I didn't 100% love this when I saw the first three episodes, however, the more I watched, the more invested I grew with the characters and the secrets behind the evil institution known as Lumon (which is now as iconic as other evil capitalist enterprises like Omni Consumer Products and the Weyland-Yutani Corporation). Anyways, the performances here are great! Adam Scott is solid in this sort of dramatic turn, same goes for Britt Lower and the always scary Patricia Arquette. Mark Cherry and John Turturro steal the show, one for being absolutely comedic and the other for breaking our hearts. Ben Stiller's direction here actually works and doesn't feel like the only merit for a lazy story like in Escape for Dannemora, here it adds to the nightmare that is the cubicle work lifestyle initiated by the Reagan administration. But like Twin Peaks or say Lost, Severance leaves people with so many questions in its first instalment, many of which aren't answered when the credits roll for the season finale. Anyways, the finale is one hell of a thrill ride that will leave viewers wanting more. Solid, I hope the show maintains this quality moving forward.
I'm really picking up what this show is putting down with its critique of the workplace, the erosion of the work/life balance and the effects it has on our mental health. All that packaged up in a near-future science fiction concept/mystery package is just delightful. Great great stuff. Hope it doesn't get slept on due to it being on Apple TV.
A whole lot of nothingburger from a show that has very little to say about indentured servitude, corporate slavery, grief, empathy etc.
The amateurish Mystery-Box writing reminded me more of the inept season 1 of Lost than the masterfully done season 1 of Westworld.
Hands down my favorite series in a while, where great production value meets solid writing and original ideas. Ben Stiller did a surprisingly good job as a director, creating an atmosphere in between surreal comedy, psychological thriller, and subtle horror. Not to mention the neat visuals, with aseptic office spaces equipped with retro technology and essential decor. At first, you are led to take it as some kind of black comedy that makes a commentary on employees’ working conditions, which is correct, but the reality the innies are stuck in is scary as hell if stop and think about it for a second. Interesting how the show doesn’t only condemn big corporations, but also makes fun of anti-corporate activists like Mark’s family. Still, it never gets to the point it's preachy or on the nose as the show is, above anything else, still an entertainment product.
The chance to relegate all our work-related memories to a different personality sounds tempting at first, but one should not forget that pain and sweat are what build our personality and differentiates us from children. It’s interesting how Mark seems to be the only character who got himself severed to forget about the outside world for eight hours a day rather than the other way around, even though this perception slowly evolves throughout the season.
Hope to see more Patricia Arquette in the next seasons! She's scary as hell.
The first three episodes are beautiful but a bit of a slog. It's purposeful though, because it immerses you in the mood and then everything speeds up. And what a great show! Impeccably shot, with great acting, a very interesting plot, fascinating themes and such a good work on charachters and relationships. Can't wait for season 2.
A bold, mysterious and highly conceptual show that is a must-watch for fans of Science fiction.
[tv+] One of the best retro-futuristic dystopian thrillers that has been made recently, which has so many influences but so perfectly combined that it never sounds like it has been seen before. It is even forgiven for what other series are not forgiven, for leaving us with more questions than answers, but the final episode is so masterfully executed (Ben Stiller has revealed as a great director) that it manages to seduce both our "innie" and our "outie".
Severance has a really good Black Mirror vibe. Can't wait for season 2!
78 | Good
Rating: 77.82
Favorite Episodes
92.79: E9 - The We We Are
83.42: E5 - The Grim Barbarity of Optics and Design
81.38: E7 - Defiant Jazz
76.21: E3 - In Perpetuity
74.88: E4 - The You You Are
74.00: E6 - Hide and Seek
73.71: E8 - What's for Dinner
72.79: E1 - Good News About Hell
Favorite Characters
71.67: Mark
69.29: Irving
67.14: Dylan
65.00: Helly
67.50: Devon
61.67: Harmony Cobel
68.33: Petey
65.00: Milchick
Written by Kornelius Harda Wicaksana
Severance seemed genius to me, now to wait for season 2.
Good season. Thrilling finale that justifies all the slow pacing plot, but damn it was slow sometimes. It's worth the watch although I think it's at least a little overvalued. Again, my main problem were the first 6 episodes where the show was just good in contrast with the last 3 episodes that were EXCELLENT. If it had been more balanced I would've give it an 8 or 9 easily
What a reflection on corporate life, on technology and on life. Amazing pace, evolving episode by episode with something new and finishing with a bang!!
Brilliantly and grippingly thought-provoking, with incredible cinematographic flair.
I get a lotta Stanley Parable vibes from this show!! Honestly very great, the idea and episodes hooked me completely… I watched it all in one sitting lol
the 1st session is good, but what I'm afraid is it's feels like another show LOST, the writers put lots of mystery there and couldn't finished all of them. waiting for the next season, hope the story getting completed.
Yeah, it's just as good as everyone says it is. Think Black Mirror but better and stretched over the course of an entire season of TV. Production design and cinematography are top notch and perfect for setting the tone. The performances are so subtle yet perfect for the type of show this is. But the real thing that puts this show over the top is the story and even just the idea behind the story. It's so creatively genius and the show manages to translate all of that creativity into a smart script that highlights how fascinating the story is yet still in a subtle and tasteful way. The creative idea that drives the show moves beyond just being a gimmick to bring something truly unique and compelling. The character work is also great -- very subtle in some ways, but again, that subtly is perfect because it compliments the setting, tone, and story so well. You can just really tell that Ben Stiller and the show runners know what they're doing and know how to deliver something engaging and satisfying for viewers, and every episode just gets better and better. The mystery was incredibly intriguing and built slowly with each episode, and then the catharsis that you feel in the last few episodes watching the characters come into their own was amazing, capped off with an incredibly tense finale that was truly one of the best finales to a season of TV I've seen in a long time. It feels weird at first to give this such a high rating, but I can't think of anything that I would change and it has me thinking about it long after I've finished watching. Those are two indicators for me that something is truly great.
2022 TV Shows Ranked --> https://trakt.tv/users/justinnumerick/lists/2022-tv-shows-ranked?sort=rank,asc
loved this show. love the spooky mood and the cultural critique. highly recommend.
I didn't know that i will like this show like this, It's really great although it was slow at the beginning
but then they really raised up the level of excitement, Really great job and enjoyed every second the last few episodes, It's new idea and that's why it's great
can't wait for the next season
Whenever I see the Apple tv logo I expect a show to be shit by default. I have been burned too many times not to be justified in my thinking. I was expecting Severance to be another forgettable failure from Apple tv, a show that would either be terribly boring for 8+ episodes and a complete waste of time or a show that would seemingly build up to something interesting, then completely fall on its ass in the finale.
Thankfully it was the complete opposite and I'm very glad I was wrong.
Severance is the extreme version of a nondisclosure agreement except for the fact that you can’t speak of what you don’t know in the first place. What originally started as a guy dealing with the loss of a loved one and wanting to forget for a few hours a day because of the pain it caused, turned into a gradual mystery that makes you think “What the hell is going on in this place.”
Every once in a while I come across a mind-bender, a show that gets the neurons in my mind's eye going, a show that makes you think of the horrifying real world implications of something like the Severance program existing. How many ways will/can this be abused and why did anyone think this was an ethical solution to such a problem.
After reflecting on it for a few weeks, Severance to me seems like an experiment of subjugation, secrecy, and absolute control of the mind. With every passing moment there's an increasing feeling that something isn't quite right, then the twists are revealed one by one and almost everything starts to fall into place. I didn't even mention the absolute Mastercraft of a final episode yet.
It's safe to say that I'll be looking forward with anticipation to the 2nd season of this unexpected gem.
Severance is the ultimate test of work-life balance.
This show has a great central "hook" and builds a compelling story over the first season. As with all shows that have a central conceit / plot device, I do find myself questioning the practical details quite a bit, which can mess with my immersion. For example, the whole concept of the Break Room feels borderline nonsensical as a torture/punishment device. Just... don't read the apology? What can the company really do to you? They can't cause you any physical harm, they can't imprison your consciousness for more than 8 hours / day... it just doesn't really make sense.
I also feel like the concept of the Break Room (and all the other sketchy / borderline abusive stuff that Lumen engages in) sort of cheapens the moral quandary at the heart of the show. Like, the real complex moral conundrum would be, what if this was a totally normal office and job, without any abusive punishments? Would it still be immoral to have a part of your consciousness that's subjectively imprisoned there forever? Yet the show sidesteps these moral complexities, and eliminates any doubt in the viewer's mind by making Lumen objectively abusive and morally wrong in how they treat their workers.
Overall though, great show. Highlights include Mr. Milchick's character (superbly acted), and the Music Dance Experience scene. I look forward to Season 2, hope we'll learn more about the state of the world outside of Lumen!
When I watched the majority of the show, I thought it was one of the best TV I've ever seen. Cuz I thought this would be a contained one season and everything would be resolved by the end, for some reason.
But with how it is I'm not satisfied and don't really want to watch a season 2 either, cuz that's so much more than I was expecting.
7/10. Not the best but still recommended.
Once I had finished this series, watching each episode as it came out week by week, I had to immediately go back and what the whole season again, literally back to back, there are so many subtle things which you miss otherwise. This is stunning TV, an awesome and eerie plot with great acting and a great musical score. WATCH it NOW, then watch it all again!
Entertaining, but I expected more focus on the motivations of the severance procedure rather than a high-concept mystery à la Lost. I don't understand what the company is getting out of it. No complaints about the characters, except for the one played by Patricia Arquette. She seems a classic Disney villain.
Shout by PongpengVIP 2BlockedParent2022-04-09T17:24:32Z
Just mildly enjoyed this during its first half, when it seems content to just let the characters wander around this set-up rather than explore the world fully (granted, it's understandable since this gets great production design on a nifty hook). Much more into it during the second half when things ratchet up though, and I appreciate that the show doesn't need episodes to push one hour long if it's not necessary. Great last three episodes, and what a phenomenal finale.