Review: Apple TV+'s "Severance" Season 1

Apple TV+’s Severance is one of the most unique shows the fledgling streamer has broadcast since its inception a few years back. The series was created by Dan Erickson and is notably directed by Ben Stiller, who gets behind the camera once again after a lengthy absence, with his last directorial effort being Zoolander 2 back in 2016. However, Severance was a great vehicle for Stiller to get behind, as the show is a sci-fi thriller that will both keep audiences guessing and on the edge of their seats for nearly the entirety of the 9-episode first season.

The basic premise is that people can choose to “sever” their consciousness, splitting it into two, and for all intents and purposes, separate, personalities. The “outie” gets to live a regular life, with a home, family, and all the usual entrapments of life, whereas the “innie” begins life at work and it’s all they ever know. This brings up a number of interesting existential quandaries that usher the show through its run.

The big one is what defines someone as an individual, as the innies have very little control over their lives and essentially exist as indentured servants. They don’t get days off, they can’t indulge in entertainment or fellowship (outside of their work cohorts), and all they ever get to know is work. This is really the crux of the series and it plays out similar to films that explore the nature of AI and whether they count as an actual entity.

And while the existential questions might be what drives this show, what makes it exciting is the constant suspense the simple premise is able to create. Whether it be the innie’s and their search from inside the seemingly nefarious Lumon Industries, the cultish business which invented severance, for answers to what the company does and how they fit in the grand scheme of everything, to Mark, as played by Adam Scott, dealing with the fallout of his work best friend (whom he doesn’t know as he’s the outie and doesn’t remember anything from work) showing up after being “reintegrated” and investigating Lumon from the outside, it’s a nonstop thrill ride that’ll have you chewing your fingernails with anticipation.

But what really takes this show to the next level is the performances of the cast. Adam Scott is perfectly cast in the lead role. While the innie and the outie are, technically, the same person, they each have wildly different personalities that somehow compliment one another. Mark, on the outside, is somber and sarcastic, still grieving from the untimely loss of his wife. Meanwhile, the “severed” Mark is lighthearted and funny. He’s always smiling and looking to make his team in Macrodata Refinement the best they can be. What’s most interesting is that, as the series goes on, it’s easy to see how these are sperate version of the same person. The differences are overt, but there are just enough similarities to make sure that the audience never forgets the link between the two. It’s a tightrope act that Scott pulls off flawlessly.

There are also excellent turns from Patricia Arquette as the apparent villain, who plays the role like a modern-day Iago, morphing to be whatever the situation needs her to be, but always pushing forward an agenda that only she’s privy to. Tramell Tillman is also something of a standout, playing Mr. Milchick, the manager of the severed floor. He’s affable and pleasant one moment but has the ability to flip a switch and become as menacing and creepy as Jack Nicholson storming about an empty mountain resort.

This isn’t to say that the show is perfect, as there are some glaring flaws. The first episode is rather slow, but that’s largely because it does a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of worldbuilding. Even so, it can sometimes feel like a chore to sit through. And some of the secondary plotlines end awkwardly, such as Yul Vazquez’s Petey, the former Lumon employee and Mark’s best friend at work. The audience gets to see what it looks like when the lives of the innie and the outie collide and the psychological consequences of that, but ultimately, audiences don’t ever really get any answers from this, and Petey’s journey is perfunctory, at best.

Also, the rushed romance between Christopher Walken’s Burt and John Turturro’s Irving feels awkward and out of place, most of the time. Given the nature of the series, the storyline isn’t given enough room to grow. Simply put, it doesn’t seem likely that the two would become so close in so short a span of time, and it also seems out of character for Irving, who’s shown to be a company man through and through. While love is an admirable reason to change, their relationship just doesn’t feel authentic. Rather, it feels shoehorned in as a way to make sure that Turturro and Walken have something to do, rather than something integral to the story.

But overall, Severance is a successful show. It’s thought-provoking with an emotional resonance that will stick with you after the credits have finished rolling. While it certainly does suffer from some shortcomings, the inventiveness of the premise, the earnestness of the actors, and the complexity of the story more than compensate. Similar to Lost from ABC in the 2000’s, you’ll find yourself with a bevy of questions after each episode, but you’ll crave the answers and be excited to keep going.