There’s plenty of oddities to be found in the Lumon offices, but one strange Severance Season 2 obsession has fans thinking there may be more under its prickly surface.
It’s safe to say that Lumon is no ordinary place to work, and with Season 2 of Severance, the introduction of child supervisors, stop-motion workplace videos, and brightly-colored balloons simply add to the bizarre atmosphere of the Apple TV+ show.
But another thing that’s been keeping viewers guessing is the repeated use of pineapples this season. It was first introduced in the opening episode of the second season, in which the MDR team watches a Lumon employee video that details new perks – including “pineapple bobbing.”
This, plus Milchick’s pineapple gift baskets bestowed upon the MDR’s Outies, and Ms. Cobel’s question of whether Lumon’s offer of returning to the office “involved a pineapple,” has sparked questions over what it all means, with one solid fan theory coming out on top.
The Severance pineapples could symbolize Lumon’s true purpose
When discussing the significance of the pineapples on the Severance subreddit, one user suggested the pineapples themselves aren’t important, but that they symbolize something much deeper. Specifically, it could be another clue towards what they’re actually doing at Lumon.
So far, one of the most popular theories involves the company creating copies of people, or reconstructing the subconscious. Turns out, this can be connected to how pineapples actually grow.
Apple TV+Milchick gifted pineapple baskets to the Outies
“The first thing that came to mind is how pineapples can grow from the stem (edit: crown, not stem, sorry), without the fruiting body,” they wrote. “Like, they don’t need the full plant to propagate, just that one top part. It kinda feels like a parallel to how Lumon might be creating copies or reconstructing people from mind fragments/the tempers (such as Gemma/Ms Casey).”
Others agreed, and some even noted how this idea could be linked with other Lumon elements, too, such as the Kier artwork featured when Mark steps out of the elevator in Season 2 Episode 1.
“This lines up with the painting of Kier pardoning his betrayers,” one comment said. “It showed 4 people with just their upper torso and head sticking out of the ground. Perhaps showing that he’s regrowing them?”
Fellow fans were quick to jump on the theory, praising it as the strongest link yet.
Apple TV+Pineapple bobbing is one of the new perks at Lumon
“I’ve had a lot of people respond with comments about the pineapples since yesterday and nobody has mentioned this,” said one. “And after seeing this I’m pretty convinced you’ve hit the nail on the head with this one.”
Another wrote, “Incredible, I think you’re into something. Same thing as the goat room, goats have been used for cloning experiments for a long time so I believe both are supposed to create these comparisons without outright ‘spoiling’ the Lumon process.”
Severance Season 2 Episode 2 is available to stream on Apple TV+ now. For more, check out our guides to the full release schedule, and find out the secret reason you find Severance so disturbing.