Severance Season 2

Last weekend, the season finale of Severance Season 2 was released on Apple TV+. Severance follows a group of employees who voluntarily choose a job that requires them to split their memories and personality between home and work. Season 2 continues the story of Mark S. and the rest of the MDR team as they go deeper into the operations of Lumen. I'm very new to the Severance world. I watched Season 1 for the first time right before Season 2 came out so I didn't have the opportunity to sit on the episodes like other fans have.

I thought season 2 was a fantastic continuation of the stories and themes established in season one. This season spends a lot more time with the characters in their outside lives. We get to see what both Dylan and Irving do outside of work. The season also does a great job of showing Dylan's struggles with knowing that he has a family outside of work but can never see them. Severance Season 2 also builds on the relationship between Mark and Helly that had been building throughout Season 1 with the added twist of now knowing that Helly is an Eagan adding a sense of dread as it is only a matter of time before Mark finds out. The season also continues to explore the mysterious exploits of Lumen with even more questions being added such as what is the significance of Cold Harbor and what is up with the goat people. The thing that I can appreciate the most about the show is that the gimmick that the whole show is based around still hasn't gotten old. With other shows, the whole premise the show is based around gets resolved at the end of season one with the show having to scramble to find new storylines. However, Severance Season 2 does not do this. It manages to keep the whole idea of the workers having separate lives in and out of work relevant so that there are still more stories to tell with the premise. Finally, the finale of the season ended on such a high note that I can't wait to see what happens in the next season.

There are a few minor nitpicks I had with this season. I think season 2 is a slight step down from season 1. In general, season 2 tries to go wider with its scope instead of deeper. Instead of putting all its efforts into going deeper with the characters, it tries to expand with new ideas and plot lines. While some of that worked, at times the season felt a little aimless with some of the new ideas not really panning out. However, aside from this, I thought this was an excellent follow-up to season 1.

Overall, Severance Season 2 is great continuation of the show that does an excellent job of building on the ideas established in season 1. It could have been a little more focused in parts but regardless I can't wait for what happens in season 3.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A- Recommendation: This is a must watch show