‘Influenced by Real Events’: The Shocking Inspiration Behind ‘Severance’ Season 2

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Beneath its enigmatic and captivating surface, the television series Severance delves deeply into the realm of workplace dynamics and the perspective people hold on their work-life equilibrium. As per the show’s creator and executive producer Dan Erickson, who shared with The Hollywood Reporter that a variety of real-world incidents served as the foundation for Season 2’s narrative. Specifically, he references post-COVID return-to-office policies, the 2023 Hollywood strikes, and corporate handling of whistleblowers as sources of inspiration for the upcoming season’s storylines.

As a movie critic immersed in the ever-evolving landscape of cinematic arts, I found myself captivated by the unique production timeline of “Severance” Season 1, which unfolded amidst the peak of global pandemic turmoil. Yet, the intriguing narrative of Season 2 emerged as restrictions eased and a newfound sense of normalcy gradually returned to our world. In an interview with the show’s creator, Dan Erickson, he expressed that this time period was not only perplexing for his dedicated cast and crew but also for the entire globe.

When crafting Season 1, we weren’t fully aware of the emotional impact returning to the office would have after such a long period of remote work. This experience significantly influenced how we approached Season 2’s writing. Moreover, this return-to-work experience also reshaped conversations about work and the balance between personal and professional commitments, altering expectations from employers.

Erickson considers the Writer’s Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild strikes as a natural evolution of these discussions about striving for improved work environments. He further notes that while these strikes have an impact on “Severance” Season 2, viewers can anticipate seeing even more evidence of their influence in future seasons, provided the series continues (which appears likely given its popularity on Apple).

Lumon’s Tactics Are Just Acts of Manipulation in ‘Severance’

In the debut of Severance‘s second season, we learn that Lumon Industries has implemented new strategies to placate its discontented workforce. These changes include offering various snacks, freedom for employees to move around at will with hall passes, and an intriguing yet enigmatic observation deck for employees to view their loved ones from above while working – this information is presented through a heartwarming video narrated by a talking Lumon building (voiced by Keanu Reeves).

The strategies for pacifying whistleblowers, as detailed by Erickson, are based on authentic tactics that corporations use in such situations.

When someone uncovers wrongdoings of a powerful organization, they may initially encounter resistance. Then, there’s often a phase where the organization attempts to incorporate you or your dissent into their narrative, making it seem like part of their official history. This can sometimes appear genuine, but I’ve always found it a particular form of manipulation. Ultimately, a company like Lumon wants to be seen as virtuous, and they often claim credit for such rebellion, expressing gratitude for the opportunity to scrutinize themselves. However, it’s hard for me to accept such statements at face value, knowing full well that what the company truly desired was for their misconduct to remain hidden.

In essence, Lumon’s actions are just superficial attempts to heal deep-rooted problems that require more than a quick fix. Their workers aren’t falling for it and remain skeptical. There’s still a lot of uncertainty and unresolved issues, some of which Erickson has promised to address, though he suggests this will only lead to more queries. We’ll have to keep watching to see what other strategies Lumon uses to maintain control over their workers, and how these employees will keep resisting in the series Severance.

Severance is streaming on Apple TV+ now, with new episodes available every Friday.

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2025-01-21 18:03