Commissar SFLUFAN Posted March 6, 2022 Posted March 6, 2022 I'm not going to get into too many specific details about the show as I really do believe that it well and truly is best discovered first-hand. However, I'll post the trailer for those interested in getting a sense of it: So far, it's easily one of the most frightening, dystopic works of art that I've experienced in quite a long time. The commentary on capitalism and corporate culture may be a bit "on the nose", but sometimes that level of unsubtlety is exactly what's needed to make it's point effectively. And somehow, the show manages to be genuinely funny (in a VERY darkly humorous way) that only serves to highlight the underlying horror of its premise. Of course, I'm also a sucker for the show's "retrofuturist" aesthetic I look forward to discussing it further in this thread! 2 Quote
TheLeon Posted March 6, 2022 Posted March 6, 2022 It’s definitely on my list. I’ve been waiting to let several episodes build up before diving in. Quote
legend Posted March 6, 2022 Posted March 6, 2022 Good to hear. It's also my list, so I'll probably catch it soon. Quote
DPCyric Posted March 6, 2022 Posted March 6, 2022 Looks like my type of show when I end up with Apple TV somehow I will give it a go. Quote
skillzdadirecta Posted March 6, 2022 Posted March 6, 2022 Gonna start it tonight. It was on my list but I usually wait for a couple of episodes so I can binge if I want. I keep telling people Apple has the best overall quality with their shows. If you have an Iphone get a free trial and check it out. Quote
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted March 19, 2022 Author Posted March 19, 2022 Apple has released a free e-book related to the show: Severance BOOKS.APPLE.COM Crime & Thrillers · 2022 Quote
TheLeon Posted March 22, 2022 Posted March 22, 2022 I’ve watched the first couple episodes, and so far it lives up to the hype. And any show that still does an elaborate title sequence gets bonus points from me. Quote
TwinIon Posted March 22, 2022 Posted March 22, 2022 When I first saw the trailer I thought it was an interesting concept, but it wasn't until actually watching the show that I came to understand the actual implications of what severance would imply. It really is quite horrifying, but the show is very well done and worth a watch to anyone curious. Quote
TheLeon Posted March 25, 2022 Posted March 25, 2022 I’m fully caught up now, including episode 7 that just dropped tonight. There’s a ton to say about this show, but I’ll leave most of that to people smarter and more articulate than me. I’ll just say: SEVERENCE GOOD! This show is so funny to me because it’s only slightly exaggerated from how I imagine giant corporations actually operate. Quote
skillzdadirecta Posted March 29, 2022 Posted March 29, 2022 Very good show. Completely caught up today. Quote
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted April 6, 2022 Author Posted April 6, 2022 Renewed for a second season: Apple TV+ announces season two renewal for global hit series “Severance” - Apple TV+ Press WWW.APPLE.COM Apple TV+ today announced a second season pick-up for “Severance,” the critically acclaimed workplace thriller from creator and writer Dan Erickson. Quote
TheLeon Posted April 6, 2022 Posted April 6, 2022 Good! It was looking like way too much to wrap up in one episode. Quote
skillzdadirecta Posted April 6, 2022 Posted April 6, 2022 3 hours ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said: Renewed for a second season: Apple TV+ announces season two renewal for global hit series “Severance” - Apple TV+ Press WWW.APPLE.COM Apple TV+ today announced a second season pick-up for “Severance,” the critically acclaimed workplace thriller from creator and writer Dan Erickson. Quote
skillzdadirecta Posted April 8, 2022 Posted April 8, 2022 Latest episode is up and it is AWESOME. Quote
Kal-El814 Posted April 8, 2022 Posted April 8, 2022 8 hours ago, skillzdadirecta said: Latest episode is up and it is AWESOME. Yeah, it ends really strong. This season was the prefect length for me, I think each episode really delivered, kept me wanting more, and the tension in the last 2 episodes specifically was incredibly well executed. Some spoilery thoughts. Spoiler I wonder if they'll go into what Lumon "does" more than they have, and I think I'd be fine with it if they didn't. My operating " theory" for the MDR group is that Mark was there to see if severance would remove memories about a loved one, Irv was there to see if severance would change their sexuality, and Dylan; was there to see if severance would remove memories of your kids. I could be wrong though, who knows. I don't know why the Severance floor seems so sparsely staffed, particularly in hindsight once Helly's identity has been revealed? I get that they don't want to have a lot of non-severed employees down there but it seems like a severed person to watch the security cameras would have been a good idea. Lumon certainly seems to have the resources to do a better job. I wonder what Cobel's deal is. She seems more invested in Mark than she "should be," all things considered. Also really curious to know about how Gemma "died." Anyway the performances were almost all great. I hadn't seen Trammel Tillman (Milchick) in anything before and he was fucking awesome in this. His range and how smoothly he could change gears was just so, so good. They give out awards for acting right? He should get one. Quote
TwinIon Posted April 8, 2022 Posted April 8, 2022 The last episode is really good. I hope the wait for season 2 isn't too long. Spoilers. Spoiler Seeing the innies react to their lives was fascinating. It was fun to have both ends of the spectrum, where we know what is going on with Mark and what his life is like and who these people are, but have no such frame of reference for the others. The entire season has been something of a hunt for clues as to what is going on, for both the viewer and the characters, and it's kinda great that the biggest discoveries made are in the outside world. It was also quite the cliffhanger. A bold way to end season 1 of a show for a show that hasn't been relying on cliffhangers so far. As far as what Lumon actually does, I've been of the opinion that there isn't really any actual work being done. It's all an experiment on the severed themselves for some other purpose. Step one in some wider plan for control of the workforce or something. The thing that gets me is that Lumon seems to very clearly understand how they're torturing these people. However it began, at this point they're aware what the severed are and how excruciating life is for them. Quote
skillzdadirecta Posted April 8, 2022 Posted April 8, 2022 Wait, that was the season finale??? There isn't one more episode?! Quote
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted April 8, 2022 Author Posted April 8, 2022 5 minutes ago, skillzdadirecta said: Wait, that was the season finale??? There isn't one more episode?! Nope - that was the season finale! Quote
Kal-El814 Posted April 8, 2022 Posted April 8, 2022 2 hours ago, TwinIon said: The last episode is really good. I hope the wait for season 2 isn't too long. Spoilers. Reveal hidden contents Seeing the innies react to their lives was fascinating. It was fun to have both ends of the spectrum, where we know what is going on with Mark and what his life is like and who these people are, but have no such frame of reference for the others. The entire season has been something of a hunt for clues as to what is going on, for both the viewer and the characters, and it's kinda great that the biggest discoveries made are in the outside world. It was also quite the cliffhanger. A bold way to end season 1 of a show for a show that hasn't been relying on cliffhangers so far. As far as what Lumon actually does, I've been of the opinion that there isn't really any actual work being done. It's all an experiment on the severed themselves for some other purpose. Step one in some wider plan for control of the workforce or something. The thing that gets me is that Lumon seems to very clearly understand how they're torturing these people. However it began, at this point they're aware what the severed are and how excruciating life is for them. So… Spoiler I have to assume Lumon is doing something? It seems unlikely that Cobel and the board would be invested in the team meeting quota of they were doing nothing. And the team seems like they agree on which numbers are scary, and If they could program something that specific it seems like they’d also be able to program more obedience. Who knows tho. Quote
Kal-El814 Posted April 9, 2022 Posted April 9, 2022 Also... Spoiler One of the weirder elements about this season for me was the vibe that Mark's brother in law and his friends had. I know people fall in love with people who have different vibes all the time, but she and Ricken feel like an odd coupling. That in of itself wouldn't be too weird except Ricken's friends seem like caricatures in a show that doesn't really have any of those other than that set of people. Ricken at least seems to have some self awareness that he's a bit much, but I have no idea why they'd invest time in showing us that specific circle of friends seem completely out of touch and vapid. I don't think there's some deeper meaning here just feels like a misstep to me in a season that generally avoided those. Quote
EternallDarkness Posted April 11, 2022 Posted April 11, 2022 what a horrible place to end it!!!!!! 1 Quote
skillzdadirecta Posted April 11, 2022 Posted April 11, 2022 23 minutes ago, EternallDarkness said: what a horrible place to end it!!!!!! Imagine how I felt thinking there was another episode Quote
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted April 12, 2022 Author Posted April 12, 2022 19 hours ago, EternallDarkness said: what a horrible place to end it!!!!!! 18 hours ago, skillzdadirecta said: Imagine how I felt thinking there was another episode 8 1 Quote
TwinIon Posted April 12, 2022 Posted April 12, 2022 On 4/8/2022 at 11:47 AM, Kal-El814 said: So… Hide contents I have to assume Lumon is doing something? It seems unlikely that Cobel and the board would be invested in the team meeting quota of they were doing nothing. And the team seems like they agree on which numbers are scary, and If they could program something that specific it seems like they’d also be able to program more obedience. Who knows tho. Spoiler I think the different nature of each department indicates to me that they're running various experiments at the same time. They're testing something about how severed people operate in various environments and conditions. There was a department that was only two people (I forget which one), and another that was a whole giant group manning the 3D printers. For the refiners, that means a group of four under specific work conditions. The emergence of "scary numbers" is just Lumon's version of the Four Lights from TNG. It's all experiments about controlling a workforce, but to some unclear end. At least, that's my feeling right now. I feel like thematically that makes the most sense to me. I think it could actually be more interesting if we find out that Lumon is actually doing something real and that the data refiners in particular are doing some task that somehow requires a severed mind to complete. Could well be that the noise of living prevents a complete person from seeing what they can see. The more I think about it, the more it could be an incredible twist if we find out that their work actually is important and that severence is the only way to do it. In any case, it seems that the reception was good enough that we're getting more of the show. Apple seems to still value prestige buzz over viewership for the time being. I just hope we don't have a Barry like wait in between seasons. Quote
Kal-El814 Posted April 12, 2022 Posted April 12, 2022 12 minutes ago, TwinIon said: Hide contents I think the different nature of each department indicates to me that they're running various experiments at the same time. They're testing something about how severed people operate in various environments and conditions. There was a department that was only two people (I forget which one), and another that was a whole giant group manning the 3D printers. For the refiners, that means a group of four under specific work conditions. The emergence of "scary numbers" is just Lumon's version of the Four Lights from TNG. It's all experiments about controlling a workforce, but to some unclear end. At least, that's my feeling right now. I feel like thematically that makes the most sense to me. I think it could actually be more interesting if we find out that Lumon is actually doing something real and that the data refiners in particular are doing some task that somehow requires a severed mind to complete. Could well be that the noise of living prevents a complete person from seeing what they can see. The more I think about it, the more it could be an incredible twist if we find out that their work actually is important and that severence is the only way to do it. In any case, it seems that the reception was good enough that we're getting more of the show. Apple seems to still value prestige buzz over viewership for the time being. I just hope we don't have a Barry like wait in between seasons. Yeah that’s all fair. Spoiler Without knowing more about Helly or the larger world, it seems a little strange that her outie would agree to severance just as a proof of concept? The public seems to generally believe that it works based on the protests and how Mark’s sister interacted with his innie. And if we can take the interactions that Cobel has with the board and the dead security guard as reasonably truthful, the board seems unaware of reintegration being a thing or at least unwilling to acknowledge to someone that works for them that it’s possible. So Helly likely thinks she’s in for keeps. I suppose Helly’s outie would know that she’d have no idea what she’s doing while working with Lumon before she agreed to go, but the family connection makes me feel like there’s something more to it than just experiments… though I don’t doubt those are happening, too. Quote
Firewithin Posted April 12, 2022 Posted April 12, 2022 Milchick is the most unsettling character in this 1 1 Quote
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted April 12, 2022 Author Posted April 12, 2022 12 minutes ago, Firewithin said: Milchick is the most unsettling character in this He absolutely is! He seems like he could come cataclysmically unhinged at any time. 1 Quote
skillzdadirecta Posted April 14, 2022 Posted April 14, 2022 On 4/12/2022 at 4:29 PM, Firewithin said: Milchick is the most unsettling character in this On 4/12/2022 at 4:42 PM, Commissar SFLUFAN said: He absolutely is! He seems like he could come cataclysmically unhinged at any time. He's definitely a "True Believer" in whatever Lumin is up to. A zealot in every sense of the word. Quote
legend Posted April 14, 2022 Posted April 14, 2022 Regarding what their work is Spoiler I agree that it's all an experiment and not real is a plausible hypothesis, but I did have a thought as I watched the show that would involve it being more "real." The main idea is MDR is involved in censoring data of disturbing things Lumen has done from documents and that they're actually viewing images or something of the like, but their mind has been altered to only perceive numbers. Here is some reasoning on that. * I'm reminded of the experiments with people who have their Corpus Callosum severed. In these experiments, you do things like show a patient a picture to only one eye. You then ask them what it is and they say they can't tell you. But then you ask them to write what it is that they're seeing, and they're able to write down what they're seeing! Or it goes something like that (it's been a while since I learned about it.) So here, the visceral emotional reaction they have could be a consequence of the fact that in reality, they're seeing some disturbing shit, but they aren't able to articulate what it is. * Lumen censoring disturbing shit they do is totally in character and big brother enough to fit. * Lumen using severed employees to search and censor this stuff, while also keeping them even unaware of it, is in line with their overly cautious security about it. There can never be a leak. * Furthermore, Lumen may reason that if taken to court, they could argue less legal culpability if no one actually knows what data they're censoring. (This would play well with corporate government corruption and loophole themes) * The idea just adds one more layer to the whole "severance" philosophy they take. Quote
Mr.Vic20 Posted April 14, 2022 Posted April 14, 2022 Just finished this and it was a great ride! I love the characters, I love the exchanges, and despite a pretty absurd premise, I like the unfolding of it all. Quote
EternallDarkness Posted April 14, 2022 Posted April 14, 2022 5 minutes ago, Mr.Vic20 said: Just finished this and it was a great ride! I love the characters, I love the exchanges, and despite a pretty absurd premise, I like the unfolding of it all. I don't know that I would say the premise is absurd. I could totally see people wanting to separate themselves from their work. Quote
Mr.Vic20 Posted April 14, 2022 Posted April 14, 2022 1 minute ago, EternallDarkness said: I don't know that I would say the premise is absurd. I could totally see people wanting to separate themselves from their work. Yes, agreed, but the technological solution is the absurd part. Quote
EternallDarkness Posted April 14, 2022 Posted April 14, 2022 Just now, Mr.Vic20 said: Yes, agreed, but the technological solution is the absurd part. I don't think we are that far away from this kind of thing being possible Quote
Mr.Vic20 Posted April 14, 2022 Posted April 14, 2022 Just now, EternallDarkness said: I don't think we are that far away from this kind of thing being possible Spoiler The complete division of a person's memories and development growth would be a monumental challenge, not only for the human mind but for the tech that would produce that effect. We are waaay farther way from this than you might think. Quote
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