‘Severance’ is the finest show on TV at the moment, and if you aren’t on board with it yet, it’s not too late to start.
It follows widower Mark, played by the charismatic Adam Scott, who heads a team of office workers who have had their memories divided between work and their personal lives, through the surgical procedure known as Severance; as such they live two separate lives referred to as an ‘Innie’ (work) and an ‘Outie’ (outside of work). When a mysterious colleague shows up outside of work, it prompts Mark into exploring the strange unknowns of his occupation at Lumon Industries. What follows is a wildly entertaining, absurd and brilliant psychological thriller, entirely unlike any series that precedes it.
The story is meticulously written, and as unique and original as they come. It allows the viewer sufficient time for the reveals to land and doesn’t boggle itself down with cheap cliffhangers. Everything feels so intricately crafted, and that’s the mark of a stellar TV show. It’s the kind of series that’ll consume you once you start.
The supporting cast is stacked with talent, including Patricia Arquette, Zach Dylan, Britt Lower, John Turturro and Christopher Walken. Behind the camera is none other than Ben Stiller, whose direction bursts at the seams with its ingenuity and sophistication. Stiller helped screenwriter Dan Erickson get ‘Severance’ into production and deserves the utmost credit for crafting this uniquely witty black comedy. Cinematographer Jessica Lee Gagné lenses ‘Severance’ beautifully, with symmetrical framing and stylized camerawork a pivotal part of the show’s appeal for me.
Everything feels so intricately crafted, and that’s the mark of a stellar TV show. It’s the kind of series that’ll consume you once you start.
With season 2, Stiller and co have upped the stakes, delving even deeper and darker into the dystopian world of ‘Severance’. Admittedly it was torturous having to wait three years after that cliffhanger – ‘“She’s Alive’!”- but I love the way in which the show has progressed upon the chaos of the S1 finale.
I mean where else can you find a series in which the protagonist is also the antagonist (Helly, I’m looking at you). Lumon remains shrouded in mystery with Operation Blue Harbour, creepy goat people, potential clones, and its increasingly striking resemblance to a cult. Despite this abundance of mysteries, we’re still given huge revelations each episode, and with Mark S finally reintegrating, the show is showing no signs of slowing down. I truly cannot wait to continue ‘Severance’.
