Warning: This article may contain spoilers for both seasons of Severance.
Much to my Letterboxd profile’s disappointment, I have been so busy this semester that I have had barely any free time to watch movies. But where I’m lacking in movies, I’m making up for in binging television shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spinoff Angel.
In January, I was greeted with the long-awaited arrival of Season 2 of Apple TV’s Severance, one of my favorite recent shows.
In Adam Scott’s best performance to date, Severance tells the story of Mark Scout, a grief-stricken man who undergoes the “Severance” procedure to cope with the death of his wife. This procedure achieves the ideal work-life balance, planting a chip in your head and separating your “innie” memories of work from your “outie” memories of the rest of your life, essentially creating two versions of yourself in one body. What could go wrong!?
Season 1, which aired back in 2022, covers Mark’s journey to uncover secrets of the company he works for, the mysterious and often cultish Lumon Industries. Alongside him are snarky and foul-mouthed Dylan (Zach Cherry), sweet and sensitive Irving (John Turturro), and the fiery new employee Helly (Britt Lower). I find this cast extremely well-written and well-acted.
I mentioned this show in my “Top 10 TV Shows of All Time” article. Still, Season 1 was perfect, with gorgeous cinematography, great twists and turns, and a killer cliffhanger to keep audiences waiting in agony for a return of our favorite Lumon employees. Finally, Season 2 aired between January and March of this year after the 2023 Writers Guild of America Strike-driven delays.
Much to everyone’s surprise, the new season not only lived up to the extremely high expectations its predecessor set, but in a few aspects, even exceeded them. To not give away too much, Season 2 follows the characters as they grapple with the groundbreaking revelations made at the end of the Season 1 finale.
While all of the actors mentioned above remain incredible in their performances, I’d like to single out a few more who I found great. Jen Tullock as Mark’s sister Devon has easily become one of my favorite characters. Also, Patricia Arquette is giving 110% as the extremely strange manager, Ms. Cobel. And, Dichen Lachman chills and devastates as Miss Casey, the company therapist.
However, this season’s MVP is Tramell Tillman’s Seth Milchick, who, in my opinion, is the most fascinating and captivating actor to grace our screens in recent years. I would be shocked if he doesn’t win the Emmy for Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.
The episodes also get crazier and more experimental this season as well, with “Woe’s Hollow” and “Chikhai Bardo” even being cited as the series’ best episodes. However, I’d like to also bring attention to “Attila,” which explores how love can transcend severance by focusing on three of the series’ main couples.
As much praise as it’s earned, I don’t think Severance Season 2 is without flaws. Irving felt strangely absent in the second half of the season, and his fate and whether he’ll return are a little up in the air. There were also a few slow episodes and characters that didn’t get a satisfying arc.
Without giving too much away, however, the season finale “Cold Harbor” is nothing short of a television masterpiece. It’s 76 minutes of what I called the most “Severance” Severance episode, ending with Mark making a very major decision—a satisfying or devastating one at that, depending on how you feel—and leaving the audience with a lot of questions.
Severance has already been renewed for Season 3! Check out this amazing show on Apple TV.
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