If you haven’t watched either season of AppleTV+’s “Severance,” this review probably isn’t for you. Let this serve as a warning and opportunity: If you haven’t yet watched “Severance,” why on earth would you want to read on and spoil the fun? If you haven’t dipped into the wild world of “Severance,” with its second season finale having aired last week, now is a perfect time to catch up on the phenomenon and experience it for yourself. So stop reading and start streaming!
Although “Severance” seemingly takes place in some alternate dystopian reality from ours, the basic concept is relatable to anyone with a job. We’ve all fantasized about leaving the stresses of work life back at the office or not bringing the baggage of home life into the workplace. The premise of “Severance” is a mysterious and nefarious conglomerate called Lumen, which offers a procedure that severs the worker into two parts. What happens at work stays at work, and vice versa.
The first season of “Severance” came off as a dark comedy that grows darker and stranger with each subsequent episode. The main protagonist, Mark, played by Adam Scott, is our everyman. We’re introduced to him at his workplace, a bizarre corporate amalgamation of Future meets Past aesthetic. The atmosphere at Lumen is rigid, stifling, and a mixture of ’50s-’60s architecture and some form of vague futurism. Mark and his three fellow macrodata refiners (all on what Lumen refers to as the “severed” floor) are comprised of the overconfident Dylan (Zach Cherry), the persnickety rule follower, Irving (John Turturro), and the rebellious newcomer, Helly (Britt Lower.) Lording over them is the malevolent Harmony Cobel (Patricia Arquette) and her second-in-command, Mr. Milchick (Tramell Tillman.) The acting in all areas of this show is superb, and watching new facets of each performance take shape is part of the fun in “Severance’s” first season.
By the end of “Severance’s” first season, Mark and his office mates (known as “innies”) have become too curious about what the outside world is like, who their “outies” are, and what the hell it is they do at/for Lumen Industries. The clues laid out during “Severance’s” first season drop plenty of breadcrumbs, but as the show wound down to its fantastic S1 climax, it was clear the answers would have to wait for a second season.
Three long years have come and gone since “Severance” completed its first nine episodes. Finding the right story arc to satisfy viewers was one reason for the delay; a prolonged writer’s strike was another. Finally, “Severance” returns, and it suffers no sophomore slump. While the second season is less a dark comedy and more dark sci-fi drama, it is no less satisfying than Season 1. In many ways, it is more gratifying as the story delves deeper into Lumen’s history, and the show gives us answers while continuing to create more mysteries to work out and solve.
Thematically, “Severance” takes a deeper look into the self and asks heavy philosophical questions. Is a severed person two distinct individuals with two separate lives, or is there some connectivity to the personalities with traits that will always cross over? Those blurred boundaries get a full exploration in S2’s 10 fantastic episodes. In a season finale, a prolonged back-and-forth of video messages between Mark’s innie and outie is as thought-provoking as it is entertaining.
As for the quirkiness that made S1 such a hit with audiences, some of that quirkiness is gone. There is no egg bar or defiant jazz sequence, but S2 offers goats—lots of goats devour feculence and a drumline dance routine for the ages. Mr. Milchick, who in the early scripts was nothing more than an assistant but quickly transformed into something much more due to the brilliance of actor Tramell Tillman, gets a more profound arc this season as he takes over for Harmony Cobel. While Mr. Milchick appears to be towing the Lumen line, there are subtle cracks in his obedience, and one wonders how long Mr. Milchick will be able to project that false smile into Season 3.
Patricia Arquette’s Harmony Cobell, who finds herself on the outs with Lumen this season, disappears for long stretches of episodes. She makes up for what she lacks in regular appearances with an essential stand-alone episode late in the season that reveals an understanding of Lumen’s past and Cobell’s role within the Lumen ecosphere. Arquette is so great at playing a Lumen devotee that you’re never sure what side she’s on, even as she appears to be turning against them.
At the end of Season 1, the innies learn about their outer selves in ways that set up new complexities this season. Revelations about Helly’s outie provide intriguing moral waters for her to navigate, and a growing romance with Mark’s innie will set up a chain of events that will have viewers on the edge of their seats during Episode 10’s nail-biting 76 minutes.
There is so much I cannot reveal about “Severance” to avoid spoiling it for those who insist on reading these words but have not yet seen the show or started/finished Season 2. Series creators Dan Erickson and Ben Stiller promise it won’t be another three years before the third season drops. Thank goodness. I don’t think I can wait that long.
Both seasons of “Severance” are now streaming on AppleTV+.
James Kent is the arts editor at the Mountain Times.
