The highly anticipated return of Severance, the psychological sci-fi thriller created by Dan Erikson and directed by Ben Stiller, has arrived – captivating audiences with its chilling dystopian exploration of the work-life balance, a concept far too familiar to Cambridge students. Since its debut in 2022, the show has ignited widespread discussion about modern corporate culture, the impact of technology, and the rapid rise of biotechnology. As fans eagerly await the full release of the second season, it’s worth reflecting on the show’s impact and examining how it mirrors our real-world anxieties about the future of labour and human autonomy.

“While the idea of severance may seem far-fetched, we’re already living in an age where technology is reshaping how we live, work, and think”

At the heart of the show is a radical procedure called ‘severance,’ in which employees at the enigmatic Lumon Industries undergo surgery to divide their memories into two distinct compartments: one for work and one for personal life. When they are at work they have no memory of their lives outside of the office, and when they leave, they can’t recall their experiences inside of Lumon. This creates a Kafkaesque scenario where employees live dual, unaware lives, unable to reconcile the two parts of their existence.

The sinister ‘break room’ – where workers are sent for disciplining – is a horrifyingly joyless holding cell, in which supervisor Mr. Milchick (played by Tamell Tillman) is the tyrannical jailer. It is a suffocating testament to the company’s oppressive conditions, in which the monotonous rigidity of the workday ensures that any trace of individualism is stripped away. Severance has a dark, dry humour that blends existential absurdity with a chillingly dystopian atmosphere, making its moments of levity feel both unsettling and oddly hilarious.

Adam Scott plays Mark, who works in a department called ‘Microdata Refinement’, where he and the rest of his team – Irving (John Turturro), Helly R. (Britt Lower), and Dylan (Zach Cherry) – process seemingly meaningless data. As he begins to question the ethical status of his ‘severed’ existence, he starts to uncover dark secrets about Lumon Industries, and the consequences of a world in which personal autonomy is sacrificed for corporate control.

What makes Severance so brilliant is its relevance to today’s world, where biotechnology and neurotechnology are advancing rapidly. Companies like Neuralink, co-founded by Elon Musk, are working on technologies that could potentially alter human cognition and memory. While the idea of severance may seem far-fetched, we’re already living in an age where technology is reshaping how we live, work, and think.

Furthermore, the religious delusion produced by the ‘Doctrine of Kier,’ a quasi-religious belief system at the core of Lumon’s corporate culture, serves as a crucial tool of control. Founded by original CEO, Kier Eagan, this doctrine frames work as a higher calling and presents severance as a moral and spiritual act that frees employees from personal distractions. The doctrine demands unquestioning loyalty, and the severed employees are conditioned to accept their divided lives as righteous. While exaggerated for dramatic effect, the Doctrine of Kier mirrors real-world corporate cultures, especially in sectors driven by innovative technology. Companies like SpaceX view themselves as world-changing entities, their zealotry conditioning employees to view their work as created for a higher purpose.

“The series explores how today’s work culture blurs the line between personal and professional”

It explores how today’s work culture blurs the line between personal and professional, with employees (and students!) expected to undergo a psychological severance and sacrifice their own interests upon arrival to their workplace.

Season one of Severance left viewers with more questions than answers, particularly regarding the true nature of Lumon Industries, and the broader implications of severance technology. By the end of the season, Mark and his colleagues start to uncover a darker conspiracy within Lumon, while also confronting unsettling truths about their own lives. The season concludes with a cliff-hanger that sets the stage for further exploration into the sinister nature of the company and the potential rebellion of those trapped in the severed system.

Season two, which is now being released weekly on Apple TV, promises to dive deeper into the moral and psychological implications of severance. Expect revelations about the company’s hidden agenda, as well as a further exploration of the split between the mysterious work at Lumon, and the personal identities of its employees. The new season will also likely explore public sentiment towards the invasive concept of severance – will society resist this technology, or will it continue to proliferate under the guise of corporate productivity?

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