I cannot stop thinking about “Severance.” This Apple TV mystery thriller is easily my favorite TV discovery this year and at this point, I don’t know how I am going to keep myself sane as I await the second season, hopefully coming within the next year. “Severance” has some of the best worldbuilding I have ever seen and from the first episode has the viewer hooked into its world and plot. That being said, the show is also expertly paced, slowly revealing information and clues to the point where, even at the end of the first season, the mystery is bigger than ever, ending on one of the most frustrating cliffhangers I have ever seen. 

“Severance” takes place in a world where one company has concocted technology which enables them to surgically divide or “sever” people’s memories in two. “Severed” people don’t remember their personal lives at work and don’t remember their work lives once they leave for the day, causing their work selves to be permanently trapped at their jobs. This company, Lumon, is early on revealed to be up to some mysterious stuff. Most of its employees, “severed” or otherwise, follow its CEOs, practices, and founder with a cult-like reverence. This company’s history and influence over the local area is very interesting and provides both some of my favorite moments in the show as well as some interesting parallels to modern politics and religion. 

We are initially introduced to the world of Lumon through the eyes and minds of the “microdata refinement” team or “MDR.” Led by the series protagonist Mark S, played by Adam Scott of “Parks and Recreation,” and Helly R, the audience surrogate to the world, MDR’s job is to sort random groups of numbers by emotions for reasons unknown. The character work done in this show is incredible. Since all characters are theoretically two different characters, there is a lot of development to do. We only see some characters when they’re at work, fueling massive speculation by the viewer as to their identity outside of the workplace. If this all seems quite complicated, don’t worry. The show is very well paced and explained and it’s easy to quickly pick up the rules of this bizarre world. 

While there are so many well developed characters in this show, some of my favorites include MDR’s Irving, and Milchick, the middle manager. Irving, played by John Turturro, is a die hard Lumon devotee at the beginning of the show, and his character arc provides some of the best, most inspiring moments in the show as you watch him slowly grow wary of his beloved company. The turtleneck loving Milchick, played by Tramell Tillman, is an imposing character who can switch from smiling, dancing boss, to downright terrifying enforcer quicker than you can say “waffle party.” 

My favorite aspect of the show however, has to be its cinematography. “Severance” utilizes a mid century, ageless aesthetic which fits so well into the workplace/mysterious organization vibes. Shots rapidly alternate from wide winter landscape shots to claustrophobic shots of winding hallways. Iconic shades of blue, green, and white are present throughout, showing unity in the settings and characters of the show. One can tell that deliberate choices were made in how they shot certain scenes and I like when the cinematography is obvious enough to allow the untrained audience to appreciate it.

“Severance” packs so much into its nine episodes that I feel I haven’t even touched on a fraction of what makes it such a masterpiece of a show. I implore you to watch this show and can guarantee that you too will soon be hooked on its world and mystery. “Severance”’ is available to watch on AppleTV+.