A long-awaited return marred by sluggish pacing and unanswered questions. Britt Lower’s powerhouse performance and biting corporate satire saves this season.
Severance returns after an agonizing 3 years starting 2025 with a bang. Season 1 came out the same year as the first season of Squid Game but in the last 3 years, Severance piqued our collective curiosity greater than the latter. Unfortunately, the show’s second season is a totally unexpected and hugely disappointing drag.
The first season ended with the fate of the Innies undetermined. At this point, we don’t care about the exquisite cinematography because we just want some answers. After 3 years of waiting and theorizing, it’s about time. Not as per the writers of the show though, because the answers never come. Instead, we get more questions.
The core story of this season is saving Mark’s wife (Gemma/Ms. Casey played by Dichen Lachman). An episode details her journey, meeting Mark for the first time, falling in love and getting married, and trying to have children unsuccessfully; while it also shows Gemma’s journey of maddening experiments conducted at Lumon. The writers indulge us in her experience, but they keep us guessing what the whole point of it all is.
As the questions pile up, the pace slows down; way down. For a fan of season 1, the showmakers forced me to the point of discontent and I wonder if I have crossed the point of no return. A weak lead character can do that, and Mark (both Innie and Outie) has a plain and boring personality. Adam Scott is well-cast for the role.
One of the things the show does best is expose the absurdity of current work culture. It’s one of those ‘what came first — the chicken or the egg’ situations where it’s hard to figure out whether, in modern society, the employee or the employer stopped caring about the other first. There is no pay-off in loyalty anymore in the corporate world. Season 2 shows this hilariously when Ms. Wong (Sarah Bock) introduces herself as the new Deputy Manager and one of the employees asks, ‘Why are you a child?’. In my work experiences, I have questioned my abilities when a younger person was hired or promoted above me. It’s a puzzler, how recruiting is done these days.
Another great example of Severance’s pointed lens would be how Lumon management keeps saying ‘the work is important’ and it might change life as we know it. People need to feel that they’re part of something worthwhile but also being realistic is a virtue, you know. On the severed floor, the managers don’t contribute to the work but just watch the severed employees do it. How does that work?
The new floor manager, Mr Milchik (Tramell Tillman, adding layers to his character) has brought on initiatives that seem like he’s invested in his team’s mental wellbeing however, the boss is always the enemy which in the case of Severance, has become clear. We witness the other side of the coin in season 2 as they present the level of pressure Milchik has to endure. Helena Eagan (Britt Lower) and the Lumon management have come up with manipulative strategies to get the Innies to perform. Lower, playing Helena for the first time gives a nuanced portrayal of someone who is drastically different to Helly. Playing both the hero and the villain within the context of this season, Lower’s performance is one of the better parts of the show.
Zach Cherry is another winner as Dylan who illustrates the childlike nature of the Innies the best. On the other hand, having lost his big romance in the form of Christopher Walken, Irving (John Turturro) turns just as depressing as his outie. There is a powerful scene between Dylan and Irving where the latter’s struggle to continue to exist is heartbreakingly displayed by Turturro.
The last 3 episodes lead up to the grand finale, the story wearing so thin, that the information provided in each can be described in one sentence. The ending is meant to be cathartic or deep, but it fails to ignite the fire the final moments of season 1 did. The show has its moments, but the philosophical musings aren’t enough to keep us entertained.
Seth Milchik – ‘Take a look. These are blueprints for a new renovation, of which I chose not to inform your colleagues. It’s called the Outie Family Visitation Suite.’
Dylan George – ‘Are you saying I could see my family here?’
Seth Milchik – ‘If you take the name of the room at face value, I’d say yes.’
Dylan George – ‘Holy Fuck.’
Seth Milchik – ‘The holiest.’