Severance

Creepy series. Shiver! And a bit funny and camp. Of course Christopher Walken shows up in Ep 2.

Super-creepy OP! The dystopian workplace of the future!

But what happened to Adam Scott’s face?

Adam Scott still has great hair, though.

R1 One of my first thoughts was, 'Fuck. Adam Scott's got old.'

I give new shows at least 3 eps before it's a yay or nay. It's a provocative premise. I liked ep 3 - it's warming up. I'll keep watching.

I love this show! I've been waiting to see what other DLers think of it.

Episode 4 with the drill was freaky as fuck -- and the girl's action in the elevator was too (don't want to give anything away).

I'm on the edge of my chair!

R2, I’m almost 100% certain he’s been given a wig for the series. That shit doesn’t even seem to move naturally in the wind.

I love the series, though.

I love this show but I'm finding it hard to ignore the terrible wig.

Haven't we picked up any fans yet? I still love this show!

R1, that’s not Tig Notaro?

It's funny how, now he has aged, his small mouth has gone from cute to pursed cat-butthole.

It's a weird, discomfiting show, yet I am compelled to watch it.

Yes, it's a very bad wig he wears. And the bottom half of his face doesn't seem to go with the top half. The bottom seems smaller.

This show reminds me of Vivarium.

The pursed mouth and large wig gives him a very Liberacian look at times.

Any guesses yet on what the hell is going on?

It feels like they’re in an alternate history where the US is communist. The whole Lumon workplace seems like a laboratory experiment to see what they can get employees to do.

It’s weird and I’m enjoying it.

I have no idea what's going on but I kind of love it.

It's a fascinating show and if it blows up at the end with something David Lynchian, I am gonna scream bloody murder at Ben Stiller for making me invest so much time.

SPOILER ALERT

At the end of episode 7, is Mark’s wife the psychiatrist character at Lumon?

I think so r19! Trying to figure out if she’s real and permanently severed or robotic? She seems kind of off in her scenes

Elements of Scientology here, or a criticism of it. The break room is reminiscent of how the auditing process has been described. The founders scene in the perpetuity roomplus the etching of the old man head on lobby wall, very L Ron Hubbardesque.

If this runs into another season I'll probably bail because I dont like the slow pace of the reveals. I have no patience for that. I also think Nelly R. is his (presumed dead) wife.

True, r22, but most of it is also typical of any totalitarian regime, right down to the ubiquitous effigies and cultish shrines set up for "worship" of the (divine) leader.

I'm hooked on the show, but I'd caution against bingeing it—it is not an uplifting or optimistic take on the world.

This last episode (8) was so wild I decided to binge the series again from the beginning, and it is amazing how much is foreshadowed when I paid attention.

In one of the early episodes, they show Irv picking black paint out of his fingernails. In another, Mr. Melchik (sp?) mentions how proud they are to have Helly join Lumon in a way that makes me believe she was/is a quite prestigious person IRL. To me, that explains why Helly's "outie" will not allow her to quit. Apparently she has some special skill set the outie had hoped to have her use at Lumon..?

After Ep. 8, I am hanging on by my fingernails waiting for the next one! I wish they had released these all at once!

Wow, I just watched episode 9 and my heart is racing. What a tense, edge-of-your-seat finale. I can not wait for season 2!

LOVE this show--really makes you think about all the possibilities. The last episode was amazing

Looking at Adam Scott's quickly wilting face, it's obvious he had a chin implant. It's sort of tilting now

My heart is beating out of my chest after seeing episode 9. What a wild ride!! I'll be counting down the days until the next season!

BTW, Helly was looking pretty hot!

Yup. What a great final episode!

I can't believe more DLers haven't watched this. There's even a gay couple!

Why aren't more of you checking this series out? It's only nine episodes, and they're all out there now. Do yourself a favor and watch it now!

I’m on episode 4. Does it get less boring? I’m tempted to just skip ahead to the last episode.

It's not boring -- you're just not paying attention to the details. And if you skip ahead, you'll have no idea what's going on.

But IMHO, you do need to have a certain level of intellect to really "get" this show.

'Nuff said.

Oh, gtfo here, R32. And get over yourself. A show can be intellectual AND boring.

It’s a very slow burn but the season finale was incredible. It all builds up to a fast-paced brilliant last episode.

Stick with it!

There should have at least been some clues as to what the hell Lumon is or what they’re doing. If S2 comes along a year from now, I can’t imagine I’ll have the patience to watch it.

And you’re blocked, R36.

It was just renewed for season 2. Can’t wait.

I feel like the slow pace actually really paid off in the finale. I was so impressed.

I started binging last night!!! This is one of the best shows ever. I’ve got 3 episodes left.

Streaming channels are knocking shows out of the park! Watching Girl from Planfield on Hulu. Another outstanding show.

I liked the slow pace - it worked for this show. Maybe if you binge watch rather than week to week, it might seem too slow.

Yes there’s still lots of explaining to do—what is Lumon, why are people willingly getting severed, etc.

I hope this doesn’t go the way of Lost, where the writers clearly hadn’t mapped anything out and seemed to be making it up as they went along

CAUTION ****************SPOILERS*******************BELOW

We already know why two people got severed: Mark because he lost his wife (or did he?) and Helly to prove a point to her family's company, stockholders, etc.

I have so many questions! But I'm pretty sure they've had the answers planned out already. I attached a list of articles published in Variety which may answer some of the questions you've had to date.

Love Irving and Burt G.

Cutest eldergays on TV currently.

The ending of Episode 8 was a true cliffhanger. I finally saw the finale, Episode 9, today and OH MY GOD. I was sitting on the edge of my seat until that last few minutes, which I was standing in front of the TV. Yes, heart pounding. When Mark called her Mrs. Cobel my heart almost leaped from my chest. Mr. Milchick trying to bargain with Dylan for perks was some real black humor. A truly awesome series.

Also really enjoyed the actresses who played Helly R. and Mark’s sister. Weren’t familiar with either of them. Both were understated and funny.

Mark's wife is severed but her "outie" lives in the Lumon building. Remember the descending elevator. I'm curious to see what kind of sick, twisted hell she lives in.

[Quote] When Mark called her Mrs. Cobel my heart almost leaped from my chest.

Mary!

I am glad I waited until all the episodes were up…I watched all 9 episodes this last Friday-Sunday. I love a slow burn series, and what a pay off! That finale was insane and awesome.

It's MS. Cobel, if you please!

I love this show. It was sweet how innie Mark venerated his sister’s wacko husband and was so happy to meet him. I really want to learn more about that whole clique of strange people and why/how Mark’s sister ended up in that relationship. Maybe some kind of personality cult swept the US along with the severance movement?

One question I have is with the stairwell as it appears to be the only “magic” component. You run toward the door, seeing the stairwell beyond, and yet when you open it you are back where you started in a white hallway.. What accounts for this? A post-hypnotic suggestion placed in each employee during their procedure?

SPOILER QUESTIONS

What didn't make any sense to me is: Helly is an Eagen and they wanted her to do well at Lumen. So why did they put her in a terrible job that would only make her miserable?

Also, why is it that people in this cold snowy place don't put their cars in the garage? Why is the brother-in-law;'s book, considered highly dangerous by everyone in management, completely forgotten about when Mark takes it? Why do they let a half-crazed hippie who's just been fired past security into a party that she was specifically not invited to? Why does a man who works so much have a dog at home whom he clearly ignores?

You called it about Helly, R24.

Finale was brilliant. Renewed? Is that so, R38? That's good news. Looking forward to Season 2.

It seems like outie Helly doesn't give a fuck about innie Helly so she doesn't care what happens to her. Remember the vicious video that was played when Helly threatened to cut off a finger if she couldn't leave?

The whole photo gallery and prompt to say in the speech that her innie is her sister was just propaganda.

The theme seems to be that by using severance, you can get workers you can torture and mistreat and it won't matter to the outie.

[quote]When Mark called her Mrs. Cobel my heart almost leaped from my chest.

Same here, R44! I actually grabbed my head with both hands and my jaw dropped. Loved that!

I still don't get why the innie versions didn't recognize anything in the outies' lives, though. They were "waking up," right? Not switching places. So why didn't they integrate the two spheres?

Their "innies" woke up in their "outies" environment instead of while descending in the elevator.

Makes perfect sense to me.

The innies know nothing about their outie lives. Nothing. And the outies know nothing about their innie lives.

That's why Mark calling her Mrs. Cobel was such a giveaway that the innie was present.

But what is "reintegration," then? Or does it not happen immediately when you're wakened?

Reintegrarion is something that has to be changed about the implant, obviously, which was done by that black female doctor (do we know her name? I forgot) who met up with Mark at his old college workplace. That's why Petey's implant had to be removed by Cobel and examined to find out how it was done. The "overtime contingency" procedure just wakes up the innies when they're not at work in case of a dire emergency, which is what happened when Dylan stole the card from O & D and was awakened so he could tell Milchick where it was hidden.

***Episode 7 spoilers at link***

Regabhi is the name of the doctor who reintegrated Petey and beat Mr. Graner to death.

Weird name. Maybe an anagram for something else?

I just realized that what I took as abstract art from Irving B is actually a black hallway leading to the elevator.

I realized that R63 - but what do you think is the significance of it was? It looked very similar to the hallway where Mark’s wife had to go after they fired her but how would Irving know what that looked like?

Or was that the hallway to the break room?

Irving’s outie was puzzling. How did he have all that information in the trunk?

Pretty sure Mark’s wife really died and Miss Casey is just a humanoid robot created by someone with a perverted, sick sense of humor.

That WAS the hallway to the break room. That's why I mentioned in R24 that I noticed that, in the early episodes, Irv is picking black paint out of his fingernails. The question is, how/why does his outie remember the hallway? And why is he researching Lumon employees and where they live?

I almost wonder if he's a plant by 1) an intelligence agency, 2) an organization opposed to the severance procedure, or 3) something I cannot even imagine with only the information we currently have.

Any other ideas?

Good points R66.

I think the creators in one of those interviews said Mark’s wife was alive - which would hopefully mean she’s not a robot but who knows.

I hope they bring back Burt G in season 2.

I love how innie Irving is such a arse licker and pro-authority, but on the outside he's obviously a rebel.

Irving is great!

Loved the eldergay story! Wish they hadn’t wimped out on the kiss. Not that I’m dying to see John Turturro and Christopher Walken kiss, but it would have been nice. Maybe next season when they are outies.

All of the characters are great in all their different ways. I've started to re-watch the season and I'd forgotten what a company yes-man Irv was to start. But when they took Burt away from him...

Milchik is one of the most interesting characters, so calculatingly in his interactions, always with the ominous undercurrent.

What a great show! I'm getting ready to watch the last two episodes. Every character is interesting and well acted.

Thanks so much for that explanation, R61. I was confused by "awakening" vs. "reintegration." xxo

I’m trying not to read too much into it. Usually, readers’ guesses are usually way better than what the authors actually come up with

I just finished binging the whole series (I waited until the finale was up.) I watched the whole thing yesterday and today. I thought it was terrific. I loved the creepy, weird atmosphere, and the slow rollout of information. I love Adam Scott, but man, he is looking rough, and I love Patricia Arquette. The rest of the cast was terrific, as well.

I can't wait for season 2.

Adam Scott is horribly unphotogenic. I almost gave up watching this because of that but I’m glad I stuck with it.

It is a shame. Ben Wyatt was pretty much my dream man (aside from being straight and fictional.) He looks better than he did during the Parks and Rec Covid special, but he looked like he was at death's door in that.

R76 LOL me too! I was like Jesus Christ I have to stare at this guy for an entire series? Ended up loving the show but definitely felt the same way.

The pinched, cat's bum mouth and hideous wig made Adam Scott very hard to look at.

He looks like Liberace.

I'm not convinced it even was a wig. He's got incredibly thick hair, and it could just be a bad style with all that hair kind of plastered down.

I really liked the show, and the dynamics between characters, especially when the shit hits the fan. Discomfiting is a great description, I’m frustrated because I know already my husband wouldn’t be patient enough to watch the show and I’d have to explain certain things. The season finale, when she’s walking through the auditorium with huge blowups of her outie, I was just aghast , “Wow, just wow.”

I wonder if this kind of revelation on the other side- is what we wake up to when we die!

Oh My God! What a show! I just finished it and wasn't expecting that at all.

And how is DL not discussing the absolute booty on Tramell Tilman? That thing is in its own damn orbit and stole the show in every scene. The women on Reddit can't stop talking about it, which is how I found out about the show. Even straight guys are noticing and that in itself should tell you something. Direct quote from a straight man: "It's impossible not to look". I'm a socialist and think it's unfair for the universe to give all that ass to just one man.

From a DL perspective, we should all be thankful that this fine specimen of manhood, by far the sexiest in the entire cast, is family. UGH! What I'd give to see those ample cakes bouncing on my dick. I bet he gets prime dick (I'm assuming he's a bottom because it would be a scandal if he wasn't).

Hands down the best show on TV, and I'm not even a sci-fi guy.

Milchik is like a piece of sculpture Beautiful, dark skin, bright, radiant smile and, of course, that ass.

I mentioned his ass earlier and later realized wardrobe opened the flare at the bottom of his pants to balance out his profile of his bodacious backside otherwise it would border on the obscene. I had a Puerto Rican boyfriend like that and stealth tops would ALWAYS comment,

“Nice pants”.

R84, great observation about the cut of Tillman's pants.

He wore a suit jacket in the first episode only. After that, short sleeves and tight pants ruled.

Loved his dancing too. That scene was bizarre in the best way.

Christopher Walken is great in the British comedy series Outlaws. Very funny.

Short clip of the jazz scene during Ben Stiller's appearance on The Late Show.

Our man proudly waved his pride flag.

R90, nice to know he’s gay because he’s sexy as fuck

I love this show. I hope it doesn't get lost because it was on Apple TV and many won't be able to see it.

Hel-LO, R92? Ever hear about Ted Lasso? That’s on Apple TV +.

It really is masterful to have a first season where the pace is slow but steady - leading to a season finale where you are on the edge of your seat the entire time. And none of it felt forced.

The show is truly brilliant. I have new respect for Ben Stiller.

[quote]I have new respect for Ben Stiller

I don't know that I'd go that far even though I absolutely loved the show. He's still a total cunt.

Just watched the first episode and found it depressing. Does it get better?

R96, do you really think a series called “Severance”, which is ostensibly about the way postcapitalist society has forced us to divorce, or sever, our intimate selves from our workday slave selves, is going to become a laugh-a-minute farce?

In a word, no.

Watching the first episode and knowing nothing about the series - it seems like a kind of rip-off of Eternal Sunshine of the Whatever and Never Let Me Go. Very confusing.

Stick with it. It's a slow burn but it picks up and the finale is incredible.

I found I couldn't watch it right before bed in the first half of the season. too dark and disturbing and complex.

Love the show though. The last two episodes were barn-burners.

one of the best shows on TV in years! so stylish too! the redhead woman is hot too the male lead makes me think of a haggard tom cruise but he's really brilliant in this show.

Don't tell people to stick with it, r99. No one should be begged to watch anything if they don't feel like it. This show is not for everyone and frankly, I'd rather it stays that way and not become a mass TV event. Remember how interlopers were jumping in the Succession threads complaining how slow it is and suggesting soap opera plotlines? We don't want that for this masterpiece.

Why does Patricia Arquette's character care what happens to the company that just fired her? Butt out!

Because she was indoctrinated into it as a child. Lumon is very cultish.

I wonder what Cobel's extreme interest in Mark is. She's so invested in his life, unlike with the other innies'.

Maybe she recruited him R104 but he doesn’t remember that.

And they're more or less like the only two people living on that street? Did I hear right? Does that happen often?

I can't tell what the deal is with the housing development where they both live. It seems like it's owned by Lumon, right?

Also - we still don't know what data the severed employees are even working on - correct? So it could be something really fucked up or it could be something totally meaningless.

I’m in the camp which believes that Scientology is the main inspiration for Lumon.

They should have Tig Notaro play Mark next season.

The interdepartmental rivalries hit so close to home for me. A reminder of why I don't miss the soulless job I quit.

Finally, the Americans have rivaled Black Mirror.

Nah, Severance is a B grade rip-off of Black Mirror. Today Variety announced Netflix will finance a third season of Black Mirror.

It’s six seasons, R113. Try getting your facts straight before you piss on anything as brilliant as Severance.

I thought Black Mirror lacked humor while Severance is sometimes very funny Example: Walken's retirement speech.

Black mirror never had anything as lovely as Walken and Turturro as eldergays.

Loved Irving and Burt G.

Black Mirror is like a collection of interesting short stories. Severance is a complex, rich novel with characters you are eager to follow to see how they develop and the plot twists they'll encounter.

Hated Severance. Loved (most of) Black Mirror. I still have nightmares about those creepy robotic dogs.

I loved BLACK MIRROR. During the first stages of lockdown, I tried rewatching the whole thing but found there were some episodes I just couldn’t watch again. That said, “San Junipero” and “Nosedive” are two of the finest hours of television ever.

Black Mirror is a weak imitation of the original Twilight Zone (the black and white version, for all you young'uns), which nothing will ever rival.

If you don't believe me, watch some of the best TZ episodes (may I suggest the linked classic "The Eye of the Beholder") and remember the stories for the most part were written in the 1950s.

Severance is completely original and isn't derivative of anything.

Late to the party, but I just finished bingeing this and LOVED it. And that FINALE! So so so so good.

I, of course, immediately checked to see if any news has been leaked about S2, and they’re adding a bunch of new cast members, including Robby Benson (seriously) and Gwendoline Christie. Casting info and some S2 storyline hints at link.

Gwendoline Christie is great in Wednesday. She's turning out to be the most interesting actor post Game of Thrones.

I'll be sad when weird and wonderful Walken dies.

While I like the idea of expanding the world of the show, one of the things I loved most was how claustrophobic its world felt — the small cast of characters, the stark and/or sterile environments, etc. — and how effective the storytelling and character development were despite, or perhaps due to, those narrative constraints.

I really want S2 to be as good as S1.