Severance, Apple’s phenomenon series continues its momentum

Expected around the corner for its second season, the series Severance continues its dystopian and disturbing journey. Verdict?

Remember, this disguised phrase in the series Westworld: “Bring yourself back online”, when those responsible for the futuristic amusement park must activate their androids (the park’s hosts).

Pour Severanceseries produced and directed by Ben Stiller, it is time to reactivate those we call the dissociated (quasi-robots) and who left us with an absolutely crazy finale in 2022. A conclusion which left everyone with a dislocated jaw fans, after 9 often brilliant episodes.

These employees, who separated their private and professional lives by accepting surgery, land in basements of anxiety, their workplace. Their transfer of memories takes place via an elevator, which sends the employees into a succession of corridors where everything seems frozen.

Employees in the macro data refinement department spend their days in front of computer screens, sorting random numbers into digital bins. They themselves don’t really know what they are doing. Their only goal is to achieve a quarterly goal that results in bonuses.

In a retro atmosphere with a sectarian feel, Severance questions our relationship to work. The first season kicked off hostilities with a shock quartet: Mark (Adam Scott), Dylan (Zach Cherry), Helly (Britt Lower) and Irving (John Turturro).

Is it time for mourning in the second season of Severance?Image: Apple

These four saw their office lives radically change when they became aware of their real life (that of exter or “outie”) in the space of a few minutes. A coup d’état flanked by the nickname “the macrodata revolt”, as established by Seth Milchick (the always very good and worrying Tramell Tillman). This boss with suppressed intentions, revealing layer after layer of his true nature.

The second season picks up where Mark’s scream still echoes in our minds, when he discovers that his deceased wife is still alive – remember Miss Casey?

From the first minutes, he wanders through the corridors with this disturbing sensation of being back in an insane asylum, where the white refers to the dizziness of the lies disguised by the management of Lumon Industries.

Balance between metro-work-sleep

Severance stands out once again for its always exquisite tone and rhythm. The creative tandem Dan Erickson and Ben Stiller have succeeded in creating a new tour de force and dizzying corporate nightmare.

Since the innocence of the dissociated now gives way to various emotions that they had not yet gone through. We find the sadness, the broken heart of Irving and the manipulation of Helly, or even the revenge of Mark.

Then, the relationships become more tense, the emotional depth gains momentum, the ironic, sardonic social comments and the black humor which cut through this caustic story push the machine to pipe dreams.

Different components, like so many ingredients to capture a multitude of facets of this disturbing experience.

And the link between the manipulators and captives is none other than Helly. From now on, she plays a double game and slips into the skin of a devilishly disturbing character. It is she who turns into the pivotal character, who, remember, is Helena Egan, heir to the founder and manipulator in the making. Britt Lower’s performance is infinitely on point.

She is this cornerstone of a golden and opaque scenario, covered by hallucinations controlled by a (very) silent conglomerate, which never ceases to shake the coconut tree of questions. What is the plot? Where is Harmony Cobel (the disturbing Patricia Arquette), fired on the spot in the first season? What will happen to our quartet of lab rats?

The corridors of madness of this office in the form of an insane asylum (or cage) support this feeling of oppression and permanent tension. The silent procession of dehumanized employees now gives way to rebellion.

Severance is a provocative, sometimes disturbing work which is increasingly establishing itself as a great series, one of the best of the year, certainly.

“Severance” (season 2) can be seen on Apple TV+ every Friday, with one episode starting January 17.