Severance: Season One – Review
When we think of businesses and severance packages, we have a very specific thing in mind. But what if a company severed the memories of their employees so that their life at work and at home were completely separate?
That is the premise of the television series Severance. Lumon Industries employs a certain amount of people on a special floor of their building. To get hired, they must agree to severance. While at home, they have no memory of work, and at work, they have no memory of home.
But that is not the only issue, despite the ethical concerns of such a procedure. What exactly are the employees at Lumon working on? They don’t even really understand it. What is clear is that there is something odd happening at Lumon.
Aside from this very original premise, Severance is a very quirky show. Life at Lumon for severed employees is very bizarre but since they have no memories of life outside of Lumon, they don’t understand how strange.
Severance is directed by Ben Stiller. While it is not a comedy and it is not what I expected from Stiller, it is very funny in its own way. It is a dark humour that is very thoughtful.
There are numerous mysteries going on and the pacing is very appropriate in unravelling the facts of the situation. It never gets boring and yet they do not rush to a conclusion either.
One of the themes of the series is that of religion, cults, and charismatic leaders. I will not spoil how that connects with this show, but as a religious leader I found it intriguing.
The aesthetic of Severance, especially on the severance floor of Lumon is very minimalistic and each detail reinforces the emotional impact they are trying to create.
I very much enjoyed Severance and am eagerly anticipating the second season.
