WARNING! This article contains minor SPOILERS for Severance season 2, episode 3!Many of thedecisions about Lumon and the severed floor are governed by the company’s mysterious Board, which is never seenand only speaks to employees through Natalie inSeverance. Cobel in season 1 and Milchick in season 2 are among the only Lumon administrators introduced inSeverance’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 inSeverance, but the governing body is seemingly separate from theEagan family memberswith 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 bySeverance’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 tokeep 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 inSeveranceseason 1, episode 8, when a disembodied male voice simply says, “Yes.”
Thelack 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, withSeverancetaking 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 inSeverance, numerous fan theories have abounded to attempt to explain why they use Natalie as a medium between themselves andLumon’s departments and employees. One particularly intriguingtheory suggests that the Board isn’t actually part of a corporal body, and is rather a collective consciousness of past Eaganswhose minds were stored in a Lumon computer after their deaths (viaReddit). Because they don’t actually have a physical body, they would have to use Natalie as the face of their decisions and opinions.
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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 inSeverance’s story, keeping this aspect of Lumon’s hierarchy a bigger mystery forMacrodata Refinement’s employeesto solve.
