Severance is borrowing a brilliant idea from Terminator 2

If, at some point in your life, you've managed to sit down and watch Terminator 2: Judgment Day without knowing anything about the plot, then you've achieved the rare joy of experiencing one of science fiction's great twists as it was intended. (If you've never seen Terminator 2 and somehow, by the grace of James Cameron, still don't know the premise, do yourself a favor and watch it now. It's okay; we'll wait.)

The twist we're talking about, of course, is the startling revelation that Arnold Schwarzenegger's ruthless T-800 robot is no longer trying to murder the good guys. This time, he's been sent from the future to protect them from something even more dangerous.

In a moment that even the film's trailer couldn't resist spoiling, Schwarzenegger pulls out a shotgun and aims it at a young John Connor (Edward Furlong) before barking, "Get down," in order to get a shot at the even deadlier T-1000 behind John. The world would never be the same.

In the decades since, the trope of villain-turned-savior has become a proud tradition of the genre. For example, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Loki started out as a supervillain fighting the Avengers, but he ultimately wound up saving the entire multiverse in a spin-off show of his own. And now, another beloved sci-fi show appears to be on the precipice of pulling a Judgement Day twist of its own.

That show is Severance, and in this case, the villain-turned-savior is none other than Harmony Cobel. 

Is Severance setting up its own Terminator 2 twist?

Credit: Apple TV+

Played by Patricia Arquette, Cobel first appeared as a vindictive middle manager on the mysterious Severed Floor of Lumon Industries, where she seemed to take pleasure in torturing Mark (Adam Scott) and his fellow Innies. But in Severance Season 2, the character has suddenly become much more interesting, potentially setting up a twist even bigger than anything we've seen from the show so far.

Cobel has been noticeably absent from much of Severance's second season. After taking the blame for the "Macrodata Uprising" that capped off Season 1, she was forced out of her job. Soon afterward, she got in her car and drove off into the distance. But several weeks later, in Episode 8 ("Sweet Vitriol"), we finally learn what Cobel has been up to — and a whole lot more. 

The episode reveals that (spoiler alert!) Cobel invented the severance procedure, which explains both why she's so invested in managing Lumon's Severed Floor and why she's so mad about losing that job. Cobel returns to the town where she grew up and finds her old notebooks, which prove she came up with the original idea, though it's unclear exactly what she intends to do with them. But as she drives back towards the action and picks up her phone to talk to Mark, she barks three words that may hint at what's to come: "Tell me everything."

As Severance's several plotlines prepare to collide in Season 2's final two episodes, Cobel is sure to play a major role. Will she use this new information to reclaim her old job? Or will she wield it as a weapon to destroy Lumon and expose the severed procedure for what it really is? That second option is much more exciting and gives Arquette's character a chance to pivot from villain to hero just in time for a 75-minute-long season finale. The fact that she's seemingly already allied herself with Mark only increases the possibility that Cobel has already switched sides. 

Why Severance's big twist could be even better than Terminator 2's 

When we first met Harmony Cobel and Mr. Milchick way back in Season 1, episode 1. Credit: Apple TV+

In the case of Terminator 2, the reason for Arnold Schwarzenegger's turn from villain to hero had less to do with the movie's plot and more to do with its star. In the seven years between the original Terminator and the sequel, Schwarzenegger became a Hollywood icon, thanks to both violent action flicks like Commando and kid-friendly comedies like Kindergarten Cop. Making him a ruthless killer again simply wasn't an option, so James Cameron turned his Terminator into a hero.

"To keep Arnold as that Terminator would break our ethical boundaries," Cameron told one journalist on the set of T2 back in 1991. "He's an idol for young audiences all over the world."

And so, Schwarzenegger became the hero.

When it comes to Harmony Cobel, we have to assume that the creators of Severance have been a bit more strategic. (Episode 8's big reveal may have come as a surprise, but the clues were there all along if you knew where to look for them.) Still, regardless of the reason why Cobel's character seems to be pivoting from villain to hero, if it really does happen, it stands to be just as iconic and influential a moment in science fiction history as Schwarzenegger's big intro in Terminator 2. 

Severance Season 2 is now streaming on Apple TV+, with a new episode every Friday.