Meet Dr. Mauer, the New ‘Severance’ Villain
Folks, Severance has a new villain. I know it’s tough to focus on just one subject following all of episode 7’s shocking reveals, but there’s a new power player in the office: Dr. Mauer. The character, played by actor Robby Benson, made his first appearance in season 2, episode 5. He whistled down Lumon’s corridors and collected some dental supplies from the Optics & Design department before disappearing down a sinister elevator. Well, now we know where he was heading.
Severance fans, this is your final warning. Turn back now if you have not watched episode 7. I will never forgive myself if this is the first place you hear of the following spoilers. I’m serious.
Okay, are we all caught up? Good, because holy shit—Gemma is alive. Not only that, but she’s been living in the same Lumon building that Mark (Adam Scott) goes to every day. So close, yet so far.
Gemma is clearly held on the Testing Floor against her will, while various doctors perform tests every day to monitor her emotional state. There are several rooms on the floor, each labeled with a file corresponding to the Macrodata Refinement team’s work. Some familiar names pop up—like “Allentown,” for example, which is the first file that Mark completed at Lumon. Gemma is severed into a different Innie in each room she enters. In one room, Dr. Mauer is her dentist, delivering physical pain. In another, he’s not only her fake husband but he’s forcing her to repeatedly write Christmas cards.
Though we’re not sure what Lumon’s plan is just yet, many fans already think that the evil corporation is readying the severance procedure for mass-market use. There’s also just one room left: Cold Harbor. “So what happens after I’ve been in all the rooms?” Gemma asks Mauer. He responds: “You will see the world again—and the world will see you.” Very strange!
Of course, Dr. Mauer isn’t a normal guy if he’s working for Lumon. Fans may even recognize that he’s the same fertility doctor from the clinic earlier in the episode. Plus, he’s developed a twisted crush on Gemma. "She’s easy to like,” he tells Drummond. “She’s fond of me too, of course.” No, she is not.
Later, he even lies to her about Mark remarrying on the outside. “He has a daughter now,” he says. "You’ve been gone a long time, Gemma. He’s moved on. Maybe you’ve moved on, too. In one of the rooms, what do you think? ... Do you feel yourself gravitating toward one room or another? Maybe you’ve felt things behind those doors you’ve never felt with Mark. Maybe I’ve seen it.” Gross. I’m glad her first instinct is to smash him with a chair and run.
So when will we see him again? Does he work with other patients, or just Gemma? (One hint: Drummond says, “You’re fond of this one.” I’d say that Gemma is not his first prisoner.) And what will he do to Gemma when he sees her again? Your guess is as good as mine—for all we know at this point, the entirety of episode 8 could follow this creep. For now, if Mark wants to save Gemma, he has a new adversary in his way.
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