By Kaylon Coleman

Let me start this article off by saying if you’re in need of a new TV show to obsess over, Severance is your route. The sci-fi thriller just wrapped up its second season, and I can say confidently on the record — it’s an award-winning season. The stellar performances, excellent cinematography and amazing storytelling are just a part of what separates Severance from other shows out right now.

I consider myself lucky because I started Severance relatively recently, so I didn’t have to endure a 3-year wait for season two to drop like most. It was a show that always had a place in my watch list. It looked interesting, I just never had the incentive to watch or get Apple TV. All that changed when season two premiered and I started to see buzz surrounding the show everywhere. Now I’ve caught up, joined the subreddit, and became a fanatic spreading the good word.

There’s not a lot to do up here in Humboldt so when I encounter a series that makes me eager to go home and watch it, it adds that much spice into my life. And so, to give the finale some time to breathe and room for people to catch up, I’m going to talk about the things I love about Severance. Minor spoiler warning regarding the show in general, but I’ll try and keep things light. 

Theme

I believe the theme of Severance is rooted in three key elements — mystery, philosophy and love. I don’t know if any of you were fans of Gravity Falls, but the mystery aspect of this show reminds me so much of that series. I can’t remember another time when the community behind a show invested so much time trying to decipher mysteries and formulate theories. I love when a show can bring a collection of people together like that. 

The philosophical aspect of the show probably has to be my favorite. The premise of the show, more or less, is that people who choose to work for the “severed” floor of Lumon Industries have a chip implanted in their brain. This chip ensures that for the eight hours that they’re at work, their “innie” takes over with a completely different sense of self, doing whatever has been tasked upon them by Lumon with no recollection of the life of the “outie” and vice versa. Many ethical questions are raised within the show itself. Would you work for a company where you had no idea what kind of work you were doing if it provided a check? What defines a person? Is it the mind, or the body, or neither? How do you create meaning in your life?

But this is also where the love element comes into play, as I feel like it’s the strongest driving factor for each of our main characters in their department, Macrodata Refinement (MDR). There’s a plotline where a character named Dylan George’s innie self starts falling in love with his outie’s wife. There’s another plotline this season where the main character(s), Mark’s outie and innie both have a relationship with a different person. How do you handle a situation like that? These are just a few of the ideologies that make up the theme of Severance in my eyes. 

The Little Things

I mentioned the cinematography and attention to detail earlier, and that’s because the show truly utilizes that skill set when crafting their shots. Season two opens up with what is nearly a two-minute-long running sequence in which we see Adam Scott, who portrays Mark, jetting up and down the intricate labyrinth that is the severed floor. The scene is spliced together to imitate one take, and utilizes techniques such as CGI, a bolt arm — a camera with very precise movements — and practical movements to create a scene that can’t be truly captured through an explanation in the paper. 

Another aspect of the show I find phenomenal is the sound. I’m not just talking about the theme, which is absolutely insane, but more so the sound production overall. An example of the attention to detail when it comes to using sounds in the show is their use of elevator sounds as the MDR employees enter the severed floor. Without explicitly giving away any possible spoilers, just pay attention to the ding the elevator gives or doesn’t give as you progress through the show, and what that may mean.

The Acting

There are so many different aspects I could go deeper into. The directing by Ben Stiller, plot, set design — literally everything about Severance. But, as there’s only so much room in the paper, I think I need to talk about the performances. 

Each character in this show does an outstanding job at acting. I love media where we get to see the same actor portraying multiple characters, and that’s essentially a lot of Severance. Each actor does this magnificently. For example, the watchers get to see Mark shift from a lowly, depressed, desperate individual yearning for an escape from his mind, to a more cheery, vibrant character. Even the characters who don’t have an innie stand out in their performances, such as Tramell Tillman who plays Mr. Milchick, a verbose frontman for the severed floor.

All in all, I believe that we’re truly going through a renaissance of television right now. With so many great shows coming out currently — Invincible, Daredevil, White Lotus, Paradise, etc.  —- the time to jump into a new show is now. And if I may, I’d like to say with this new season, Severance has solidified its place in the all-time best T.V. series competition. No ifs, ands, or buts.

Kaylon Coleman is a junior journalism major with a concentration in news and a minor in Psychology and Communications. He is the Social Media Assistant Manager for LJ. He is also the president of the Black Student Union at CPH, social media coordinator for the Umoja Center, and a part-time radio DJ.