Severance reviews

Sign In. Severance —. Hide Spoilers.

This is ironic, given that the conceit of the show, directed by Ben Stiller , is essentially the bifurcating of brains. One has no idea what the other does with its time and any anxieties or burdens carried in either mode do not bleed into the other. It is, supposedly, the work-life balance made flesh. Except, of course, it is a little more complicated than that. Perhaps this is true for all of them — a deeply touching friendship between meticulous control freak Irving John Turturro and Burt Christopher Walken starts to develop in a way that suggests Irving might be hiding from something on the outside — but newcomer Helly Britt Lower seems to regret her choice. Helly repeatedly tries to resign — or escape, which on the severance floor seem to be virtually synonymous — only to be thwarted at every turn. I am not going to enumerate them here, but the thoughtfulness that has gone into building the premise and the careful working out of various points is indicative of the quality of Severance as a whole.

Severance reviews

Indebted to the world-bending works of Charlie Kaufman and Franz Kafka , but also refreshingly original, "Severance" tells a complex story of unimaginable technology that takes place in an exaggerated, impossible world that still feels relatable and deeply human. There are no windows. There are no posters on the walls. Four cubicles sit in the center of the room, at which four employees mine data, a process that consists of looking at numbers and waiting for a feeling about them to make it clear that those numbers need to be shuffled off into a folder. One will not have any memory of the other. Helly is guided by Mark Scott , who has been promoted after his best friend Petey Yul Vazquez was suddenly fired. What would that mean? There are also questions about why a business would want severed employees and the moral implications that would entail. What are they hiding? Creator Dan Erickson spins his concept in consistently unexpected, riveting ways, pushing his characters through a perfectly balanced series of plot twists and character revelations. Scott plays the two Marks with subtle differentiation.

It also, severance reviews the innie scenes, manages to skewer the lighter aspects of life under late western capitalism. It's like a cross between Black Mirror andbut it might be better than both of those works of art, severance reviews. Britt Lower.

Hold it a second. In the series, which was created by Dan Erickson and directed by Ben Stiller and Aoife McArdle, the employees who work on the so-called severance floor at Lumon Industries—a shadowy megacorporation—know nothing of their lives outside the office. They have chosen to undergo a surgical procedure in which their consciousness is bifurcated between work and home. Our protagonist is Mark Scout, or Mark S. At night, he sits at home alone brooding and drinking whiskey; at work, the tragedy lifts, and he immerses himself in senseless tasks. Mark works in the department of Macrodata Refinement M. John Turturro , a soulful, courtly figure and a stickler for company policy; and Dylan G.

Things you buy through our links may earn Vox Media a commission. In , in an early indication of the anti-capitalist, anti-authority themes that would define his work for decades to come, Philip K. Dick published the short story Paycheck. A man named Jennings wakes up with no memory of the past two years and no idea of the work he did in that time for Rethrick Construction. Was it out of self-preservation or fear?

Severance reviews

A few minutes into the premiere of Severance , we see Mark Scout Adam Scott alone in his car, weeping uncontrollably. He eventually pulls himself together and goes inside the building where he works. He exchanges pleasantries with the security guard on duty and takes the elevator to his basement office. He closes his eyes, and a change immediately takes place as he reaches his floor. Mark works at Lumon Industries, in the macrodata refinement division, which is as meaningless as it sounds. She wakes up on top of a conference table with no memory of who she was before this moment. Her disorientation and increasing horror set the tone for the nine-episode thriller.

Kijiji.ca kitchener waterloo

The characters are perfectly cast in my opinion, and the acting was fantastic as well. An error has occured. Only two episodes are out. What the company actually does — precisely what data the protagonists are actually spending their days sorting into unnamed files — is unknown. Admittedly, things start off slow and drag slightly with the first episode. Linda Ronstadt has found another voice. Every metric you can measure and judge a TV show on is on display with absolute mastery. Addendum: Just watched the season one finale - it is simply superb, a fitting end to a fine series and creating massive potential for season 2. This show is complex, and so for those who have not seen this yet and want to be entertained Defiant Jazz! I'm only 3 episodes in and it's my new obsession!! It's a universe unto itself. Dialogue is witty and sharp, the fact that Ben Stiller directed this blows my mind. Easy-listening tunes score the scenes, but nothing at Lumon is truly easy. The casting, acting, script, direction, cinematography, lighting, set decoration.. Lower is fantastic in the early episodes although kind of fades into the background a bit mid-season.

Indebted to the world-bending works of Charlie Kaufman and Franz Kafka , but also refreshingly original, "Severance" tells a complex story of unimaginable technology that takes place in an exaggerated, impossible world that still feels relatable and deeply human.

The sad thing is that so many corporations do this sort of thing to people, turning them into mere cogs in the machine. There are no boring moments yet. I am not going to enumerate them here, but the thoughtfulness that has gone into building the premise and the careful working out of various points is indicative of the quality of Severance as a whole. A wedding ring that lost itself. It's the best writing and acting I have seen in years. Adam Scott leads an amazing cast who all do a fantastic job. Except, of course, it is a little more complicated than that. Clear your history. An error has occured. I can't find anything else to say.