Do We All Get Severance?
Mark leads a team of office workers whose memories have been surgically divided between their work and personal lives. When a mysterious colleague appears outside of work, it begins a journey to discover the truth about their jobs.
The show begins by asking, "Who are you?" We're learning a little more about this universe where some people opt to have their brains split between their personal and professional life. It's a metaphor for modern Americans, and maybe one that feels all too familiar.
There is a Cabin in the Woods sense to Severance, as if there is some leviathan below that we are appeasing, lest it unleash the end of the world. This show has been off from the beginning of the first episode, and the Director wants to make sure you feel off, too. WebMD calls this feeling derealization.
Derealization is a mental state where you feel detached from your surroundings. People and objects around you may seem unreal. Even so, you're aware that this altered state isn't normal.
It's impossible to decide precisely the weirdest part of this show or which character is the most bizarre. Is it Tramell Tillman as Milchick? Patricia Arquette as Harmony Cobel? Or Ricken, played by Michael Chernus. Ricken is played so well that I don't think I like Michael Chernus.
Check it out, experience derealization, and appease the Leviathan.
