The second season of Severance begins with a wonderfully overwhelming sequence of Mark S. (Adam Scott) running desperately through the halls of Lumon's severed floor. The camera spins around him and chases him along corridors, the jaunty soundtrack becoming increasingly hectic. It's a reminder of so much about this series — its sense of unease, the fine line between frivolity and tragedy — and it immediately reacclimatises viewers after a three-year absence.
Season one of Severance introduced us to Lumon Industries, a cult-like mega-company with divisions all over the globe and a disturbing devotion to its founder Kier Eagan. As the macro data refinement (MDR) division became increasingly suspicious of what their “mysterious and important” work really was, their investigations led to more questions than answers. We left the department just as they managed to wake their ‘innies' up in the outside world, making discoveries about themselves and the world around them that further twisted any sense of reality.
Season 2, while continuing that mystery, focuses heavily on the impact that severance has on relationships. As the innies learn more about their outies, their relationships with one another become more complex; between any two characters, there are four possible dynamics at play. It's revealed that Helly (Britt Lower) is an Eagan, sent to the severed floor to prove its efficacy. Mark learns that his outie's wife, believed to be dead, is in fact alive (although perhaps not well) at Lumon. These two facts put a spanner in the pair's budding romance, while Dylan's (Zach Cherry) realisation that his outie has a wife and children leaves him vulnerable to Lumon's manipulations.
It's astounding how well the cast separates the versions of their characters, and a testament to the script that it somehow never gets too confusing to follow the many plot threads going on simultaneously. Nothing ever feels wasted, every minute of each episode filled with purpose. With ‘filler' TV pervading so much of streaming content, the degree of care that has gone into putting this season together is refreshing. It also likely explains the three-year series gap.
There's a lot to love about Severance from a design standpoint, too. In the first episode, the MDR crew watch a very personal training video that features claymation versions of themselves. The effort that has gone into these few minutes is astounding, but it never feels self-indulgent. Instead, this attention to detail (also seen in the Lumon memorabilia and motivational posters) just makes the show's unsettling world feel all the more real.
On a broader scale, in the external world, it's always snowing. There's a gloom to everything, overcast days and dark nights keeping so much concealed. By contrast, the severed floor is shockingly, clinically bright, the illusion that there is nothing for Lumon to hide visible in its stark decor. It may be obvious visual language, but that doesn't make it any less effective.
After their revolutionary attempts at the end of last season, the four employees at Severance's core are given a choice: they can quit, if they like. However, aside from a grieving Irv (John Turturro), there's little consideration among the group before they decide to stay. After all for the innies, choosing to leave their jobs is tantamount to suicide. However, despite being suspicious of Lumon, the MDR crew find some level of satisfaction in their work. Frequent allusions are made to their particular aptitude, and there's a hypnotic nature to the number-sorting that seems to transfix them.
While it's many things – a drama, a romance, a comedy, a tragedy – Severance is at its core a satire of the working world. The dullness of repetitive tasks can blind you to their end goal, and sometimes it's easier to just follow expectations than question motives. In workplace culture, Lumon's cultishness is extreme; but even in the ‘normal' world there's an expectation of devotion. When Dylan's outie interviews for a job at a door factory, he's earnestly asked how old he was when he first realised his love for doors. He's then quizzed on which door he would be, if he was one.
The first half of this season is just as compelling, visually engaging and emotionally weighty as its predecessor. None of the cast, from the central quartet to its supporting characters, are a weak link. There may be just as many questions as there were three years ago, but they haven't lost any of their appeal. A reward for the Severance devotees. Thank Kier for that.
Severance Season 2 is now releasing weekly on Apple TV+.