Severance (2022 - Season 1)

 

Rating: ★★★★★ 

Severance is an invigorating story about an ominous company by the name of Lumon that performs a medical brain procedure in which its workers' personal and work life are mentally separated, creating two persons for one individual being. The work life person is called an "innie", while the personal life person, the real person so to say, is called the "outie". The workers, of course, approach the company out of their own will and choice to take on the job, being aware of the procedure. Or at least so we think, because as the series evolves more darker undertones about Lumon is revealed, suggesting that they may have their puppeteer hands soaked deep into the societal and political framework of the town (and perhaps even state or country, the entire scope of the company's reach is not made clear yet).


The best part of Severance is that it is a complete breath of fresh air in originality with its low-to-mid budget setting making use of sci-fi and mystery elements. The acting is brilliant for all the intricacies that are required to effectively relay the story. Adam Scott, playing the lead Mark Scout, anchors the entire cast and story with his grief-stricken backstory and all of the emotion he carries with him because of that. The 9-episode first season is tightly-written from start to finish, as each episode steadily reveals more and more about all of the main characters and Lumon. It features the most creative and stunningly animated opening credits sequence I've seen in TV for quite a while. Throughout the season, it also features some beautiful off-kilter seamless switches in tonality that just adds more weirdness to the creepy vibes of this company; Milchick, a supervisor in the company, being the oddest caricature of this example. Highly praised by the public, and already renewed for a 2nd season. Be sure to check it out!

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