I, like many, have become obsessed with the Apple TV original “Severance,” produced, and in part directed, by Ben Stiller. The show portrays a corporate world not unlike our own. It is set somewhere vaguely in America in the fictional town Kier, where the entire economy of the town is centered around the headquarters of a mega-corporation known as Lumon. The work of Lumon has been described as both “mysterious and important” – a recurring theme our characters face as they’re trapped in the labyrinth known as Lumon Severed floor. The work of “Severance” is very mysterious indeed: one’s consciousness is split in half, eliminating one’s ability to remember their work life and their “work-self’s” ability remember their life outside of work.
Imagine clocking in, entering an elevator to get on your floor, then as you blink, you’re suddenly riding it back up ready to clock out. That’s life for the “severed” employees, and while that may seem like heaven to some, it comes with the nightmare that is your “other self” perpetually stuck working. Just as you’re unable to ever remember working there, they’re unable to remember anything about themselves; if they have a family, what the sky looks like, what fresh flowers smell like.
This original and creative premise sets the ground for some of the most enjoyable TV of the last 10 years. Full of mystery and tension, this show will make you laugh, scream and cry. While there is much to love about the show, one of my favorite recurring moments is its satirized portrayal of America’s corporate culture.
The premise of the show remains grounded by its satirized yet realistic portrayal of American office life. For instance, during the second episode of the first season, “Half Loop,” one of the standout scenes is an awkward icebreaker game in which our main cast and their supervisor Mr. Milchick (Tramell Tillman) must introduce themselves while passing around a red ball. This scene perfectly imitates the very childish sensation of icebreaker games within not just corporate life, but even at a university. The awkwardness of the characters as well as the red ball and the seats that are way too small for any adult to be sitting in captures the absurdity of workplace norms.
Another example, albeit a much more absurd one, comes at the climax of seventh episode of the first season, “Defiant Jazz.” Mr. Milchick decides to congratulate the main team for their dedication and how close they’ve gotten to their quota with a “5-minute Music Dance Experience.” The scene that follows is a mind-bending three minutes of awkward dancing that loudly mocks any corporate pizza party meant to “increase cooperation among peers.” This scene is a lot more absurd than the simple icebreaker game in the beginning of the season and represents just the beginning of the weirdness our cast faces.
Beyond the main cast, Milchick plays a unique role as the supervisor of the severed floor throughout the show. He has numerous strange encounters when dealing with the higher ups at Lumon. For example, there is one instance in the third episode of the second season, “Who Is Alive?,” in which Milchick is congratulated by the mysterious entity known as “The Board.” In the scene Milchick, a Black man, is given “reimagined” portraits of the founders of Lumon in blackface. The reason for this, according to the board, is that he is able to feel connected to the company’s history. For all of its excessiveness, this scene does an excellent job at portraying the race relations in the corporate world. While this “attempt” by the board is to connect Milchick with the company and respect Milchick’s identity, all it really does is reinforce the barriers Milchick faces simply for his identity. His character is boiled down to just the color of his skin, which is used as a stick to beat him with.
There are countless scenes littered throughout the show, pinpointing at best the awkwardness of corporate culture and at worst the humiliating effects that come when one person or entity has so much power and control over you. “Severance” does an excellent job at portraying these negatives head on while also not dumbing it down to the point where it loses meaning. More than anything, “Severance” portrays just how much late-stage capitalism and corporate power and overreach affect the human psyche. At a time when corporations are given the power to do whatever they want, “Severance,” and shows like it, have become more important than ever.
