No more waiting. After three long years, "Severance" season 2 is finally here, with the first episode arriving on Apple TV Plus this morning. Despite the excellent early reviews, you'd be forgiven for having concerns about it after such a long hiatus.
Well, I have good news. The first episode, at least, is awesome. On a technical level, it is brilliant. The score and soundtrack along with well-timed camera angle and point-of-view shifts combine for an enhanced viewing experience. From a story perspective, this first episode has already introduced a few new developments on top of what was already set in motion in season 2.
So without further ado, let's dive into this excellent first episode and a shocking Keanu Reeves cameo that you'll never see coming.
Spoilers for "Severance" season 2 episode 1, "Hello Ms. Cobel" to follow
'Severance' getting the little things right makes a big difference
It may not seem like much, but getting the little things right, like camera angles and the score, can make a big difference in how you view a show. And in the first scene of the first episode, "Severance" already uses both perfectly.
You actually get a bit of a preview of this in the season 2 teaser trailer, which shows Mark dashing through the halls of Lumon's severed floor. But in the opening scene of "Hello, Ms. Cobel" the finished product is much more impressive. We follow Mark S. (Adam Scott) for almost two minutes, but instead of The Who's "Eminence Front," the frantic race through Lumon's halls is set to a jazz number that wouldn't feel out of place in Steven Soderbergh's "Oceans Eleven." As the camera angles switch from angle to angle, even shifting to a first-person point-of-view at one point, you can feel the panic that must be coursing through Mark's mind as he races to his destination.
This isn't the only time that score is used brilliantly in this season 2 premiere. Later in the episode, there's another frantic run through the halls of the severed floor as Mark races to the speaker in Mr. Milchick's (Tramell Tillman) office to try and contact the Lumon board and you can't help but notice how the score adds to the scene.
Speaking of little things, there's a tiny cameo partway through this episode that absolutely stunned me, and those with a keen ear — rather than eye — probably spotted it too. I'm, of course, talking about Keanu Reeves' appearance in this episode as an animated, anthropomorphized version of Lumon's headquarters building in a corporate video that all the Innies are forced to watch.
Season 2 is already laying the groundwork for shocking twists
Speaking of Innies, this episode is entirely about them. Only for a brief second does Mark's Outie appear and even that's strictly in the moment the elevator rises above the severed floor.
But these Innies now know of the outside world, and it's all they can talk about once they're reunited in Lumon. These conversations set up our main storylines and points of intrigue for the rest of the season. Yes, we're obviously still going to be searching for Mark's Outie's wife Gemma, who may also be Ms. Casey (Dichen Lachman), the wellness counselor on Lumon's severed floor. But while Mark tells Dylan (Zach Cherry), Irving (John Turturro) and Helly (Britt Lower) everything he learned on the outside, Helly does not return the favor. She lies, arousing Irving's suspicion, and also clearly has still feelings for Mark's Innie, which Mark also seems to share despite discovering that his Outie has a dead wife who might not be so dead.
But while they pair off into a potentially still-budding romance, Dylan and Irving start sharing their own secrets. Namely, Irving tells Dylan about the dark hallway with the down elevator that Irving's Outie was constantly painting. This pair, too, has someone who is hiding something. While Irving tells Dylan everything, Dylan doesn't tell him about the plans for a secret Outie visiting center that's sure to play a role later on in the season.
So already, we have brilliant technical filmmaking, new intriguing storylines and an incredible cameo — and this is just the first episode. It's quite possibly my favorite episode of "Severance" so far and I can't wait for what the rest of season 2 brings.
