How many people have wondered what it would be like to find a way to separate their working life from their personal one? Severance kind of takes that idea and yanks it one way and then another to come up with an idea that’s bound to confuse a lot of people and compel others to keep watching to see what happens. The start of the show is odd enough that one can’t help but wonder what direction it’s going to take and whether or not it’s going to be worth watching any further. But the thing is, this show isn’t like a car wreck, nor is it a deeply disturbing show that gets a person hooked because it’s filled with the type of action, blood, guts, and gore that people are so enamored of. Instead, it’s a profound view into something that many people might not fully understand since it’s more of a vague fantasy than a hard-bitten reality that makes people want to separate their work and personal lives. But when taken as an idea that is furthered into a working story, it’s a rather disturbing look into something that becomes a trail of bread crumbs.
That analogy is kind of easy to use once one watches the show, since the moment that Helly wakes up on a conference table in a room with no windows and only one door, things start to roll along in a manner that brings to mind lab rats and a maze that has no end. After Helly’s hasty introduction, the story moves to the tale of Mark Scout, a man who is grieving his wife and who works in the Macro data Refinement of Lumon Industries. Right away the fact that this show is somehow beyond the expectations of the audience since to be fair, it’s tough to know what to expect. But the fact is that watching Mark leave the world in which his ‘outie’ self exists to enter the inner world of Lumon makes a viewer wonder how deep the idea for this show really goes.
The idea of severance, which is the title as well as procedure that takes place with the employees that the audience gets to meet, meaning Mark, Irving, Dylan, Helly, Burt, and Petey, who disappeared from the office one day. Mark is the only one that appears to miss Petey more than others, but like his coworkers, he has no memory of his work while on the outside, and no memory of his personal life while he’s at work. It sounds like it might be a great way to separate the two, right? Unfortunately, the severance program isn’t just a creepy and less than optimal way to go about creating efficient workers, but it would appear that trying to reintegrate one’s memories is close to being fatal, as is seen at some point in the show. I won’t give out too many ideas, but Petey, Mark’s former coworker, does make an appearance in the first three episodes, and his mental state after leaving Lumon is anything but satisfactory. The whole idea of separating one’s memories in any way is terrifying to be certain since mucking about with one’s mind is a sure way to create the type of effect that would drive a person insane.
The overall idea is intriguing since following Mark makes it clear that Lumon is far from a perfect place, especially when it’s discovered that those that exist outside of Lumon’s influence are of the firm belief that Lumon is nothing but bad news, and that what they’re doing to their people with the severance option is wrong. Mark actually stands up for Lumon and has a serious issue with anyone that speaks against the company, much to the consternation of those around him on the outside. When he meets up with Petey on the outside though, things start to happen as Mark’s idea of the world he lives in and the things he does start to appear differently. Helly’s behavior doesn’t help, since she’s adamant about getting out, but continues to find that there is no way out. As I mentioned, it’s like watching rats in a maze that has plenty of doors to walk through, but no real exit that can be understood. It’s odd, but it works as a story.
Watching the first episode of this show is enough to make a lot of people wonder what in the hell they’re watching and why they feel compelled to keep watching it. But while it’s not a thrill per minute, it’s still enough to put the interest in someone’s head and make them wonder what might come next. The premise of the show is enough to keep a person ready and willing to watch the next episode, even if they’re bound to become a little frustrated with the pace. It does move kind of slowly, but with purpose.
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