Warning to those who haven’t seen the second season episode of ‘Severance’ on Apple TV+ yet: There may be spoilers ahead, so tread carefully, friends!
I’m disheartened to contemplate that the final nine months of the 2025 TV lineup won’t feature any new episodes of Severance, as we’ll only get the extended Season 2 finale on March 21. This second installment of the intricate mystery has kept us on our toes with one surprising twist following another, and it even drew inspiration from a classic sci-fi series, The Twilight Zone, for its penultimate episode. It’d be great if someone more musically inclined than me could blend these two theme songs together right away.
Among the outstanding episodes of “The Twilight Zone,” the one titled “The After Hours” was the 35th episode aired during the first season of this anthology series. (I hope that ‘Severance’ manages to reach its 35th episode.) Notably, Dan Erickson has also used the same title for Episode 209, making it an ideal starting point for discussing similarities between these two works.
The Title “The After Hours”
Initially, the common titles might appear as a casual tribute to Rod Serling’s impact. Yet, upon closer inspection, these titles directly relate to both Outie Mark and Helly, who are devising strategies against Lumon that necessitate action following regular work hours. For Mark, it involves being discreetly transported to the company’s birthing facility with Cobel and Devon, while Helly is attempting to remember the route to the Testing Floor. Whether their plans will succeed remains uncertain at this point.
If “Severance” unfolds similar to the ending of a “Twilight Zone” episode, it could mean we’re witnessing our beloved characters resignedly accepting their tragic destinies, with no apparent means to alter their circumstances. I’ll delve deeper into that topic later on.
It All Starts With A Mysterious Elevator Ride
In the series “Severance”, it’s clear that elevators play a crucial role for Lumon Corporation employees, especially those with unique chips in their brains. Therefore, it was quite unexpected when the first episode titled “After Hours” began with Anne Francis’ character, Marsha White, entering an elevator that strangely traveled to a floor not recognized within the system. This journey seems to transport her from one reality into another or at least a different perspective of it.
Every time Marsha steps out of the elevator, her story mirrors that of the Innies, displaying confusion about the ninth floor and a struggle to break free from the confining walls enclosing her.
Password: Golden Thimble
As Cobel arrives at the birthing cabins towards the end of the episode, she manages to persuade the guard at the gate in two unique ways. Initially, by quoting some dialogue from the Twilight Zone episode, specifically mentioning that Marsha White is searching for a golden thimble on the ninth floor. This unexpected reference within the narrative suggests that someone overseeing security at Lumon might be a fan of Rod Serling, as hinted by the Drummonds.
In a more unsettling manner, it transpires that Cobel isn’t just using coded speech; instead, they suggest Devon is one among many women apparently impregnated by Jame Eagan, whether intentionally or unintentionally. It’s unclear if this implies Cobel might terminate the pregnancy, but they were admitted nonetheless. The thought of numerous Eagan offspring wandering the streets of Kier and surrounding towns makes me queasy.
It Takes Place Within A Sparse Workplace Within A Branded Corporation’s Marquee Location
Regarding those hallways, an episode from the Twilight Zone unfolds inside a rather busy department store, boasting no less than eight levels filled with merchandise for shoppers to explore. Whether it’s their largest store or not isn’t certain, but rest assured, this particular branch wouldn’t be situated near Salt’s Neck beside the ether factory. The place appears lively in some parts, yet deserted in others, with only a handful of workers on duty. As Marsha remarks at one juncture: “This isn’t exactly the store they’d plop down in an out-of-the-way location like Salt’s Neck next to the ether factory.
The whole floor looks so empty.
It seems extremely unlikely that any other company worldwide would possess such a vast amount of underutilized space as Lumon does, given its intricate corridors and spacious, unadorned workspaces. These features seem designed to perplex employees and prevent them from discovering different departments within the same floor, which is more convoluted than a department store but still comparable enough to be considered so.
“A One-Way Bus Ticket To Any Department Store West Of Cleveland”
After Marsha expresses her frustration over buying a damaged thimble from a nonexistent shelf, the store manager suspects she may be mentally unstable, and instructs an employee to arrange for her to leave town using a one-way travel voucher.
It’s possible that his statement was a nod to the show “Servant,” where Burt unexpectedly entered Irving’s home with an offer Irving couldn’t refuse: a mysterious one-way train ticket. Since the destination of the ticket is unknown, Burt wouldn’t be able to reveal it to Lumon, suggesting he may still be working for them outside the facility. I can’t help but speculate that Irv will reappear in the final episode, yet worry that he might have followed Burt’s advice.
The Main Character Is Revealed To Be Someone Only Allowed Out Into The Outside World As A “Real” Person For A Limited Time
In the unexpected revelation of “After Hours” from The Twilight Zone, it turns out that Marsha White was not experiencing hallucinations at all. Instead, she was among several intelligent, conversing mannequins in the department store, who only for one month each year can break free from their ninth-floor dwelling to mingle with genuine people. This escape is quite a thrill for them, leading Marsha to forget that she herself wasn’t human.
Although Marsha didn’t experience the revelation as intensely traumatic as it might have been for her personally, it did resurface memories of witnessing Gemma endure Dr. Mauer’s psychological torment on the Testing Floor. Despite her readiness to resume her duties without resistance, the melancholy echoing in Marsha’s final words lingers long after viewing the scene. When inquired about her enjoyment, she responded:
Ever so much fun. [slight pause] Ever so much fun…
Then, she found her spot and remained still, causing shivers to race up and down my back. The story concludes with a scene where the shop owner encounters the Marsha dummy, suggesting possible meanings that may elude me presently.
Or:
After settling in, she no longer moved, sending chills scuttling along my spine. The narrative wraps up with a scene depicting the store manager stumbling upon the Marsha mannequin, which could hold connotations I’m not yet grasping.
If you can find a method to stretch out time until the end of ‘Severance’ at an excruciatingly slow pace, I’ll treat you to an authentic Living Doll. But please be warned: don’t pay attention to the customer feedback.
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2025-03-14 22:39