One of the things that makes the Apple TV+ series Severance really stand out is that it never really allows the audience to get comfortable. Certainly, the show pretends as if the point of the procedure at the center of the plot allows for there to be a work-life balance for the people on Severance, but is that really the case? That's the question that has been formulated and then underlined and highlighted over and over again. Episode 5 of the series titled, "The Grim Barbarity Of Optics and Design," brings that into focus more clearly than any of the installment that came before it.
The point of the Apple TV+ original is supposed to be that people who undergo the surgery to separate their work selves (Innies) and their private life selves (Outties) are able to completely leave their private lives at home when they come to the office. Likewise, they are supposed to leave their work lives at the office when they go home. Certainly, there's been some intentional blurring of the lines since the very beginning. However, "Grim Barbarity" showed just how much of the blurring of the lines there has been, even if that blurring only offers up more questions, more mysteries and at least some awakening of the people in Lumon figuring out something is very, very strange going on.
The Weirdness Keeps Piling On
While the show has been leaning on being weird from the very beginning, things took a decidedly dark turn in the most recent episode. There is of course the fact that Helly R's Outtie would not allow her to quit Lumon even when she tried to kill herself. Of course, the fact that she's gone through the Severance procedure makes it easier for the company to lie about what really happened, but she still came back after just a few days. The audience has already been treated to Helly's Outtie and what she feels about the Innie. There's real hatred there, as the Innie points out, she was told she's not really a person. But does the Outtie really not understand that a successful suicide attempt would take them both out? It's another interesting look into how two halves of the same person that don't interact at all, truly are different people entirely.
Then, of course, there is the intentional weirdness in this episode of Severance. There's also the actors, who are all very, very good at their jobs, reacting to that weirdness. The show's writing, directing and acting are very, very good in every episode but Adam Scott and John Turturro's performances especially stand out amid all the weirdness going on around them.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Irving is that there is at least some part of him that absolutely understands things are far more sinister than he'd ever say out loud at Lumon. Every time he dozes, he has the same dream of a black ooze coming from the walls and the ceilings. He's also starting to realize something is very odd about the way the company has separated the divisions, even if he would never actually say it out loud. His very real apprehension when he runs into Christopher Walken over something as simple as how many people work in O&D shows that at his heart, he knows something is off. Being the devoted company man, he just doesn't want to admit it to himself or anyone else.
Of course, this episode of Severance also had some weirdness outside the company. Mark's sister finally gave birth to she and Ricken's child and of course, this couldn't be something that was handled at a normal hospital environment. It couldn't even be handled at home using a midwife. Instead, she and Ricken have rented a cabin at a "birthing center" which as Mark points out just seems like a weird ski resort. Even here, people don't seem all that normal and it's clear the audience is supposed to wonder just how far Lumon's reach goes. Of course, there are no specific Lumon references here. Mr. Milchick or Ms. Cobel don't suddenly pop out from around the corner, but the interactions with the people outside the cabin are enough to relay a sense of dread that certainly feels like it's connected to the company.
Of course, the audience has already seen that Lumon's reach doesn't stop with the company. It offers off-campus housing that's obviously a way to keep an eye on employees. There's also the restaurant that employees go to when they get rewarded for things like getting hurt at work. Earlier in the Severance season, Mark sat in the VIP area entirely alone and entirely separated from the rest of the location. All of this allows for the viewer to constantly wonder what is coming to come around the corner next. It makes the audience wonder how much the reach of Lumon affects the town and area around them. That in turn leads to plenty of suspense as things continue getting very weird among many, many departments at the company.
Petey's Mystery Deepens
While it's now a side story more than a central one, there is little doubt that Petey's chip failure and everything that came after it is going to factor into the second half of Severance's season. Talk about some sort of hacking has was inserted into the story for the first time this week and that certainly seems new. There hasn't been any sort of outside force that is really go against Lumon so far, but maybe that's something the audience is going to see as the show heads to its Season 1 conclusion. There are only four episodes left. That's going to make it hard to tie everything together and really get closure. However, it's possible that the only mystery that continues to unfold, the blocked caller on Petey's phone could eventually be divulged.
One of the reasons Severance is so good is that the simple truth is that those answers don't have to be spelled out. The show relies on keeping people off balance and for the most part, it works incredibly well. Some shows could go out of their way to be weird to the point where it's annoying, but Ben Stiller's show continues to handle it almost perfectly.
Severance is available on Apple TV+ now with new episodes coming every Friday.