Here we are again. The highly anticipated return of Ben Stiller’s thriller series Severance after a two-year hiatus. Through brilliant marketing, like the not-so-subtle pop-up of the “Macro Data Refinement” desk in New York’s Grand Central Station, hype, that was arguably missing for the first season, is soaring. I apologise now for the spoilers that this review will encounter; however, I simply must spread my thoughts, conspiracies, and praise.
What a beginning! We haven’t seen such intensely focused running since Lola Rennt or maybe Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol: Adam Scott truly channels his inner Tom Cruise in a high-action, high-pressure opening scene. The camerawork is polished and slick, as it immerses the viewer into Mark’s sprint around the purgatorial Lumon maze, like he is a video game character that the player has lost control of. But there isn’t much mystery in what, or should I say, who, he is so desperately searching for. It is a question that sadly remains on our lips even until the last flashes of the episode: where is Miss Casey/Mark’s wife? There is mystery, however, in the enigmatic figure we see flickering into existence in the background as Mark stands in former The Wellness Room- yet another question added to the list. So much to say and it’s only been the first three minutes – at this point you must be as hooked as I am.
The rest of the episode answers much and leaves us to question even more. We meet new characters: the brief interactions with the “new team”, consisting of Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development), who I’m sure, with that casting, we haven’t seen the last of; the very young Miss Huang, who I hope isn’t stored in the crate in Mr. Milchick’s office (though yet to be revealed); The claymation figures from the instructional video, the narrator of which is voiced by Keanu Reeves, which I like to see as a nod to Ben Wyatt’s (Scott’s character from series Parks and Rec) creative skills- “could a depressed person do this?”
Then we have our familiar, beloved protagonists. Our emotions are instantly toyed with as a desperate Irving longs for his beloved Burt and soon Dylan realises he isn’t just talking Irving out of leaving – he is talking him off a ledge. The episode’s brilliance lies in its ability to provide numerous explanations—yet each feels like a deception, ultimately deepening the mystery. Has it really been five months? Are they really being celebrated as heroes? Is that really Helly R’s “innie”? Personally, I don’t believe a word of it, and you best believe I will be devouring every single second of the next nine episodes to figure everything out.
If you’ve read this far and not seen the episode, then what is wrong with you? Turn on Apple TV, go to Episode One, and prepare for entertainment.
Illustration by Meira Bradley