'It puts him in danger': Severance creator Dan Erickson discusses that big Mark 'reintegration' moment in season 2 episode 5 of the popular Apple TV Plus show

• Severance's creator has teased what'll happen next as part of Mark's 'reintegration' storyline
• Dan Erickson has suggested Mark's desire to combine his 'innie' and 'outie' personas poses all kinds of risks
• Erickson's comments come after season 2 episode 5's emotionally devastating ending

Severance creator Dan Erickson has a message for fans of the hit Apple series after season 2 episode 5's startling ending: be worried for Mark Scout.

Ahead of the Apple TV Plus mystery thriller show's return on January 17, I sat down with Erickson to pick his mind about Severance season 2's first six episodes. And, given what transpires in its fifth episode, titled 'Trojan's Horse', I couldn't pass up the opportunity to ask Erickson about where this particular Mark-focused narrative is heading. In short: in an ominous direction.

Full spoilers immediately follow for Severance season 2 episodes 3 and 5.

One of this season's major storylines has revolved around Mark Scout's desire to undergo the experimental (and potentially unsafe) procedure known as 'reintegration'. It's an operation that, in theory, allows one of Lumon Industries' Severed employees to combine their 'innie' and 'outie' personas, thereby becoming a whole person again.

In season 1, we learn that the unorthodox and dangerous technique, which was developed by former Lumon scientist Doctor Asal Reghabi, has been used on Mark's fellow Lumon colleague Petey. Fans won't need me to remind them what happened to Petey as a result of his own 'reintegration' process. Unsurprisingly, Mark has resisted Reghabi's attempts to convince him to try and 'reintegrate', too.

Mark's stance on the matter changes in Severance season 2 episode 3. After the pair cross paths late on in that chapter, Reghabi stuns Mark by revealing his wife Gemma, who Mark's 'innie' has occasionally worked and conversed with at Lumon (she's called Ms Casey here, though), is still alive. Cue Mark performing a 180-degree turn and wanting to 'reintegrate' so his 'outie' can infiltrate Lumon, find Gemma, and rescue her.

Things took a backseat on the 'reintegration' front in Severance season 2 episode 4 and you can learn more about that installment's explosive events by reading my Severance season 2 episode 4 ending explained piece. Mark's 'reintegration' plan, though, takes center stage on three separate, not to mention hugely important, occasions in this season's fifth entry.

The first instance sees Mark's 'outie' briefly catch a glimpse of the Macrodata Refinement office that his 'innie' works in. Next, Mark's 'innie' experiences a split-second moment in the real world when his office desk is replaced by a kitchen tabletop and some pills. This is an interior shot of the home that Mark's 'outie' lives in, with the medication being the tablets he needs to take to help with the 'reintegration' process.

Episode 5's biggest Mark-centric event (from an 'outie' perspective, anyway) is reserved for its final few minutes. After a brief chat with Reghabi in the basement of his home, Mark's 'outie' starts hearing Ms Casey's voice in his head, which subsequently starts to hurt. As he deals with the pain, he's suddenly transported to Lumon. After walking down the dark corridor that's become the object of one of many huge Severance season 2 fan theories, he finds himself in one of Lumon's sterile, brightly-lit passageways. There, in both a heart-warming and soul-crushing manner, he briefly comes face-to-face with Ms Casey before he's transported back to his real world home.

Clearly, the 'reintegration' process is working, otherwise Mark's two personas wouldn't be having visions of their counterpart's worlds. So, that's a good thing, right? If Mark can fully 'reintegrate', he can save Gemma and bring down Lumon from the inside, surely? It's not that straight-forward, Erickson teases.

"I think we all agree that the healthiest thing for Mark would be to be whole again," Erickson told me. "He wants to make peace between these different versions of himself and be able to live as a whole person. But, the closer he gets to that catharsis, the more dangerous he becomes to Lumon and, therefore, the more danger he is in, because they don't want them to be whole.

"I think a lot of real-world companies don't want their employees thinking for themselves too much or having a holistic sense of who they are," one of the best Apple TV Plus shows' creator continued. "They like their automatons and, when you start to become less of an automaton, you become more dangerous to them.

"On a practical level, if Mark's plan was to succeed, he would suddenly be able to take information in and out of Lumon. But, just on a character level, it means that he's gaining a greater sense of himself, and it does put him in danger."

We'll find out just how desperate and threatening things become for Mark in season 2's final five episodes. In the meantime, read more of TechRadar's coverage of Severance below.

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