Severance Season 2 Finale: What is the Significance of “Windmills of Your Mind” in the Ending Scene?

Severance season two ended on a heart-pounding note, with Mark choosing to stay inside Lumon to be with Helly as they ran through the hallways hand in hand. The intense moment was underscored by The Windmills of Your Mind, a 1969 version sung by Mel Tormé, adding to the scene’s dreamlike and suspenseful quality. 

With Severance officially renewed for season three, fans can expect more answers about Mark and Helly’s fate inside Lumon. But what does The Windmills of Your Mind really signify in the season two finale? Let’s break down the song’s meaning, its connection to the show’s themes, and its cinematic history.

Why "The Windmills of Your Mind" is Perfect for Severance

The song’s lyrics—filled with imagery of endless cycles, spirals, and forgotten memories—perfectly capture the Severance experience. Lines like “Round, like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel” reflect the Innies' trapped existence, endlessly repeating the same tasks within Lumon’s walls. 

The haunting refrain—“Pictures hanging in a hallway, and a fragment of this song, half-remembered names and faces, but to whom do they belong?”—resonates deeply with the severance process itself, where Innies struggle with fragmented identities and lost memories.

Director Ben Stiller revealed that the showrunners carefully selected "The Windmills of Your Mind" song. He explained, “The final image of Season 2 was always a dystopian disconnect of two people running and in love. But in this hellish prison of these hallways, where are they going to? We knew we were going into slow motion and wanted it to feel dreamlike and weird. Then, we knew we were going to have this freeze-frame at the end.” (via Vulture)

A Callback to Severance Season 1

The song’s inclusion in season two also serves as a subtle nod to Severance season one, episode seven, “Defiant Jazz.” Helly’s choice of the Defiant Jazz genre during the "Music Dance Experience" symbolized the rebellion growing within the Macrodata Refinement (MDR) department. That same defiance ultimately leads Mark and Helly to fight back against Lumon and attempt their escape in season two’s finale.

A Tribute to The Thomas Crown Affair

Beyond its thematic ties to Severance, "The Windmills of Your Mind" is also a tribute to the 1968 heist movie The Thomas Crown Affair, where it famously plays during a scene of Steve McQueen’s character soaring in a glider. In Severance, Mark and Helly’s desperate sprint mirrors the emotions in that scene—longing for escape, uncertainty about the future, and the weight of their choices.

Though The Thomas Crown Affair and Severance tell different stories, they share a sense of ambiguity in their endings. In The Thomas Crown Affair, the protagonist must choose between love and freedom, much like Mark and Helly, whose future remains uncertain as the screen freezes on their escape.

Mark & Helly’s Dream of a Future Beyond Lumon

As "The Windmills of Your Mind" plays, Mark and Helly run through the corridors, hand-in-hand, chasing a reality where their memories belong to them and their love isn’t bound by Lumon’s rules. Their struggle for autonomy echoes the song’s themes of disorientation and hope—capturing the very essence of Severance's mind-bending journey.

With such a carefully chosen track, Severance season two’s finale leaves viewers with an unforgettable, surreal moment—one that lingers long after the final frame.

Where can you Watch Severance Season 2?

Severance season 2 is now streaming on Apple TV+. 

Check out the recaps of Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7, Episode 8, Episode 9, and Episode 10.