Severance is a show that pays unusual attention to detail. Fans have come to understand that no choice madebe it a seemingly offhand line of dialogue, production design tweak, or something you dont even notice at firstis by chance. Its all very deliberate and part of the quirky, sinister puzzle the Apple TV+ series is carefully assembling. While season one left us with a lot of questions, particularly after that wild cliffhanger (and the subsequent years-long wait to see what happened next), season two has wasted no time in ramping up all ofSeverances mysteries, and introducing some new ones too. With that in mind, here are the most burning questions we have about Severance season two so far. Theyre not even all the questions we have, just the most burning ones. Some of these will surely be answered soon, maybe even in this weeks fourth episode. Some of them will likely haunt us until the season finale and perhaps beyond. 1. Where is Ms. Casey? So far, its the enigma driving season two. At the end of season one, she was ushered down an ominously dark hallway to an even more ominous elevator after Ms. Cobel commanded her to be sent to the testing floor. Lumons former wellness director hasnt been seen since. Her absence is worrisome for many reasons: we dont know what happens on the testing floor, or even what her status was before she was sent there, other than the fact that the longest shes ever been awake is one single eight-hour stretch. But also, as innie Mark learned in the season one finale (and all the innies now know, too), she has another identity beyond being Ms. Casey: shes outtie Marks presumed dead wife, Gemma. 2. How did Gemma become Ms. Caseyand why? Outtie Mark believes Gemma died in a car accident, with no reason he should suspect otherwise. His sister Devon and husband Ricken, who dont work for Lumon, also think Gemma has died. Why would Lumon stage her death (including burning a body after the crash), only to spirit her away to the severed floor? Why is Lumon so interested in, and seemingly invested in, the relationship between Mark and Gemma?Image: Apple TV+ 3. What is Cold Harbor? Its the name of the project Lumon is very interested in having Mark finish, seemingly without him actually realizing it. Hes almost there. And its a big deal. But what is it, and why is it so important? 4. What is Ms. Cobels plan? She was fired from Lumon at the end of season one, and her cover was blown when outtie Mark, who knew her as his next-door neighbor Ms. Selvig, realized her true identity. When Helena Eagan tries to hire her back, ostensibly with a promotion that would keep her away from the severed floor, Ms. Cobel turns her down and heads off on a road tripbefore changing her mind and returning to Kier.I intend to finish the work that I started, Ms. Cobel says to Helena when shes making a case for Lumon to put her back in charge of the severed floor. Clearly she has some sort of grand plan that ties not just into her work on the severed floor at Lumon, but is also the driving reason behind why she kept such uncomfortably close tabs on Marks outtie. Its not a sexual interest in both versions of Mark, as Lumons obviously false explanation would have it but what is she trying to do? 5. Whats in Salt Neck? We see a road sign marking 238 miles to Salt Neck at the point where Ms. Cobel decides to turn back. Whats in Salt Neck? Does it have something to do with her deceased mother, whose breathing tube she keeps tucked into the Kier Eagan shrine in her basement? 6. Where is Kier, PE? Severances dystopian settingthe perpetually freezing company town of Kier, PEis as nebulous as Lumon itself. PE is not a state, and Remedium Hominibus (translated: A cure, for mankind) is not a slogan on any American license plate. But the shows reality does overlap with our own, with mentions of real cities and states as well as the in-world use of songs by Metallica, the Stone Roses, and others. Apple TV+ 7. Whos on the board? Never seen or heard, unless faint static through that direct-access Charlies Angels speaker counts, Lumons all-powerful board makes all the decisions and its word is final. Presumably its entirely made up of members of the Eagan family, but is there anyone else? What do their meetings look like? And are they all linked into that speaker at all times? 8. What is the deal with Natalie? Her death-ray smile and panicky eyes telegraph emotions her mouth will never speak, for 90% of what Natalie says is via her role as a spokesperson for that mysterious Lumon board. We have seen more of Natalie in season two so far through her interactions with Mr. Milchick, andin episode threeher visit to Ricken and Devons house to sweet-talk Ricken into re-writing his self-help book for innie use. But we still have no idea what her actual personality is, or if she even has a soul that can be detached from Lumons hold over her.9. Why does Lumon want Ricken to rewrite his book for innies? Theory: the company doesnt have any intention of giving a version of Rickens book to the innies, despite pretending that it now cares about innie well-being. This is just a scheme to feed Rickens ego and get him on Lumons side, and maybe Devon too, since theyre so involved in Marks life and were also fond of Gemma. (We know Lumon thinks Devon is uppity, so maybe theyre trying to keep her happy?) Image: Apple TV+ 10. Why is Miss Huang a kid? When Mark S. returns to Lumon in the season premiere, he meets a new member of the management team: Miss Huang. While the actor who plays her is 18, the character looks to be about 12 or 13. Considering her roleshes Mr. Milchicks second-in-commandshes presumably not severed employee. But why would Lumon hire a tween to fill that position? Shouldnt she be in school, maybe the same school where she was previously a crossing guard? 11. Why did Helly lie about her Overtime Contingency experience? We know who she really is. Why did she hold back on telling the rest of her innie cohorts? And why wouldnt she come up with a less suspicious cover story than one involving a night gardener? Is Helly hiding an even bigger lie? Does she even own a Save the Gorillas t-shirt? Apple TV+ 12. Who is outtie Irv talking to on pay phones? In season two, we see Irv leave his apartment under cover of night and go to a phone booth. My innie got the message, he tells someones voice mail. But we dont know who or why; presumably, its building on the detective work we knew innie Irv was doing in season one, including compiling a list of names and addresses of other severed employees. (One of whom is Burt, who we see watching Irv from afar hes making one of those phone calls.) 13. Whats up with the Exports Hall? Felicia, Burts former co-worker, catches a glimpse of one of Irvs drawingsa recreating of the near-monochromatic paintings his outtie does over and over. She identifies it as the Exports Hall, and explains thats where Optics and Design used to deliver its shipments, though now they send a guy. We also know thats the same hallway where Ms. Casey was sent at the end of season one. Whats down there? Why does outtie Irv remember it so vividly, and innie Irv have nightmares about it? Why is everything about it so haunting and ominous? 14. How will Marks reintegration go? It seems very unlikely that Mark will suffer the same fate as Petey in season onehes the main character and Severance isnt about to kill him off. But how advanced has Reghabis technique really gotten since the Petey fiasco? And how will Severance address the blending of his two minds if shes successful? 15. Are the Macrodata Refiners actually doing anything? In season one, it seemed like MDR was being tasked with meeting actual goalsquotas for completing their nebulous number-grouping work before the quarter ended, with rewards handed out to the top performers. (Two words: waffle party. Come to think of it, we still have a lot of questions about that waffle party!) But they dont really know what the data is used for, and neither does the audience. Is there a practical application, or is it all a sham to hide whatever Lumons true purpose isanother mystery Severance is definitely going to take its sweet time solving? Apple TV+ 16. The goats. Seriously. What the hell? Even after episode three took us inside the goat department, which we now know is called Mammalians Nurturable, we still have no idea why Lumon has a goat department. In fact, after meeting the people who work there, we now have infinitely more questions about the goats. New episodes of Severance worm their way into your brain Fridays on Apple TV+. Share your own burning questions below! 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.