Outtie world theory -Lumon’s goal

The opening scene of s2Ep3 was visually striking for how desolate the landscape appeared around Cobel. It fits in with what we see in Kier where the town has a half empty feel. Then there is the constant winter state. We also have clear evidence this is not our reality by the PE state designation. The cars are also all outdated.

There is one theory I think can make sense of everything we are seeing: this is a post-apocalyptic world that is coming out of a nuclear winter. Most of the major cities are most likely gone, and the population has been greatly reduced. In this world, Lumon is fighting to control the means of production in this world. New products are being created (we see Marks modern phone for example) but they are limited in what they can create due to lack of labor. That why we see such a wide variety of old and new tech, and why cars are mostly old, as they lack the labor to produce en mass. This is likely the work that O&D is performing. We saw them produce watering pots and mentioned hatchets. These seem like everyday items, but they may be the only ones left producing them. Branch 5x was likely associated with car manufacturing since it was based in Grand Rapids, but they have failed. The fact that they live in a new state with a town called Kier may show that this is a corporate state in which they live.

Now consider that you are running a totally unethical corporation with immense biotech power and you recognize that you have a labor shortage due to lack of worker pool. How would you resolve this? 1. Find ways to increase the population either naturally or artificially. 2. Repurpose dead people as enslaved workers. 3. Maximize existing worker output. I think they have already accomplished the third option, and are working on the other 2.

We see a lot of allusions to Russia in Severance, including Marks watch, the plaque of Kier that looks a lot like Lenin, and the fact that Gemma taught Russian literature. I think there was a limited nuclear exchange between the US and Russia. It think the cars are the clue as to when this happened. I think the most recent model I have seen on the show is a late 90s Jeep Grand Cherokee, so I think it likely happened around the turn of the century.

The goats may be as simple as Lumon trying to restore the animal population or may be part of an effort to create a hybrid worker class using the brains of goats.