WARNING: This article contains spoilers from Severance season 2, episode 5 – Trojan Horse.

After last week’s brief ORTBO adventure, the MDR team found themselves back in the sterile offices of Lumon in the Apple TV+ series.

The episode, Trojan Horse, dealt with the aftermath of Woe’s Hollow, with Irving (portrayed by John Turturro) being retired and Helly (played by Britt Lower) finally returning to the Severed Floor after her Outie Helena tried to infiltrate the team and halt any further OTCs or similar operations. The episode raised numerous questions as a recently reintegrated Mark (Adam Scott) struggled with memory loss and mistrusted the newly returned Helly.

Here’s a look at some of the major questions from the episode.

Who was the Faceless Man at the beginning?

At the start of Trojan Horse, a faceless man collected a painting from O&R before heading down the black corridor and descending the elevator to the testing floor.

His face was deliberately hidden, suggesting that viewers may have already seen this character. Some fans speculated on Reddit that the man could be a clone of Petey (Yul Vazquez), reports the Mirror US.

One fan wrote: “Interesting I was wondering who it is too but what if it’s just Petey? They did recover his body.”

Another suggested: “I think there’s some clue in the whistling but I can’t tell what that is.”

One viewer speculated: “I have a feeling it’s an older Mark but I also have a feeling that’s what they want us to think (similar hair)…. I also kinda hope they don’t do that cause old person makeup/prosthetics never looks convincing to me [sic].”

The man was whistling The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, a song about the sinking of a real-life ship in 1975 and the death of all its crew. This could be a foreshadowing of death at Lumon Industries, the company at the centre of Severance.

What is Cold Harbor?

The term Cold Harbor keeps cropping up, with viewers learning that Mark was at 81 percent on his Cold Harbor file before the ORTBO over the weekend. The Board sanctioned Helly to return to the Severed Floor instead of Helena because they knew it would help him complete the file.

One fan theorised: “‘Cold Harbor,’ then, could be inferred to mean ‘dead shelter,’ which could give credence to the idea that Lumon could be using young, dead bodies to harbor the consciousnesses of dying Lumon CEOs, a la ‘revolving.’ [sic].”

Another suggested: “I immediately associated it with ‘cold storage’ like in Westworld where all the hosts are stored when not actively being used.”

However, theories have taken a different turn with another viewer suggesting: “My theory is that Cold Harbor is Helena getting pregnant from Mark in a “holy” place.”

In the title credits for Severance season two, images of babies have been spotted, hinting at Lumon’s possible plans to sever children and potentially bring back Kier Egan by storing his consciousness on a chip and implanting it into a baby. In season one, Mark was questioned about his concern for children’s brain health by the Whole Mind Collective protesters.

One theory suggests: “This is my running theory. Mark is the front running candidate to host the dying Eagan, Helena’s father. Also his genetics are going to be used to continue the blood line (busted inside Helena).”

Another theory involves Mark’s deceased wife Gemma (Dichen Lachman), who is very much alive at Lumon as Ms Casey. A Redditor pointed out: “when you see Gemma’s image flash on Mark’s “Cold Harbor” file at the end of S02E01, there are medical vital signs present showing what is typically considered a very healthy baseline (for a LIVING human being lol) — my partner who is a nurse pointed that out. I don’t know if she’s dead-and-reanimated, or she almost died and they turned her into something else [sic].”

Another viewer suggested: “The sorting of the boxes potentially being mark slowly putting Gemma’s mind back together/in order. Being the one closest to her he’s the best bet at bringing her back.”

Why doesn’t Miss Huang view the Innies as people?

Like Milchick (Trammell Tillman) and Ms Cobel (Patricia Arquette), Miss Huang (Sarah Bock) doesn’t appear to be severed.

However, as a member of management and Lumon, she seems to have embraced the company’s philosophy that Innies are not real people. The casual cruelty suggests Miss Huang may have been indoctrinated by Lumon in her beliefs, especially considering she appears to be a child. She have been like a young Harmony Cobel.

Is Gråkappan real?

Yes, the tale Milkchick told the MDR is based on reality and history. Legends suggest that Swedish king Charles XI did wear a grey coat and mingle with his people to gauge their happiness, hence his nickname Gråkappan.

As Milchick said, Kier did this and now Helena continues the tradition, suggesting there could be more spies or even Eagans hiding within Lumon.

Who was Irving speaking to on the phone?

Irving is collaborating with someone outside to uncover Lumon’s secrets, and while we don’t know who it could be, there are theories.

We know Outie Irving has been investigating Lumon for some time, but could he be working with Asal Reghabi (Karen Aldridge) or perhaps the Whole Mind Collective?

Regardless, he’s been trying to reach the testing floor for a while, with Dylan (Zach Cherry) finding directions to the black corridor with the elevator.

Why did Natalie dodge Milchick’s question about the paintings?

Milchick asked Natalie how she felt about the paintings he’d received of himself depicted in place of Kier.

Natalie appeared on the verge of tears and declined to comment on how she would feel if she received a similar set of pictures, with the scenes creating an uneasy atmosphere. It seemed that due to her loyalty to Lumon, she was unable to express her true feelings about the images.

One fan clarified: “If I understood correctly, it’s essentially blackface. Lumon sees it as an act of kindness and grace but it’s hurtful. It also signifies that it doesn’t matter how much you climb up the ladder as a person of color (like Natalie), Lumon will never respect you [sic].”

Another added: “If I understood correctly, it’s essentially blackface. Lumon sees it as an act of kindness and grace but it’s hurtful. It also signifies that it doesn’t matter how much you climb up the ladder as a person of color (like Natalie), Lumon will never respect you [sic].”

A third explained: “idk if this will answer your question and this isn’t super well thought out but as far as i can tell, as two black characters and essentially managerial positions, it’s problematic to represent Kier as a black man when white privilege is a thing. Eagens are a rich white family. theres been only white ceos. there is no representation of poc, so they have to make it up in his likeness, but his experience is not theirs. it takes away from milchicks and natalies accomplishments and hardships they have possibly faced [sic].”

Severance season 2 drops weekly on Apple TV+ on Fridays