After a critically acclaimed but underground first season, with one of the best cliffhangers of recent times, Severance season two was released on Apple TV this past Jan 16, 2025. and it ended with the 10th episode of the season, “Cold Harbor” on March 20, receiving mass acclaim from critics and audiences alike and setting itself up to be one of the biggest TV shows of the past decade. How did its unique plot manage to create such an impact coming from a streaming service that many people are not attracted to?
The basic plot of the show is about the complete break of work-life balance, with a procedure known as “severance” being created where someone can completely divide their consciousness into two, their work (innie) self and their outside work (outie) self. This procedure means that the innie has no idea of what the outie is doing and only lives to work with their whole perspective being only in the time they are in the office, and vice versa with the outie where they have no recollection of what their innie does
All the world-building and character expansion happening in all of the first season come to a climax and incredible arcs between our main cast and Lumon Industries, the multinational USA-based biotechnology corporation that created the severance process and uses it for a percentage of its workers. Lumon, even though a business, shows us the cult-like environment that it creates on the severed floor, with the creator of the company, Kier Eagan, being a god-like figure.
Our four main characters, Mark, Helly, Dylan, and Irving, have one of the best in-group dynamics I have seen in any TV show, not only because they deeply care for each other, but also because these are fully formed individuals in both their work character and outside character. It can be quite impressive to see someone like Adam Scott, who plays the protagonist Mark, completely act as two different characters on the same show and make each one of them have their own goals, thoughts, and quirks.
With such amazing actors and deliverance from them, the main question created by the show is if both of these divided personalities are a person, or if, because they are on one body, they should both aim for the same goals. While the outies mostly choose this job to escape reality or as a last resource, the innies that are stuck in the corporate offices can’t stop thinking of what it is like to be outside in the real world and be able to develop full relationships and enjoy simple stuff such as fresh air and seeing the sky.
Finally, the cinematography of Severance is as an outstanding, almost sickly experience, with strong white lights being used especially for the severed section of the show, giving it the look of a place no human could ever be in for more than a few hours. Famously enough, the opening sequence in the first episode of this new season took five months to film, being shot in ten different parts. This dedication and effort from the staff and crew of the show doesn’t only demonstrate the high capacity of them, but also the amount of love and thought every single second of this show has.
Severance is available for streaming on Apple TV, and I strongly recommend anyone reading it to watch it.
