‘Severance’ Season 2 Review: A Much-Awaited Triumphant Return With Even More Paranoia, Dread (and Humor)

This Severance season 2 review was made possible by screeners of the first 6 episodes courtesy of Apple TV+.

It’s hard to not be effusive while talking about Severance: my pick for #1 show on Apple TV+ (followed closely by Pachinko), for which naturally the hype and anticipation levels were off-the-charts yet a certain nervous apprehension remained. Apprehension rooted in: A) The various reports of production issues; and B) The general notoriety of season 2 of any show ever made being a make-it-or-break-it point for its future (exceptions are rare). Forgive me for my rambunctiousness when I say that there’s no need to be apprehensive about season 2; this is a triumphant return of a show, the fan-base of which has fulminated exponentially over the course of three years; this is the reward of our patience after that satisfyingly agonizing cliffhanger. I will try to contain myself and express all the emotions the first six episodes of season 2 made me experience, equally; without risking any provocative story turns aka spoilers. Read our Severance season 2 review below.

It took the creators three years to deliver a second season, and all the work translates beautifully to the screen. The season maintains the same calibrated pacing of the former season with truly exciting boils; the atmosphere, dread and paranoia have been compounded not only due to the fear of unknown but also by realizing the gravity of the knowledge these characters possess (and what they choose to do with it); unlocking the deeper and darker levels of the labyrinth. The season deepens the lore of Kier Eagan, the cultish aspects of Lumon and expands on the rich intricacies of the world that season 1 set up masterfully. The multifold creep factor in the legend of Kier always raises an issue of authenticity; is the truth more interesting than legend or vice versa – in either case print the former.

Behind every corporate job lies a void; ensnared into Lumon’s severance program are the people who seek to fill their void with a job they (outies) themselves can never experience tangibly; yet one can feel their hope for a bubble-up effect from the innocent fervor of their innies filling the cracks from inside out; atleast that’s one of the copium Lumon sells. Mark’s pain of lost love, and the drive to get it back; Dylan’s infuriation steeped in existence of a family he never expected and his inability to reciprocate that love; and Irving, the hopeless romantic, Burt Goodman being his locus in the void; his lonesome blue on blue, heartache on heartache. The effect of the Severance program on the inter-personal relationships of outies is examined more closely this time; also reflected in the show (a personal touch from Dan Erickson) is the way the severed community is discriminated in securing normal jobs in the real world; and looked down upon by employers as if its some sort of trauma-driven-disability. Even in the times of despair the show finds comfort, never losing its edge of humor.

The season goes further in exploring Mark’s grief. With piranesi-like innocence of his innie (navigating a piranesi-esque labyrinth) juxtaposed with the grief-stricken outie, eased a little by Devon being the one emotionally closest to him (especially after meeting his innie), all the while monsieur Ricken enjoys the fame by virtue of his literary juice that acted as a catalyst for the events of last season’s finale; can Mark truly earn a honeymoon ending for himself? Is there any sort of redemption that can ascend the basic understanding and dignified acknowledgement of suffering? We hope to expect some answers pretty soon, as to what’s certain is the fact that Mark never has to worry about his daily steps and calories, given the exciting 2 minute sprint this season opens up with, Adam Scott channeling his inner Tom Cruise; running along the labyrinthine white hallways.

While the first season provides a hint of what the locality thinks of the not-so-secretive integration into the Severance program; the events of last season results in a massive shakedown within Lumon and outside the macrodata quad-team are exposed to an international fame; and the end result, Severance reforms; not out of Lumon’s genuine care for its employees but out of palm-perspiring fear. Add in the element of Helena Eagan’s ability to play with and within Lumon, Cobel-vig’s unpredictability (you can almost be assured to get a jumpscare whenever she’s on screen) and Milchick’s test of patience, a consequence of his own devising (and Tillman is so adept in playing the straight face serious type which can result in situations both comic and dreadful, a strong screen presence to be reckoned with); alongside a deeper realisation of Petey’s plight; and you get a coveted-as-fuck game of chess; welcome back, the weekly joy of theorizing and speculating!

What I prize most about Severance is not just the story (which is so far so good), but the way the story is told; the presentation that imposes itself over the story, the whole sketching the outlines and dancing graciously within the confines while our imagination takes us beyond those confines. As someone who prefers 1.85 aspect ratio, I can never imagine Severance without its 2.39 ratio. There’s some genuine thought put into the way this show utilizes the breadth of its scope format so brilliantly; tactful depth and compositions, the movement of bodies in real time: the breadth that can make the constrictions feel wide and width constricted, like the narrow white hallways of Lumon which feel oh so wide the more you traverse it; capturing the whole essence of “modern miracle you see without glasses”. While the narrative unfolds with calibration, the presentation is an impressive upgrade; an overkill to be precise.

This is Ben Stiller’s stock in trade: despite the cold and dark circumstances, the show feels lively; the sustained strains of mournfulness heightens the emotional catharsis while the writing attains a fertile mix of serious and comic, hopeful and apocalyptic; capturing the ironic and absurd human condition. Direction-wise, the show doesn’t misses a mark, though close-ups this time around are even more impactful and dolly sequences are pure joy every time. Peans of praises for production design of the show, it helps a lot in optimal use of the scope format, enriching it with minute details; and I admire the way the show utilizes its space. A thing as boring as an office routine is made so interesting, it conveys the mundanity without ever feeling mundane.

The sound-design too is a massive upgrade this season, every little movement is so crisp, the micro-detailing that emphasizes with great significance the movement of an object as basic as glass; and oh those vibrations and distortions, I loved them. Aided with an original score by Theodore Shapiro that perfectly sets up the suspenseful atmosphere (reminiscent of Shire’s The Conversation score), and gets groovy when the scene demands it, enhances the overall experience. Every single cog in this show works in resonance resulting in such a smooth functioning of this big mystery machinery that continues to enamor its spectators.

Surprises mixed with familiarity, the stakes are indubitably high; it’s a paranoia laden labyrinth of high risks. The show also retains its spooky elements: surrealistic imageries not necessarily lynchian outside that new oh so beautiful title card; and even more palpable tensions that arises due to the silent confrontations. Everything about this season feels perfectly calibrated; and in the landscape where Netflix’s algorithm driven show have ASL no more than 2 seconds; Severance should take vanity in its long takes that provide a fertile base for the mystery and suspense to germinate and grow in a natural progression; and the audience can certainly never look away from the screen. Perhaps season 2 will surpass the benchmark set by the first season; not a victim of Apple’s 10-episode-syndrome; and is hitting all the right notes so far with expert calibration, and even if we’re inevitably getting another agonizingly painful cliffhanger; I hope that at least we won’t have to wait for another three years for season 3 (I want the final 4 episodes right now!). As for now, enjoy the balloons!

Severance season 2 is created by Dan Erickson with episodes directed by Ben Stiller, Uta Briesewitz and Samuel Donovan. The 10-episode-season starts streaming weekly on Apple TV+ January 17.

Thanks for reading. If you liked this Severance season 2 review read more reviews here at Feature First.