What We’re Watching: Severance on AppleTV+
Boy, I must be losing my touch. I’ve always been pretty good at figuring out what’s happening in TV shows and movies, but Archive 81 really tripped me up. I thought it was just a fluke because it was so unique, but nope. Scott and I started watching Severance on AppleTV+ and wow. Just wow.
We are several episodes in and I have absolutely no idea what is going on. That’s not a bad thing. In fact, it’s made the series even more enjoyable because I haven’t been able to predict anything. Not for the series or even for single episodes. I’m just stumped by the story and what it all means. Have you been watching it? If so, chime in! If not, here some details to get you started then you can go watch. I am anxious to hear if other people are as clueless as I am.
Have you ever had worries or problems at home that have seeped into your job? Or issues with your job that you can’t get out of your head even after you’ve clocked out? The premise of Severance is based on the division between work life and everything-else life. Employees working for Lumon undergo a procedure that causes their brain to isolate the two different aspects of their lives. They literally are severing the knowledge of the other half. When they arrive at work, they get amnesia regarding any knowledge of home life. And when they leave work, they don’t remember anything that happened there. Every person is living two entirely separate lives, distinct from one another.
Don’t go into this series expecting the feel of The Office. It’s nothing like that. Severance is a mystery wrapped nicely to have the appearance of a drama. We are trying to savor each episode like a fine wine instead of binging all the available content. If you’ve seen any of the images of the office, it’s very generic. Plain walls, boring hallways and work cubicles. But there is a lot happening in that space. The question is… what? A whole lot of “what?” in fact! What is happening in this show? What is Lumon really up to? What will happen to these employees? What happens when they go home to their other lives? So… much… mystery. Gradually we are seeing more people, more of the story, more of the history and all it does is add another layer to the mystery.
The show is loaded with incredible talent including Adam Scott, John Turturro, Patricia Arquette, Zach Cherry and Christopher Walken to name a few. And to our surprise, Director credit goes to Ben Stiller! Those few tidbits by themselves should give you an idea of the quality of this production.
With each episode, we get a glimpse of a little more of the company and the people who work there. We’re still delightfully confused about what to expect and I’m okay with that. It isn’t very often that a show has us completely stumped. If you’re intrigued, you can tune in to Severance on AppleTV+.
How would you feel about severing the connection between home and work?
