on February 28.
Severance Season 2 Episode 7 Cast Guide
Eric J. Carlson - Mark Watcher
Eric J. Carlson joins the cast of Severance Season 2, Episode 7 as the watcher who keeps tabs on Mark S. during his time on the severed floor.
Carlson's notable credits include The Plot Against America, The Loudest Voice, and The Path.
Sandra Bernhard - Cecily
Sandra Bernhard appears as Cecily, a nurse from the research floor assigned to give Gemma some measurements and tests before going through the different rooms of the Lumon hallway.
Bernhard is known for her roles in American Horror Story, So Help Me Todd Season 2, and Pose.
Ólafur Darri Ólafsson - Mr. Drummond
Ólafur Darri Ólafsson returns as Mr. Drummond, Lumon's head of security who is part of the scheme in ensuring Gemma stays inside the company by whatever means necessary.
Ólafsson is part of the cast of Netflix's La Palma. The actor also starred in Somebody Somewhere, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and As Long As We Live.
Karen Aldridge - Dr. Asal Reghabi
Karen Aldridge reprises her role as Dr. Asal Reghabi after making her return in Severance Season 2, Episode 3.
As a former Lumon surgeon, Dr. Reghabi is seen helping Mark with his recovery.
She also clashed with Mark's sister, Devon, over what necessary steps they need to take to help Mark with his reintegration process.
Aldridge has credits in The Creator, Boss, and The Dilemma.
Robby Benson - Dr. Mauer
Robby Benson guest stars in Severance Season 2, Episode 7 as Dr. Mauer, one of Lumon's doctors assigned to evaluate Gemma's progress on the research floor.
Benson is known for his roles in A Feeling of Home, American Dreams, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
Dichen Lachman - Gemma
Dichen Lachman reprises her role as Gemma, Mark's wife whose backstory is finally revealed in Severance Season 2, Episode 7.
Lachman previously appeared in Jurassic World: Dominion, Agents of SHIELD, and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.
Here are the other main characters who appeared in Severance Season 2, Episode 7:
- Adam Scott - Mark Scout
- Tramell Tillman - Seth Milchick
- Michael Chernus - Ricken Hale
- Jen Tullock - Devon Scout-Hale
Severance Season 2 Episode 7 Plot Recap
Gemma Takes the Spotlight
Severance Season 2, Episode 7, "Chikhai Bardo," begins with the unexpected meet-cute of Mark and Gemma at a university blood drive.
The pair hit it off after bonding over their respective student papers before the scene shifts to Gemma getting her blood drawn by a doctor named Cecily while inside Lumon.
It transitions to Mark who is still on the cusp of recovery due to the reintegration process, which took a toll on him. Devon tries to put a stop on whatever Dr. Reghabi is doing to Mark, but she points out that reintegration is what her brother wants.
Dr. Reghab then calms Devon down after confirming that Gemma is alive.
More secrets about Lumon emerge as the episode shifts to Gemma's perspective while she is inside Lumon.
Dr. Cecily (who may or may not be a therapist at this point) is seen evaluating Gemma by asking questions and taking her measurements.
Gemma then wears her iconic Lumon dress and short wig before exiting to a hallway full of rooms. After Gemma walks through one of them, her innie emerges from within.
Inside, she is met by Dr. Mauer, a creepy-looking dentist, who asks her to get settled in, but Gemma (as her innie) asks for a break since it appears they've been doing this for a while.
However, Mauer points out that she's been gone for six weeks while dismissing her concerns.
Severance Reveals Mark & Gemma's Love Story
More of Mark and Gemma's love story before the whole Lumon fiasco is shown, revealing that they are expecting a child. A montage of the pair being happily in love is revealed before cutting to a brunch with Mark, Gemma, Devon, and Rick.
The lunch is where Gemma subtly tells Devon that she's pregnant by rejecting a glass of wine. As the pair celebrates (albeit silently), it is clear that things are looking up for Mark and Gemma then.
However, things take a turn after it is revealed that Gemma suffered a miscarriage. As Mark discovers her in the shower, a devastated Gemma breaks down.
It then cuts to one of Mark S.'s memories of Ms. Casey inside the Macrodata Refinement (MDR) room before it shows a Lumon surveillance team who appears to be keeping tabs on what Mark's team is doing.
It shows a camera looking directly at Mark, Irving, and Helly R. while a tab shows what exactly is showing up on their screen. This scene defines micro-managing in a whole other context since it gives off an uncomfortable vibe when one's superiors are looking at the employees' every move.
Drummond, Lumon's head of security, asks Dr. Mauer if the severance barriers are holding to which the doctor responds by saying, "Yes, the technology is working."
Back to the past, Mark and Gemma are seen visiting the Butzemann Fertility Center together. Mark sees this as an opportunity to take the next big step after the miscarriage before reassuring Gemma that he loves her no matter what.
As the episode cuts to a whirlwind of a tour inside the Lumon hallways, it returns to another flashback of Mark helping Gemma with an injection of fertility drugs (in what appears to be the third time).
The scene suddenly shifts to an uncomfortable consultation between Gemma and Dr. Mauer inside Lumon. The doctor asks her about her experience going inside the rooms, asking if she remembers anything.
However, Gemma doesn't remember what transpired inside the rooms, but she ultimately asks about the one room that she had never been to yet: Cold Harbor (read more about what this Lumon codename means).
After she asks what will happen once she can get inside all of the rooms, Dr. Mauer cryptically answers, "You will see the world again, and the world will see you."
Gemma asks if she can see Mark after everything Lumon asks her to do, but Mauer can only say that her husband will "benefit from the world you're siring" while assuring that Lumon founder Kier Eagan will take away all of his pain.
At this point, it is assumed that this is what happened to Gemma after her "accident" where she was presumed dead by Mark, confirming theories that she is indeed alive.
A confused Gemma tries to ask Dr. Mauer to talk like a normal person, but he dismisses her again by simply telling her goodnight.
The Truth Behind Chikhai Bardo
Back at Mark's place, Devon and Dr. Reghab continue to debate over what's next for Mark following a gruesome reintegration process that left him unconscious.
Devon suggests going to an innie cabin so that they can talk to Mark's innie to figure out how they can help, but Reghab tells her it's risky.
As a last resort, Devon wants to contact Harmony Cobel (the former manager of the severed floor) to check if she can help, but Reghab doesn't want to do anything with Cobel due to her loyalty with Lumon.
Reghab ends up leaving Devon and an unconscious Mark behind since she doesn't want to be part of it if Cobel is on board, telling her, "This isn't my choice. It's yours. Do not call that woman."
Mark is then slowly getting up, with him uttering the words, "Chikhai Bardo," leaving a confused Devon to decipher it.
Back in the past, Gemma tells Mark what Chikhai Bardo means: It's the same guy fighting himself, defeating his own psyche. Some have called it "Ego Death."
However, the real meaning of Chikhai Bardo lies within the concept of life and death. In Tibetan Buddhism, Chikhai Bardo is the fine line between life and death.
After the pair argue over talking about their feelings, the episode cuts to Gemma (with a new look) while inside a plane that is about to crash.
Drummond and Dr. Mauer continue to be distraught over the fact that the Cold Harbor file is stuck at 96% before the security officer tells the doctor to prepare to say goodbye to Gemma once Mark is done with his job.
It then shows Gemma (dressed in a red robe and all) inside a room writing endless thank you letters to a certain Mr. Tisdale for her Christmas gift while Dr. Mauer oversees her progress.
Clearly, Gemma wants to stop what she's doing, but Mauer points out that Christmas always comes back.
As Gemma leaves, Dr. Mauer unexpectedly tells her that he loves her. Surprisingly, Gemma tells him the same, but the look on her eyes suggests that she is only forced to do so.
Lumon Feeds Gemma Lies
After a flashback shows Mark and Gemma getting distant from one another following the miscarriage, Dr. Mauer enters her room at Lumon to talk about her progress.
Gemma tells the doctor that she wants to go home, but Mauer feeds her lies by saying that Mark has remarried and he now has a daughter. He asks her to move on, but she doesn't believe anything he says.
A distraught Gemma then knocks out Dr. Mauer as she attempts to escape Lumon and find Mark once and for all.
After going through the dark hallways and being chased by another doctor, Gemma ends up in an elevator where her innie is implied to have been activated from within. It turns out that she is on the severed floor.
The episode then shifts to the day of Gemma's accident, showing Mark deciding not to go with her since he is swamped with work.
Circling back to a fleeing Gemma (who is now Ms. Casey), she goes through a dark hallway as Mr. Milchick opens the door.
He tells her more lies, noting that her "outie came in for a public art exhibition and found herself in the wrong elevator."
Before she asks how long she has been inside Lumon, Mr. Milchick promptly tells her to turn around and return to her floor.
As the scene shifts to Mark during the tragic day, he can be seen being visited by the police to tell her the news that Gemma has died.
Consequently, a clearly-alive Gemma in the present day is seen being heartbroken over the fact that her escape attempt was ruined after being returned to the research floor.
It looks like Gemma is being held hostage inside Lumon and her memories of Mark are still intact (unless of course, she goes back to the severed floor).
The episode ends with Mark waking up. As Devon asks him about where he went, Mark doesn't say a word and instead thinks about Gemma.
The next episode of Severance Season 2 will premiere on Apple TV+ on Friday, March 7, at midnight PT (read more about the final episodes' release schedule here).
