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Apple TV+ recently dropped its newest series, Severance. It weaves the story of Mark Scout, played by Adam Scott, who has been a willing participant in the Severance program, which separates the memories of their non-work lives from their work lives.
The series has used a unique backdrop of a subtle, drab, monochrome office and has combined its thriller elements. This combination makes for a delightfully wicked blend of entertainment for an Apple TV+ series that has found success in its originality and mystery.
All of this information just begs the question: How does one breakdown the first two episodes?
Disclaimer: This article reflects the author’s views.
A closer look at the mysteries seen in Severance so far
The strange program itself
The sinister program in the show was made to use volunteers to wipe out memories of their past selves. When they would return to their personal lives, they would live out their daily routines with their memories still separate from their work. It's almost as if the program had been designed for people to take part in and forget about what they just witnessed, so as to not talk about what they were working on in the company.
The work was clearly extremely confidential. Its execution seemed shrouded in mystery and used a narrative that there’s more that meets the eye.
The disappearance and reappearance of Petey
In the first episode, it was mentioned that Petey was severed and did not return from the program. He was replaced by Mark, who welcomed newcomer Helly. Petey’s abrupt dismissal has raised a few questions. He met up with Mark at a restaurant and attempted to tell an inside-joke from the office, but Mark looked puzzled.
Petey invited Mark, who called in sick, to a greenhouse where the former lived, and tried to explain the meaning of the program, and claimed that they were separated from other departments. During his time out, Petey mapped out the floor of the building in an attempt to see what the company was hiding.
He even went on to talk about his re-integration sickness where he was seen weeping for a short time, which could also explain why Mark was crying at the beginning of the episode. Petey later suffered from a bloody nose and some serious hallucinations, which may be due to his re-integration.
The black goo
Unlike Apple TV+’s Suspicion or Netflix's Stay Close, Severance decided to go much deeper with its horror-thriller mythology. While slightly hallucinating, Irving, played by John Turturro, noticed a siege of black goo that enveloped his office desk, one that only he noticed. The tar-like substance only targeted Irving and caused him to panic. However, it was never fully explained what the substance was.
The black goo was even shown in the intro of the series, where the subjects of the program seemed to assimilate into the darkness and become a part of it.
