When you watched the first season of Severance, there was probably a lot of “WTF?” going on in your head, perhaps even spewing out of your mouth. The show is surreal and bizarre. The premise feels like it was pulled right from a Black Mirror pitch meeting.
The show’s inaugural season had one of the best season finales I have seen in a very, very long time. It left you at the edge of your seat begging for more. It was so incredibly shot, so visually intense through its last 10 minutes that you couldn’t help but marvel at the folks who put it together (kudos to Ben Stiller for his direction).
As a result of the Writers Guild of America Strike followed by the simultaneous actors and writers’ strike, we have waited close to three years for a second season. Was it worth the wait? That’s a resounding yes.
Note: This review is based on the first six episodes of season two, which were provided for screening purposes.
Severance Season One Recap
If you’re unfamiliar with the show or just need a refresher from season one, Mark (Adam Scott) works for a biotech company called Lumon Industries. He has undergone a procedure they call severance whereby his brain is severed into two conscious parts. One is called his innie, the person he is at work. The other is his outie, the person he is at home. While both versions of Mark are aware of the other, they have no idea what goes on in the other “person’s” life.
The idea is to enjoy a work-life balance whereby you aren’t plagued by worry about bills, sick family members, or kids during your 9-5 at the office. Conversely, once you leave the office, you forget not only about what assignments are left on your plate, but even what it is you do in the first place.
Mark decided to undergo this procedure following the tragic death of his wife. Unable to cope and focus, he felt this was the best way to put in a solid workday without any emotional distraction. He would then go home and mope as his “outie” at the end of the day.
Everything changes, however, when Mark is approached by a man named Petey (Yul Vazquez) in the real world claiming to be his former co-worker and friend. The man swears he and Mark’s innie know one another. He wants to alert him that nefarious things are going on. Confused about who this man is and how he could be aware of both his selves, Mark’ outie feels compelled to investigate. But once he’s back at work, his innie kicks in and he forgets all about it.
Through a series of events and collaboration with his three co-workers Irving (John Turturro), Helly (Britt Lower), and Dylan (Zach Cherry), Mark starts to question reality. What is it he actually does for a living and why? And what is Lumon really up to?
It culminates in a series of epic realizations when the trio figure out a way to release their innies into the outie world during a loophole called overtime contingency. Helly discovers that she is the daughter of Lumon’s founder. She’s head of the company, and the biggest proponent of the severance program. She severed herself to prove that it was a safe and worthwhile procedure. Irving is disappointed to find that Burt (Christopher Walken), the man he’s in love with at work, is actually in a relationship in the real world. He also finds a series of paintings in his home of a long, black hallway with an elevator at the end. These are clear manifestations of something he saw as his innie.
Most shocking is Mark who, while exploring his sister’s bedroom during a party at her house, comes across a wedding photo of he and his wife. The woman is Ms. Casey (Dichen Lachan), the wellness counselor he had been seeing at work. As he opens his mouth to scream “she’s alive!,” overtime contingency is cut and he reverts back to his outie. But now, his innie knows the truth. His wife Gemma isn’t dead after all.
Severance Season 2 Review
If you love the disturbingly bright white, minimalist scenes, creepy smiles and polite exchanges devoid of emotion that were par for the course in season one, you’ll absolutely delight in season two. Right off the bat, there’s a sense of familiarity. Mark is greeted by Seth Milchick (Tramell Tillman), the man who managed the severed floor. He still has that soft voice, ear-to-ear smile, and yes, the turtlenecks.
Severance is all about shedding light on the monotony of seemingly insignificant, meaningless work as we become robots at the office and shells of our selves at home. If literally severing our brains is what’s needed to achieve a healthy work-life balance, what does that say about our work culture and our ability to cope with challenges?
Taking things a step further, season two dives into the concept of corporate gaslighting, manipulation, and the concept of squeezing every last ouce out of workers. It’s a Severance-like interpretation of “sorry, we can’t give you a raise right now, but we did buy a new coffee machine for the break room. Yay!” (A corporate video with the soothing voice of Keanu Reeves is a highlight of episode one).
The tone shifts this season now that everyone is dealing with some knowledge of who they are in the outside world. Helly grapples with knowing her status at Lumon and role in the existence of the severance program. Mark is tortured by visions of Gemma, desperate to find his wife/Ms. Casey and help her. And Irving feels as though he has been betrayed by another version of the man he loves who has a life even he doesn’t know about.
In each person’s case, their insecurities are used against them to keep those corporate golden handcuffs tied firmly around their wrists. Yes, that even includes those in charge like Milchick. In one storyline, he deals with his own trauma when coming face-to-face with what it’s like to be reduced to one aspect of yourself. But it also becomes clearer this season that other purposes are at play.
There’s a more cultish feel to Lumon this season along with the fearless leader Kier Eagan and his warped desire to control temper and personalities. The more you dive into the bizarre, mind-bending episodes (and new characters), the more you realize Lumon is less about science and more about a man’s desperate need to understand the human condition. It’s also about the naivety of others who fall victim to a charismatic leader, obsessed with his teachings they view as gospel.
Severance season 2 is a worthwhile follow-up to a show that many called the best they have seen in years. It’s a cinematic masterpiece that keeps you pleasantly befuddled and deeply troubled while curious and existentially wrought.
Should You Watch Severance Season 2?
With its beautiful blue undertones, wonderful cinematography, and tremendous acting, Severance remains one of the best shows on television right now. You’ll find yourself deeply confused and mesmerized at many of the episodes. Episode four in particular is like a hallucinogenic trip through a chilly, snowy wonderland.
What’s fantastic about Severance is that when you dive deeper than the surface story, you recognize that there’s meaning. Have we truly become a human race that is so incapable of dealing with pain and trauma, we’ll maim our bodies to be able to avoid it? Are we so wracked by the dichotomy of work and personal life that we must force a means of dealing with it by separating ourselves entirely from one or the other situation?
At what lengths will we go to turn humans into lab rats in order to experiment what it truly means to live, feel, hurt, and achieve? Bold, smart, and weird, Severance is like a puzzle you desperately want to solve while simultaneously being terrified if you do.