Nearly three years ago, Apple TV+ premiered Severance. Created by Dan Erickson and co-produced and directed by Ben Stiller, the show, as continued in Severance Season 2, follows a group of employees working in the ominous Lumon Industries. The main cast of characters all had the severance procedure, a process that splits the memories of its employees’ work and personal lives, essentially making them two people. But identity isn’t that simple, is it? That’s the first of the many exciting moral and philosophical questions Severance is built on.
The first season focused heavily on this idea through the lens of our protagonists. Each of them seeks individual freedom and an identity, though they all take their own paths to finding these answers. There are, of course, other questions that the show offers up: What is going on at Lumon? What’s the deal with Ms. Casey? What does MDR really do? But ultimately, they all come back to that very first question: “Who are you?”
Severance Season 2 continues asking this question and expands its reach beyond the core team in MDR. While they’re taking more than ever on their plate this season on a thematic level, let us not forget that the season one finale left them with plenty of massive plot beats to return to as well. Lumon’s retaliation efforts serve these arcs, pushing the team to look inward, ask what they truly want, and what lines they are willing to draw in order to get it.
Mark Scout (Adam Scott) is determined to find his outie’s wife, but he’s still dealing with his feelings for Helly Riggs (Britt Lower), who is on her own and particularly interesting path this season. With her having learned of her outie’s identity, Helly’s focus in this second season is used for stellar character growth for both versions of herself. Lower’s performance especially shines as Helena Eagan, making her almost sympathetic as you start to see the cracks under the surface of the heir to Lumon.
Dylan George (Zach Cherry) and Irving Bailiff (John Turturro), the other two members of the core team, get some great above-below development, too. While Outie-Irving’s goals are still shrouded in mystery, you still see some captivating relationships developed and elevated by Turturro’s approach. His Innie, on the other hand, is dealing with the emotional aftermath of seeing his lover, Burt Goodman (Christopher Walken), on the outside with a husband of his own. Dylan has perhaps one of the more emotional arcs this season, which also serves as the start of a fascinating question regarding the realities of severed people in this world.
Much like the first season, the character dynamics continue to shine across the board in these latest 10 episodes. Mr. Milchick (Tramell Tillman), a standout of the previous season, is given even more to work with. Viewers start to see who he really is, and there’s a lot to touch on. New additions this season vary in terms of notability. For instance, Mark’s new team is fun but, overall, hasn’t really added up to more than that. On the other side, Gwendoline Christie’s mysterious new character, Lorne, is one of the more interesting ones at play. A lot of mystery is built around Lorne and her exact role at Lumon.
And Lumon itself has a lot more going on in Severance Season 2. The company has deeply rooted itself in the town named after Kier (Marc Geller), its founder and a quasi-religious figure among his employees. One of the many mysteries is the origins of Kier, with the information presented to the audience being largely corporate propaganda. Severance Season 2 continues this, adding more mythology to Kier and Lumon, as well as showing us some more of their dark sides alongside their absurdity.
With Severance Season 2, creator Dan Erickson continues to expand on the exceptional first season with phenomenal character work that deepens this story and enriches these characters further. Ben Stiller also returns to direct alongside Samuel Donovan, Jessica Lee Gagné, and Uta Briesewitz, who all add so much to the seamless and fantastic filmmaking on display in these episodes. With an amazing cast, crew, score, and so much more, the return to Lumon and these characters was worth the wait.
Severance Season 2 debuts on Apple TV+ on January 17. New Episodes then premiere every Friday!
Created by Dan Erickson.
Showrunner: Dan Erickson.
Series Directors: Ben Stiller, Sam Donovan, Uta Briesewitz, & Jessica Lee Gagné.
Executive Producers: Ben Stiller, Dan Erickson, Nicholas Weinstock, Jackie Cohn, Mark Friedman, Andrew Colville, Chris Black, John Cameron, Beau Willimon, Caroline Baron, & Jordan Tappis.
Main Cast: Adam Scott, Zach Cherry, Britt Lower, Tramell Tillman, Jen Tullock, Dichen Lachman, Michael Chernus, John Turturro, Christopher Walken, Patricia Arquette, Nikki M. James, Sydney Cole Alexander, Nora Dale, Claudia Robinson, Mark Kenneth Smaltz, Donald Webber Jr., Annie McNamara, Gwendoline Christie, Bob Balaban, Merritt Wever, Alia Shawkat, Robby Benson, Stefano Carannante, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, John Noble, & Sarah Bock.
Composer: Theodore Shapiro.
Production Companies: Red Hour & Fifth Season.
Network: Apple TV+.
Episode Count: 10 (Season Two).
