Why Lumon's Board Only Speaks Through Natalie In Severance
WARNING! This article contains minor SPOILERS for Severance season 2, episode 3!Many of the decisions about Lumon and the severed floor are governed by the company’s mysterious Board, which is never seen and only speaks to employees through Natalie in Severance. Cobel in season 1 and Milchick in season 2 are among the only Lumon administrators introduced in Severance’s cast of characters, with the company’s higher-ups generally being out of sight and only able to reach on their own terms. That happens to be the case for the Board, which is made up of a mysterious body that communicates to others through an earpiece worn by Natalie, the Board Liaison.
It’s unknown what exactly the Board is or who serves on it in Severance, but the governing body is seemingly separate from the Eagan family members with executive positions at Lumon, like CEO Jame Eagan or Helena. Whenever they “meet” with an employee at Lumon, the Board listens through a speaker with a small inserted camera, then gives their responses and messages to Natalie, who relays their communication directly. The curious anonymity of the Board has led to plenty of speculation about its true nature, as well as discussions over the deeper meaning behind why they only talk through Natalie.
The Lumon Board's Anonymity & Lack Of Personalization Keep Its Non-Severed Employees Subjugated & In The Dark
Their Distance Is A Form Of Control Over Lumon Employees
As is the case with almost every rule, guideline, or dynamic given by Severance's Lumon Industries, the Board’s distance and anonymity is designed to keep all employees under their control. When the Board can’t be seen or heard, then there's no way of knowing exactly how they're receiving and giving the information from and to Cobel or Milchick. All that’s seen is the way in which Natalie is informed to convey their dialogue, which helps to keep the Board’s motivations and any perceivable weaknesses hidden from mid-level or low-level employees.
The only time that the Board itself is ever heard speaking is in Severance season 1, episode 8, when a disembodied male voice simply says, "Yes."
The lack of personalization with the Board also makes them more intimidating to Cobel or Milchick, and keeps the administrators from feeling like they could truly have an influence on the Board or overestimate their significance. The Board being literally unseen and unknown is meant to reflect the real-world phenomena of some upper management and company boards being so distant and removed from employees. Real-world board members might become so removed that employees wouldn’t even know if they’re real people, with Severance taking this to the next level by making their refusal to speak with employees a Lumon policy.
A Big Severance Theory Speculates The Board Is A Collective Consciousness Of Past Eagans Who Speak To Natalie
The Theory Explains Why The Board Physically Can't Appear
Given how strange and mysterious the Board is in Severance, numerous fan theories have abounded to try to explain why they use Natalie as a medium between themselves and Lumon’s departments and employees. One particularly intriguing theory suggests that the Board isn’t actually part of a corporal body, and is rather a collective consciousness of past Eagans whose minds were stored in a Lumon computer after their deaths (via Reddit). Because they don’t actually have a physical body, they would have to use Natalie as the face of their decisions and opinions.
There are plenty of other potential explanations for the Board that are less sci-fi horror-based, but it ultimately seems that their decision to remain out of sight and reach is to keep Lumon employees within their control. It’s possible that the reality of the Board won’t be revealed until late in Severance’s story, keeping this aspect of Lumon’s hierarchy a bigger mystery for Macrodata Refinement's employees to solve.
Source: Reddit
Severance
- Release Date
- February 18, 2022
- Showrunner
- Dan Erickson, Mark Friedman
- Directors
- Ben Stiller
- Writers
- Dan Erickson
Cast
Mark Scout
Helly Riggs
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