Severance - Season 2

Severance splits this review into two. The basics should be familiar by now. Severance is about employees who undergo surgery to separate their work and personal lives. The innie, the one who works at Lumon, knows nothing of the outie, the one who lives in the outside world. The first season makes it clear that this has both advantages and disadvantages, especially when it turns out the company you work for is experimenting with things that have major social and societal consequences.

The second season continues the path established in the first. The search for the truth behind Lumon is further explored. This gives the main characters more depth and clarifies what Lumon is all about. We gain more insight into why people choose to work at Lumon. The mechanism behind Lumon's creation also becomes increasingly clear. This season takes place more often outside the cold white walls of the building. This gives us a clearer understanding of why the outies became innies. Moreover, it reveals why some people aren't innies yet still work at Lumon.



Confused by this story? That's precisely the point of Severance. As the episodes progress, you learn more and more as the viewer progresses. On the one hand, you get more answers, but at the same time, they also raise more questions. The tension created by the search for the truth behind Lumon is well-developed. The stories behind the various people are increasingly highlighted. New characters are introduced, which also raise new questions. Despite this, the story doesn't become too confusing. It ensures that the multiple storylines are easy to understand and follow, without answering that one big question: Why does Lumon actually exist?

Overall, I'm still positive about the atmosphere and story of Severance.

Besides this positive approach, Severance also has its flaws. It's palpable that the inspiration was drawn from a series like David Lynch's Twin Peaks. The biggest difference is the absurdity and depth that Twin Peaks possesses, which Severance also seems to promise but only partially delivers. The characters in Twin Peaks are just as confusing as the story. They are grotesquely exaggerated and intriguing at the same time. In Severance, despite all efforts to make them as intriguing as the story, the characters are relatively normal. Yes, they do strange things, but fundamentally, the explanations behind them are fairly recognizable and relatable.

The biggest criticism, however, is the childishness the series sometimes descends into. The long scene where Milchick is captured is particularly pathetic. The way his walkie-talkie is stolen is childishly simple. You can take that childishness literally in this case. Unfortunately, this happens more often. Consider, for example, the surgery Mark undergoes, where his sister decides he can do without the person who performed it. Not exactly logical.

Communication is often slow. Almost every moment someone tries to speak seems to be preceded by an oppressive silence. The biggest problem is that this is done so often that the trick becomes irritating, especially when what's being said isn't often all that earth-shattering. A promise is a promise, and that usually doesn't get kept.



What's absolutely absurd is that after every episode there's an explanation of what I, as a viewer, saw. Constantly explaining a mysterious and psychological series doesn't seem right to me. It takes away from the tension that's been building. It also leads me, as a viewer, to be pushed in a certain direction, as the creators intended. I think the very intention of a series like Severance is to get viewers to think for themselves about different scenarios and reasons. That you come up with multiple plots and plots, and then, ideally, are pushed in a different direction by the story.

Of course, after doing my duty a few times, I stopped watching that explanation. As far as I'm concerned, it shouldn't be available this way. Especially since it's so prominently stated at the beginning of every episode that this is coming.

Besides this positive approach, Severance also has its fair share of shortcomings.

Overall, I'm still positive about the atmosphere and story of Severance. The story is a balanced mix of science fiction and mystery. Where it goes wrong is that the attempt to be unique and mysterious sometimes goes too far without actually adding any value.

Let me conclude by saying that superficially (as an "outie"), I would give Severance an eight. However, when I look more closely (as an "innie"), the series is starting to show cracks that negatively impact the final score. With the criticisms in mind, I'm thinking of a maximum of a seven.