Severance: A Dark Workplace Comedy That Explores Corporate Exploitation

Workplace comedies have been a mainstay of television for decades, delivering laughs while highlighting the often mundane, yet relatable, aspects of office life. Shows like The Office, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Parks and Recreation have perfected this formula, blending humour with heart as they poke fun at corporate life and low-level government work. But what if there was a workplace comedy that goes beyond the surface to delve into the darker side of corporate exploitation? Enter Severance, a 2022 series on Apple TV+ that takes office humour to a new, twisted level by mixing in science fiction and a satirical look at the dehumanizing aspects of corporate life.

With a clever premise, dark humour, and a unique narrative, Severance has quickly become one of the most thought-provoking shows of recent years. The show takes the idea of work-life balance and pushes it to its extreme, offering viewers a glimpse of a world where employees are literally separated from their personal lives through brain implants. Season 1 set the stage for an epic showdown between employees and their corporate overlords, and fans are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Season 2.

What Is Severance All About?

Severance is set in a near-future world where employees at a mysterious company called Lumon Industries undergo a surgical procedure that implants a chip in their brains. This chip allows them to “sever” their work and personal memories completely. Their work self, referred to as their “innie,” has no knowledge of who they are outside the office, while their “outie” is oblivious to what goes on at work. The result is a total disconnection between work and home life, creating two entirely separate personas within one body.

The series follows Mark (played by Adam Scott), a grieving widower who works in Lumon’s Macrodata Refinement department. Alongside Mark, we meet his co-workers Dylan, Irving, and the newest addition to the team, Helly. Over the course of nine episodes, we watch as these characters begin to question their existence, their purpose at Lumon, and the moral implications of the severance procedure.

But Severance isn’t just a sci-fi thriller. It’s also a commentary on the dehumanizing nature of modern corporate culture. The show takes the concept of work-life balance to a disturbing extreme, questioning what happens when we lose control over our own identities in the name of corporate efficiency.

The Plot of Severance Season 1: A Brief Breakdown

In Season 1 of Severance, we are introduced to the four main characters Mark, Dylan, Irving, and Helly who work in the secluded Macrodata Refinement department at Lumon Industries. As new employee Helly (played by Britt Lower) struggles to adjust to life as a “severed” worker, the audience is drawn into the mysterious and bizarre world of Lumon.

From the very beginning, we learn that the workers in the Macrodata Refinement department have no idea what their job actually entails. They spend their days sorting random numbers into digital folders, following nothing but a vague “feeling” about which numbers belong together. The office is sterile, the environment oppressive, and the rules rigid. And while their innie personas are content with this strange existence, their outie selves are beginning to unravel.

As the story progresses, we see Helly’s increasing resistance to her innie’s life at Lumon. She attempts multiple escapes, writes messages to her outie self, and even tries to take her own life. Meanwhile, Mark is visited by his former boss, Petey, who reveals that he has undergone a risky procedure called “reintegration,” allowing him to regain his innie’s memories outside of work. This revelation sets off a chain of events that leads Mark and his colleagues to question their role at Lumon and uncover the dark secrets behind the severance procedure.

Exploring Lumon’s Secrets

As the season unfolds, the workers in the Macrodata Refinement department become increasingly suspicious of their work at Lumon. Mark’s innie and outie both begin to piece together a disturbing picture of corporate exploitation, while Dylan stumbles upon a protocol known as the “Overtime Contingency” that allows Lumon to activate the severance chip outside of work hours.

As they dig deeper into the mysteries of Lumon, the employees discover other departments, including a bizarre section where an employee raises a litter of baby goats. This revelation, along with the company’s growing control over their lives, pushes them to take action.

Helly’s innie becomes particularly determined to expose Lumon’s wrongdoing, while Irving finds himself drawn to an enigmatic colleague named Burt from another department. The romantic tension between Irving and Burt adds a layer of emotional complexity to the show, as Irving’s outie begins to investigate Lumon on his own.

Meanwhile, Mark’s outie is introduced to Regabhi, the surgeon who performed his severance procedure. She tries to convince him to work with his innie to take down Lumon from the inside. As the employees grow closer to uncovering the truth, the stakes get higher, and the tension between their innie and outie selves intensifies.

The Explosive Season 1 Finale

The season ends with one of the most shocking cliffhangers in recent television history. In the final episode, the Macrodata Refinement team hatches a plan to use the Overtime Contingency Protocol to communicate with their outies. Dylan volunteers to stay behind at Lumon and activate the protocol, allowing Mark, Irving, and Helly to wake up in their outie bodies and seek help from the outside world.

As their outie selves take control, Helly finds herself at a Lumon corporate event where she discovers that she is, in fact, a descendant of the company’s founder, Kier Eagan. Her innie’s entire existence has been a propaganda stunt designed to promote the severance procedure to the public. Helly takes to the stage and begins to expose Lumon’s unethical practices, much to the shock of the audience.

Meanwhile, Irving’s innie wakes up in his outie’s apartment, surrounded by paintings that suggest his outie has been investigating Lumon for some time. Mark’s innie, on the other hand, wakes up at a family gathering where he finds a photo of himself with his wife, who he thought was dead. To his shock, he realizes that his wife is actually Ms. Casey, a wellness director at Lumon who had been mysteriously reassigned earlier in the season.

As these revelations come to light, Milchick, the Lumon supervisor, rushes to stop Dylan from continuing the Overtime Contingency Protocol. Just as Dylan is about to be subdued, Mark’s innie shouts, “She’s alive!” to his sister, revealing that his wife is still alive before his outie regains control.

What to Expect in Severance Season 2

With Season 1 ending on such a dramatic note, fans are eagerly anticipating what comes next for the employees of Lumon. The final moments of Season 1 leave many questions unanswered: Will Mark’s innie and outie work together to uncover Lumon’s secrets? How will Helly’s outie respond to her innie’s rebellion? And what will happen to Dylan after his act of defiance?

Season 2 promises to dive even deeper into the mysteries of Lumon and the severance procedure. The stakes are higher than ever as the employees’ innie and outie selves become more intertwined, and the battle between the company and its workers escalates. Fans can expect more twists, darker humour, and even deeper commentary on corporate control and personal autonomy.

Why Severance Resonates

Part of what makes Severance so compelling is its ability to blend genres seamlessly. The show is equal parts dark comedy, sci-fi thriller, and social commentary, with a dash of corporate satire thrown in for good measure. Its exploration of work-life balance, personal identity, and corporate exploitation is particularly timely in a world where many people feel increasingly disconnected from their jobs and their personal lives.

At its core, Severance is a show about identity about what it means to be human, to have control over your own life, and to fight back against systems that seek to dehumanize you. With its sharp writing, stellar performances, and thought-provoking themes, Severance is a must-watch for anyone who has ever felt trapped by the daily grind.

As we eagerly await the release of Season 2, one thing is clear: Severance is a show that will keep you thinking long after the credits roll. Whether you’re drawn to its dark humour, its sci-fi elements, or its biting commentary on corporate culture, there’s something in Severance for everyone.