Season one of the mysterious dystopian science-fiction television show “Severance” was released on Feb. 18, 2022. It stars Adam Scott, Zach Cherry, Britt Lower and Tramell Tillman as the primary ensemble cast, along with many others. This extremely popular Apple TV+ show is directed by Ben Stiller.
The second season is now releasing a new episode every Friday until the full season is available on Apple TV+.
This sci-fi series follows characters Mark, Helly, Dylan and Irving, four office workers employed by the shadowy Lumon company. These workers have undergone the severance procedure, which involves a brain implant that splits their consciousness between work lives and personal lives. Mark, the main character, underwent the procedure hoping to get an eight-hour break from the emotional toll the loss of his wife had on him mentally. When he enters the elevator, he forgets everything about his real life and transforms into his “innie” with no prior knowledge.
Cameron Lee (12) loves “Severance” but feels that being severed would be terrifying. He explains how he believes the process feels in great detail.
“Being severed sounds terrifying. I think the fear for me mostly lies in the unknown and a lack of autonomy. When the chip is activated, it’s like you fall asleep while another person takes over your body. You have no idea what happened in those eight hours that you spent on the Severed Floor,” Lee said. “The procedure turns an individual character into two people with two different goals and personalities. Narratively, this gives characters even more mystery when focus is given solely on one personality because there is still mystery surrounding the other personality.”
The terms “innie” and “outie” are used by the workers when talking about their work or outside-of-work selves. They are experienced as two separate people, and innies are not allowed to know much about their outie. Likewise, their outies are not given full awareness of their innies’ experiences or coworkers. Start and leaving times for employees arriving at Lumon are staggered so the workers never meet outside the building.
There is so much secrecy around Lumon that severed employees (innies and outies) don’t even know what they are doing. They sort numbers on old computers that give them particular feelings into boxes for eight hours, go home and return the next day. The experience of innies is that they just walk in the elevator and immediately come back through the elevator. They only know the workplace.
The procedure of being severed is a controversial topic in the outside world. If fired from Lumon, it is hard for former employees to get a new job because they have been severed. Since the severed employees at work don’t know anything other than work, they are easily manipulated by their overseers. An example is that innies believe Lumon was created by Kier, and they follow all of Kier’s laws religiously. The only art in the building is paintings of Kier’s life and rules.
While Sydney Mullman (11) has yet to watch the new show, she has heard of the severance procedure and does not agree with it.
“I do not like the idea of being severed because I am at a good place in my life with good people. Being severed from anything that brings joy can be difficult and brings hard change,” Mullman said.
“Severance” is gaining popularity as the second season is being released. Kids, students, parents and even celebrities like Noah Kahan, Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell are invested in the twisting plot.
In a podcast called “The Daily,” Ben Stiller, the director of the show, talks about the differences between season one and season two of “Severance.”
“I feel like the show has its basis in the workplace comedy, like ‘The Office,’ ‘Office Space’ or ‘Parks and Rec.’ But where it goes off, I think this season we probably went to some stranger places. But I felt like that was also just part of what the show is. The show has to continue on its journey and can’t just stay doing the same thing,” Stiller said.
The first season indeed seemed more lighthearted and funny. The interactions of the workers and the inter-office romances provided a distraction from the uneasiness surrounding Lumon and what was going on on the Severed Floor. The end of season one leaves the audience on a huge cliffhanger, and season two starts with deceit, distrust and confusion.
Ben Stiller and Adam Scott host a “Severance“-related podcast, where for each episode that is released, a correlating podcast episode is released that same day. They talk about behind-the-scenes information and break down each episode, giving personal insight into the show. For anyone who is confused about the TV show or just wants to learn more about the director and the story, this podcast is great to listen to after watching each episode.
Lee is currently watching the second season of “Severance“ as it is being released and has heard many theories about what is to come in the following episodes. These will not be included here to avoid spoilers for any interested readers.
“’Severance’ is one of my favorite shows right now. It should be a lot more popular, and I would love for many more people to see it. It takes the conflict of man vs. self in a unique and mind-bending route. The dissonant score and cinematography are simply amazing in my opinion. Lumon seems to have its hands in everything, and so that makes you second guess everything you hear and see,” Lee said. “The lore behind Lumon is highly ambiguous, as its backstory is only told by Lumon itself. It is also highly mythological, making it even harder to dissect the lore and figure out what is based in truth and what is not. I love shows where a lot of room for theorizing is available. It makes the show a lot more fun to watch and reflect on.”
