Severance is currently the best show on television. Created by Dan Erikson and Ben Stiller, the Emmy award winning show from Apple TV+ is a gripping experience that balances elements of dark comedy and thriller. It is led by notable actors such as Adam Scott, Britt Lower, John Tuturro, and many more. In a current landscape of diverse and quality television, what makes Severance stand out?
To put it simply, Severance is about a group of workers who experience a separation between their work lives and personal lives. Our main characters are employees on the severed floor of the company, Lumon. They possess respective memories based on whether they are living in their personal or work lifestyle. As the show progresses, we follow our ensemble slowly uncovering the truth behind Lumon through a series of unexpected twists and turns.
The reasons behind my love for this show are limitless. Firstly, the striking cinematography effectively portrays the claustrophobia found in the artificial atmosphere of the Lumon offices. From the long tracking shots to its symmetrical framing of endless white hallways, it truly captures the isolating environment that our protagonists are trapped in. This sharply contrasts the use of warmer natural lighting during scenes of the outside world. It feels visually jarring when episodes transition between the two sides of reality. The eeriness and mystery surrounding the story is translated to the visual style of the show.
Furthermore, the writing of the show is undoubtedly brilliant. It shares the similar qualities of other slow-burn dramas where the storytelling is perfectly paced to heighten tensions as well as giving vital character moments. Each episode offers intrigue and curiosity for the characters which is mimicked by audiences. The show walks this fine line of deepening the weight of the mystery without blatantly revealing too much. This is all a vessel for exploring modern work culture reflecting challenges in how some may struggle to fulfil their free will in both the personal and professional context.
One could argue it is humorous in how the basic premise exaggerates the power that the workplace can have on its employees. However, the tone remains serious making it rather dystopian and psychological. The extent to which obedience and oppression can strip away the identity of severed employees is the consistent theme cycled back throughout the show. It is bleak, tragic, and perhaps a commentary on current capitalist operations present in modern workforces. These are concepts that are simultaneously compelling in an intellectual sense as well as emotional for the audience.
At its core, the show provides the groundwork for an engaging ten-episode season of television. Once each episode cuts to credits, it leads to viewers like me falling down the rabbit hole of endless theories or predictions for the wider narrative. This curiosity continues to obsessively build and build with each week. Not every television show is capable of holding such power over the audience. The rare ones that do, such as Severance, are ones for the ages.
Edited by Zara Ahmed.
