Spoilers ahead – do not read if you want to enjoy Season 1 of Severance to the fullest extent

There have only been a few shows that have captivated me as much as Severance. The first season, which premiered in February of 2022, explored the lives of office workers at the secretive Lumon Industries, a company that invented the procedure colloquially known as “Severance.” The series was renewed for another season shortly after its release. Still, production quickly halted during the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike and delayed the show for an indeterminate amount of time. After a nearly three-year-long hiatus, the show returned on January 17 of this year. And fortunately for us, it was well worth the wait.

The first season of the show focused on Mark Scout (played by Adam Scott), a member of Lumon’s Macro Data Refinement (MDR) department on the “severed” floor. Put simply, Severance is an operation in which an employee has a chip inserted into their brain which prevents them from carrying memories from their work into the outside world. This results in an individual hosting two different consciences: a work conscience and a home conscience, which are commonly referred to as “innies” and “outies,” respectively. Mark has been an employee at Lumon for roughly two years, a decision he made to help deal with the grief of losing his wife, Gemma (Dichen Lachman). However, when Mark’s “outie” is contacted by someone who claims to be his former co-worker, everything he thinks he knows about his life is put into question. At the same time, the “innies” of the MDR department begin realizing that Lumon has been hiding things about the nature of their existence at the company. The first season ended with the Overtime Contingency being activated, allowing the MDR group’s innies to access the outside world, leading Mark to realize his wife is, in fact, alive.

The second season was advertised heavily leading up to its release, a positive change from the previous installment. Very little promotional material was made for the first season, and as a result, the show remained under the radar. This time, the marketing department went all-out: alongside traditional trailers and advertisements, they orchestrated a live promotion of the show in New York. For several hours, many main cast members (including Adam Scott, Britt Lower, and Zach Cherry) could be seen in Grand Central Station, where they remained in character and performed the daily tasks of MDR employees. As a result of this increased publicity, Severance became Apple TV’s most-watched show ever, serving as a testament to the popularity of the show. 

The second season delves further into the themes explored in season one while simultaneously expanding its focus to include the lives of other characters beyond the severed floor. Picking up shortly after the events of the first season, the show continues exploring life at Lumon Industries while Mark begins the search for his wife. At the same time, we begin to see unique perspectives from other Lumon employees, who are subject to previously unseen hardships. Constantly walking the line between being comedic and horrifying, the show acts as a commentary on American work conditions, with events drawing several parallels to real-world issues. The stakes of this season are also massively increased, with more on the line than ever before. Jessica Lee Gagné’s cinematography ties the whole show together, with haunting imagery and wide camera angles providing a sense of unease throughout the show. In short, if you haven’t already, give Severance a try. I highly recommend it.