AppleTV+ Severance is an intense thriller, with an intriguing premise and a clever script that will have viewers guessing until the very end. Check out the details in my parents guide review.
AppleTV+ Severance will be available on the streaming service on Friday, February 18th.The series is a mystery thriller of sorts and is a cross between Netflix’s Black Mirror and the popular sitcom, The Office. Starring Patricia Arquette, Christopher Walken, and Adam Scott and directed and produced by Ben Stiller; this gripping story will hook audiences from the first episode. Check out the details in my parents guide review.
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AppleTV+ Severance Quotes
Severance Parents Guide
In “Severance,” Mark Scout (Adam Scott) leads a team at Lumon Industries, whose employees have undergone a severance procedure, which surgically divides their memories between their work and personal lives. This daring experiment in ‘work-life balance’ is called into question as Mark finds himself at the center of an unraveling mystery that will force him to confront the true nature of his work… and of himself.
Severance Age Appropriate Parents Guide
Let’s take a look at what parents need to know before letting their kids watch AppleTV+ Severance.
Language: Severance contains strong language, with profanity used throughout. Lookout words include: f*ck, sh*t, a**h*le, d*mn, g-d d*mn, hell, and more.
Mature Content: The series’ premises are a bit disturbing in itself; it centers around an occupation, where one’s brain is shut off to any information about their life outside the office, and vice versa. There is some violent content that viewers should be aware of, such as a character hanging herself and another being beaten over the head with a baseball bat.The psychological trauma in the series, as the characters are emotionally abused in the workplace, is very disturbing. There is also a shocking scene where a character drills into the head of a dead body and another character goes crazy, eventually collapsing to his death. Characters are shown consuming alcohol and partaking in drugs.
Overall Thoughts
The most intriguing aspect of AppleTV+ Severance is the moral dilemma of its overall concept. The plot revolves around office workers, called “innies” while at the office. They have no recollection of their lives outside of work, and the “outies” have no idea what life was like in their “innie” world.For all reasonable purposes, the outie believes their innie is pushing papers in an office setting, with no recollection of the torture their innie is dealing with on a daily basis once they enter the elevator in their office building. The idea of having the mind severed in the workplace is as intriguing as the series itself. It offers employers the chance to have a workforce that is not distracted by any personal issues in their lives outside of the office.
For many of Lumon’s (the company the severance employees work for) employees, each has their own reasons for choosing to be severed, which begins to unfold as the series progresses. Mark, played by Adam Scott, is suffering from the devastating loss of his wife, and chooses to be part of Severance to have a sense of peace for at least 8 hours a day. While this peace may offer his outie an escape, what he doesn’t realize is the absolute hell his innie has to endure while at work. While it is obvious that Lumon has a more sinister objective, the reasoning is unclear, but menacing bosses Harmony Cobel (Patricia Arquette) and her sidekick, Mr. Milchick (Tramell Tillman) seem determined to hide all evidence of the events taking place inside Lumon.
The entire cast of Severance is exceptional, and all have their moments to shine in the series. Scott is the heart of the series, and he does an outstanding job of stepping into this sort of dual role as Mark’s innie and outie. The pain he exudes over the loss of his wife gives the series a genuine and more believable tone. Tillman and Arquette exemplify the corporate “evil” that exists at Lumon, and their presence will send chills down the spine. John Turturro and Zach Cherry play Mark’s co-workers, Irvin and Dylan, two by-the-book guys whose character arcs are as intriguing as the plot itself. Christopher Walken plays Burt, a severed employee in another department who gets really close to Irving, and Britt Lower plays a new severed employee, Helly, who is a significant example of the horror experienced by the newly severed. There truly are no weak links in this talented cast.
The brilliance of Severance lies in the mystery surrounding the far-fetched sci-fi plot. Creator Dan Erickson and producer/director Ben Stiller have delivered a fascinating story that is a blast to watch. This is definitely not a series for everyone, but its originality cannot be ignored, and in fact, it should be celebrated. Too many run-of-the-mill, overdone plots can ruin a show before it even begins, but this is clearly an example of where they were thinking outside of the box, wanting to deliver something fresh and have overwhelmingly succeeded.
