A spoiler-free review of the thriller show’s most-talked-about episode
By BELLA PETERSON — arts@theaggie.org
The season one finale of “Severance” is one of the most iconic that television has seen in a long time. “Severance” left its audience shocked and in search of answers after its initial finale. Being left on a cliffhanger after a show’s finale is certainly not a new thing for fans, but what the audience of “Severance” wasn’t anticipating was having to wait three years before getting any answers. So…after all that time of waiting, it’s time to finally answer the question: Did season two of “Severance” deliver?
While watching the finale, the question of how this episode was going to make the finale anywhere near as iconic as the season one finale was recurring. What will be the big question they leave us with? Throughout this season of “Severance,” we were able to see many more answers come to light, but at the same time, with more answers came more questions. It felt like the show took its time this season: to unfold the characters we didn’t know that well in the previous season and the company, Lumon, in terms of being “the big evil” of this story.
There were definitely some mixed reactions from this choice after getting a whole episode dedicated to the original face of Lumon, Harmony Cobel, in the show and her history with Lumon. This decision allowed the show to build a storyline that didn’t leave viewers completely in the dark. When a show cements itself as one of mystery in science fiction, we always complain that we want answers — and this is what the show did. It may not have been every answer we were searching for, but the show allowed us a little peek inside the minds of characters that build the structure of what makes Lumon work.
As we enter the finale, we see an internal conflict with our main protagonist, Mark S. “Severance” really takes the trope of “man against himself” to a whole other level. There was an ever-present struggle to make sense of the motives of each character, making it difficult to decide who to “root for.”
The finale brought up a lot of ethical questions: whether you should help the very person responsible for trapping you within this prison — despite knowing only one of you can get their happy ending; whether you can even trust him to begin with. Whose wants are selfish in this situation? Is anyone truly in the wrong for wanting what they do?
Additionally, the pacing of the finale did such an amazing job of keeping the audience on the edge of their seats and not allowing for one moment of peace. As the episode came to its final moments, there was anticipation. There were these hopes for the show but instead, watching the conflict that had been unfolding burst into an upsetting result. Even so, viewers can’t necessarily feel angry at the choice that was made. Just like season one, we are left wondering the fate of the characters that we have grown to care about. The audience can only hope the wait won’t be as long as the last time.
Written by: Bella Peterson — arts@theaggie.org
