Severance Season 2 review: Generational TV in the making

The wait is almost over, and soon, you will reap the rewards of your patience – praise Kier, because Severance Season 2 will blow your mind. Prepare for your next neurotic fixation.

It has been almost three years since Mark (Adam Scott) screamed, “She’s alive!” These two words capped off one of the best cliffhangers in the history of TV, pushing viewers then – and seemingly forever – into the eternal dark and left to ponder the fates of Lumon’s rebellious MDR staff. To borrow one character’s words, “What in the f**kity-f**k-f**k?”

In defense of Ben Stiller, Dan Erickson, and co., there have been mitigating circumstances; notably, the Hollywood strikes, messing with the show’s shooting schedule and causing delays with the scripts, pushing the second season further beyond a horizon that we could never see – until now.

I’ve seen six episodes of Severance Season 2. Each one deepened my obsession and it never dissuaded me of its greatness. Let me urge you: stray not from Kier’s path, lest you miss out on what could become the best TV show of the decade. 

What is Severance Season 2 about? 

Severance Season 2 picks up quickly after the Season 1 finale, where Dylan (Zach Cherry) used the Overtime Contingency to let Mark, Helly (Britt Lower), and Irving (John Turturro) see the outside world as their innies. 

It didn’t go well: Irving found Burt (Christopher Walken), but it appeared his outie was married to another man; Helly discovered she’s Helena Eagan, the daughter of Lumon CEO Jame Eagan who’s spearheaded the Severance program; and Mark discovered that Ms. Casey (Dichen Lachman) is actually his outie’s wife Gemma, who’s supposed to be dead. 

Admittedly, there’s not a lot I can tell you – nor should you want me to divulge what happens. I can say that in the first episode, Mark returns to Lumon, where his innie meets a new MDR team (Bob Balaban, Alia Shawkat, and Stefano Carannante) and reunites with Mr Milchick (Tramell Tillman). 

As for Ms. Cobel (Patricia Arquette), her intentions with Mark remain suspiciously murky, as does her future with Lumon. Trust me, knowing anything else would ruin the fun (and the surprises – I’m willing to bet most of your predictions are wrong, and that’s a big compliment to the series). 

Severance Season 2 is worth the wait 

Apple TV+

I don’t have a single problem with Severance Season 2. What I do have is a long list of plaudits, starting with the cinematography – this is, comfortably, the most well-shot, directed (Stiller helms every episode in the second season, so extra kudos to him), edited, and beautifully lit show on television.

Its innies live under a perpetual ‘big light’, a life that’s scorchingly bright until it’s oddly (or sometimes soothingly) dark, and the wider world feels icy, vast, and empty. 

They don’t make it look easy; if this is part of why it took so long, so be it. Also, it looks refreshingly crisp, going against the grain of contrastless sludge (again, praise Kier). 

The camerawork is incredibly dynamic, particularly in its opening scene as Mark sprints through the labyrinthian underground world of Lumon (a testament to the show’s immaculate, suffocating set design too). 

Cinematography is more than a ‘One Perfect Shot’ mentality, but there’s evident and striking consideration behind every frame in the second season; if I could, I would have been screenshotting lots of moments just to gaze at them. 

Theodore Shapiro returns to composing duties, bolstering the show’s singular vibes with his eerie, melancholic score (there’s also a standout use of a theremin). His theme returns in a revamped opening title sequence, with a brilliantly creepy inverse of the first season’s imagery.

Everyone is amazing in Severance Season 2 – especially Adam Scott 

Apple TV+

Scott has to do the heaviest lifting in Severance. His outie is grief-stricken and newly ignited by the not-so-cryptic words of his innie, who can almost feel like a different person; more officious, less dismissive, but with a consistent sense of wit. 

Stiller likened his performance to Bryan Cranston’s as Walter White (not in character, but in dedication), and I’m inclined to agree – this is career-best work, shouldering an entire series with his screen presence while aching your heart. 

That’s not to say he’s better than his co-stars. They all deliver superb performances; Cherry’s dual-turn is especially nuanced in Season 2 (I wish I could explain why… but I can’t!), Lower brilliantly navigates her character’s complex arc, and the delicacy of the pain in Turturro’s delivery is exquisite. 

Tillman is fabulous, too; Milchick feels like a mountain of a man, but he can also be broken with something as mundane as a paper clip insult. And a special shoutout to Sarah Bock, Lumon’s new teenage deputy manager, a great addition to the cast who always feels wrong – that’s what makes her right. 

Severance is still funny – and horrifying 

Apple TV+

There are laugh-out-loud moments in Season 2. Mr Milchick asks Mark, in complete earnestness, if he thinks he’s a “shambolic rube.” In another scene, one of Mark’s new innie colleagues asks him, “How’s wind, is it like getting breathed on kinda?” 

Beyond Lumon’s verbosity (you may have to Google a few lines), it also pokes fun at the insidious corporate nonsense infecting other jobs; someone goes for an interview at a door company, and they’re asked, “How old were you when you knew you loved doors?” 

However, as amusing as the script often is, the series is always quietly (or, occasionally, overtly) horrifying. For example, what does it mean if an innie retires or quits; are they dead, or just ‘not there’? It doesn’t shy away from the obscenity of the Gemma/Ms. Casey reveal either; yes, it’s a focus of the second season, but the morbid implications of her still being alive are woven into Mark’s mission to find out more. 

Ultimately, the question isn’t, “Is Severance good for society?” It’s, “Is it right to sever your soul?” Sometimes, people just don’t “find their thing” and accept the hand they’ve been dealt; there can be peace in settling, but horror too – and for the innies, that’s it. Don’t expect easy answers in Season 2 – instead, enjoy staring at a wall and asking yourself, “Would I do it?” 

A final note: Apple TV only gave me the first six episodes, a privilege that also constitutes an act of televisual cruelty. In short, I’m desperate for more, and I’m sure you’ll feel the same way every week.

Dexerto Review Score: 5/5 – Great 

Severance Season 2 is an astounding achievement; a flawless showcase of craft, performance, and taut, compulsive storytelling. If it sticks the landing, it belongs in the highest echelon of television – and we should feel jubilant at its ascendance. 

Until the second season premieres on January 17, 2025, find out more about O&D, why Season 2 took so long, and other TV shows you should check out in 2025. For more information on how we score TV shows and movies, check out our scoring guidelines here.