Entertainment
Severance Season 2, episode 8 drops a game-changing twist about Ms. Cobel
After a revelatory episode 7, Severance Season 2 takes a frigid turn in episode 8, “Sweet Vitriol.” The episode focuses solely on Harmony Cobel’s (Patricia Arquette) icy homecoming to the town of Salt’s Neck. Once home to a Lumon ether factory, the town has since deteriorated after the company drained it dry.
The Salt’s Neck factory is just one of the many puzzle pieces that make up Cobel’s history, which we learn about in greater depth throughout all of “Sweet Vitriol.” The episode dives into her family life, introducing her fanatical Kier-worshipping Aunt Sissy (Jane Alexander) and touching on her late mother Charlotte, who never bought into the cult of Kier. “Sweet Vitriol” also reveals that Cobel took part in the prestigious Wintertide Fellowship, the very same fellowship Miss Huang (Sarah Bock) is completing at Lumon.
Most importantly, though, Severance drops a major bomb: Cobel is the true inventor of the severance procedure.
Harmony Cobel is the real inventor of severance.
Britt Lower and Patricia Arquette in “Severance.”
Credit: Apple TV+
In the final scenes of “Sweet Vitriol,” Cobel retrieves the very thing she came to Salt’s Neck to find: an old notebook. Its pages contain graphs of brain waves — including “standard pre-severed brain waves” — as well as sketches of the severance chip.
“Mine! My designs!” Cobel yells at Sissy as she leafs through the book. “Circuit blueprint, base code, Overtime Contingency, Glasgow Block. All of it.”
With that, it’s clear: Jame Eagan (Michael Siberry) isn’t actually the inventor of severance, as Lumon would have the world believe. Instead, it was none other than Cobel, who may have even started work on the concept of severance in her days as a Wintertide fellow. Yet the cult of Kier forbade her from taking ownership of the invention.
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“It was told Kier’s knowledge is for all,” she tells Sissy. “If I sought credit, I would be banished.”
So not only does Lumon torture its employees, it also plagiarizes children! What new lows will the company stoop to next?
Cobel inventing severance explains why she was so obsessed with Mark and Gemma.
Patricia Arquette in “Severance.”
Credit: Apple TV+
“Sweet Vitriol” sets up a fascinating arc for Cobel going forward. Not only does she seem to be willing to help Mark (Adam Scott) and Devon (Jen Tullock) with Mark’s reintegration, she also has left Salt’s Neck with her old notes. Could she be trying to claim the credit she’s owed, decades down the line?
But even more fascinating is how the severance invention reveal re-contextualizes Cobel’s earlier obsession with Mark and Gemma/Ms. Casey (Dichen Lachman). Throughout Season 1, she found ways to push them together, like having Ms. Casey observe the MDR workers. Cobel was clearly trying to study if either remembered the other from their Outie lives. As a married couple, they were the perfect test subjects to see whether emotions or relationships could bleed through the severance barrier. Her adopted persona, Mrs. Selvig, was another opportunity to see whether Outie Mark’s life had changed since his Innie reconnected with another version of Gemma.
Cobel could have just been carrying out this strange experiment in the grander service of Lumon, but knowing that she created the severance procedure itself adds a deeper personal stake to it. She was really trying to see if her invention could hold up under the most rigorous tests, if the procedure she created — and can’t take credit for — has limits, or if she’s created something impenetrable to even love and grief. Has she played god, or is she fallible?
That reasoning is also why reintegration scares her so much. Reintegration risks spilling Lumon secrets, but more than that, it risks undermining her life’s work.
Severance Season 2 is now streaming on Apple TV+, with a new episode every Friday.
Entertainment
Best Mothers Day gifts: Show mom some love
Mother figures are the backbone of the world. Yours may be your biological mother, or maybe she’s your mother-in-law, your best friend’s mom, or simply someone whose motherly instinct has helped you through hard times.
Moms teach you the adulting necessities, give advice even if the problem is your fault, and above all, they put up with your shit and (almost) never complain.
The game plan here isn’t just to snag the last bouquet at CVS just so you’re not the kid who forgot Mother’s Day (but definitely also get flowers). And you don’t even need to spend a lot of money. (Peep our list of Mother’s Day gifts that cost less than $50. Want even more cheap gift ideas?
Skip the generic mugs and show your appreciation with a gift picked just for her: Whether it’s something to make a part of her life easier, something she’s mentioned wanting in passing, or simply something to make her feel like a damn queen, you can’t put a price on everything she’s done for you, but heartfelt gifts certainly help.
After all, they say “No matter how hard you try, you always end up like your mother.” But is that even a bad thing?
Entertainment
Ban subscriptions and get Microsoft Office 2024 for life for just £121
TL;DR: Grab Microsoft Office 2024 Home and Business for PC or Mac for just £120.54 through June 1.
You wouldn’t keep paying for Netflix if you could own your favorite shows, right? So why are you still subscribing to Office apps you use every day? Microsoft 365’s price keeps going up, but there’s finally a way to break free — and it’ll cost you way less in the long run.
Microsoft Office 2024 is the answer you’ve been looking for. Instead of monthly payments, simply pay £120.54 once and be set for life (reg. £188.37). It’s that simple. And, yes, this lifetime download works for PC or Mac.
What’s included?
This license comes with:
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Word
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Excel
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PowerPoint
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Outlook
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OneNote
The newest version of Microsoft Office is a little different from Microsoft 365. But just because you’re switching to a lifetime license doesn’t mean you’ll miss out on some of the most recent updates. Word and Excel both still have AI integrations for text suggestions and smart data analysis, and PowerPoint still has improved tools for recorded presentations.
Once you’ve redeemed your purchase, you can install your apps on one computer. After that, they’re yours to use however you want. No more subscription fees or sudden price hikes to worry about.
Why rent when you can own?
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Get a Microsoft Office lifetime license on sale for £120.54 with no coupon needed.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Entertainment
Wordle today: Answer, hints for May 9, 2025
Oh hey there! If you’re here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we’re serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today’s answer.
If you just want to be told today’s word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today’s Wordle solution revealed. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
Where did Wordle come from?
Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once.
Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.
What’s the best Wordle starting word?
The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.
What happened to the Wordle archive?
The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website’s creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.
Is Wordle getting harder?
It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn’t any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle‘s Hard Mode if you’re after more of a challenge, though.
Here’s a subtle hint for today’s Wordle answer:
Gibberish.
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Does today’s Wordle answer have a double letter?
There are no recurring letters.
Today’s Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with…
Today’s Wordle starts with the letter T.
The Wordle answer today is…
Get your last guesses in now, because it’s your final chance to solve today’s Wordle before we reveal the solution.
Drumroll please!
The solution to today’s Wordle is…
TRIPE.
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.
Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Wordle.
