When dazed Helly R. (Britt Lower), dressed in a pencil skirt and pristine office clothing, wakes up on an oval, wooden office table to Mark S. (Adam Scott) questioning her on an old radio placed in the middle of the table, her answers reveal the true nature of the controversial procedure known as severance.
“Severance,” a psychological sci-fi thriller series, with two seasons and a third in the works, follows the “innies” Helly R., Mark S., Irving B. (John Turturro) and Dylan G. (Zach Cherry) and the “outies” (to remain unnamed) through the trials and tribulations of everyday work life. However, the “innies” and “outies” are split in consciousness, allowing the “innies” to be permanently present at work and the “outies” unaware of what goes on in the workplace.
Written by Dan Erickson, “Severance” uses a variety of different symbols and allegories to represent the exploitative nature of the work industry. When Mark loses his wife Gemma (Dichen Lachman), his teaching career, and subsequently life, falls apart. Desperate for the time in a day to move faster, he opts to become a severed employee hoping for a break in the day when he doesn’t have to feel those emotions.
After two years in the office, Mark S. gets a new trainee, Helly R., after longtime co-worker Petey K. (Yul Vazquez) abruptly retires. Helly R. is stubborn, angry and outspoken, the antithesis of Mark S. who is obedient, emotionally reserved and polite. Severance follows Helly R.’s adjustment to essentially her life and the complex power dynamics at play. Throughout Helly R.’s adjustment to the office she is able to see how innies cope with their reality, whether through winning pointless prizes like Dylan G. or feverish devotion to the company’s founder, Kier. Helly R. devises a plan, with the help later on of her fellow co-workers, to share the truth about severance.
Many themes of subordination and control were echoed in the treatment of severed employees. Severed employees work on the basement floor, they are unable to interact with other departments to avoid unionization, but most importantly, they are at the mercy of their outies and their communication is heavily monitored. Although Mark S. is the Chief of the MacroData Refinement Department, the innies are heavily observed and monitored by Mr. Milchick (Tramell Tillman) and Ms. Cobel (Patricia Arquette) who are both unsevered employees.
Director Ben Stiller accomplishes the main message of abuse of work-life balance, though he also manages to tackle the larger issue of how systems of power keep people subordinate. Religion and prizes are used as tools to keep employees in check. By laying out a system of morals and rewards to strive to in conjunction with limiting exposure to the outies and outside world, innies are bred as workers susceptible to harsh punishments and mysterious jobs due to their lack of education. Though severance doesn’t only keep the innies dependent, but also the outies, since once you become severed you become a black sheep in the job market.
Characters like Mr. Milchick and Natalie Kalen (Sydney Cole Alexander) who are both unsevered employees are still at the whims of the higher ups. Both characters also share a Black identity which impacts their treatment and capital they hold. Severance reflects people’s inherent need to hold onto power and willful ignorance in the face of evil.
“Severance” is the kind of show where you’ve got no idea what’s going on, but you simultaneously think you can predict the ending. However, much like real life, you’ll walk away with a completely new thought process and outcome at the end.
