‘Severance’ Star Teases Looming Lumon Finale: “She’s Ready For Blood”

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[Warning: This narrative reveals key plot points from Severance season two, specifically the penultimate episode titled “The After Hours,” up to this point.]

No anger can match the intensity of one who has been disrespected, and Lumon Industries might experience this first-hand when they face the consequences in the final episode of season two of Severance.

Starring as Mark’s sister Devon through the Apple TV+ thriller’s entire run, Jen Tullock has had a front row seat to some of the weirdest, winding twists along the way, especially in season two as she’s drawn deeper and deeper into the severed floor’s big conspiracies. The biggest one, of course, being that Devon’s sister-in-law Gemma (Dichen Lachman) is alive, despite previous accounts to the contrary. If that wasn’t motivation enough to help Mark (Adam Scott) figure out how to navigate this shadow corporation’s darkest corridors, there’s an additional incentive for Devon: husband Ricken (Michael Chernus), the literary iconoclast who is slowly but surely being wooed toward the dark side through promises of fame and fortune.

Heading into this week’s season finale, Devon stands as one of very few people on the outside world trying to help out Mark, Gemma and even maybe spare Ricken’s soul while she’s at it. The penultimate episode ended with Devon’s idea to put innie Mark and outie Mark on the same wavelength with one another. How will that plan pay off? The answer’s coming in the finale. For now, Tullock speaks with The Hollywood Reporter about the coming Kier collision.

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Devon’s worked with Mark all season long to figure out what’s going on at Lumon. How much is she motivated by exposing the larger Lumon threat, versus wanting to protect her brother? 

Her fear for Mark was certainly her entry point. But as Ricken has acquiesced to Lumon’s pitch for his book, she’s so activated that by the time she discovers what they’ve done to Gemma, she’s ready for blood.

What methods did you and Adam employ to make the connection between Devon and Mark seem deeply rooted and authentic?

We started shooting season one at the height of the pandemic, so every moment off camera was masked, shielded and distanced. In a strange sense, I think we were able to find one another in real time in a way we otherwise wouldn’t have; we grew into our characters and their history together as we played them. But it felt lived in very quickly. Adam’s such a generous person and actor, and extends such warmth to everyone he works with. We share a sense of humor and a love for Topo Chico, which I must tell you, he was very stingy with. If even one went missing from his stash, a studio-wide alarm would sound and the sprinklers would go off. I’m kidding, but he really does love those things.

We haven’t seen nearly enough Ricken and Devon together this season! Any material you shot but didn’t make it into the episodes?

A very good question! It’s inevitable that things get the axe if they don’t serve the story or aren’t working, and I do think we lost one or two scenes with a (very fussy) baby in Devon and Ricken’s house. Also, I’d be remiss if I didn’t say that Michael Chernus could fill an entire season of Ricken ad libs. The guy’s a national treasure.

What we have seen of them together has been a bit difficult to weather: Ricken all but becoming a Lumon flunky, turning “The You You Are” into Lumon propaganda. What was your reaction when you learned about that direction for the character? How did it sit with you as Devon?

I was excited to peer a bit deeper into Devon’s interior world this season. So much of her story in season one is focused on her care and concern for Mark, so getting to broaden that scope a bit to include her own history was really exciting. We’ve definitely met Devon and Ricken at a particular moment in time, so my love for them as a couple is colored by my understanding that they shared several years of humor and levity and love before Lumon came stomping in. If we get to keep going, I’ll be interested to see how their marriage fares in future storylines and I hope whatever that may look like, it’s what’s best for them both.

So many of the characters on this show speak with such bizarre, precise dialogue that can only make sense in the Severance world. Devon talks like an actual person. What conversations have you had with Ben Stiller and Dan Erickson about the way Devon speaks compared to some of the other folks on the show, like Cobel or even Irving?Devon was a three-dimensional entity from page one, due entirely to Dan’s acuity for character building. She was always a bit bawdy and brash, unapologetic but still tender-hearted; I just got to come in and pipe in some icing here and there — how does she move? what does her anger look like? — which was made quite easy by great writing.

Devon decides to trust Ms. Cobel (Patricia Arquette) enough to bring her into the fold. After everything they’ve been through — the lies in season one, her role in Lumon exposed — did you have to work at justifying Devon’s decision to bring Cobel into the mix?Pure desperation. Look, if anyone threatened my [real life] brother or his partner, I would turn into a full Euripides character: blind fury. Wild eyes. Questionable ethics. Devon has been pushed to the brink, so by the time Asal [Reghabi] tells her the truth about Gemma, this [still breastfeeding, exhausted] woman is ready for battle. I think she trusts Cobel as far as she can flick her, but ultimately knows it’s this plan or nothing at all.

Hopes for season three? Do you want to see Devon go even deeper into Lumon — perhaps literally into the building itself?

I’m thrilled about the prospect of carrying on her tale further. Trust me, I can’t wait to encounter Devon’s innie. I believe she would be quite an interesting person to know.

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Severance releases its season two finale next week, streaming Friday on Apple TV+. Read THR‘s season coverage and interviews.

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2025-03-17 21:48