{"id":8298,"date":"2025-04-28T13:06:02","date_gmt":"2025-04-28T17:06:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/?p=8298"},"modified":"2025-04-28T13:06:02","modified_gmt":"2025-04-28T17:06:02","slug":"severance-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/2025\/04\/28\/severance-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Severance Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Severance<\/em> came back with a new season this winter. This Apple TV+ original is a perfect dystopian nightmare that all sci-fi lovers should watch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Severance is a sci-fi thriller series exclusive to Apple TV+. The premise is about a man who works at a company called Lumon. Mark Scout, the protagonist, works on the \u201csevered floor\u201d. Anyone who works on this floor must undergo brain surgery, giving them an implant which \u201csevers\u201d their consciousness. Their work-self has a completely separate set of memories and behaviors compared to their regular self, out of work. There are nicknames for these two identities: their work-self is called an “innie” and their self out of work is called an “outie”. Their innie has no memory or recollection about the outside world. They have no clue if they are married, have children, or even know if they\u2019re happy in life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lumon Industries<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It gives such a wild perspective to the employees, as you get to perceive them through both of their consciousnesses. Work is easy for their outie, as the second they step into the elevator at 9AM, they come right back up and it\u2019s 5PM. It\u2019s a bit more bleak for their innies, as the second they step into the elevator to leave work, they immediately come back down and it\u2019s the next day. Work is their entire lives and there\u2019s no escape. Technically, they\u2019ve never even experienced sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We get a perfect introduction to life on the severed floor, as the first episode opens up with a new employee to the Data Refinement Department: Helly R. As she struggles to recall a single memory from the outside world, she has a mental breakdown. But no matter how hard she tries, she can\u2019t leave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mark, Dylan, Irving, and Helly<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There is a huge stigma against people who undergo severance. Mark\u2019s sister doesn\u2019t like it for him as she thinks he\u2019s avoiding his feelings. Before working for Lumon, Mark\u2019s wife Gemma passed away. Mark\u2019s typical after-work routine consists of grabbing a beer, watching TV, and falling asleep on the couch. So in some ways, she’s right. The other three employees in his department have interesting lives we learn about as the series goes on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ms. Cobel is probably my favorite character in the series. She is such a mystery, and we\u2019re still just getting to know her. She became a villain I grew to love and even feel bad for. I think she\u2019s more involved than we know. Her relations to the Kier family are not clear, but season 2 sparked some new questions making me wonder why she\u2019s in charge. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Harmony Cobel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Natalie Kalen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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On the other hand, Natalie is a character I love to hate. As the messenger for the Board, she must have strong connections behind the scenes. We see her carry on the word of the board and assist with new employees, but I want to know more about her story. Why is she there, and why is she so happy? Her over-exaggerated attitude and almost fake smile speaks volumes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

This series has such good rewatchability. Knowing what I know now, about who each character is inside and out, I\u2019m gaining an entire new perspective. I just got into it this year, but had I been waiting since 2022, I don\u2019t know if I would have made it. Director Ben Stiller stated that season 3 is planned to come out sooner with a shorter wait. Both COVID and the writers\u2019 strike played a part in the long wait between seasons 1 and 2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

***HUGE SPOILER WARNING – SKIP PARAGRAPH:***<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n


Watching the season 2 finale, I am speechless. But I\u2019m not as surprised as I was during the finale for season 1. Although I was on the edge of my seat, begging for Mark to just run, I was left confused. If Gemma finally escaped, it\u2019s not necessarily the end of the world. Wouldn\u2019t Mark leave work at the end of the day, and return right home to her? As bleak as the situation has gotten, Mark technically has the best of both worlds. His innie can live with Helly, and his outie can live with Gemma. But for the sake of the plot, I have a hunch they\u2019ll keep Mark on the severed floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

***END OF SPOILERS***<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Severance is the most mind-boggling show to wrap your mind around. Not only putting yourself in the characters\u2019 shoes, but putting yourself in both their innie and outie\u2019s shoes. If you love sci-fi shows with a dystopian hint, this is the perfect show for you. Even if it\u2019s the only thing you watch on Apple TV+, I\u2019d say a month subscription is worth it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Severance came back with a new season this winter. This Apple TV+ original is a perfect dystopian nightmare that all sci-fi lovers should watch. Severance is a sci-fi thriller series exclusive to Apple TV+. The premise is about a man who works at a company called Lumon. Mark Scout, the protagonist, works on the \u201csevered […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":401,"featured_media":8299,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[36],"class_list":{"0":"post-8298","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-opinions","8":"tag-tv","9":"entry"},"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2025\/04\/severance-poster-1-scaled-e1745260031923.jpg","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2025\/04\/severance-poster-1-scaled-e1745260031923.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Kevin Daly","author_link":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/author\/kevin-daly06\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8298","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/401"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8298"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8298\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8298"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8298"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8298"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}