The Apple TV+ series Severance has captured audiences not just with its psychological mystery and corporate horror but also through its calculated use of colour.
Every hue—from the stark blues of Lumon’s severed employees to the reds of the outside world—serves as a visual cue to the show’s deeper themes of control, identity, and conflict.
The World of Lumon
Blue and green dominate Lumon Industries, symbolising its sterile, structured environment.
The Macrodata Refinement (MDR) team’s badges, the employees’ uniforms, and the office interiors reflect these hues, reinforcing Lumon’s ideology.
These colours evoke calmness and order, but also contrast in their meanings—blue, often associated with coldness and death, is reflected in the eternal winter outside, while green, linked to life and vibrancy, is seen sparingly, such as in the goat room and Gemma’s love for plants (ironically replaced with an ant farm).
Helly’s wardrobe, largely blue and green, ties her to Lumon, but her gradual shift toward warmer tones signals a change in her person.
Green is also often associated with Envy. At the end of Season 2, Mark S and Helly R choose to stay on the severed floor together. Helly, however, is wearing a green top, and many fans are debating whether it was Helly R or Helena Eagan.
After all, Helena has shown jealousy towards her ‘innie’ self, also before running with Mark, she stares at Gemma in satisfaction. As Irving pointed out in season 2, Helly was never cruel.
Also, during the final scenes, blue light shines behind Gemma; as Mark runs away, she lacks control, as the ‘innies’ did for so much of the show.
Passion, Fire, and the Missing Pieces
Red represents life, passion, and rebellion—elements notably absent in Lumon’s structured world.
It is the opposite of the company’s blue-green scheme, yet it is subtly present.
Helly’s red hair symbolises this contrast, as does her increasing shift toward warmer tones in Season 1.
The dramatic red lighting during Gemma’s rescue in Season 2 further amplifies this opposition; as Mark and Helly run together, they are drowned in red light, and Mark is covered in blood.
This could signify them ‘breaking free’ from Lumon as they make the choice to struggle for their lives.
Red can also be attributed to pain, clearly shown as the colour appears mostly on ‘outie’ Mark, who struggles with at first the pain of losing his wife, then struggling to get her back.
Red also connects to Kier’s philosophy—Helly is described as having “the spirit/fire of Kier” in her, embodying the missing passion that Lumon suppresses.
The Symbolism of Light and Three Colours
The company’s name, Lumon, stems from the word “light”, which is composed of the three primary colours: Red, Green, and Blue (RGB).
Lumon, however, is missing red in its core philosophy, creating a fundamental flaw—an absence of emotional depth and human connection.
This aligns with the company’s belief in tempering individuals by removing emotions and relationships, much like how metal is tempered by cooling red-hot steel in water.
The Lumon logo, a droplet in white or blue, could also symbolise a blood drop, reinforcing the idea of control through both life and sacrifice.
Mark and Gemma’s meeting at a blood drive, where the same logo appears, strengthens this dual interpretation.
Identity and Reintegration
Beyond colour symbolism, Severance frequently plays with the idea of things coming in threes.
The severed characters exist as two halves—innie and outie—but true wholeness is only achieved through a third state: reintegration.
The outie, often emotionally numb (represented by the cold blue/white world), and the innie, though trapped, experiences life more vividly (green, symbolizing youth and growth).
Only through emotional connection and personal evolution (red) can the two selves merge into a complete individual.
The show’s journey is not just about breaking free from Lumon but about reintegration—achieving a full spectrum of existence.
Feature Image Credit: Apple TV
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