Severance Season 2 review: Ben Stiller’s surreal psychological thriller peaks in a phenomenal second season

Severance Season 2 Review

In a surreal scene from Severance season 2, we see a room full of goats in the Lumon office building, complete with desks, lush green lawns and men dressed in pastoral attire. A worker’’s performance review goes haywire because they use ‘too many big words’ and don’t know how to use paperclips. A retirement party is thrown but since the colleague is not present, a funeral is held instead. An outie tries to burn a message into their retinas so that their innie is able to communicate with them. Bizarre terminologies like the ‘fourth appendix’, ‘Glasgow block’ are thrown around.

Severance Season 2: Plot

All of this to say that Severance season 2, despite a painfully slow first couple episodes, continues to be just the expose on corporate drudgery that has enthralled viewers since its premiere in 2022. It is creepy, weird, Illuminati-coded and also, batshit crazy! The mind games this season are intense. The Lumon industry honchos (aka the Eagens) are on their toes after the events of last season. Following the ‘overtime contingency’, the corporate honchos must, by all means, mitigate the disaster that unfolded following Helly’s (Britt Lower) outburst as Helena.

Severance Season 2: Performances

As Mark’s (Adam Scott) outie grows more suspicious of the events unfolding in the Lumon building, his sister Devon (Jen Tullock) aids him in his search for truth. With Cobel/Mrs Selvig (Patricia Arquette) trying her best to get back to the severed floor, Irving (John Turturro) seeks to uncover the mystery behind the black corridor as Dylan (Zach Cherry) has a secret rendezvous with someone close to him. The Eagens employ the ‘divide and rule’ policy to separate the four co-workers.

The rifts between Dylan, Helly, Irving and Mark blow up as their individual choices wreak havoc on group unity. A creepy, Anabelle-like receptionist is introduced. Miss Huang (Sarah Bock) rightfully scares many of her co-workers because she is a kid (a quite intimidating one, at that). Episode 4 titled “Woe’s Hollow” is just the offbeat detour from Lumon building that we needed this season.

Severance Season 2: Writing And Direction

The Lord of the Rings-esque family history of Kiers unfolds like a folklore, presumably meant to satirize the self-seriousness of the corporate honchos. In another scene, a performance review goes haywire over flimsy reasons. That the work at MDR floor continues to be inconsequential (Mark needs to collect numbers on the screen and put them in a box). This goes to show that despite the desperate measures to control the workers, corporations don’t really accomplish anything substantial.

In a hilarious turn of events, a worker receives a bunch of paintings where he is depicted as a cult-like figure, much like Kier Eagen. The worker is flattered beyond measure. Seth Milchick (Tramell Tillman) has his hands full. He is tasked with a major responsibility this season — will he pass with flying colours? Marks’ friend uses his brain waves to help his severed brain ‘reintegrate’. Will the unlikely duo succeed?

Severance Season 2: What Works, What Doesn’t

In the second season of Severance, the stakes are higher than ever. The gap between the innies and the outies is bridging. It is yet to be seen how Eagens will break this group of disgruntled employees as they go to desperate lengths to expose Lumon industries. A writer sends some of his writings to the severed floor to brainwash innies into appreciating their roles. The whole arc is symbolic of how well corporations use press releases and other mediums to build false narratives.

Ben Stiller’s psychological sci-fi corporate satire couldn’t have been more timely. With CEOs bending over backwards to exploit their workers, the show makes several pertinent points on corporate drudgery and greed. Much like Squid Game, the show is relevant now more than ever given the times we are living in.

Star rating: 4 / 5 stars

Severance season 2 will premiere on Apple TV+ on January 17.