"It’s part of the rat trap"- When Severance showed Harmony Cobel wrestling with the unstable tone of Lumon

The acclaimed series Severance aired its first season on Apple TV+ from February 18 to April 8, 2022, and will return for a second season on January 17, 2025.

Praised for its unique premise and blend of sci-fi, psychological thriller, and workplace comedy, the show features Patricia Arquette as Harmony Cobel, the manager at Lumon Industries and Mark's neighbor, Mrs. Selvig.

Unlike most characters, Cobel's memory isn't split by the severance program. Though portrayed as the villain, her character is more complex than she seems.

On March 11, 2022, Patricia Arquette spoke to Entertainment Weekly about her role in the award-winning series. She shared that she initially struggled to understand the tone of the series, but her trust in director Ben Stiller helped her during the initial days of filming. Stiller previously directed her in the miniseries Escape at Dannemora in 2018.

Describing her character, Arquette said that Cobel is devoted to the mysterious corporation and wants to bring "greatness and glory to this corporation whether they want it or not." She elaborated further by saying:

"I also felt like Cobel doesn't understand the tone of this company she works for. She's playing like she does, but she really doesn't. Because it's shifting sands. One minute you think, okay, this is the structure and these are the rules, and then suddenly you're out of balance and you're in trouble and you don't even know what you did. It's part of the rat trap."

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What is the show Severance about?

Created by Dan Erickson, the show's first season was directed by Ben Stiller and Aoife McArdle. The series features Adam Scott, Britt Lower, Zach Cherry, Dichen Lachman, Tramell Tillman, Jen Tullock, John Turturro, Christopher Walken, Michael Chernus, along with Patricia Arquette in leading roles.

In Severance, Mark Scout, an employee of Lumon Industries, undergoes the company's controversial severance program after the death of his wife, Gemma. It splits his consciousness into his work and personal life that are kept distinct from each other. Mark's co-workers in the company's Macrodata Refinement division, Helly R, Dylan G, and Irving B have also undergone the same program.

In Severance, work selves are called "innies," while non-work selves are "outies." Patricia Arquette plays Harmony Cobel, the severed floor manager and Mark's boss. Unlike other employees, Cobel isn’t severed and remembers her outside life while working. She secretly monitors outie Mark and his sister Devon, posing as their neighbor, Mrs. Selvig.

When the innies grow curious about their outies, they devise a plan to bypass the severance program, uncover shocking truths about their lives, and begin a dangerous quest to expose Lumon Industries' sinister operations.

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Patricia Arquette's next project with Apple TV was High Desert

After Severance, Patricia Arquette worked on the Apple TV+ show, High Desert. The comedy series is created and written by Nancy Fichman, Katie Ford, and Jennifer Hoppe-House. Featuring eight episodes, the series aired from May 17, 2023, to June 21, 2023, and was canceled after just one season in July 2023.

Jay Roach served as the show's director, while Arquette executive produced the series along with Ben Stiller, John Cameron, Michelle Graham, Molly Madden, and several others.

The Oscar-winning actress plays the drug addict Peggy Newman, who turns into a private investigator after her mother's death. The series also stars Brad Garrett, Matt Dillon, Weruche Opia, Christine Taylor, Eden Brolin, Bernadette Peters, Eric Petersen, Susan Park, Rupert Friend, Jeffrey Vincent Parise, and Carmine Giovinazzo, among others.

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