Severance Theories #9 [What's Up With The Food?] 

The foodless dinner always struck me as more of a metaphor that Mark doesn't really get to eat. At least, he can never enjoy eating on the outside. On the inside he just had to trust his body is being taken care of. While also seeming like a pretentious thing some new age people would do, the foodless dinner is depriving Mark of one of the few things he actually gets to experience that his inner self never gets.

As far as food, what also struck me as odd is in episode 1 is when the freshly severed Helly asks "Am I cattle?". But now with the rest of season 1 complete, that sounds so much more ominous . . .

Side note: the food in the vending machines follows the show's color coding, like just about everything else. The four tempers correspond to four colors, green, blue, red, and yellow. These correspond to woe, malice, dread, and frolic, respectively. Green/woe for depressing vegetables, blue/malice for foods that can provoke allergies (peanuts), red/dread for strong/offputting foods (beets), and yellow for the 'fun' food of sunflower seeds.

Something is clearly weird with attitudes toward food in the Severance universe, but I don't think it's necessarily scarce-even though that's specifically a theory that innie-Dylan proposes to Helly. As soon as the foodless dinner is over, Devon serves Mark a sandwich, and the food itself seems unremarkable. It doesn't seem like a small, rationed portion. Nor does Mark comment on it at all. Devon and Mark roll their eyes together at the pretentiousness of the event they just left, in line with our thoughts as the audience. We know something is off with Patton and the rest of Ricken's friends. Their perception of the world and its history is almost childlike, as if their consciousness were plopped down into a culture without any contextual information to ground them. Which, to me, sounds a lot like being severed. I think Ricken, Patton, Rebeck, and the rest of them are not just crunchy hippie weirdos. I think they're severed crunchy hippie weirdos, and their selves out-and-about in Kier are their "innies". Edit: There's also food on every table we see at the restaurant in episode 6, as Mark is munching on fries.

When Milchick is bitten, Irving immediately identifies the EMT treatment he should receive. So there may be a connection between Harmony/Selvig and Irving.

There's also the weirdness of the food available to the Severed employees-- the vending machines seem to sell only options like sunflower seeds, dried blueberries, ginseng, etc. Their celebrations are melons and eggs. The closest thing to a dessert we see any of them get to eat the entire time is at the waffle party. I was assuming it was related to the cult of Kier and that health food/healthy eating might be particularly important to them (controlling your tempers, controlling appetites, etc), and/or that it's another method of micromanaging the Severed employees and trying to control their health, but it might also speak to food being harder to get. If grocery prices are high in the outside world, maybe a gift card to Pip's is a more worthwhile gift than we'd think, too.

I just took the weird food to be part of the odd and timeless (yet kind of retro) atmosphere of the show. Deviled eggs and melon balls are very 1970s. Time will tell. The writers strike is something I support. But I am not happy that the second season has been delayed.

Lost was the perfect example of “too many theories that ended up better than the actual show”

My day 1 theory is that the people in town are also severed and employees of Lumon but its their innies that eat so the outies just dont remember.

One of the big things I’ve always wondered is, what if the whole town is playing a kind of game with the severed employees? Pulling a Truman show if you will. For instance, all the protesters might be a way to push the employees to work harder, a way to almost encourage them to prove the protesters wrong? Like even with all the people Mark interacts with out of work, they all act stale, like NPCs in a video game. I might be way off the mark but it’s just something I thought I’d share

I rewatched the show and noticed two things: 1. LUNCHES. There's a point within the 2ⁿᵈ or 3ʳᵈ episodes where folks are in the MDR kitchenette and Irving opens the fridge to get a look at what's available. One of the items is a large, brown paper bag which is folded closed and has a label on it. It's possible this is how severed employees each lunch daily: it's provided for him before they get into the office, likely keeping in mind their outie's dietary preferences and issues. 2, EGG-DROP CHALLENGE. The first point where all of MDR meets two of O&D, O&D claims that the tray of splattered eggs she's carrying are from an egg-drop challenge. If there's a food shortage, why would they be wasting food for the sake of a team building exercise? (Though, given the actual size of their department I'm wondering why only two of them were coming back from said "challenge." They may have been doing something else with the eggs and that answer was their cover.)

i remember in a high school english class learning about the significance of meals and food to a story/plot/conflict. sitting together for a meal can be so mundane - so if it's shown, there's often an important reason for it. i haven't thought enough about it here but i'm grateful you have lol also Liz's theory about Harmony is BRILLIANT and i'm really hoping there's truth there. that feels so real.

I think also the 'dinner' scene is a setup for the themes of narcissism which we see EVERYWHERE. E.g. the Eagans believing they're some blessed royal line, Helena Eagan driving her innie to suicide and not giving a shit because of her image and family (could be some other motive but we don't know yet), all of Ricken's friends (and Ricken himself) are egotistical, especially Patton... "I'M THE ONE WHO FOUND YOUR CHILD". Christ. This world is an exaggerated suburban dystopia, and the way Patton talks about food just being fuel to distract from their 'conversation', where they all sound so confident yet say idiotic things, and offer a condescending narrative when pretending to care about Mark. Another idea I had is that food is something external which everyone can take part in together and appreciate, giving them a shared connection to something beyond themselves, but they are all too self-absorbed to focus on, and appreciate, the beauty in something that isn't their own half-baked philosophies and grandiose monologues.

Couldn't have wished for a better ending to a Friday night, thanks Nautilus, sooo hyped for season 2! Let's GOO!

Something occurred to me on my second viewing.The vending machine food is all healthy low calorie snack's of small portions. Which makes a lot sense if you think about it.The Outies/Lumon wouldn't want their Innies to be consuming significant amounts of calories while at work. Then have Outies potentially gaining weight without control or having the pleasure of actually eating the food themselves. Even the food incentives like the Melon/Egg bar would be relatively low in calories and not frequent enough to cause issue. The waffles would be the only exception. But even then that doesn't occur that often to a single individual. It wouldn't surprise me if all the coffee is fake or at least decaf. Outies wouldn't be happy to come home too wired on caffeine to sleep. Saying that I wouldn't be surprised if all the food is "Fake". Engineered to look the part. Perhaps even tastes pleasant enough to someone who doesn't know better. But contains almost no nutritional value. Either way food is just another part of the illusion that Lumon has cooked up to keep them compliant and incentivised.

I love how there are just so many things to dig into with this show.

"If I invited you to a Waffle Party and...this happened..." 😂

Wild theory, but this got me thinking about how much food plays into someone's culture and upbringing. We all have recipes and meals that we're nostalgic for because we ate them as kids, or meals that were passed down through generations. But the Severed don't have that. They are just blank slates. Maybe the foodless dinners are somehow symbolic of not having ties to anything in the past (or even Ricken wanting to disconnect from his Lumon roots, if we are going with that theory.) Devon ends up making Mark a sandwich because they are the closest familial relationship we get to see. It would also make sense why the most sought after food for the innies, the Waffles, is then forcibly tied to a Lumon brainwashing session that creates a weird nostalgia for the company and its heritage.

Seriously can't wait for season 2 to start. I do love theory crafting and thinking on all of this, but I'm literally drooling thinking about the next lore morsel they're going to give us haha.

The food, coffee or even the items in wellness having the Lumon logo, can at first be seen as just a company providing it's own products to employees... but it also gives uhm... Nestlé vibes. Maybe that's my Swiss perspective, as this multinational is our own. But basically they are everywhere... a majority of foods, some water, the coffee, everywhere. They also have the Nestlé museum and when I saw the Perpetuity Wing I couldn't help but think about that museum 😆 that's what makes this show so uncanny; many things already exist, just in a slightly less creepy way but if you think about it...

"But they call it dinner" It's established that Ricken deliberately wanted a foodless dinner for the purpose of opening up conversation. "my friend in Lima hasn't had a food based dinner event in..." Patton lies to aggrandize himself with his group of friends, hence the stupid conversation about World War 1, Patton didn't actually talk to anyone about this, it's just something he's making up for the sake of conversation, also in the last episode we see him jump up to announce he was the first to find the baby when it was in fact Mark. He wants to be the centre of attention, the smartest person in the room, the best conversationalist, the confidant, all of the above. He also likes to manufacture drama, one example being when at the last episode he asks Mark if it's right for Devon to allow her baby to be a part of the reading. All of these are indicators that Patton is not a reliable character. I don't really think there's a lot of evidence for a food shortage or even that a food shortage is a component of the plot.

I’m so glad you brought up “Lost” as it was a great show, no matter what anyone says.

I don't know if anyone already mentioned this. Devon is always wearing blue. At the foodless dinner scene Mark was wearing a red sweater with a blue t-shirt and Devon was wearing a blue sweater and a red t-shirt underneat. She also isn't as fazed as Mark that there was a business man in her yard and dismisses it quite fast whilst also wearing a blue pyjama

I remember the scene in which Mark S. was refilling the soap dispenser in the bathroom and also the scene in which Irving asks about why the soap isn’t labeled “soap”.. but I never noticed the detail about employees washing their hands 10 times per day in the employee orientation pamphlet/booklet.. interesting detail.

I want to know why they never show the innies eating lunch! Are they supposed to survive on those tiny packets of raisins and nuts from the vending machine? Maybe their lunch breaks are also staggered to keep them from becoming friends, but they should still get a meal while they’re at work. Also, Lumen must feed them lunch since no one carries anything into the office.

When I first saw the dinner party I had a feeling it was the upper class that was able to get access to nutrients rather than food

Something being in the food is kind of a given I think, since we have the impression the entire time that Lumon controls everything and they seem super wealthy and powerful. Something is up with that town anyway... Also the fact that Selvig is neighbours with Mark is just so mysterious it kills me more than what's up with Gemma, other departments, Ricken and family... Can't wait to see it. It's been so long since the first season I don't know how I'll take watching the show week by week when it' comes out.. I swear I'll have to wait until the whole thing airs because I'll go crazy with this show going episode by episode... Binging the first season was a blessing hahah

I'm so glad you watch patriot! One of the most underrated shows of all time. Michael Chernus was also great in Perpetual Grace, another show made by the same people who made patriot. Another hidden masterpiece

I just watched the show and food is a theme because food is sustenance but we also learned to enjoy it, and make an art and culture out of it. Food holds so many similar themes to our work. I think the foodless dinner is like a job that doesn't enrich you. Or maybe it's showing Mark the social-life benefit that work brings when we ignore the work itself. It's more of a philosophical entry in the show than a literal one anyway.

Remember when Petey was at the convenience store, he said something to the effect, he needed tokens to eat?

what if the water IS the food ? Meaning it wouldn't be plant based, and the "foodless dinner" scenes where everyone just has a glass of water in front of them would make sense....

Food analysis? I'm here for it

Irving and Mark’s conversation was just Irving making up an excuse to see Burt after they’d been discouraged from going to O&D

I'm always so excited when I see you've uploaded a new video! Keep it up man :)

MDR is refining people by purifying their minds by altering their mental state. They do not know this as all they see are numbers, but the number is probably a map of the human mind with data collected by the implant. They alter it by removing or replacing the bits that affect the four emotions the kier finds important. Three of which could be considered negative. The Outcome is a person whose behavior has been altered without them realizing it. The timetable on the file probably involves some time-sensitive action that must happen outside the world. If they don't complete the file, then Lumon misses the opportunity. I don't think people are eating because their minds have been messed with, and they now don't value food. This could be used as a control mechanism From Lumon for some unknown reason. Maybe Lumon wants to cure obesity so they alter people's desire for food. Mark doesn't have a problem getting liquor and the convenience store seemed stocked. Not sure there's a food shortage. I'm also Guessing the Big water tower is important. Either a broadcasting antenna or the source of all water in town.

The fact that you just said you talk about my three favorite shows… yellowjackets, severance, black mirror

Great Vid as always Been away for a bit but great to back! looking forward to season 2!

I’m not really adding much to the convo about food specifically but I do like that the power of LUMON extends to everything including the food. Their logo is plastered on everything! A big “we own and make everything you possibly need” reference but also, if you consume, work, and do everything through LUMON, including being severed, we technically also own you. 😈 it’s def a big cliche for a corporation but I like how it’s visually represented through all the branded products.

Great vid as always.

Sweet sweet Severance Methadone. Good vid!

Thanks for another great video 👍

the whole thing sound like john harvey kellogs and the cult of brand and following

Kids, what's for dinner? Dinner with no food, just water. Lumon raisins, blueberries, sunflower seeds, etc. in the office vending machine. Baked cookies from Mrs. Selvig. Bloody Petey asking for tokens so he can eat something at the gas station convenience store. Melon bar, waffle party, egg bar. Egg drop challenge. Mark eating a sandwich that was made for him by his sister. Goats being bottle fed. Seems to be food for elementary school children in that the innies are children in their development.

The thing i immediately noticed about food was that no severed employee brings a lunch to work. This makes the food incentives provided by lumon really valuable to the innies because they’ve never had a proper meal. Except for the tiny snacks in the vending machine (which is also probably restricted) all food is a reward.

Points for using a screenshot of the can if Salve from that episode of Ren and Stimpy

I think the water theory, well, holds a lot of water. That's why their logo is a drop and why they have a big-ass water tower. I recently read that it's illegal to have the sign of the red cross, a red cross on a white background, so some shows have a white cross on a red background. Sounds familiar? 6:32 - but with a drop. Drop of blood? Water? Maybe. Both are signs for regeneration and life, and with severence - where they manipulate the mind, I think they do something to both body and mind. About washing hands thoroughly: in hospitals it's to reduce significantly the risk of infection. I'd say it's safe to say that Lumen doesn't want anything from the outside to pollute its experiment - or for anything they're doing to go out - just like the severed minds.

Throughout the whole first season, we see that everything is covered in snow, so we kinda assume that its winter. But what if its the middle of summer and the whole earth is covered in snow year round, and that's why there is a food shortage, that Lumon is trying to solve, or may even have caused in the first place.. I think there is foreshadowing in the intro, and it shows us that Lumon is using the workers as ingredients to make some type of beverage, and injectable substance. Could Lumon be harvesting DNA? And perhaps the workers are refining by categorizing that DNA, to suit Lumon's goals. Maybe trying to breed a genetically severed person.

unfortunately Lost lost it's way, I am really hopeful that Severance will do better. All signs show to 'yes'

Another great vid bud

i think the foodless conversation dinner was meant to be intentionally weird to show that his sisters friend group is kind of cringey hipsters who like weird social experiments to make themselves look enlightened. However, I think the other examples certainly point to something stranger.

Patriot is my favorite show that got cancelled ever.

I was rewatching severance and I noticed that Alexa said on average she attends 2 births per day as a midwife. That seemed like a lot to me? So I looked it up, and today in the US there's about 1 midwife per 35 births. So, it could suggest a midwife shortage, a doctor shortage, a population problem, or babies being born in excess for a specific, potentially creepy, reason. We don't have enough data from the show yet to say for sure, but it stuck out as weird to me on a rewatch

Yayyy! A new one! Maybe it’s predictive programming of what’s to come in the future of our own lives…? Like food shortages, massive inflation, job losses with AI taking over(the coup?)/gone wrong. At first, I thought this was a person with MPD/DID, but with the chip in the brain, there are so many things to think about. Instead of crickets, they eat whatever the machines have. Someone mentioned it and I forgot. Did any of that make sense? 😂Anyway, excellent!!! I can’t wait for season 2! Thanks, Nautilus Files!

There was a comment about not putting post-its on their face since it clogs the pores of the outies, I figured the healthy vending machines with only 2 tokens a day and the egg and melon parties were related to not putting on weight at work. But also, they work 8 hours a day, do they not get a lunch break at all? No one brings a bag lunch that we see. We don't see anyone brining them food either except for the parties. Irv said something about creamer being a motivator years ago, maybe it's to keep food as motivation?

Fantastic and funny as always 👍🤘😎

This series reminded me so much of lost. Like when the polar bears first appeared on the island. It was such a whaaaaaa moment. Same with the goats here. The fun part of mystery shows is always the first season. When there aren’t many answers yet and it’s all in your head

When Mrs selvig brought Mark the cakes in episode 2, I had the eerie feeling she'd laced them

What's with the food? Well if you hussel the letters in Kier Eagan's name, you get 'Ik nera ega' Ik in Dutch = I Nera in French = will not Ega in Latin = eat So, his name is basically telling not to trust the food he's presenting you.

I always thought the water drop reference was odd. Also, the tower stood out to me that it must be something. Nice catch on the soaps. Didn’t they also say something about Rebec chewing or not chewing and her smelling bad during the reading party?

no mention of chamomile and lavender cookies?

my 2 cents is that there is more then 2 splits! the same way in psychology you have the 3 levels of the human mind! the conscious the preconscious and the unconscious

Lol tighten the thin foil. Hats off to you sir.

Great analysis! thanks for the food-for-thought. You mentioned Lost, are you watching From?

The Gang is back

I always thought it was odd that they had very little food at work. And then when they had that party in the office and they only had fruit, melons to be exact it seemed like Milchic made it seem like it was a luxury to have this served. But now I wonder if they only gave them this because heavier foods would make them sleepy. If I remember correctly, one of the rules is that they cannot fall asleep. In addition, the waffle party is held at night. Right before going home to eventually sleep.

Fav guy posts my fav type of content! ❤ winningggg.

My dude, you need to cover Silo!

I think it has something to do with eventually planning to transfer the eagens consciousness into other bodies, I think they're being kept alive artificially. It is obviously too many people, I doubt it's so they can have a lot of options, but I think it has something to do with them wanting to make sure the bodies they may eventually inhabit follow their health/wellness philosophy

Great video! One question I have, and this may be another topic to analyze- how did “The You You Are” end up inside Lumon headquarters and why?

Loving your videos. Your point that the Lumen towns might be a sort of Oasis made me think of Blake Crouch’s “Wayward Pines Trilogy.” (Credit to my wife for mentioning his during our first severance watch, and Spoiler Warning for anyone who hasn’t read that series). Wayward Pines is about an Idyllic small American town where something is very very off. Over the course of the first book, our protagonist learns that the story takes place thousands of years in the future, when all humans except the residents of this town have devolved into a posthuman superpredator species. The isolated town exists as a sort of life raft for humanity, biding its time until thy can hopefully gain some upper hand over this murderous species. We also learn that the main antagonist of the story is both controlling and surveilling everyone in the town, and literally the savior of humanity. Characters in that series aren’t “severed” as they are in this show, but they are put to sleep for thousands of years (some consensually, some nonconsensually), and then gradually awakened into the town. There are some characters with parallels to Severed, including a sherif/enforcer type who knows the truth (Milchick), and a daughter of the chosen/powerful family who rebels against the high-control society of her forebears (Helly). I’m not sure what to expect from the series based on Crouch’s books, but I think the possible twist that the Lumon is doing whatever Lumon does in order to preserve a semblance of humanity may not be far off. If nothing else, it’s a fun, quick read while we wait for season 2.

Love the Milchick rating scale. LOL

I don't like 30 minute videos and I would watch a 30 minute video from you

I really can't help but like Ricken. Somehow he's insufferable and pretentious--and yet loving and kind. I get the impression he truly means well. This probably means he's an evil Kier clone or something, lol.

Oasis... I see what you did there 😝🤣🤣

has anyone noticed that all the food, even vending machine food is all healthy?

Why would a society that's experiencing food scarcity tolerate random participation in egg-drop challenges for corporate team building? Unless one is trying to design more nutritious eggs, it seems unnecessarily and even dangerously wasteful. On Mark's Department Chief To-Do list, one of the duties is to check employee lunches. There's also a scene in the breakroom where Irving opens the refrigerator, picks up a large brown bag with a blue and white label on it, looks at it, and puts it back. It appears that lunches are supplied by Lumon, most likely taking into account preferences, allergies, and dietary restrictions. Since Innies can't bring in their own lunches, wouldn't be allowed outside for lunch, and there's apparently no cafeteria on the severed floor for different departments to mingle in, it makes sense that Lumon would pre-supply lunches.

wow!!! i didn't even realize they weren't even eating food

That's why I thought the nipple salve was a little suspect

wish this was more focused on the actual food

I recommend silo and foundation which are both on Apple TV. Watched them both while microdosing on shrooms and it has given me a lot of perspective in how I approach new shows.

Hi Nautilus - Love your videos and after finishing Severance recently, I've basically been binging your content. One thing I haven't noticed anyone talk about in these theories is this university that Mark and Gemma used to work at. When he meets with Reghabbi in that underground lab, he remarks that he used to teach at that school, but the building now appears to be abandoned. As professors in history and Russian literature respectively, did Mark and Gemma raise the flag on the advancing authoritarian tendencies of Lumon? Maybe foment some protests on campus? Did Lumon buy the school to shut all that down? Maybe the MDR unit is actually a place where people who are a threat to Lumon essentially work at "reeducating" their outties by excising the bad/anti-Lumon impulses from their own consciousness (by putting the "numbers" that tie to a feeling into buckets). Ms Cobel's job is to oversee that the outliers are "completely rehabilitated," which is why she is constantly testing Mark to see whether he is all fixed up yet. FINAL thought: the hope is that once you ARE all fixed up, they can just leave the Innie on and have you walk out of the office as that person, no longer a threat to Lumon and their power. Some of the weirdos from Ricken's dinner party perhaps have been through this already.

I have been wondering if the innies eat lunch. All we've seen them eat is snacks from the vending machine, and they can only have two a day. Two snacks is not enough to keep you nourished for the whole day. The outties obviously don't bring lunches (although I don't see why they couldn't as long as there are no labels on anything). Do they serve lunch and we just haven't seen it? What if the outties have food restrictions that the innies don't know about? They told Helly about her food allergy but only as a fun fact, not as a mandatory part of her orientation. I also assume they would be more careful about making sure Helly doesn't die of an allergic reaction, but do they do the same for the rest of the innies? As someone with food restrictions, I would be really stressed about not being aware what other people are feeding me and always wondering if they told my innie

This has nothing to do with food, but i think the point of Luman is to create some version of "perfect human." But through trauma.... Theyre traumatizing babies. Im only on episode 5 on a re-watch, but every episode has clues pointing all exactly to that. (Watching your goat video first & having that in mind) First, the name of the company is a play on words, "Luman." Lunatic human Second, marks sisters pregnancy, 3, the whole "history tour" and whats written on the wall. The original CEOs sickness as a child, and the painting referencing it, enter sandman playing at peteys funeral, the four guidlines (woe, frolic, ect) and them organizing that in theyre job, the goats, 3d printing, and alot more. I havent watched the show in a year, and im only half in to the rewatch, but im pretty sure theyve been rubbing it in our faces the entire time.

I love this series, the best in a long time. Can't wait for season 2. In the meantime, I would like to have a similar series to watch. Can anyone please recommend other similar series? Something just as good or at least close to it. TIA!

idk only ghosts gather at empty plates. also the soap is ectoplasm 😂

foodless theory only makes since because cobel told helly that they will suffer at the last episode

I know this video has been a while ago but Irving talking about the handsoap not having any label doesn't seem to have any under meaning. He questioned it as to why it doesn't have a lavel to have an excuse to visit Burt. Dylan made a good point that's true irl that you know it's soap and don't need to label it.

Maybe Eagan is a play on Vegan. Kier = dark. So Dark Vegan. Which would make Hellys "Are we livestock?" line that more ironic. I'm gonna rewatch to see if anyone eats meat.

There is also a big elephant in the room that no one is talking about. Why aren’t people asking about the timeline. They use early 2000’s flip phones, 90’s vehicles, and 80’s computer usage.

I think Ms Selvig/Cobel replaced baby Eleanor with a clone baby at the end of the episode- the babies cries sound like the baby goats cries

I don’t get why they don’t see some of the innes world when they sleep on the outside

Literally just finished the last episode and I find myself here so this is gonna be a long one (all theories my own like I said just finished) and I began to analyze the show in minute detail as I was watching as soon as I saw the Kubrick level attention to detail in everything from the sets to the framing of the shots. 5 minutes into the first episode I knew that everything I was going to see and hear was going to be put there on purpose and for a reason with some sort of meaning. So first... It's NOT a small detail...the absence of any food based gatherings, (Globally, at that as Lima is in Peru of all places) is actually completely abnormal. This is what homo sapiens have been doing since we were put here, it is an inherent form of our psyche.the fact that it's now a globally spread thing means something catastrophic happened or is catastrophically wrong. It not just being local is also already bread crumbed; Lumon is global (Helena says she was confused growing up thinking she had hundreds of thousands of brothers and sisters around the world and if you pause in the security room the first time Helly and Mark go in there's a global tab (like excuse me for what?? the implications that has)..and it's in the room that monitors the metrics of the severed and unsevered and those that work for Lumon so these things connect together to paint a bigger picture. And just I mean at it's core none of the food is enjoyable when they do eat at all. And it's certainly never ever ever indulgent or gluttonous, there is no hedonism to be found in it. Just as the "handbook" forbids romantic relationships, they also do not get to Enjoy food. There is no joy or enjoyment at all that's the point. But the scarier picture that paints is why is there also no enjoyment of food on the "outside"..but again who even said they're outside? or that the people on the outside are not severed and/or controlled in some way which imo they obviously are we know there's something very very wrong with the world outside as well. When Mark is at Pip's diner every single table around him has upturned glasses filled already with water..because that makes any sense or ever happens like anywhere ever lol. which alone is already significant but on top of that mirrors the full glasses of water all the 'dinner' party members have in front of them. The attitude around food seems to be 1) it's an inconvenience and 2) eat the bare minimum that you need to stay physically alive. With no food or water your body will survive about a week. With no food and only water that jumps to about 2-3 months. Lumon's water symbol..who says it's water..the possibility that there could be diluted blood in the water or some other substance is not far fetched; with a water supply that big it would obviously be undetectable. We already know we don't want to leave around DNA for some unstated specific reason right? (remember don't throw up?). Much of blood is water and our bodies are, what 90% water.?..there is a high water content in the types of fruits they eat as well, watermelons, melons, etc. as opposed to say bananas. We see nothing with grease, oils, heavy meats or meats at all (the only meat we see is in that damn sandwich and who knows what that even really is), no salt (even when we see someone eat chips ONCE, Mark's sister they're not regular chips they appear to have similar packaging as the packaging in MD's lunch room, in other words they're Lumon approved, designed and distributed), no sugars outside of natural ones ,so no desserts and even the coffee is just black (like when Milchik babysits Mark and brings him a black coffee to his desk, no cream, no milk and certainly no sugar; once again the Bare Minimum. Coffee's technical or original usage was simply to wake you up so that's what it's used for and nothing else) also no beans, potatoes, or any other filling, indulgent foods. Instead we see a lot of light, high water content foods and a lot of just straight up water. some of my other non food theories and musings: 1) The people on the outside also mimic the people on the inside...they, like the innies, seem to have been given the illusion that they have some sort of fullness to their lives and original ideas and theories but we hear how ignorant and shallow everything that comes out of their mouth actually is, they sound like NPC's. How is this any different from the illusion on the inside that they Constantly and I do mean CONSTANTLY work to bring up and reinforce; it's in everything from the welcome handbook to Helly's 100% percent 'you win' screen; You are special, intelligent, great etc. this even ties in to those asinine wellness checks "your outtie can set up a tent in 3 minutes, your outtie can brighten people's day with just a smile", you were chosen for this job because your special, Dylan even says that he was chosen because he's so smart, what is really the difference between the two? (this also directly contradicts what they are made to repeat over and over in the breakroom which I'm sure serves to further break and traumatize the psyche with directly conflicting and hypocritical messages.) collecting 2) There's a reason Lumon sounds so much like the word human...L for light...the enlightened or illuminated human...Luminous... but yeah that's just some of what I got at the offset, gonna watch some more of this channel's theory videos now lol

Random theory question… : Who turned the switch for the OTC for Milchick when he visitied dylan at his home?

Egg experience ..... " PAY DIRT "

there is a grade to the food, melon party is only melon, end quarter egg is only egg and retirement party is only watermelon, if you look closely the watermelon use all of the watermelon, the white Rine is cut with the red and pink middle. it is not a children party it is more like control diet to focus on the food and only that type of food.

Not sure you spoke about this in a video but was Mark reset? It seems he aided Petey but has no memory of it even in severed form?

Potential future video topic: why does the MDR workspace turn from white to green?

I wonder do the severed people have different tastes and preferences?

i am so deeply bothered by the incorrect handwashing technique that alone would get me to protest

I haven’t seen all of your theories yet so I don’t know if you’ve gone in depth in this but, what is up with the town of Kier and PE as a state. (PE-Province of Eagen?) How did these mf’s get a state annexed and named after their family? Also doesn’t it say Kier on the license plates too?