Severance is the surgical procedure of splitting oneself into two people: you, unchanged, are 'the outie', living life as normal, and your 'innie', an entirely separate personality switching in for your 9-5, sharing only your name, face, and any physical ailments that you carry into the office with you.
While a simple concept, it is how Ben Stiller and co. explore and expand upon it, layering mystery upon mystery, that makes the show such a compelling watch. I constantly found my attention diverted to new questions about the nature of the characters' lives, their eccentric innie counterparts, the intricacies of the severance procedure, and Lumen - the wacky, vaguely dystopian company employing and 'severing' workers.
Main Character, Mark S, gets 'severed' after losing his wife in a car crash. Looking for any escape from his misery, he trades 8 hours a day, 5 days a week of his lived experiences for a cushty job, absent of the stresses of a work-life balance, colleagues or toxic bosses. Until a sudden interruption to his day-to-day prompts him to begin looking into the realities of the severance procedure and his employers.
Meanwhile, in the office, innie Mark enjoys life alongside his colleagues, in a state of permanent, mind-numbing work in exchange for enticing rewards like rubbers, finger traps, and caricatures. After 2 years of this, it's the sudden disappearance of Mark's boss, Petey, and the arrival of rebellious new hire, Helly R, which forces Mark to confront his understanding of his life, and the scrupulous business practices of the mysterious mega-corporation employing him.
What makes this show feel so fresh is the way it navigates identity and how that’s integrated within the story. The show sets a strong boundary between innies and outties, who are forbidden from cross communicating. Yet, the (inadvertently) united goal of both Marks and their groups leaves you dying to see that line crossed and for both worlds to collide.
Consequently, even minor individual interactions end up feeling meaningful, as the smallest of exchanges or actions from an innie may have intense consequences for their outtie counterpart, or vice versa. I was left not really knowing if I saw such characters as one person or two; an idea which the show has been playing with further during its second season, and has made watching especially enjoyable.
Such unique storytelling is combined with the strong cinematography of Jessica Lee Gagné, who manages to turn a windowless, monochrome office into a charming playground for Lumen's staff. Strong performances, especially that of Tramell Tillman, whose character perfectly treads the line of friendly and terrifying as the innies' overseer, Milchik.
For us, at least trying this show is a must, merging suspense, intrigue, humour and making for a great conversation topic.