Severance - Season 1

“Severance has a touching LGBTQ storyline that explores the complexities of queer relationships within the rigid confines of corporate environments.”

Title: Severance
Episodes Reviewed: Season 1
Creator: Dan Erickson 👨🏼🇺🇸
Writers: Dan Erickson 👨🏼🇺🇸 (3 eps), Andrew Colville 👨🏼🇺🇸 (1 ep), Kari Drake 👩🏼🇺🇸 (1 ep), Anna Ouyang Moench 👩🏻🇺🇸 (1 ep), Amanda Overtone 👩🏼🇺🇸 (1 ep), Helen Leigh 👩🏼🇺🇸 (1 ep), and Chris Black 👨🏼🇺🇸 (1 ep)

Reviewed by Sam 🧑🏻🇺🇸🌈

—MILD SPOILERS AHEAD—

Technical: 5/5

In a crowded field of streaming sci-fi dramas, from Prime Video’s Fallout to Netflix’s 3 Body Problem, Severance stands out as one of the best and most original among them. Created by Dan Erickson, the Apple TV+ show originally gained traction thanks to Ben Stiller’s production credit. But over time, it has captivated audiences with its unique plot.

The series follows Mark (Adam Scott), an employee at a mysterious company called Lumon who is onboarding a new hire, Helly (Britt Lower). These two work on a team with Dylan (Zach Cherry) and Irving (John Turturro), both enthusiastic employees in the Macrodata Refinement department who believe in Lumon’s core principles of loyalty to the company and worship of Lumon’s founder, Kier Eagan (aka The Grandfather, aka Chosen One). Over the first season, Mark unravels the truth behind the company’s ulterior motives. With every episode as gripping as the next, all nine build up to a jaw-dropping cliffhanger finale.

In addition to the thrilling plot, Severance examines the tension between corporate culture and individualism. It contrasts the sterile environment of Lumon offices and the complex, emotional realities of the characters’ lives outside of work. This particular theme struck a chord when the series dropped in 2022, right into the fray of modern anxieties about what work-life balance looks like after COVID-19. It’s this timeliness, plus the humanity at the core of Severance, that sets the show apart.

Gender: 4/5
Does it pass the Bechdel Test? YES

Although Mark is the main character, Helly plays an essential role. In Severance’s first few episodes, she’s outwardly defiant and rebellious, unafraid to stand up and challenge authority despite being the only woman on the team. This lack of self-consciousness feels refreshing, even aspirational, to real-world dynamics where women in male-dominated workplaces are still implicitly expected to keep their heads down.

In addition, Mark’s team reports to Lumon manager Harmony Cobel (Patricia Arquette). Harmony chases control, even creating a separate persona outside the office to achieve her goals. (She pretends to be a nurturing nanny, relying on traditional gender roles to lull others into a false sense of comfort as she gets closer to her targets.) This calculated manipulation demonstrates how far she is willing to go to protect Lumon’s interests.Through this character, Severance adeptly shows how women and men alike can be morally ambiguous.

Between Helly’s fight against oppression from within the system, and Harmony’s enforcement of that very same system, viewers see a range of women who add fascinating layers to the series’ exploration of corporate power. No matter their personal objectives, however, writers show that these female characters are all trapped within Lumon’s rigid control in their own ways.

Race: 3.5/5

Severance’s main cast only has one character of color: Dylan. Like actor Cherry, who’s private about his family life and upbringing, Dylan’s race never comes up within the narrative. Writers give a wide berth around topics of ethnicity in the scripts’ otherwise probing questions about identity.

Still, it’s positive that the series’ only visibly non-white character avoids racial stereotypes. For example, we never have to sit through scenes of Dylan being self-sacrificial and unfailingly helpful to Mark, the white main lead. Nor does Dylan play a strictly comedic supporting role. Instead, he is portrayed as loyal and vulnerable, with a deep curiosity about the true workings of Lumon. Because of these traits, Dylan plays a pivotal role in the team’s discovery of the truth about the company they work for.

Other characters of color appear in smaller roles, such as Milchick (Tramell Tillman), a Black man who supervises the floor that the main characters work on. And counselor Ms. Casey, played by Tibetan-Australian actor Dichen Lachman, provides enigmatic wellness checks for Lumon employees. But Milchick and Ms. Casey operate more as extensions of Lumon rather than as individuals. The show ultimately centers around its main white protagonists, Mark and Helly.

LGBTQ: 4/5

Severance has an incredibly touching LGBTQ storyline that explores the complexities of queer relationships within the rigid confines of corporate environments. It centers around Mark’s Macrodata Refinement colleague, Irving, who meets Burt (Christopher Walken), the head of Optics and Design at Lumon. They connect over their shared interest in art, and the slow burn of their romance is beautifully depicted. Their private moments of emotional richness starkly rebut the dehumanizing nature of Lumon’s offices.

While their story does end tragically, it’s not for a throwaway reason. The writing poignantly comments on the pain of loving someone whose reality simply diverges from your own. Additionally, Burt and Irving are both men over the age of 60 (Walken is 81 and Turturro is 67 at the time of this review), and queer relationships in this demographic group are rarely portrayed on screen.

Bonus for Age: +0.75

Burt and Irving also offer valuable representation for corporate employees who are at, or past, traditional retirement age. Both have unique perspectives, with Burt as a wise and experienced worker who is in touch with his emotions, and Irving as a worried worker who faces challenges in a high-stress environment.

Additionally, Harmony—played by Arquette, 56— subverts common narratives about female senior leadership. Writers avoid simplistically ignoring her age, which is an important facet of anyone’s identity. They also skip tackling ageist and sexist workplace dynamics head-on, which can feel rote if not explored in depth. Instead, Severance neatly acknowledges Harmony’s age while using it to accentuate other parts of her character, such as her ambition and cunning. When Harmony pretends to be a sweet old nanny, she uses ageist assumptions to her favor, underscoring both her personality as well as mainstream stereotypes about women over 50—without succumbing to them herself.

Mediaversity Grade: B+ 4.31/5

Severance has a strong female lead in Helly, a touching LGBTQ story between Irving and Burt, and nuanced portrayals of people over 50 in the workforce. If it gathers the courage (and perhaps diversifies its otherwise predominantly white cast and writers’ room), the show has the opportunity to apply a similarly deft touch to commentary around racial dynamics in corporate spaces.

Nonetheless, Season 2 (set to release in January 2025) can’t come soon enough. The series has proven itself to be a thought-provoking watch with electrifying storylines and complex characters that keep audiences on the edge of their seats.

Like Severance? Try these other titles that portray corporate hellscapes.

Grade: BLiOctober 9, 2024Great for: Technical, Great for: Age