Prince of Prussia is a new, free retro-inspired title from Adamatomic that combines the brutal, unforgiving platforming of Prince of Persia with all the Nazi-killing fun of Wolfenstein. Oh, and did we mention you can play it in your browser? Its available from adamatomic.itch.io/prince, and all you need is a keyboard (though a gamepad might make it slightly easier.)Prince of Prussia throws the player in head-first with a single message that sums up the entire game: God damn Nazis. Youre in jail, and theyre alive. You can fix this. Its tongue-in-cheek in the best way, with all the retro-charm you could ask for as long as youre willing to start overa lot.Recommended VideosThe game utilizes the arrow keys and the X and C keys. Spoiler alert: both keys are jump buttons, but the jump is directional. Slaying enemies is as easy as walking into them (once you find a weapon, anyway), but the game doesnt hold your hand at all. That said, its a refreshing dose of nostalgia for anyone who longs for the days of old NES titles that take a sadistic joy in killing you at every turn.Screenshot AdamtomicPrince of Prussia only has 15 levels and doesnt take terribly long to finish, especially once you get the hang of it. If you die, you can just restart from the beginning of the level. Adamatomic says its rated M for Mature, but the opening of the game gives you the real rating: N for Nazi-stabbin.Please enable Javascript to view this contentAdamatomic (real name Adam Saltsman) has made quite a few indie games through Itch.io, includingBandit Accountancy, Dust Settlers, Cave of Cards, and more.Editors Recommendations

The genetic testing company, which plans to try to sell all of its assets, holds biological information on millions of people.

Plus reviews of Found, Theres a Mountain in This Book, The Art Book for Children and Animal Tales From India.

23andIOU Genetic testing company 23andMe declares bankruptcy Former CEO wants to buy it, but the fate of its customers' genetic data is unclear. John Timmer Mar 24, 2025 10:55 am | 10 Credit: Westend61 Credit: Westend61 Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreOn Sunday, the genetic testing and heritage company 23andMe announced that it had entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy and was asking a court to arrange its sale. The company has been losing money for years, and a conflict between its board and CEO about future directions led to the entire board resigning back in September. Said CEO, Anne Wojcicki, has now resigned and will be pursuing an attempt to purchase the company and take it private.At stake is the fate of genetic data from the company's 15 million customers. The company has secured enough funding to continue operations while a buyer is found, and even though US law limits how genetic data can be used, the pending sale has raised significant privacy concerns.Risky businessThe company launched around the time that "gene chips" first allowed people to broadly scan the human genome for sites where variations were common. A few of these variants are associated with diseases, and 23andMe received approval to test for a number of these. But its big selling point for many people was the opportunity to explore their heritage. This relied on looking broadly at the patterns of variation and comparing those to the patterns typically found in different geographic regions. It's an imperfect analysis, but it can often provide a decent big-picture resolution of a person's ancestry.23andMe faced a number of challenges, though. For starters, the gene chips quickly became commodities, allowing a large range of competitors to enter the field, some of which had stronger backgrounds in things like linking genealogies to public records. This commodification also meant that many potential 23andMe partners in the pharmaceutical industry, who might be interested in gene/disease linkages, could affordably build their own databases or simply rely on some of the public resources that have since been developed, like the UK's Biobank.For many direct customers, the test was a "one and done" experienceonce they learned their heritage, there wasn't a strong enough draw for them to pay for any of 23andMe's other services. The company has recently focused on trying to get people to develop diet and fitness plans based on their genetic data, but that hasn't been enough to make the company profitable.Where will the data go?Former CEO Wojcicki, one of the company's founders, is convinced there is still a viable business there and has been interested in taking the company private for some time. Its sale may provide her the opportunity to do so, provided she can line up the finances for it.Given the business challenges it's not clear what other buyer might be interested in 23andMe as a company, raising the prospect that Wojcicki will be outbid by someone who is interested in the company's primary asset: the genetic data of 15 million people around the globe. Within the US, the use of this information is limited by the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, which prevents its use in health insurance decisions and employment. But plenty of other uses may potentially be legal, and customers from overseas may have far fewer protections.John TimmerSenior Science EditorJohn TimmerSenior Science Editor John is Ars Technica's science editor. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Biochemistry from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of California, Berkeley. When physically separated from his keyboard, he tends to seek out a bicycle, or a scenic location for communing with his hiking boots. 10 Comments

Cisco EVP and chief customer experience officer Liz Centoni was a software engineer early in her career. Liz Centoni 2025-03-24T16:22:14Z SaveSaved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? Cisco's Liz Centoni told BI she still recommends learning to code as a core skill in tech.Centoni said a foundation in coding can help solve the so-called "boring problems" the industry faces.She said a comp-sci degree isn't a must, but creative thinking and business knowledge are also key.As AI increasingly takes over coding tasks, some industry veterans have started to prioritize other skills. However, Cisco executive Liz Centoni says the advice "learn to code" is still relevant in tech today."There's some foundational elements that help train the way you think around how to solve for problems," the executive vice president and chief customer experience officer said in an interview with Business Insider.Centoni, who was a software engineer early in her career and made several transitions during her nearly 25 years at Cisco, said hercoding skills have helpedher "decompose" the everyday "boring problems." She said one of her strengths is being able to look at a problem, break it down, bring in data, make a hypothesis, and test for it."And maybe nobody wants to talk about the boring problems, because it doesn't make the news," Centoni said. "But the reality is that we have boring problems that have lots of data underneath it. It has thousands of employees who work at it."That doesn't mean you need to get a degree in computer science, Centoni said. In fact, Centoni said that foundational concepts like coding need "brought forward" to address today's challenges because the world isn't just solving linear computer science problems today."We're solving for, you know, where it can be structured, unstructured data as well, where we need a tool, where we need an agent to continue to learn and think for itself as well," Centoni said.The Cisco exec said that thousands of employees work on those types of "boring problems," and that includes a lot of repeatable workflows. In tackling those kinds of problems, employees need to know how to look at the available technology, whether it's machine learning or generative AI, and know when and where to apply it. Centoni said that "hands-on knowledge" in those scenarios is "super valuable.""There's some basic concepts you need to understand," Centoni said, adding that she's looking for people who can solve them with "knowledge of the tools that are out there."Centoni added that coding isn't the only valuable skill being able to think creatively is also vital. That requires learning more than simply educational background, she said."I want someone in there who's sitting with the subject matter experts who can not just understand the problem, but look at how can we creatively craft a solution," Centoni said.Additionally, she said understanding business problems is also a key skill so that employees can connect business use cases with technology to create efficient solutions."We have 20,000 people in our organization today," Centoni said. "How do we reduce the friction in their lives? And so I think somebody who can connect both a business use case and the technology, that's very valuable to me as well."

This weekend was a major one for Broadway.The highly-anticipated "Othello" with stars like Jake Gyllenhaal and Denzel Washington among its cast debuted on Sunday at the Barrymore Theatre in New York City.And celebrities showed up to celebrate.Martha Stewart walked the red carpet, Jennifer Lopez attended with one of her children, and the Bidens made their first public appearance since January.Here's a look at what attendees wore for the event.Jennifer Lopez arrived in a two-piece set covered in gold sparkles.Emme Muiz and Jennifer Lopez attend the opening night of "Othello" in New York City. CJ Rivera/Invision/AP Zuhair Murad designed the glamorous ensemble with a black, long-sleeved crop top with a high neckline and a high-waisted mermaid skirt.The latter was decorated near the waistband with sparkles shaped like a stomach. The top piece was similarly embellished with glittering pieces across the chest and arms.Lopez, who walked the red carpet alongside her child Emme Muiz, completed the look with a Tyler Ellis bag and Briony Raymond jewelry. She also donned a cropped fur coat when she stepped outside.Jake Gyllenhaal was the star of the Broadway show and its red carpet.Jake Gyllenhaal attends the opening night of "Othello" in New York City. CJ Rivera/Invision/AP He kept things simple for the night's first event, wearing a traditional tuxedo in black.His double-breasted jacket had satin lapels, his trousers were pleated and loose-fitting, and his white undershirt was worn open without a tie.Gyllenhaal also wore shiny dress shoes and his hair in a new buzzcut.Angela Bassett wore a menswear-inspired look.Angela Bassett attends the opening night of "Othello" in New York City. CJ Rivera/Invision/AP She wore a red satin blazer and matching oversize trousers with a see-through blouse in black.The latter piece had a ruched, halter neckline, and its dark fabric matched the color of her thin belt.For finishing details, Bassett chose studded boots, hoop earrings, and rosy makeup.The Bidens didn't walk the red carpet, but they made a fashionable appearance backstage.Jill Biden, Brian Moreland, Denzel Washington, Joe Biden, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Kenny Leon. Bruce Glikas/Getty Images The former president kept things classic with a fitted tuxedo, a black bowtie, and a white button-up shirt that matched his pocket square.The former first lady, on the other hand, had fun with color. Her long-sleeved, knee-length dress was bright blue and embellished with light sequins. She wore it with a silver necklace and metallic pumps.On Instagram, the couple said the Broadway event was their "date night."Former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was also in attendance.Karine Jean-Pierre attends the opening night of "Othello" in New York City. Valerie Terranova/Getty Images She chose a Stella Jean dress from the brand's fall 2021 ready-to-wear collection.The shimmering piece had a white collar, matching sleeve cuffs, and velvet fabric that was gray across the bodice and multicolored around the bottom of its skirt.She wore the eye-catching garment with tall black boots, green earrings, and bright makeup.Kandi Burruss stood out in a dramatic gown that was almost entirely sheer.Kandi Burruss attends the opening night of "Othello" in New York City. CJ Rivera/Invision/AP Christian Siriano designed her black halter gown. It had a plunging neckline, a corseted bodice, and see-through, form-fitting mesh from her shoulders to her knees.At the bottom, however, the fabric puffed over a layer of tan-colored lining to add a dramatic detail.Burruss wore the gown with diamond bracelets and a sparkling pair of earrings.Martha Stewart looked chic and sophisticated.Martha Stewart attends the opening night of "Othello" in New York City. CJ Rivera/Invision/AP She walked the red carpet in loose black trousers, matching dress shoes, and a short-sleeved jacket over a silk blouse. The latter piece was navy and decorated with a white floral pattern.The lifestyle legend also wore a thick pearl necklace and matching earrings to elevate the ensemble.Anna Wintour and Colman Domingo looked stylish as they walked the red carpet side by side.Anna Wintour and Colman Domingo attend the opening night of "Othello" in New York City. CJ Rivera/Invision/AP It's unclear if the magazine editor and the actor coordinated their ensembles but they both wore shades of tan.Wintour wore a soft coat atop a vibrant green dress with an all-over blue graphic print. Domingo, on the other hand, wore a tan suit, white shirt, and brown tie.Both also opted to wear sunglasses on the red carpet. Wintour donned a classic round style in black, and Domingo wore square-shaped frames with red lenses one of the biggest menswear trends of 2025.

Xenoblade Chronicles X sees out the Switch generation in style, while pushing the 2017 system to new heights read our full review of the Definitive Edition for moreTech15:29, 24 Mar 2025Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition is one of Switch's best-looking titlesIts quite telling that so many of the Wii Us best games have found whole new audiences on the Nintendo Switch. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker and so many more are testament to Nintendos rise in the hardware stakes ahead of the Switch 2 release this year.In that sense, its probably quite fitting that one of the Switchs last first-party titles should be one of the most ambitious RPGs from the last generation, giving Nintendo fans a technically staggering port of a great-looking game that deserved better. Xenoblade Chronicles X not only completes the series on Nintendos hybrid system, but it arguably stands tallest among them.Article continues belowYou can explore Mira from the ground of the skiesAs with many of you reading this, I didnt own a Wii U, so Xenoblade Chronicles X had always felt somewhat of a mystery to me. A huge, open-world RPG with the ability to pilot mechs, it always felt right up my proverbial street but I never thought Id get the chance to play it.After playing the other three Xenoblade titles on Switch, however, Im thankful to have finally had that opportunity and if youre curious about jumping in having not touched the original or others in the series, fear not because theres no direct link other than a sense of scale thats simply not seen in other Switch RPGs.Picking up in cheerful fashion where Earth has been decimated by a war with aliens, humanity has hopped on The White Whale, a colossal ship thats crashlanded on Mira a lush, impressively vertical playground to explore.Xenoblade Chronicles X is an impressive technical achievement on Switch 1Its sci-fi 101, and while the initial plot beats arent necessarily going to draw you in, the size of Mira might. It truly feels gargantuan in a way that feels like some kind of dark magic has been called upon to get it running on Switch. This is a console from 2017, after all, and while 30fps may not be the compliment I intend it to be, it is solid throughout.Youll get to see plenty of it, too Xenoblade Chronicles Xs story may start slower, but once you get yourself a mech suit (Skell), youll be flying, transforming into a motorcycle and engaging in combat throughout Mira. In fact, Id wager a decent portion of my time reviewing the game was just flying from vista to vista, taking in the colourful majesty of the world.The game really opens up once you gain access to SkellsThroughout your adventures (and there are plenty of them), youll come into contact with native species of Mira as well as other extraterrestrial life. While Xenoblade as a series has a very MMO-like structure of managing cooldowns and auto-attacks that some might find too passive, I appreciated the way Xenoblade Chronicles X mixes things up.Triggering Battle Arts that match the setup move of your teammates in battle makes things feel a little like a tag-team match, and less like youre just wailing on foes ad nauseum. Matching that process with status effects that floor big enemies for follow-up damage, for example, makes fights feel dynamic and, at times, a little more challenging than others in the series.Combat is more dynamic than it first appearsIf you thought getting into your Skell would make things too easy, then trust me when I say the bigger you are, the bigger your foes can get, too. Enemies you did your best to sneak past early on become a worthy opponent, and from the moment you get your Skell, it really does almost feel like a different game.This Definitive Edition has also learned from prior entries, too. Its world is huge, yes, but it avoids the spaghetti-like map frustration of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 by making it much easier to be guided along to your next objective, while keeping things optional for those that want to explore at their own pace.There's a dizzying amount of content hereWhile I havent played the Wii U original, those that have will still find a lot to like here. Not only is the game better looking than the 2015 version, but the UI has been drastically cleaned up and retooled.You also no longer need to head back to town to swap party members, and they level up regardless of whether theyre with you or not something thats a godsend given how often youll mix and match your squad.Theres also additional story content, too, making it an ideal time to replay.Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition is another fantastic RPG on a console absolutely chock full of them, but perhaps has the honour of being one of the most visually impressive.Article continues belowFrom Skell exploration to enjoyable combat and a wide open world, Im so glad it flew the coup from the Wii U and crash-landed on Switch. Now, about that next console, NintendoReviewed on Nintendo Switch. Review code provided by the publisher.

Developer Rebellion has tried its hand at a new survival action game that draws comparisons with the Fallout series and this uniquely British themed quarantine open-world is just a deadly and full of horrorsTech15:02, 24 Mar 2025AtomfallIts not often you get to batter a violent druid to death with a cricket bat in lockdown Britain.But then its not often you get to play Atomfall from video game developer Rebellion.Article continues belowThe Oxford-based game makers are famed for their bloody and brutal Sniper Elite shooter titles.But theyve turned their attention to the Fallout-style survival-action genre for this new PS5 and Xbox game.And theyve done a good job in creating a very English world of pubs and villages, turning it sinister with a quarantine zone and various factions at play in a murderous land beside an atom plant.This is a very British themed video gameREAD MORE: Daily Star's newsletter brings you the biggest and best stories sign up todayYou start the game with amnesia and are quickly thrown into a huge open sandbox of a world with a mysterious call at a classic red British phone box.From there on in it really is your call as to how you proceed, with little in the way of hand holding.And that in itself is quite exhilarating, as the usual gaming tropes of go here, do that are absent, replaced instead by bits of conversation and clues - a Leads system - that you have to try to work out to progress the storyline.It works well and you go from comments like find the Interchange to a rather lengthy hunt across dangerous, lawless lands, stumbling across not-so-murderous folk who will help nudge you in the right direction.The combat is satisfying and in first-person. Theres plenty of weaponry to collect and use, from ranged guns, rifles and bows to melee items like cricket bats, maces, spiked clubs and sickles.Fights are frantic and bloody and youll find yourself dying a lot if you go with the recommended gameplay level from the off.The baddies generally fall into a handful of categories, from outlaws to military thugs to feral monsters. And theyre varied enough to each bring their own ways of fighting amid scarce resources.There are all kinds of unusual weapons to findREAD MORE: Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition review: Cult classic gets new life on SwitchThe world of Atomfall is made up of interconnecting open-world maps, all with their own distinct set of characters, factions and opportunities.Places like Wyndham Village feel like the quaint British town we all know complete with shops and community centres, while Skethermoor is a far more open lawless farmland style of place with roaming baddies.Its all peppered with bits of Britishness, from dartboards on the walls to red phone boxes and recognisable street signage.And the characters you meet all have those overly accented accents to make sure you know youre speaking to an English person.Its up to you who to trust and ultimately follow as you carve out a storyline that fits around their direction.It means you can come back after the credits roll to make different decisions for another outcome.But while it all looks lovely and plays well enough, under the hood there isn t really any innovation here in gameplay.The baddies can come at you quick and fastYoull have played titles just like this and some better if youve explored this genre before.If a mystery-driven British-themed survival title floats your boat then you should give this a go.Its not quite up there with the Fallout series but delivers a unique and highly challenging first-person action experience.Article continues belowVERDICT 4/5

If youre still working off of a piece of ten year old tech, it may be time to start looking for a replacement. The Microsoft Surface Pro laptop is a super versatile option that can fulfill a lot of the needs of pretty much anyone, be it youre a student, small business owner, or just someone who wants to go online with something other than their phone.Right now, you can get the 2024 Microsoft Surface Pro laptop for a crazy $350 off: Thats a 25% discount that brings the price down from $1,399 to just $1,049.See at AmazonExceptional PerformanceThis Microsoft Surface Pro laptop boasts a Snapdragon X Elite 12-core processor, engineered for exceptional speed and performance. It surpasses the MacBook Airs M3 chip in efficiency and ensures effortless productivity with AI applications, which I guess is a thing now. It comes with either 16GB of 32GB of memory (the one at $1,050 comes with 16GB of RAM), allowing for smooth performance across a diverse range of applications, whether your using them for school work, business or leisure. The storage options available include 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB so youll have plenty of space for files, photos, and more.Just like most new tech products of the last year or so, Microsoft totes this Surface as being built for the new era of AI. The laptop supports Copilot+, Microsofts foray into the AI space which offers generative art from text image prompts and an the ability to easily retrieve documents or web pages which honestly just sounds like what your search bar already does.Calls are supposedly enhanced with Copilot+, improving lighting, canceling noise, and blurring out distractions. Though all that was already supported, were all just giving it the AI label now for marketing reasons.The OLED display is nice and large at 13 inches across. It has a touchscreen so you can go back and forth between interfacing it like a tablet or using the mouse and keyboard like traditional laptopgreat to have that versatility.Theres hardly any bezel at all so you really maximize your screen real estate while keeping the laptop compact. And the laptop itself is thin and lightweight, keeping it easy to bring back and forth from the classroom to the dorm room or from your home to a nearby coffee shop. Portability at its finest. The battery is reliable and long-lasting, able to keep your laptop running for up to 14 hours.See at Amazon

Cheryl Eddy & Germain Lussier Published March 24, 2025 | Comments (6) | Let's grab some coffee and talk Severance. Image: Apple TV+ Everyone has now had a few days to sit with Cold Harbor, the hugely consequential season two finale of Apple TV+s Severance. And that break is necessary because, wow. On a show known for blowing our minds the finale kind of did that, then reconstructed it, then blew it again. That goes double when you start to ponder some of the many, many questions left dangling as the credits rolled. What follows are 20 questions we still have after the end of Severance season two. Some are serious, some are not. Some have answers, and some do not. But all should help fill that void since there are no new episodes on the immediate horizon. In fact, lets start there and of course, beware of spoilers. When, oh when, is season 3? Heres the good news. On the heels of the season two finale, Apple officially announced season three is happening. Heres the bad news: it might take a while. No official date is set but we imagine a mid to late 2026 release is as soon as it could be considering how long it takes to make the show. Which, despite being just an educated guess, is still better than the three years between seasons one and two. Whats going to happen to Gemma? Season two was about a lot of things but ultimately it was about fulfilling that cliffhanger of season one, when innie Mark realized his outies wife is alive and at Lumon. Well, shes out now, as long as she can make her way up the staircase without Lumon security grabbing her. If she gets free, were wondering if Devon and Cobel are waiting, if theyll go to the press, how she will get her life back since the world thinks shes dead, if thats even possible, if shell return to Lumon as Ms. Casey or one of her other 24 innies, if Lumon will come after her because shes been exposed to Cold Harbor, etc. There are so many possibilities.Marks choice. Image: Apple TV+ Are Mark and Helly basically stuck on the severed floor? If either of them gets on the other side of that unmistakable ding, their respective outies will be back in control, which will most likely mean death for both of their severed personas. Mark is going to immediately pivot back to picking up his life with Gemma; all promises to his innie aside, why would he ever go back to Lumon once he left? As for Helly R.Helena Eagan loathed the idea of her in the first place. Shed basically already killed her off after the end of season one, only allowing her to live again once Irving figured out her ruse, and in the interest of inspiring Mark S. to finish Cold Harbor. Theres no way shes going to become an MDR worker bee ever again.That doesnt mean they both wont be forced off the severed floor, though. You have to assume Devon and Gemma will be hellbent on getting Mark out, and Jame Eagen still has need of his heir apparent daughter (even if he doesnt love her). What will their outies do when they find out? Assuming they do get out. There is a chance the innies figure out some way to endure. But, just in case, lets say they dont and eventually, Mark Scout and Helena Eagan get back in control. Theyd likely have the knowledge that their innies are in love and basically blew up Lumon. Mark will want to see Gemma. Helena will probably want to run very, very far away from her father. And at least Mark will probably feel very guilty about it. Or maybe he wont. He could continue with reintegration as promised, or get a better idea of what that means. Helena could kill her innie forever. Whatever the case, for our money, this is one of the most enticing things to think about moving ahead, exploring these relationships Image: Apple TV+ Was Cobel being honest about the fate of the severed floor? Cobel tells Mark that once Cold Harbor is done, he and his severed team are done too. Its part of the reason he chooses Helly at the end, because he thinks their time is running out. But is it? Drummond certainly thought so when he was trying to kill Mark but Dylans outie sure still thought he had a job moving ahead. Helena Eagan clearly doesnt want to return but there are lots of other people down there. We think Cobel was being honest about most of the things in this episode, but that MDR would be done after Cold Harbor is only partially true.Was no one else working at Lumon? That Lumon office building is awfully largeas its accompanying parking lot. It feels very odd then that we never really met any other employees besides the ones on the severed floor and the testing floor, and the managers and bigwigs keeping tabs on them. At the very least, youd think there would be more of a beefed-up presence for security guards, especially on Cold Harbor day. Mr. Drummond was a big dude, but as Cold Harbor clearly showed, he wasnt big enough to prevent all kinds of chaos from erupting, or survive it.What will Marks actions mean for Lumon and its employees? Lumon is a massive company. Its more than just Cold Harbor and macrodata refining. If Gemmas story does become public, you have to assume it would be enough for law enforcement to shut down Lumon. Only, we dont know what relationship Lumon has with most of the outside world. There are also many other employees working there in various mysterious and likely unsevered capacities. Theyd probably prefer to not lose their jobs because one department did something so evil. It will be interesting to see the fallout of Gemmas escape. Are the goats safe now? Adorable Emile survived being sacrificed. But Mammalians Nurturable had an entire room of those little guys, seemingly being bred for the purpose of accompanying Lumon-adjacent victims into the afterlife. Whats going to happen to them nowespecially if their heroic keeper, played by Gwendoline Christie, decides shes through being the team leader in the most slaughter-prone department on the severed floor? Dylan has a decision to make Apple TV+ Will innie Dylan quit or will he stay? Dylans outie made a pretty flattering and compelling argument for his innie to stay at Lumon so we think hell stay. Its his only job as far as we know. The problem is everything that happened with Mark, Helly, Mr. Milchick, and the rest. If Dylans innie does stay, itll likely be in a new role.How will Irving return? We really have no idea what story twist might bring back the fan-favorite character, sent into train-bound exile with Radar at his side. But John Turturro himself thinks theres more of Irvings story left to explore. We hope it might reveal who Irv, whose outie was clearly digging into Lumons secrets, was talking to on those clandestine pay-phone calls. Wed also like to know why Irv was having such vivid visions of the exports hall. A reunion with Burt would also be nice! Is Mr. Milchick going to rebel? io9 put this very question to Severance writer and showrunner Dan Erickson, and he agreed that Milchicks big scene in The After Party standing up to Mr. Drummond signals theres dissatisfaction brewing beneath that meticulous composure. But the day after devour feculence, Milchick put all that aside and was back to doing Lumons evil bidding. Wed love to see him really have a change of heart and realize hes been fighting for the wrong side all this time if he escapes that face-off with Dylan and the suddenly hostile marching band. See you soon, maybe? Image: Apple TV+ Will we see Miss Huang again? Mr. Milchick let her graduate from the Wintertide Fellowship, but her next assignment took her to far-flung Svalbard, which is practically the North Pole. Will Eustace Huang turn into an angry adult with Lumon-focused revenge on her mind? It took decades for Harmony Cobel to get there, and she had much bigger reasons to be angry. At the very least, we can hope Miss Huang gets to play her theremin in peace now. Will Harmony Cobel continue to fight Lumon and to get her credit for severance? There was a reduced portion of Cobel throughout season two until Sweet Vitriol brought her back into the story in a big way, and revealed an important secret about her past that explains a lot about her peculiar relationship with Lumon. She described herself as an ally to Mark and Devon as they planned their Gemma jailbreak. Will that still be the case in light of everything that happened in Cold Harbor, or will she try to take control of her invention for less than benevolent purposes?Why were Mark and Gemma chosen for Cold Harbor? Think about it. Lumon kidnapped Gemma, faked her death, somehow ensured her grieving husband would be forced to take a job at their companyand not just any job, a severed jobso that he could work on macrodata refining her mind, all in service of this one purpose. Their link is the key to everything, so while there were some clues about their previous links with the creepy Dr. Bauer in the flashback episode, we imagine there is more to this story. And, when we asked Erickson about it, he refused to answer. Always a good sign. What a creep. Image: Apple TV+ What the hell is up with Jame Eagan? Seriously. Hes a creepy old man from a line of creepy, creepy people, so some of it might just be Eagan genetics. But the breadcrumbs that were dropped about him this season were both shiver-inducing and nightmare-inspiringincluding his implied use of the birthing cabins to hide the existence of his secret spawn, his musing that his daughter (who he doesnt love) should eat her breakfast eggs raw (while he watches), and the fact that hes only slightly more animated than the Kier Eagan wax dummy. His reaction to Cold Harbors spectacular implosion was a season-two comedic highlight, however.What are other MDR departments doing? The finale revealed specifically what Mark was doing with the MDR numbers. He was using emotions to explore the building blocks of Gemmas mind, creating multiple different innie personalities for her. Great. But its not clear if thats what everyone in MDR is doing. And we mean both in the room with Mark, as well as other rooms. This season revealed there are severed MDR employees all over and they werent all working on Gemma. Are there other Gemma-type captive test subjects not just in this building, but others? Is each refiner working on a specific person? Or are the other employees literally doing nothing just to trick one important one? Its unclear but very interesting to think about. We asked Erickson about it and he didnt want to say. What were Lumons plans with Cold Harbor? Heres what we think we know about Cold Harbor. One, everyone at Lumon thought it was going to change the world. Two, it allowed a severed chip to render a human completely obedient. Putting those two things together, we can assume Lumon was going toand may stillsell this to not just corporations but armies, countries, who knows? Who wouldnt want the ability to, basically, control human beings to behave like lemmings? If you think about it, the very, very evil potential is endless, hence why it was such a big deal. Thats how we see it at least. The show could always flip things.Woes Hollow was quite the episode. Image: Apple TV+ What the hell is up with Woes Hollow? The fourth episode of season two has the severed employees take a trip to an outdoor park owned by Lumon where histories about Kiers family are hidden in caves and doppelgangers of each of them appear out of nowhere to help on the journey. There were also marshmallows. Its unclear whether any of this is at all important to the overall story of Severance, or if its just a way to show the broad scope of Lumons reach. Basically, we have no idea. How does the department of Choreography and Merriment work? So, Lumon hires people, puts them through intensive musical training, teaches them dance moves, outfits them in band uniforms, and just keeps them around for whenever a great big celebration is needed? Is this a full-time job? Do they hang out eight hours a day somewhere on the severed floor, maybe in a practice room we havent yet seen on the show? Do all the Lumon buildings have their own departments of C&M, or is there some kind of severance-equipped motor coach that brings them from office to office as needed? Does Lumon also train non-severed marching bands to celebrate at public events? (This is another one of those questions that doesnt really impact the plot of the show at all, but is still way too fun not to think about.) What are the limits of severance? We know about the overtime contingency. Weve seen the Glasgow block. Weve seen, thanks to Gemma, that a persons severance chip can activate different and entirely separate innie personas. What else can this technology door rather, is there anything it cant do?and what are Lumons ultimate plans for deploying it? Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, whats next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.Severance Daily NewsletterYou May Also Like By Germain Lussier Published March 21, 2025 By Germain Lussier Published March 21, 2025 By Cheryl Eddy Published March 21, 2025 By Germain Lussier Published March 20, 2025 By Cheryl Eddy Published March 19, 2025 James Whitbrook and Gordon Jackson Published March 19, 2025