The second season of «Severance» is not just a continuation of the hit Apple TV+ series. It’s a journey into the deeper darkness of corporate hell, where every choice, every action, and even your memory itself is no longer yours. The first season set the bar for a psychological thriller and made us think, and the second season pushes the boundaries of the genre even further, adding more drama, more anxiety, and even more unanswered questions.
Pluses:
the actors are on top of their game, especially Adam Scott; the script is even deeper and more complex; the atmosphere is pressure and paranoia at its maximum; the world is expanding — now Lumon seems even scarier
Minuses:
pace — in some places we want more dynamics; many questions, few answers — still not clear explanations
Genre psychological thriller, drama, detective, fiction
Directors Ben Stiller, et al.
Starring Adam Scott, Britt Lowery, Zach Cherry, John Turturro, Christopher Walken, and others.
Premiere February 18, 2025, Apple TV
In case anyone has forgotten (and it’s possible because the first season was released a long time ago), the finale was a bomb. It left the audience in a state of absolute shock. The main characters were able to activate «workers» themselves in the real world, which meant that for the first time they were able to look at their own lives from the outside.
It was a shock for everyone: Heli learned that she was not a simple employee, but the daughter of a high-ranking person at Lumon. She is not a victim, but a part of the system. Irving was faced with the fact that his «outside» life was not at all what he had imagined. Mark realized at the last second that his deceased wife was… not so dead.
The second season begins with this chaos. Lumon is not going to stand aside, the company is taking control again. Increased surveillance, new methods of suppressing any riots, even more manipulation. But the main thing is that now the characters know that there is something on the other side, and this hope becomes their driving force. But here’s the question: what if there is no way out?
If the first season of «Severance» could be called an office detective, the second season is a full-fledged psychological thriller with elements of existential horror.
It is less focused on investigation and more immersed in the characters’ experiences. Many scenes are based solely on their internal conflicts, blurring the line between emotional tension and real madness.
The main change in the script is the feeling of hopelessness. In the first season, everything seemed simpler: if the characters could reveal the truth, they would get out. But now it becomes clear that Lumon is much stronger than it seems, and that even if your eyes have been opened, it doesn’t mean you can change anything.
The series again plays with our perception of reality. Some moments make you doubt: is this the real world or just another level of manipulation? Can the characters trust themselves? And most importantly, what is Lumon really?
But the first season was more dynamic and had more intrigue. But the second one approaches the story from a different angle — it is deeper in terms of the psychology of the characters. We finally see them not just as victims, but as individuals, each with their own internal conflict. It is slower, which may be a disadvantage for some. Some scenes are overlong, but this is justified: they make us feel the same discomfort as the characters.
If in the first season we were kept on the verge of a nervous breakdown because of the unknown, in the second season we were kept on the verge of realizing that there might not be a way out.
The world of Lumon is a reflection of the worst aspects of modern corporate culture. We’ve all felt torn between our work and personal lives at least once in our lives. Everyone has thought at least once: «If only I could just turn off my head and not think about office shit». But «Severance» shows that this fantasy is actually scary.
Britt Lower (Heli) also gave one of the strongest performances of the season. Her character is an explosive cocktail of self-loathing and fear of the truth. She is no longer just a rebel, but a person who goes from denial to harsh realization.
All the other actors are perfectly chosen, the casting of the series is incredible. Everyone coped with their task.
If you swallowed the first season overnight, the second season will make you chew it for a long time and be afraid to swallow the truth.
The cinematography is still incredibly cold, sterile, and eerie. The camera works in such a way that you literally feel the isolation of the characters. There are frequent long shots, static shots when it is necessary to emphasize the hopelessness.
The music here is not flashy, but when it’s on, it chills you to the bone. Electronic eerie motifs and oppressive silence.
