"What an insane opening" - Fans are obsessed with the epic opening of Severance season 2 featuring Adam Scott!

Severance season 2 returned to Apple TV+ on January 17, 2025, nearly three years after the show concluded its first season in April 2022. The premiere episode, Hello Ms. Cobel, is directed by Ben Stiller and written by the show's creator Dan Erickson.

The episode opens with Mark S. zipping through Lumon's hallways in search of the wellness center and Ms. Casey for nearly one minute and 30 seconds. This scene comes on the heels of Mark discovering that Gemma is alive (in the final moments of season 1). As such, his instinct is to frantically search for Ms. Casey/Gemma in the hopes of rescuing her.

The opening shot from Severance season 2 has created quite a buzz online due to its impeccable execution, proving once again that the dystopian series is unlike any other show on air right now. One X user summed up their excitement by tweeting:

"You know when Adam Scott running outta elevator in the opening sequence with epic cinematography and the coolest camera work is bound to be a PEAK TELEVISION. what an insane opening of season 2 #Severance."

Many users agreed that the scene set the tone for the rest of Severance season 2.

"Severance season 2 is already a 10/10 for me based on this opening scene alone," remarked another fan.

"that moment could be watched forever🤩," said one X user.

"#Severance is BACK! All of the reviews were right. It's worth the wait. Instantly back as one of the most singular television shows of all time. That opening scene of season 2 is like a magic trick. A cinematography masterpiece. All credit to @BenStiller and the team," one user praised the series.

However, others did not feel as impressed with the running sequence.

"Idk if this is a hot take but for me the running thing in s2 opener of severance seemed gimmicky. The vibes and intention were great but the execution was not, imo," one user commented.

"Coolest camera work? The whole shot was synthetic," said another.

"He definitely runs very weirdly like his CGI self does in the intro 😂," joked one X user.

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How was Severance season 2's opening scene filmed?

Ben Stiller and Adam Scott described filming the sequence in an episode of the show's official Severance podcast released on January 17, 2025. They revealed that the idea for Severance season 2's opening scene came from a conversation between the two. While discussing how Mark would react to finding out that Gemma is alive and at Lumon, Adam said he would run towards the wellness center to find Ms. Casey.

The actor-director duo also revealed that the running sequence was broken down into 10 different pieces and was shot over five months in between filming the rest of the season. Stiller added that although the scene filled three-quarters of a page, it ended up being a massive endeavor. He then went into detail about filming the various sections that make up the scene by saying:

"Each (piece) had a different need in terms of what had to be done with the set. There was one where we had to do it completely with green screen and have you on a treadmill, and have a motion control camera come around in front of you and do all this stuff."

He continued:

"And then there was one — we had pulled one of the walls out and we’re using this machine called a bolt arm. It’s a motion control robot arm that the camera is on, that you can program, and it moves. That thing takes up a lot of space. So our normal layout of all the hallways had to get torn up."

Adam revealed that he didn't follow any kind of physical training to shoot the running sequence, rather his only source of inspiration was watching Tom Cruise running in Mission Impossible films.

Furthermore, the scene's sense of urgency is underscored by Les McCann's instrumental piece Burnin’ Coal, followed by the suspense-ridden score by Teddy Shapiro, the show's composer.

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What happened in the first episode of Severance season 2

An image of Mark W. Gwendolyn, and Dario from Severance season 2 episode 1 (Image via Instagram/@instadan360)

After Severance season 2's opening sequence, Mark S. finds that his MDR team has been replaced by the new macrodata refiners - Mark W., Gwendolyn Y., and Dario R. He also meets the new deputy manager Ms. Huang, who is, shockingly, a young child.

Milchick, who has been promoted to manager of the severed floor, greets him with balloons and an unsettling smile. He informs Mark that five months have passed since the events of the overtime contingency, as the innies have no real sense of time.

When pressed about his co-workers' whereabouts, Milchick firmly tells him that they refused to return. But, after Mark insists on having his team members back, Dylan, Irving, and Helly are brought back to Lumon. To their surprise, the group discovers that they are famous and seen as the "face of severance reform" in the outside world.

Their reunion in Severance season 2 also marks the first time they have seen each other since before the overtime contingency. The group is soon escorted to the break room and shown the 'Lumon is Listening' animated video (voiced by Keanu Reeves). Featuring an animated Lumon building, the video is meant to flatter the MDR workers into compliance.

The incident involving them bypassing the severance protocol to connect with their outies is termed the Macrodat Uprising. Their actions are seen as heroic, done in service of the greater good.

Later, the group discusses what they saw in the outside world. Mark informs others that the wellness counselor, Ms. Casey, is his outie's supposedly dead wife Gemma.

Helly, however, lies to her friends and says she learned nothing of significance. In reality, Helly R. discovered that her outie, Helena Eagan, is the daughter of Lumon's current CEO, Jame Eagan. She got severed as a publicity stunt to win people's trust for the program. Helly later tells Mark that she will help him find Ms. Casey, after sharing that she thinks the innies and outies are separate from each other.

Furthermore, Milchick allows them to decide (as opposed to their outies) if they want to continue at Lumon or leave permanently. By the end of Severance season 2 episode 1, the MDR workers decide to stay and resume work at their respective desks. Unbeknownst to Mark, he is working on the Cold Harbor file that is somehow linked to Ms. Casey.

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Stay tuned for the detailed recap of the upcoming Severance season 2 episode 2.