Severance – Review [Apple TV+]

SEVERANCE on Apple TV+ is a new thriller series with sci-fi elements along the lines of Black Mirror. In other words, it’s both brilliant and terrifying. You really don’t want to miss out on this mindf*ck. Read our full Severance season 1 review here!

SEVERANCE is a new Apple TV+ thriller series starring Adam Scott in the all-important lead role. However, there is no doubt that the supporting cast is just as essential. Every single character plays a crucial role, so I can see why so many very familiar faces are cast in roles of all sizes.

The series has a total of nine episodes with runtimes between 40 minutes to just over an hour. The first two episodes will be released when the series premieres on Apple TV+ on February 18, 2022. The less you know up-front, the better. Well, apart from the core plot, obviously, which should be enough to draw you in.

Continue reading our Severance season 1 review below.

The scary concept of “Severance”

Severance is a sci-fi, thriller, mystery hybrid that could have come from the same crazy mind as any Black Mirror episode. I was both mesmerized and terrified as the story of this Apple TV+ series unfolded. It is such a mindf*ck. And I absolutely loved it.

Sure, it is a bit of a slow-burn experience at times. However, it constantly moves forward. Besides, if this story unfolded too quickly, you wouldn’t get nearly as much out of it.

In Severance, some employees have undergone a severance procedure, which surgically divides their memories between their work and personal lives.

I cannot say enough good things about Adam Scott in Severance. His entire face and demeanor change when he swifts between being his severed “work persona” and his “normal self”. For the severed person, the other half is also known as their “outie”. The workers like to speculate as to what they’re like in the real world.

It’s a trip. Really. The severed people only exist at work. They never experience sleep or anything outside of work. They don’t even see the sun. Again, it’s a mindf*ck and you’ll understand just how much, when you watch Severance on Apple TV+ which you absolutely should.

The magic of good casting

Without getting into what kind of characters, the actors portray in Severance, I can reveal that you have an immense talent pool to look forward to. Zach Cherry (You), Dichen Lachman (Altered Carbon), and Britt Lower (Future Man) all play important characters – in completely different ways. You should look forward to them.

Patricia Arquette is brilliant (and quite terrifying) in Severance. I cannot compliment Patricia Arquette (The Act) enough in this role. The same goes for her right-hand man, Milchick, portrayed perfectly by Tramell Tillman (Hunters). He can go from comfort to terror in the blink of an eye.

Also, John Turturro (The Night of) and Christopher Walken (Academy Award winner for The Deer Hunter) are absolutely magical in their scenes together. No spoilers, but there will definitely be talk of how their characters, Irving and Burt, relate to one another in Severance. Again, I loved it.

Namedropping in slightly misguided ways

There aren’t that many series on Apple TV+ but they sure have managed to produce a few truly remarkable shows. The Servant which is labeled an M. Night Shyamalan series, despite not being created by him, is one of them. Shyamalan is a producer and occasional director on The Servant.

For Severance, the name Ben Stiller is highlighted above the title much in the same way as Shyamalan with The Servant. It says “Directed by Ben Stiller” and yes, he is the director on most episodes. But not all of them. In other words, this series is partly directed by Ben Stiller.

DO CHECK OUT

The brilliant The Servant series which is currently in its third (penultimate) season >

Episodes 1-3 and 7-9 of Severance are directed by Ben Stiller, so he’s behind the first and last three. The middle three (episodes 4 through 6) are directed by Aoife McArdle. She’s a director from North Ireland who worked on music videos for the likes of Coldplay and U2. The same beginning as that of director David Fincher.

No matter if Ben Stiller or Aoife McArdle is the director on an episode, they are all intense, frightening, and absolutely mesmerizing. You really need to wrap your head around the concept, but that comes fairly quickly. After that, you’re just constantly reminded of the side effects of the whole “severance”-project.

Will there be a Severance season 2 on Apple TV+?

Well, all signs point to yes and that is a very good thing! This series is as brilliant in plot and concept as it is in execution. Having just one season would be a shame.

Also, there is plenty more to work with in a second season of Severance. After all, Apple TV+ have been good at holding on to the series that works well for them. In my book, Severance is the best thing on Apple TV+ apart from The Servant.

Now, having said that, we all know that even the best-laid plans and intentions can be changed rather suddenly. In other words, I won’t truly believe in a Severance season 2 until it’s actually shooting.

Watch season 1 of Severance on Apple TV+ now!

Severance was created by Dan Erickson who is also a producer on this Apple TV+ series alongside several of its stars. Both Adam Scott and Patricia Arquette are also producers on this series. As are directors Ben Stiller and Aoife McArdle.

Despite having seen the trailer, I quickly realized that I hadn’t actually been able to wrap my mind around the concept of severance. It’s quite brilliant and very easily described once the story starts to unfold, which means you have lots to look forward to.

Also, even the opening credits feature a little story. Now, when you binge-watch something (which we were able to do for the purpose of writing this review), you often skip the opening credits. Well, not with Severance. I was constantly discovering something new and definitely recommend watching it.

Bottomline for Severance: Do not miss out on this new Apple TV+ series and avoid spoilers. Enjoy!

Severance will premiere on Apple TV with the first two episodes on February 18, 2022. After that, there will be one weekly episode, nine in total.

Details

Creator: Dan Erickson
Writer: Dan Erickson
Directors: Ben Stiller, Aoife McArdle
Stars: Adam Scott, Patricia Arquette, John Turturro, Britt Lower, Zach Cherry, Dichen Lachman, Jen Tullock, Tramell Tillman, Michael Chernus, Christopher Walken