The dark secrets of Lumon Industries are still being revealed in SEVERANCE Season 2 of the psychological thriller Severance but viewers are left with more questions than answers. “Woe’s Hollow” Episode 4 of Season 2, is where things get really intense at a business retreat. An Outdoor Retreat and Team-Building Occurrence (ORTBO) is planned for the Macrodata Refinement (MDR) team in the spooky ‘Dieter Eagan National Forest’. What starts out as a way for employees to get to know each other quickly turns into a nightmare full of shocking revelations and life-or-death situations.
At the end of the episode, Milchick gives an urgent order to “remove the Glasgow Block,” which is a mysterious term that has fans stumped. What is the Glasgow Block, though, and what does it mean for Helly and the others? Let’s break it down.
THE MACRODATA TEAM’S JOURNEY IN “WOE’S HOLLOW”
The fourth episode starts with the MDR team’s first ORTBO, a rare chance to get away from Lumon’s headquarters. Mark (Adam Scott), Irving (John Turturro), Helly (Britt Lower), and the rest of the team go into the forest and listen to stories about Kier Eagan, the mysterious founder of the company.
When Irving finds out a shocking secret: Helly is really an Eagan pretending to be an Innie to get information, things start to get tense. Irving loses control when he finds out what happened and almost drowns Helena while demanding that Helly be brought back. Just in time, Milchick (Tramell Tillman) steps in and gives the vague order, “Remove the Glasgow Block.” After a short time, Helly wakes up—and the threat goes away. What is this Glasgow Block, though, and why was it so important?
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WHAT IS THE GLASGOW BLOCK?
The Glasgow Block is an important piece of technology for Lumon Industries that changes the minds of people who have been fired. It’s part of a list of protocols that can be seen on a security monitor, which was first hinted at in Severance Season 1, Episode 8. Beehive, Clean Slate, Lullaby and Goldfish are some other protocols. Each one controls or changes memory in a different way.
It’s likely that the word “Glasgow” refers to the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), which is a real-life medical scale used to check a person’s level of consciousness after a brain injury. On a scale that goes from fully responsive to completely unaware, the scale measures three responses: verbal, motor and visual. This link helps us understand what the Glasgow Block is supposed to do: it seems to put an Innie into a suspended state of consciousness that blocks out all outside stimuli.
To put it more simply, the Glasgow Block is meant to keep an Innie from waking up or reacting to what’s going on around them. This matches what happens to —Helly in the episode—it looks like her consciousness is blocked, and she can’t take back control until the protocol is taken away.
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THE GLASGOW BLOCK IN SEVERANCE SEASON 1
It was only hint at in Season 1 that the Glasgow Block would be important in Season 2. People in Episode 8 get a quick look at the list of protocols in the security room when Dylan (Zach Cherry) turns on the Overtime Contingency (OTC). As the options scroll by on the screen, features such as:-
Beehive
Branch Transfer
Clean Slate
Elephant
Freeze Frame
Glasgow
Goldfish
Lullaby
Open House
Clear Slate probably erases memories, and Branch Transfer might mean a reassignment. But Glasgow is the most difficult to understand because it isn’t clear what it means. It is clear, though, that each protocol changes an employee’s mind or memory in a different way.
HOW DOES THE GLASGOW BLOCK AFFECT HELLY?
Helly’s consciousness is completely shut down in “Woe’s Hollow,” so she can’t do anything while Irving and Milchick fight for control. Helena, who is her Outie counterpart, is on the cut floor but Helly is still trapped and unconscious. Helly quickly regains control of her body and surroundings after Milchick tells them to take down the Glasgow Block.
Based on this event, it looks like the Glasgow Block is a strong tool that Lumon uses to keep employees under control who they see as dangerous or rebellious. It’s possible that Lumon used the Glasgow Block to disable Helly after her famous speech in the Season 1 finale to make sure she wouldn’t mess with their plans again.
WHAT DOES THE GLASGOW BLOCK REVEAL ABOUT LUMON?
The Glasgow Block brings up new questions about Lumon’s true intentions and how much control they really have over their fired workers. What other dark secrets does the company have to hide if they have ways to stop people from thinking or erase memories?
The Glasgow Block also shows how severance technology can be used in an unethical way. Lumon shows how far they’re willing to go to keep power and control by effectively silencing an Innie without their permission. This scary new information adds to the show’s exploration of identity, free will, and how corporations can control people.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR SEVERANCE?
It’s now clear that Lumon’s technology is much more dangerous than was thought before the Glasgow Block was found. As the MDR team keeps digging up information about the company, viewers can expect even more shocking turns and discoveries.
Irving’s discovery about Helly, along with the mysterious protocols like Glasgow, point to a bigger plot that has yet to be uncovered. How many more commands are hidden in Lumon’s system? How will the team use what they’ve learned to fight back?
Every episode of Severance Season 2 raises the stakes, making fans eager to see what comes next. There are many puzzles out there, and the Glasgow Block is just one of them. It’s clear that the answers won’t be easy.
Come back to spikytv.com soon for more news, previews, and full recaps about Severance!
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