As we inch nearer to the top of Severance’s second season, there are nonetheless plenty of open questions. Nevertheless it’s additionally grow to be clear that the present isn’t in a rush to reply them. Whereas many thriller field exhibits race to their conclusions, dashing by way of plot factors so shortly that it may be arduous to maintain up, Severance has spent the latter a part of this season meandering by way of flashbacks and spending some high quality time with its characters. It’s a slower tempo than different status streaming exhibits, however these episodes have helped present simply how fascinating a spot Severance’s weird world is. They’ve additionally helped set the present up for the finale — and solutions — to return.
Spoilers forward for Severance, as much as season 2, episode 9.
It began with the seventh episode, which shifted the main target from the Macrodata Refinement crew to middle on Gemma (Dichen Lachman) and the nightmarish procedures and checks she was put by way of to grow to be the calm and picked up Ms. Casey. That was adopted by a visit down reminiscence lane for Concord Cobel (Patricia Arquette), who went again to her hometown, an remoted fishing village that was additionally beforehand residence to a Lumon Industries ether plant. The story sped up barely this week, with private vignettes that lined nearly each essential forged member.
These episodes have offered some welcome backstory and worldbuilding. Gemma’s trials and torture confirmed the depths Lumon is prepared to sink to with the intention to make the severance process work. We already knew issues had been dangerous, however this was one other stage. Cobel’s freezing journey gave some perception into Lumon’s extra humble beginnings, which included some equally questionable morals (involving, apparently, youngster labor fueled by drug use), together with a great motive as to why she is so bitter and indignant. And the most recent episode, “The After Hours,” confirmed the impression of Lumon and the severance process from a number of views.
For a present that has a lot lurking beneath the floor, even these small glimpses into the equipment of Lumon really feel notable and illuminating. It might be a terrifying place, however I need to spend time on this world, seeking out particulars and soaking within the oppressive ambiance — which is why the at-times plodding tempo didn’t hassle me a lot.
However there’s additionally clearly a component of technique right here. On a regular basis spent away from Lumon’s basement workplace was used to make it apparent the place many of the key figures on this story are proper now. That’s most obvious in “The After Hours,” which is mainly a primer for no matter is about to go down within the finale. We now have Mark (Adam Scott) assembly up with Cobel to hatch a plan to probably rescue Gemma, as a substitute of ending his mysterious and necessary work at Lumon. That is all taking place whereas Mark tries to type by way of the break up recollections merging collectively in his head.
In the meantime, his exasperated supervisor Mr. Milchick (Tramell Tillman) is displaying some spine towards his personal oppressive supervisor, Dylan (Zach Cherry) is threatening to give up whereas coping with a novel type of infidelity, Irving (John Turturro) is leaving city and coping with an equally distinctive type of heartbreak, youngster supervisor Miss Huang (Sarah Bock) has apparently graduated and is being transferred to a different facility, and Helly’s innie (Britt Decrease) is about to fulfill her outie’s dad. (Helly additionally introduces viewers to maybe essentially the most weird and unsettling method to eat a hardboiled egg.)
It’s a difficult balancing act, however Severance has managed to spend a handful of episodes slowly increasing its world and exploring a number of characters, whereas additionally steadily pushing itself towards a finale that may virtually undoubtedly reply a few of these lingering questions. Most notably, that features Mark lastly discovering Gemma, the mysterious darkish hallway and elevator, and simply what the hell the Chilly Harbor file is. (The ultimate episode is, in reality, known as “Chilly Harbor.”) Extra questions will undoubtedly come up quickly after — the Severance crew loves a cliffhanger, in any case — however that’s simply extra alternatives to hang around within the Lumon basement.
