To Be or Not to Be Severed

Would you like to achieve the perfect work-life balance? Would you split your consciousness in two? 

Apple TV’s Severance is one of the top trending shows, with season 2 premiering in January. The first season, which came out in 2022, was quite successful, but people’s attention was captured when the Severance promo team set up a marketing pop-up in Grand Central station in New York—with the real actors. 

The massive promo for the show sparked conversations and a new debate throughout the internet, asking the question: would you be Severed? 

For those who have not watched the show yet, (to put it vaguely) Severance follows the story of a group of people who work at the rich company of Lumon, who are consensually “severed,” which means their consciousness – memories, and everything – is surgically split in two. This creates a divide in who you are at work (your Innie) and outside of work (your Outie). While at work, your Innie is unaware of your life outside the office. Innies don’t know who their Outie’s family or friends are, or their personality. On the other side, Outies have no idea what their Innie gets up to during work. The Innie and Outie of the same person cannot access each other’s memories. With the split consciousness, it’s basically two people in the same body. Confusing, right? For more details, check out this explanation!

Seeing these debates on different social media apps, I decided to post a poll on my Instagram story asking people who had watched or heard of Severance if they would opt to be Severed if it was legal and they were given the choice. I also asked people in person – friends, family, and people in my classes—for their opinions. Out of the 98 people who voted online, around 85% voted “no.” I asked around 10 people in person, and 9/10 also voted ” no.”

Of course, my data collection techniques may have limited the statistical accuracy. I only asked people from my university and hometown, and the people I spoke with were all around my age. Some voters also had not seen the show—at least not all of it yet—so there is still time for them to change their minds. Nevertheless, their responses and explanations regarding their votes were very interesting. 

Here are some of the reasons individuals voted “no” to being Severed: 

• “I wouldn’t like not having an idea of what my body is doing at certain times. I enjoy all aspects of mental and physical autonomy that I wouldn’t get if I was Severed.”
• “I guess it would be morally wrong to create a consciousness that can only exist in one space against its own will.” 
• “Not knowing what my Severed self was doing, especially if it affected the body we share, would drive me nuts!”
• “While it would be nice to separate from work stress, I wouldn’t feel comfortable ethically doing work I couldn’t remember. I would worry the company I worked for violated my values.” 
• “It’s ethically wrong, and I would want to be present for all my experiences.”
• “Life is too short for me to not remember half my day every single day.” 
• “The only fun part of work is socializing. What’s the point if I can’t remember anything?” 
• “There’s a huge ethical issue with creating a conscious being – even if it’s my body and under my consent – only to make work their entire existence.” 

There were far fewer “yes”  votes for being Severed, and the reasoning is equally intriguing: 

• “I burn out really fast and cannot keep a job for long, and my resume makes finding any work really hard. If there was an option where all I had to do was drive somewhere, walk into an elevator, not remember anything until I go home later that day, and get paid… I could keep that job.”
• “Not having to worry about work and only worry about getting there and back would be so relieving and allow me to live my personal life without work anxiety stopping me from having fun or relaxing.” 
• “If the pay and benefits were spectacular and it was from a reputable company, I don’t see why not, especially since I (my Outie) would be fully consenting.” 
• “No dealing with bad coworkers, rude bosses, work stress, etc.” 

Each side has valid reasons, just as the show’s characters have reasons for deciding to be Severed. Those who voted “no” seemed to have the biggest issues concerning autonomy, free will, and ethics of human rights. After all, if your memories are split, are you technically two people? Is it fair to subject this “new” person or consciousness to a life of work, work, and more work? What about trust in the company being transparent and honest with Innies and Outies? There’s one scene in the show where someone throws something angrily at an Innie’s face, and when his Outie is on his way home after work, the company lies to him and tells him he simply dropped a box he had been lifting. 

On the other hand, those who said “yes” had mental health in mind with the work/life balance benefits. If you don’t remember anything at work and are never aware/interacting with/conscious of your Innie “self,” then why would it matter what happens at work? Or would things start to surface and intertwine? These questions outline the debate surrounding this show and build suspension for the upcoming episodes in season 2. 

As for me, I would not opt to be Severed, with autonomy and transparency at the front of my concerns. However, as one of the voters in my poll explained, the decision might just be different depending on someone’s circumstances.

Severance is beautifully done, the characters wonderfully layered, and the suspense carefully built. I recommend it for the experience and the philosophical and psychological questions it brings up amongst viewers. 

New episodes of season 2 are out every Friday on Apple TV+. 

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