Severance: That Goat Scene Will Be Explained, Confirms Creator

Dan Erickson, creator of the Apple+ series Severance, says that there will be further explanation for the goat scene in season 1, episode 5.

Severance: That Goat Scene Will Be Explained, Confirms Creator

Dan Erickson, creator of the Apple+ series Severance, says that there will be further explanation for the mysterious goat scene in season 1, episode 5. Severance follows Mark (played by Adam Scott), a worker at Lumon Industries who undergoes the “severance” medical procedure which makes his work memories and personal memories completely separate from one another. Due to this procedure, Mark’s “innie,” the version of himself who works at Lumon, becomes increasingly at odds with his state of life. During this time, Mark’s “outie” also attempts to unravel some of Lumon’s well-kept secrets.

The show features an eerie tone throughout and pokes fun at the many absurdities in current office work culture by creating a workplace full of strange rituals and an off-putting religious nature to the company itself. Among this strangeness is the fact that Lumon keeps all of their departments completely separate from the others, making the spread of information as to what Lumon actually does as a company incredibly difficult for the innies. However, in season 1, episode 5, Mark and his fellow co-worker Helly (Britt Lower) go on an expedition to map where the other departments are. On their journey, they find to their surprise, a room full of baby goats and a very distressed goat wrangler (played by Brian Rock).

Screen Rant now reports that Erickson spoke at San Diego Comic-Con about the goat scene that left so many viewers confounded. A fan at SDCC asked Erickson whether there is a significance to the goats in season 1 and whether that significance would be revealed, to which Erickson responded that it would be. As for now, plot details regarding Severance season 2 and specifics about how the goats will come into play in season 2 are being kept under wraps.

Several fan theories across the internet have popped up regarding the purpose of the goats at Lumon, including some thinking that they are being used in cult-like rituals, others thinking that the goats are being used as medical guinea pigs for new severance procedures, and some proposing that the goats are being used for cloning research. The goats in season 1 certainly served the purpose of making Lumon’s overall product even more obscure and added to Mark’s team becoming more intent on gaining transparency in their workplace. Besides this, the baby goats also connect to the beginning of season 1, episode 5 as Mark’s sister, Devon (played by Jen Tullock), gives birth to her first child. Throughout the show, childrearing plays a role not only through Devon but also through learning that Mark and his wife, Gemma (Dichen Lachman), always wanted to have children.

How exactly the baby goats will help reveal the larger question of what Lumon actually does is still unknown, but viewers can be assured that they will get more clarity in season 2 as to the baby goats’ function in the larger picture. Like many of the other mysteries in the show, such as Mark realizing at the end of season 1 episode 9 that Gemma is actually the same person as Ms. Casey, the suspense makes the ultimate reveal or twist that much more satisfying. For now, viewers will have to sit in this anticipation and tune in to Severance season 2 in order to witness why the baby goats at Lumon are important.