I’ll be interested to read what Erickson has to say about this season of Severance. The thing that struck me most in this last episode was in his interview afterward, where he said something like “the much anticipated reunion between Mark and Cobel…”
This was a weird Severance episode. This season just hasn't built up the way the previous season did, and we've (not surprisingly I guess) spent a lot less time with the innies as the scope expands. And this episode was as you note a lot of deck clearing - it felt like it hit fast forward a bit on the Dylan/Irving stories just so they can spend the full finale on Mark/Helly/Cold Harbor/etc.
Certainly this season has had some amazing moments, the ORTBO was probably the clear highlight (which again was time with the innies vs outside world). Feels like whatever happens in the finale the show has to become something completely different moving forward - just don't see how we end up in a place where these people come back to the severed floor to work.
Agree with a lot of your thoughts. I still love this show, just haven't loved season as much as season 1. The penultimate episode of season 1 felt like it was really building momentum, instead of moving chess pieces like this one. The pacing has been odd. Best note I saw on the Cobel backstory episode was someone tweeting, "That episode could have been an email."
I also feel like I'm missing pieces of the Burt/Irving story. If we knew a little more about what Irving was investigating or what info he has, then I would have believed he was in danger. With what we got, I was just like, "Wait, he has to leave town? Why?"
Yeah completely agree, still love the show. Just some very odd choices about where they put emphasis in certain episodes, which leads to something like 'oh Irving has been investigating Lumon and has suspicions about Burt and has to leave town' when we've seen about 0% of that in the show itself. Just leans on the actors and they sell the moment great but you still feel like you missed an episode somewhere from a plot perspective.
The Dylan stuff is more forgiving, because innie Dylan is basically a teenager falling in love for the first time. Of course he does something like propose with a paper wedding ring even though he knows how insane the idea is
I was disappointed with both the Irving and Dylan subplots. After some elaborate, emotional table-setting for each, they just literally shuttled those characters out of the way in minutes. The Irving storyline felt very rushed and forced, he just...left with the dog? I don't know, neither was satisfying for me even if the actors involved did solid work trying to sell it.
I find myself thinking about the Lumon-world more than just watching the show, as if I should pause it every ten minutes to ponder where what I just watched fits.
Severance kicked the can of Mark's reintegration *again!*! The pacing this season has been such a mess, which is all the more unfortunate because it feels like we've spent so much time with Mark's story going nowhere while the Burt/Irving and Dylan stories held such promise, but were short-changed by moving too fast. We're supposed to believe that Outie Burt and Irving are in love? After a single dinner? Huh? So, too, with Innie Dylan proposing after two meetings? All of this could have been so much better if they had had more time to build and Mark's story would have been less frustrating if it had moved faster. As ever, the show is beautifully shot and acted, but man, the writing is wonky.
There’s no rhyme or reason to any damned part of outtie Burt and Irv’s relationship. It’s all expediently cobbled together to give great actors emotional beats or whatever, then get them out of the way for the staggering Mythology reveal.
“ when Severance worries less about the mythology, and about asking questions it may or may not be able to answer, and just focuses on the emotional nightmare at the center of its premise, it doesn’t need to do anything fancy to be riveting. ”
It’s an ironclad rule of TV: the mythology is always a let-down. Good shows (The Leftovers, I Dream of Jeannie, etc) dance around the mythology…and make the dance the thing. Shows that hinge on teasing the mythology (Lost, Battlestar Galactica) wind up breaking.
I hope Severance doesn’t break. Though Lord knows there are deep cracks.
The Oner has become a performative thing that directors/producers feel compelled to show off with. It's gotten so common that I'm rarely impressed by them anymore, because everyone is using the same tricks. Give me the showrunner capable of Spielberg Oners, the oners no one notices because they're so ingenious and subtle.
Sure, but that was 8 years ago and it feels like there have been a hundred different shows doing similar oners since. The last one I thought was effective was on The Bear, but primarily because it was more a storytelling device than a "look what I did" thing.
Hey Alan, any thoughts about this ep of Severance and the After Hours ep of Twilight Zone, aside from maybe just being an homage, specifically when Cobel and the cabin security guard exchange dialogue/code? Figured in your deep dive of Serling this might stand out to you as worthy of deeper meaning if that is what Severance is trying to convey here.
Loving The Pitt. I never want the episodes to end. Looking desperately for some new shows because damn I need more distractions from the world right now.
I know you can't watch everything, let alone review it. But curious if you saw Deli Boys from Hulu at all? Been really enjoying the zany vibe of the show. (Yes I'm not fully binging it.)
No mention of the Righteous Gemstones premiere in this week’s newsletter? It’s a crying shame because it’s the best episode of TV I saw all week. The surprise guest star has to rank near the top of the list for Guest Actor in a Comedy candidates - the best work he’s done in ages.
As someone who grew up Southern Baptist in NC, his shows should be right in my wheelhouse and I like them just fine but have never appreciated them to the level of others. Just not on the same humor wavelength as McBride which is not a slight to him in any way that's just how comedy works.
I liked the first season well enough, but I thought the second was far too redeeming for these characters and I wasn't interested in seeing anything more about them.
Season 2 was so terrible I almost quit the show. But season 3 was such a drastic improvement, it ranked highly on my favorite TV shows that year. And season 4 is off to a killer start.
Adolescence actors must be in the running for awards! More consistent as a series than the same team’s Boiling Point. Love everything about The Pitt and interesting watching it the same time as Berlin ER to contrast & compare. Missing the team bickering & bonding in Severance but still comparing well to season 1.
My big problem with Severance this season (post ORTBO) is that the show widened the scope, but at the same time, shows no interest in the wide scope. So Lumon has been around for decades, is kind of a religion/scientology scam, and operates factories with 8 year olds who come up with brain surgeries, all while it’s now always winter and there is dated tech. By opening it up, we lost all the characters. And the show appears to have no interest in telling us about the world. It’s only interested in Mark and Gemma. So if that’s what it’s interested in, it should’ve leaned into the great character dynamics and the severed floor, not expand the scope into the world and lose everything in the process.
if last night’s episode of was the last time we’ll see Irving and Dylan, I’m gonna feel a lot less confident about the direction of the show.
I just felt the episode was so crammed and rushed. Like I didn’t have a problem with the episodes away from the main characters but if they did all that “wandering” and now are suddenly cutting two main characters out of the show, I’m gonna be frustrated.
I did absolutely adore the Milchick-Drummond scene of course, as well as M’s call with Mark.
I think Milchick’s growing awareness of how Lumon perceives him and how his race plays into that has been one of the most interesting parts of this season.
Adolescence sounds like a very good show that I will never, ever, ever want to watch. Mare of Easttown basically broke me of the need to see this kind of show, no matter how well made it may be.
I’ll be interested to read what Erickson has to say about this season of Severance. The thing that struck me most in this last episode was in his interview afterward, where he said something like “the much anticipated reunion between Mark and Cobel…”
Anticipated by whom?
This was a weird Severance episode. This season just hasn't built up the way the previous season did, and we've (not surprisingly I guess) spent a lot less time with the innies as the scope expands. And this episode was as you note a lot of deck clearing - it felt like it hit fast forward a bit on the Dylan/Irving stories just so they can spend the full finale on Mark/Helly/Cold Harbor/etc.
Certainly this season has had some amazing moments, the ORTBO was probably the clear highlight (which again was time with the innies vs outside world). Feels like whatever happens in the finale the show has to become something completely different moving forward - just don't see how we end up in a place where these people come back to the severed floor to work.
Agree with a lot of your thoughts. I still love this show, just haven't loved season as much as season 1. The penultimate episode of season 1 felt like it was really building momentum, instead of moving chess pieces like this one. The pacing has been odd. Best note I saw on the Cobel backstory episode was someone tweeting, "That episode could have been an email."
I also feel like I'm missing pieces of the Burt/Irving story. If we knew a little more about what Irving was investigating or what info he has, then I would have believed he was in danger. With what we got, I was just like, "Wait, he has to leave town? Why?"
Yeah completely agree, still love the show. Just some very odd choices about where they put emphasis in certain episodes, which leads to something like 'oh Irving has been investigating Lumon and has suspicions about Burt and has to leave town' when we've seen about 0% of that in the show itself. Just leans on the actors and they sell the moment great but you still feel like you missed an episode somewhere from a plot perspective.
The Dylan stuff is more forgiving, because innie Dylan is basically a teenager falling in love for the first time. Of course he does something like propose with a paper wedding ring even though he knows how insane the idea is
I was disappointed with both the Irving and Dylan subplots. After some elaborate, emotional table-setting for each, they just literally shuttled those characters out of the way in minutes. The Irving storyline felt very rushed and forced, he just...left with the dog? I don't know, neither was satisfying for me even if the actors involved did solid work trying to sell it.
I find myself thinking about the Lumon-world more than just watching the show, as if I should pause it every ten minutes to ponder where what I just watched fits.
Severance kicked the can of Mark's reintegration *again!*! The pacing this season has been such a mess, which is all the more unfortunate because it feels like we've spent so much time with Mark's story going nowhere while the Burt/Irving and Dylan stories held such promise, but were short-changed by moving too fast. We're supposed to believe that Outie Burt and Irving are in love? After a single dinner? Huh? So, too, with Innie Dylan proposing after two meetings? All of this could have been so much better if they had had more time to build and Mark's story would have been less frustrating if it had moved faster. As ever, the show is beautifully shot and acted, but man, the writing is wonky.
Yeah. I was like are we supposed to believe love transcends severance so Irving and Burt remember everything? It was so rushed.
There’s no rhyme or reason to any damned part of outtie Burt and Irv’s relationship. It’s all expediently cobbled together to give great actors emotional beats or whatever, then get them out of the way for the staggering Mythology reveal.
Pretty damned hacky, alas.
“ when Severance worries less about the mythology, and about asking questions it may or may not be able to answer, and just focuses on the emotional nightmare at the center of its premise, it doesn’t need to do anything fancy to be riveting. ”
It’s an ironclad rule of TV: the mythology is always a let-down. Good shows (The Leftovers, I Dream of Jeannie, etc) dance around the mythology…and make the dance the thing. Shows that hinge on teasing the mythology (Lost, Battlestar Galactica) wind up breaking.
I hope Severance doesn’t break. Though Lord knows there are deep cracks.
The Oner has become a performative thing that directors/producers feel compelled to show off with. It's gotten so common that I'm rarely impressed by them anymore, because everyone is using the same tricks. Give me the showrunner capable of Spielberg Oners, the oners no one notices because they're so ingenious and subtle.
Agreed, though there are times where it’s been done effectively. For example, the Mr. Robot (ep 3.4) that employs the technique is really strong
Sure, but that was 8 years ago and it feels like there have been a hundred different shows doing similar oners since. The last one I thought was effective was on The Bear, but primarily because it was more a storytelling device than a "look what I did" thing.
Totally agree on both points! Once it’s been done well a few times, it’s pretty much time for a new innovation.
Also, good lord…8 years ago?!
Hey Alan, any thoughts about this ep of Severance and the After Hours ep of Twilight Zone, aside from maybe just being an homage, specifically when Cobel and the cabin security guard exchange dialogue/code? Figured in your deep dive of Serling this might stand out to you as worthy of deeper meaning if that is what Severance is trying to convey here.
Loving The Pitt. I never want the episodes to end. Looking desperately for some new shows because damn I need more distractions from the world right now.
I know you can't watch everything, let alone review it. But curious if you saw Deli Boys from Hulu at all? Been really enjoying the zany vibe of the show. (Yes I'm not fully binging it.)
I watched a couple. It felt a little too zany for me, I'm afraid. Liked the idea behind it, the execution less so.
Fair enough! It is a bit over the top lol.
Thanks for reminding me! I've been meaning to watch to check that one out.
Mid-budget movies (outside of the independent studios) really need to brought back. They are dearly missed.
With all the resources & money they have at their disposal, Apple+ should’ve a much higher hit rate instead of its regular mediocrity.
No mention of the Righteous Gemstones premiere in this week’s newsletter? It’s a crying shame because it’s the best episode of TV I saw all week. The surprise guest star has to rank near the top of the list for Guest Actor in a Comedy candidates - the best work he’s done in ages.
The McBride/Worth HBO shows have never done much for me, I’m afraid.
As someone who grew up Southern Baptist in NC, his shows should be right in my wheelhouse and I like them just fine but have never appreciated them to the level of others. Just not on the same humor wavelength as McBride which is not a slight to him in any way that's just how comedy works.
I liked the first season well enough, but I thought the second was far too redeeming for these characters and I wasn't interested in seeing anything more about them.
Season 2 was so terrible I almost quit the show. But season 3 was such a drastic improvement, it ranked highly on my favorite TV shows that year. And season 4 is off to a killer start.
Adolescence actors must be in the running for awards! More consistent as a series than the same team’s Boiling Point. Love everything about The Pitt and interesting watching it the same time as Berlin ER to contrast & compare. Missing the team bickering & bonding in Severance but still comparing well to season 1.
How does Berlin ER compare? Is it as good as The Pitt? I feel I might need another medical show once The Pitt ends. It's been such an amazing show
Berlin ER more frenetic, can’t get quite as invested in the characters but still interesting, dramatic and funny enough to keep watching.
Not as good but worth a watch.
Jacob angrily doing Papa Roach is the funniest damn thing I’ve watched this year. Just perfect.
My big problem with Severance this season (post ORTBO) is that the show widened the scope, but at the same time, shows no interest in the wide scope. So Lumon has been around for decades, is kind of a religion/scientology scam, and operates factories with 8 year olds who come up with brain surgeries, all while it’s now always winter and there is dated tech. By opening it up, we lost all the characters. And the show appears to have no interest in telling us about the world. It’s only interested in Mark and Gemma. So if that’s what it’s interested in, it should’ve leaned into the great character dynamics and the severed floor, not expand the scope into the world and lose everything in the process.
A few things about Severance:
if last night’s episode of was the last time we’ll see Irving and Dylan, I’m gonna feel a lot less confident about the direction of the show.
I just felt the episode was so crammed and rushed. Like I didn’t have a problem with the episodes away from the main characters but if they did all that “wandering” and now are suddenly cutting two main characters out of the show, I’m gonna be frustrated.
I did absolutely adore the Milchick-Drummond scene of course, as well as M’s call with Mark.
I think Milchick’s growing awareness of how Lumon perceives him and how his race plays into that has been one of the most interesting parts of this season.
Definitely! I didn't expect this storyline at all but it's been one of the most consistent character development this season and I really like it
Will be interesting to see what shape Ted Lasso season 4 takes. My hope is that the most interesting dramatic moments will take place on screen!
Adolescence sounds like a very good show that I will never, ever, ever want to watch. Mare of Easttown basically broke me of the need to see this kind of show, no matter how well made it may be.
This is exactly how I feel. It’s a skip.