Severance Season 2 Review
The long-awaited second season of Severance is as good as I hoped.
"Severance," now streaming on Apple TV+.
I’ve had the pleasure of watching the first six episodes of the new season of Severance, and I’m happy to say that it meets my lofty expectations after the first season. Showrunner Dan Erickson, Executive Producer Ben Stiller, and company had a tough act to follow, but they took the time to do it right, SAG and Writers Guild strike delays aside.
While I won’t get into any specific plot points, the season picks up five months after the climactic events at the end of the last season, though we all know time is only as accurate as Lumon tells us on the Severed Floor. It’s Mark’s first day back to work after the incident, and the first episode opens with an impressive oner of Mark running to find Wellness and Ms. Casey. I immediately knew I would love whatever the show was going to do. The season also features a lot of time spent with the Outie version of the Lumon employees, all of it as compelling as the time we spend with them in Lumon’s halls.
"Severance," now streaming on Apple TV+.
I still love the show's art direction. The sterile, white halls of the Severed Floor are as oppressive as the grey, stone Lumon lobby. It all contrasts with the cold, snowy atmosphere of the outside world, the company town Kier. Like the show's stellar writing, the production's quality is outstanding. This is one of the best-looking, most visually distinct shows on TV. I want to see all the Kier paintings in a gallery.
The cast’s excellent performances anchor it all. Adam Scott continues to impress, as do his co-stars Britt Lower, John Turturro, and Zach Cherry. Newcomer Sarah Bock plays a new assistant manager, Ms. Huang, who is notably very young to be working at Lumon, and an inspired, offputting choice for a new villain on the show. Best of all, we spend more time with Tramell Tillman as Mr. Milchick, who has now taken over for Ms. Cobel (Patricia Arquette) as manager of the Severed Floor. We know very little about him after the first season, and the show continues to build out his character in compelling ways. There are more performances and cameos to talk about, but I can’t get into it without spoiling surprises in episodes that haven’t yet been released. If you’re a Bob Balaban fan, you’ll love the first episode.
"Severance," now streaming on Apple TV+.
Severance remains one of the best television shows—if not the best—as it continues to reveal more about its characters and world. Absurdly bleak workplace comedy, affecting drama, and incisive sci-fi parable are a lot of balls to juggle, and Severance hasn’t dropped any of them yet. I love what I’ve seen so far and can’t wait to see the rest of the season.
New Severance episodes are released on Fridays at midnight PT on Apple TV+.
