Severance Season 2 spoilers ahead.

The mysteries of Lumon Industries continue in the Season 2 "The Farewell."and episode 1 has some interesting clues about the true extent of the shadow society. The season premiere takes place entirely in the office. That means we'll still have to wait to get some answers about what's going on outside Lumon, but new questions are already emerging.

The company has undergone some changes in the last five months since the end of the first season, with a lot of lip service being paid to the quality of life of Injes. When Mark (Adam Scott) returns to the office, his former team at Macrodata Refinement (MDR) is replaced by three new faces, all brought in from other Lumon affiliates. This gives a sense of the reach of the company as well as the difference between the branches. Employees compare notes on the respective Perpetuity Wings of their old branches, revealing how better funded certain areas of Lumon are. One of the employees, Dario R. (Stefano Caranante) also appears to have been previously stationed in Italy, given his first language.

Later in the episode, after the original MDR crew returns, Mr. Milchick (Trammel Tillman) takes them to the newly renovated break room. He shows them an animated video detailing the events of the first season and the subsequent reforms. In one segment of the video, it is stated that Lumon operates in 206 countries, making it much larger than viewers may have previously thought.

If Lumon operates in 206 countries, that raises other questions. At this time, the United Nations recognizes only 195 countries. However, that number rises slightly on other lists, based on which areas are recognized as sovereign states. For example, the Olympics recognize exactly 206 different committees from around the world, which includes countries not recognized by the UN like Kosovo and Taiwan.

In other words, Lumon either recognizes this larger view of independent states and works in every possible country on Earth, or the near future world of Severance experienced a certain political upheaval and redrawing of borders. Either way, there's a lot to be curious about. In the same instructional video, it is repeated that Lumon was founded in 1870. That leaves a century and a half for global expansion, but we still don't know what Lumon actually does. The show says it's a biotech company, which is partly evident from the severance process itself and the hints of unnatural longevity seen in the Eagan family.

The correct phrase regarding the 206 countries is "where Lumon operates from". That doesn't necessarily mean there are branches in every country, but it sure sounds like it. The building the show takes place in is called Branch 501. That doesn't necessarily make sense though. What kind of business would require physical locations in hundreds of countries just for people to sit in an office in front of a computer? The office we see in the show is hardly overcrowded with employees, so it doesn't appear to be a manpower issue.

One thing that makes more sense after learning how big Lumon is internationally is why the protests against the severance proceedings were largely unsuccessful. In the first season, we see that there is a widespread movement trying to legally ban severance pay. While a domestic company can certainly have the power to stop legislative action through sustained lobbying, Lumon's status as a global force in biotech will give it infinitely more influence not only over the US government, but governments around the world.

Until we learn more about what Lumon actually does, it's hard to guess what exact value it might contribute to the world's rich and powerful. But with the company effectively creating slave labor in every country on Earth, there's plenty of room to imagine why the people in charge might want to let Lumon get on with his job.

The bigger question is how much of the company's cult-like religious practices around its founder, Keir Egan, are being shown to the outside world. While international corporations can accumulate enormous power and influence under global capitalism, the whole culture surrounding Lumon is decidedly odd, in a way that you'd think would make more people wary. We'll have to wait longer before all the pieces (hopefully) start to fit together. Just like that shows like The Break Up work.

Another clue that can be mentioned about Lumon's greatness is that Mark W. says he was transferred to the Kier branch after his closed. This could simply have been a matter of poor productivity—he mentions to Mark S. that his MDR team has never made a quota - but it could also be a hint that the company isn't doing so well after its recent bout of bad press.

Although legislation banning the severance procedure has apparently not materialized, Mr. Milczyk makes it clear that the escape of the MDR crew in season 1 made a lot of news. That may have been enough to prompt some closings and consolidations, especially when you consider that the different companies Lumon operates in will have different regulations.

If Lumon is hurting, there can be a lot more pressure on characters like Milczyk to close things out. Hopefully more secrets about what Lumon really wants will be revealed soon.