Severance review: Intricate, engaging, and fresh

Apple TV+ recently dropped its newest series, Severance. It weaves the story of Mark Scout (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 was created by Dan Erickson and holds a horror-thriller vibe that chills the audience, supplying plenty of intrigue to tantalize the mind. Its dark tone and vibrant framing have made it something unique to watch in 2022.

All of this just begs the question: “Is the show worth a watch?”

Disclaimer: This article reflects the author’s views only.

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Severance is a new take on horror

Adam Scott as Mark Scout in the series (Image via Apple TV+)

The show has taken the thriller genre in an interesting new direction. It uses a clean, organized space as the office setting, while the counter-setting is drenched in a neighborhood that's grungy and realistic. It offers a better take on the mystery department than Apple TV+’s other show Suspicion or Netflix's thriller Stay Close.

The show has a cool, calm and collected approach to its pacing and prefers to avoid incessant jump-scares and grim figures. It takes pride in taking its time to get to a big payoff and achieves a good slow burn to get to its objective.

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The series has a stellar cast

The cast of the series (Image via Apple TV+)

In addition to these elements, the series greatly benefits from an incredibly talented cast, which includes the likes of Adam Scott as Mark Scout, Britt Lower as Helly and Patricia Arquette as Mark’s boss Harmony Cobel. Mark has been promoted to being the orientation leader for Helly, the new recruit, and comes across as a newbie himself. It seems the actor can’t escape his old character Ben Wyatt from Parks and Recreation.

He holds himself as somewhat insecure, which plays to his character perfectly and portrays Scout with a raw and visceral sincerity. With a role that seems both realistic and strange at the same time, it is almost impossible to look away.

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It combines contemporary with old-fashioned

Adam Scott in the series (Image via Apple TV+)

One thing that has stood out about this series is the fact that it combines contemporary neighborhood realism in the outside world and an old-fashioned office space that looks like it is from the seventies or eighties. The unique use of the two settings is strangely intimate; they piggyback off each other and each plays to their own strengths.

Throughout the show, the ambivalent tones and time frames seem to denote a sense of forthcoming presence that intends to frighten and awe.

Severance can be streamed on Apple TV+.