Review: 'Severance' Season 2

Spoilers ahead

The current state of the drama genre in television is dire. Seriously. For the past few years, when you take a look at the comedy categories during awards season, it’s a bloodbath. Then you look at the drama categories, and it’s abysmal. You can’t convince me that The White Lotus deserves to be in these conversations, sorry! This category used to mean something! This is why Severance has been a massive breath of fresh air — our shining light in a sea of mediocrity.

Season 1 delivered intrigue and suspense, building to an incredible finale that ended on an enormous cliffhanger. After a dreadfully long wait, season 2 premiered, and I was ecstatic. Now that the entire season has been released, I have to say I was slightly disappointed — an unpopular opinion, I know.

Season 2 was by no means “bad.” It had the highest of highs with “Chikhai Bardo” and “Cold Harbour” and had numerous interesting insights about the characters and the history of Lumon.

Each episode was enjoyable on its own. But do I think these episodes came together to form a well-paced, cohesive season? No, I don’t. At its worst, Severance is still solid television but I found season 2 poorly structured and not as tightly crafted in comparison to season 1. Certain storylines dragged and other ones were underdeveloped. The pacing was shaky.

Season 2 explored more of the outside world, including the Outies’ lives. This was exciting because season 1 didn’t show us much of them. We got to meet Dylan’s wife, played by the amazing Merritt Wever. I absolutely adore her and think she should be in everything. Outie Irving and Burt had a very revealing dinner then a tragically romantic goodbye at a train station. Helena Eagan proved to be as complicated as they come.

The downside is that there were too many ongoing storylines. It’s a tricky balancing act to split screentime between the Innies and the Outies, plus Milchik, Miss Huang, and Cobel, all while progressing the main plot in ten episodes. It was an ambitious but disjointed effort.

I always liked what the show was going for, but not always how they did it. For instance, Cobel switching sides made sense but felt abrupt. Her motive and decision to work against Lumon was explained to us in one episode — the one before she teamed up with Mark, no less. It just didn’t work for me. She was absent for the majority of the season, so whatever inner turmoil she had wasn’t gradually developed and shown to us.

Outie Irving’s storyline could’ve used more time. He was only in episodes 5 and 6 before exiting the story in episode 9. He left and we still don’t know anything about his Lumon investigation or why he specifically posed a threat to Lumon, so the stakes surrounding his exit didn’t feel as high. There was a lack of suspense there. Also, Irving played a very passive role and I wished he was more involved with the main plot, but I am very grateful for all the Burt and Irving scenes.

Where I think Severance was successful was with the Dylans and their strange love triangle. I also liked the exploration of Milchik’s standing in Lumon and the microaggressions he had to endure, adding even more layers to the company. These were both enjoyable subplots that consistently progressed over the course of season 2.

A major plot point I must talk about is reintegration. The promise of it came as early as episode 3, which was a huge subversion of expectation and unfortunately, a letdown. I didn’t know what to expect exactly but I hoped the series would capitalize on a wickedly cool moment, instead, Severance gave us bleeding noses and a few reality glitches.

Every episode I wondered when reintegration would happen. It’s not that I expected it to happen immediately, I just thought the series would make meaningful advancements with that storyline in each episode, and they didn’t. Reintegration didn’t feel as significant as initially presented to us.  

Severance frontloaded all the interesting plot points (including Helena’s reveal and Irving B’s sacrifice) and stalled until the finale. All this great momentum in the beginning just halted. This was my overall gripe with season 2 but everything else I genuinely loved.

Season 2 was a technical marvel. Jessica Lee Gagné’s directorial debut blew me away — a feast for the eyes. There were so many striking sequences with unique camera work. This goes for the entire season. Every episode was stunning and had some incredible shots.

What the editing team did, especially with the reintegration-related scenes, was exceptional. Wickedly sharp. Perfectly timed. Smooth and creative transitions from scene to scene. Completely enhanced the story and emotion of the characters.

Music also played an important role this season. "La Valse à Mille Temps" played over a very sweet montage of Mark and Gemma’s relationship over the years, allowing us to fall in love with them and understand the magnitude of Mark’s loss. The “Windmills of Your Mind” needledrop, paired with the red lighting, made the final scene of the season so memorable.

And of course, I have to highlight the phenomenal performances of everyone. Whether their role was big or small, the actors killed it. Sydney Cole Alexander stole all 5 minutes of her screen time! Britt Lower and Adam Scott were particularly impressive. Britt Lower convincingly played her Outie pretending to be her Innie. Adam Scott constantly switched back and forth between his Outie and Innie. They were able to track and distinguish both their characters’ emotional journeys and personalities so well.

Despite the structural messiness of season 2, Severance is still one of the best shows out there right now. There is so much to enjoy and rave about in this series. I know I’m looking forward to season 3. I just hope it’s not another 3-year wait.