In 2022, Apple TV+ launched itself as a streamer of note with Severance. Like 1999’s Being John Malkovich on steroids, this cult-in-the-making workplace saga was unique in every sense. Set in the mysterious Lumon Industries, this biotech company demands its highly secretive work is kept that way as employees go through a procedure where their consciousness is severed. Outside the pristine white walls of Lumon, ‘outies’ have no knowledge of what their ‘innies’ get up to in the office – and vice versa.
Severance season two has taken its sweet time in hitting our screens, as creator Dan Erickson and his team navigated the intricate complexities set up in the first season, which concluded with team leader Mark Scout (Adam Scott) and other ‘innies’ making it briefly to the outside world. Believe us when we say the wait has been worth it. This 10-episode run confirms Severance as one of the smartest and most original shows on television right now.
In episode one – directed by comedy god Ben Stiller, a regular helmer on the previous season – normal service has been resumed. Sort of. It’s five months on and ‘innie’ Mark’s team – Helly (Britt Lower), Irving (John Turturro) and Dylan (Zach Cherry) – have disappeared. With a new group in their place, including Arrested Development’s Alia Shawkat, the mystery deepens. Or as Mark eloquently explains: “What the fuck is all this about?”
There are further changes in Lumon too. Floor supervisor Seth Milchick (Tramell Tillman) has a new role and there are a number of fresh arrivals including Miss Huang (Sarah Bock), whose curiously youthful nature is the source of an amusing running gag throughout. By episode three, Mark has teamed up with Lumon employee Lorne (Game Of Thrones’ Gwendoline Christie) to dig deeper into their ominous workplace.
While avoiding spoilers in Severance is like picking your way through a proverbial minefield, it’s safe to say that there will be returns for Patricia Arquette and Christopher Walken, whose “unsanctioned erotic entanglement” with Irving provided the first season with one of its most touching storylines. Nor will their union be the only frisson this season, with the ‘innies’ and the ‘outies’ lives’ becoming increasingly interwoven. “Not everything here is a lie,” claims one Lumon employee.
As things get all the more intriguing by the minute, Severance is a show best watched on high alert. For example, graffiti scrawled in the background reads “Who is alive?” By the time The Stone Roses’ ‘Love Spreads’ hits the soundtrack, with Ian Brown wailing “Let me put you in the picture / Let me show you what I mean”, you’ll be begging for the Severance team to do the same. Don’t stress it, though. Enjoy the ride and let this unique show tease and titillate your brain until you finally submit.
‘Severance’ season two is available to watch on Apple TV+ from January 17