 |
| Is that why I have a headache? |
Severance follows the dual lives of people working for the mysterious corporation Lumon. They've 'surgically' (with some kind of chip implant) had their worklife and personal lives separated so that both are lived in isolation. It reminds me of a short story where a character only experienced driving. That was the only portion of that individual's life they got to experience.
Here it's thoroughly dystopian and gets increasingly weird as mysterious are piled on: the main characters wife, we learn, was killed, leading him, in his grief, to agree to being severed. Yet all is not as it seems, and Lumon is up to no good.
It's in the satirical aspects that this show really shines, repeatedly skewering corporate workplace absurdities. Little things like Waffle Parties and the bizarre Wellness Sessions, complete with rigid rules and penalty points, make the show a delight.
Season two, which recently dropped, dives into the larger mystery. I didn't care much about it, as it all seems so senseless I'm not even inclined to speculate as to the what's and why's. There's not enough for me to hang a theory on, or even inspire me to.
On the other hand, there is a 'corporate retreat' team building send up, which is very fun.
The acting is top notch; in many ways, Severance is an actor's playground. The cast gets to depict two subtly different versions of the same person, and do so with aplomb. One of the highlights of season two sees a character conducting a converation with his severed self via video camera. And you really get the two different viewpoints coming through. The acting, directing, and writing here is nothing short of fantastic.
The season two climax, while I don't get why the antagonists are doing what they're doing, still has emotional resonance, thanks to my being personally invested in the struggle of the characters. Their circumstances I may not fully understand, the conflict may be muddled, but their personal peril, trauma and choices have impact.
On the downside, Patricia Arquette's character I cannot stand, and season two spends an entire episode with this loathsome former manager. She's meant to be unlikeable, I think, so she's doing a great job at that, but the writers need to give her more to work with if we've got to spend an hour with her. Hers was the worst written episode of the season, with noticeably clunky dialogue and painfully on the nose exposition.
Having said that, it's still better written than a lot of shows out there.
Ben Stiller's direction here deserves special mention. Apparently he's quite a tyrant on set, but the results speak for themselves. This is a stylishly shot show, with wonderful sets that border on the surreal. The antiseptic office space is Kubrickesque. I've never seen a show set in an office look so good.
I don't have any expectations for season three. I don't have the faintest idea what is really going on, but I'll be tuning in to see what happens to the characters, and if their doomed romance(s) can defy seemingly impossible odds.
