Severance Season 2 Episode 4 is the one TV show you need to watch this week

Severance Season 2 needs no introduction. The Apple TV+ show has received rave reviews and is dominating the streaming charts. 

So, the chances are pretty high that you’re either watching it, saving it up to binge later in the year, or sick of being told how good it is. If you’re in that latter camp – I suspect you’ve been put off by the deafening gale of praise that’s accompanied the show – do yourself a favor and watch Severance Season 2 Episode 4, ‘Woe’s Hollow’. 

I know that sounds like a random recommendation, but honestly, I watch TV for a living (the pay’s bad, and the hours are long, but I see a lot of stuff early), and ‘Woe’s Hollow’ is not just the best episode of Severance Season 2 but arguably one of the greatest episodes of any series ever. 

Oh, and don’t worry about spoilers. What makes this episode stand out isn’t necessarily plot-specific (although the story is pretty bloody good). It’s how it cuts into the show’s core themes.

Autonomy and identity

Apple TV+

How? Well, Severance is a show all about identity and autonomy. Specifically, it wants you to question how much autonomy you have in your life. After all, if you want to take part in society, you’ll need a job (unless you’re very fortunate), and the sad fact of life is that it requires us to surrender some of our freedoms.

Our respective corporate overlords basically pay us to give up a few hours of life. Many of us make our jobs part of our identity to deal with this submission. It’s a salve that soothes the pain of being on business daddy’s (or mummy’s) leash for eight or so tedious hours each day.

That’s why so many people think LinkedIn is fun (it’s not; it’s Instagram for people who think ASOS workwear is the height of fashion) or writers who can’t go more than 100 words without talking about themselves and how difficult it is to watch TV for a living (self burn). 

So far, Severance has dealt with these ideas in an incredibly exaggerated fashion. The severance procedure is a theatrical device that allows the show’s writers to cut to play with its central themes with a certain degree of detached bombast. 

Yes, there’s horror in Mark and co essentially sentencing a part of their soul to endless office hours, while Helly’s brutal attempt to scare her Outie into quitting was shocking. 

Yet, that can get a bit lost in the lunacy of Lumon’s corridors. You get distracted by the goats, Mr. Milkshake’s (Milchik to those stuffy corporate types) awkwardness, and the cult of Kier. 

However, something happens in Episode 4 – and this is where trying to stay spoiler-free makes writing this incredibly difficult (see, I’m still talking about myself) – which makes the loss of one’s agency far more visceral. 

There is a violation that happens to a fan-favorite character that reminds us that autonomy isn’t just about where you work – it’s about control over your own body and the choices you think you’re making versus what you’re actually doing. 

Apple TV+

What makes this moment so much worse is that as it happens, you want to celebrate because it’s something we’ve wanted for our heroes for so long. Then, the harrowing truth is revealed, and you slowly realize what you thought was a triumph was actually a tragedy – a stolen moment that can never be returned. 

It’s a powerful reminder that Lumon steals part of our characters every day and that no amount of waffle parties, family rooms, or finger traps can make up for that.

To me, Severance Season 2 Episode 4 isn’t just another great episode; it’s the moment this silly little show stopped being a fun little thought experiment and became something more raw, more personal, and far more terrifying.

If you’re after more of our thoughts on Severance then you’re in luck. We’ve written about Severance Season 2’s most controversial moment and explained what a Glasgow Block is.