Review: Severance (2022)
Written by Calista (Kru’19)
An Apple TV+ original series created by Dan Erickson and directed by Ben Stiller and Aoife McArdle, Severance follows Mark (Adam Scott) and his team of office workers. But here’s the catch: every employee at his work have surgically divided their work and personal lives. Their work self, or “innie”, doesn’t remember anything about their personal lives and vice versa, their outside world self, or “outie”, has no idea what they actually do at their job.
Sounds ideal right? You can go to work but not remember anything about it, so your outie never has to work a day in their life but still reap the benefits of getting paid. Well, maybe you don’t think it’s ideal. Either way, it’s an interesting concept and one of the philosophical questions explored in this series. I’m not going to go into detail about the plot, not even the first episode because you’re better off going in blind. Believe me, because that’s what happened to me.
I started watching this series just because of Adam Scott. I’ve liked him since Parks and Recreation and was so ecstatic when I found out he was going to be first billed in a new series. Going in without knowing anything about this show’s story might be one of the best media-related decision I’ve made in 2022, as it took me by surprise and swept me off my feet. It’s been quite a while since I found a show that feels like a breath of fresh air. So yes, **do yourself a favour and don’t look up anything about the show until you’ve finished the season** and thank me later.
Allow me to talk about the non-spoiler aspects of this series instead to convince you to start watching this show. The creative choices supports what they want viewers to feel from the story they’re telling so much. Immaculate set design. Discordant main theme accompanied with eerie animation as its opening credits. Amazing score with different feelings according to the scene’s tone, communicating what they want viewers to feel perfectly. Beautiful but distant cinematography due to the cold color tones and the symmetry present in many shots. How they frame the story and reveal information to the audience, making me invested early on and want to know more about the world they’re building. Amazing performances by the cast, especially those who have to switch between their innie and outie mannerisms. By the first episode I was hooked despite not knowing anything about its story.
It shows that Dan Erickson has a story he wants to tell through Severance. Great story with balanced parts between mystery, drama, and humour coupled with amazing performances from its cast makes this show stand out from many others. I’m confident that Severance is poised to be the dark horse of the already intense 2022 Emmys’ drama race. I hope you’ve been convinced to experience this television masterclass on your own, you won’t regret it I promise. But if you do, refunds can be redirected to Lumon Industries.
