Warning: The review of Severance season 2 episode 7 will contain spoilers.

Why do we care about Mark’s (Adam Scott) search for Gemma (Dichen Lachman)? Besides the very relatable, human notion of wanting to reconnect with a lost loved one, we don’t have much to go on regarding Mark and Gemma’s relationship or their past. Episode 7 of season 2 fills in some necessary gaps in their backstories, and provides some shocking developments to show exactly what’s been happening since she disappeared into that dark hallway, and it’s another fascinating episode of Severance at its best.

There’s so much to process within “Chikhai Bardo” – both thematically and within the story – so let’s dive in. It turns out the sub-basement of the Severed floor is just as labyrinthine and complex as its counterpart, with a number of mysterious rooms (all named after the various files that the MDR team has worked on), and Gemma has to attend a series of medical appointments with all manner of menacing Lumon acolytes. Except she doesn’t remember anything that happens once she leaves each room, as if she’s become severed in a new way. Crucially, when she’s down there, she’s still Gemma, not Ms. Casey, and has retained all her memories of Mark. She even undergoes period-specific outfit and hairstyle changes, where appropriate. Where this week’s installment of Severance succeeds is by answering a number of questions (what happens on the sub-basement? Is Gemma even still alive?), while still raising more, perhaps more complex questions about the origins of Mark and Gemma.

But the crux of episode 7 comes as a series of flashbacks, as Mark’s unconscious body reintegrates and recalls the course of their relationship. We don’t see much of the pair in the early stages of dating, but we see them at their highest and lowest points. It’s an easy shortcut for a TV show or movie to depict a couple’s fertility struggles in order for us to sympathize with them, but their struggles with having a baby, and each parties’ feelings on whether they should or shouldn’t keep trying, feels like a more natural explanation for how Gemma could drift apart from Mark – something a number of real people can surely relate to.

Lumon’s all-consuming control is obviously all over episode 7, but director Jessica Lee Gagne peppers in smaller details that can easily go unnoticed. Consider the use of the instrumental rendition of “Baby It’s Cold Outside” (a song most would associate with controlling someone against their will) during the scene when Gemma is forced to write Christmas thank you notes. We’ve seen Helena (Britt Lower) and her yearning for an emotional attachment with Mark throughout season 2, but episode 7 suggests that perhaps emotional distance from other humans is a symptom of every Lumon employee, when her creepy handler/doctor goes to greater lengths to depict himself as her romantic partner. Dichen Lachman is terrific throughout the episode, both in the flashback segments and as a Lumon prisoner. While Severance hasn’t given her much of an opportunity to showcase her talents thus far, “Chikhai Bardo” shows just how deep its roster of actors is.

The internet has speculated endlessly about what the purpose of the MDR team is, and why Gemma is so instrumental to Lumon. Perhaps the most popular theory is that Gemma is being used as a vehicle for Kier Eagan’s reincarnation, and while episode 7 doesn’t explicitly answer it, there’s a key exchange between Gemma and the doctor. She asks if she’ll be able to see Mark again once all the tests are finished, and his response is “You will see the world again, and the world will see you.” Of course, the theory isn’t explicitly stated to be correct this week, but it feels slightly more plausible after the events of the episode.

My biggest question since the season 1 finale reveal of the Gemma/Ms. Casey connection was how she could come into Lumon’s orbit to begin with. Did she go willingly, or was it some kind of mind control? Maybe they lured her with the promise of finally having a baby. Yes, we see her working on the Lumon flash cards which so memorably appeared in season 1, in a much different context, but they’re explained away as being part of a “mailing list” from the fertility clinic. With what we see in “Chikhai Bardo”, the answer becomes a little more clear. But regardless of whether episode 7 answers every question or advances the season 2 plot incrementally, this week’s installment of Severance is just plain good television (with some Emmy-worthy direction from Gagne), providing a thoughtful examination of our characters and the world they live in.

• You Got Your Lost in My Severance!: The camera lingers very purposefully in the opening scene to show that Lumon is behind the blood drive where Mark and Gemma are donating blood and initially meet. The Lumon logo can also be seen on the intake form as Mark and Gemma visit the fertility clinic. Could this be the start of why Gemma was “chosen” by Lumon to be taken? Did they see something in her blood, or Mark’s, that suited their purposes?