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Message: <blockquote data-quote="jian" data-source="post: 9496445" data-attributes="member: 78087">We’ve had Apple TV (it came free for a month with theatre tickets and we’ve decided to continue with it) for a while and so far there have been some very good Apple Original series such as Ted Lasso and The Afterparty. Severance is a different beast from those two, altogether less amusing and very thoughtful. The idea is that in the near future, a rather cult-like corporation called Lumon works out how to surgically sever your work persona from your non-work persona. You get the surgery and go to work for Lumon and on your first day, you find you have no memories of your work day - as far as you’re concerned you exit the building an instant after you entered, but eight hours have passed. Meanwhile, a new version of you (“innie”) has been created who’s essentially newborn into work - you know your name and that you were severed but know nothing about your outer self (“outie”) or the outside world and every day you work, and when you leave work you re-enter it an instant later to start the next day.If you think that sounds like hell, yeah, well, that’s sort of the point. There is no work-life balance because work you and life you are two different people. You’re basically imprisoning and enslaving your innie so that you get paid. It’s great for the company because they get to mould and condition (and punish) their employees however they like and of course confidential corporate information stays that way, it’s ideal if you deal in secrets. We’re four episodes in and so far there’s suggestions that Lumon would like to propagate the process to, well, everywhere, and that severance is somehow reflective of the company founder’s bizarre and messianic views about life and work. The effects it has on the employees (and who would sign up for such a bizarre process in the first place?) is slowly explored, mostly via Mark, one of the main protagonists - he signed up after his wife was killed in an accident and I think it’s implied that he couldn’t hold down another job because of his grief and depression. Anyway, has anyone else seen it? What do you think? I see there’s a second season due out next year.</blockquote>

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