Severance: S1

The last episode was easily the peak. It reminded me of the tense, ticking sequences of Detroit: Become Human and Interstellar.

2.75/5: it's polished, it's provocative, it's just not all that fascinating. I don't think corporate thriller would ever be my genre anyway.

If I normalized the highest-quality series I've seen to 5/5, Severance beats 2.75, but if I judge it on being worth its while, I can't even give it a 3. It's higher-quality TV than Rings of Power, but it's less worthwhile. RoP has a large contingent that just has to watch it (Tolkien fans). Severance doesn't really serve anyone. That's the trouble with original material, and I hate to hate, but it has such a disadvantage. I think I heard something like 9/10 highest-grossing movies last year were sequels/prequels, and the last one was an adaptation. It's tough out there for new original work. And at the end of the day, RoP for all its weakness does way more for me than polished Severance. That isn't universally true of franchise vs. original -- Severance isn't nearly the greatest original series -- but Severance has a higher hurdle, which I guess is exactly why franchises dominate the media right now. I appreciate the effort, but to be worth my while you have to tap that nostalgia or you have to be profoundly original. Maybe there's a population who find nostalgia in Severance -- perhaps those who were corporate around the turn of the millennium. So RoP stands on deep inter-generational Tolkien love; Severance stands on the thin nostalgia of a certain generation who probably hated their office jobs. It's not original enough or executed well enough to surmount that barrier.

Biggest questions left: what does Lumon do? How is Gemma alive? Did Lumon (with her consent?) orchestrate her becoming a permanent innie? Where did they take her -- what's the black hallway with the elevator that only goes down? How does Irving cross his severance (when he naps inside and paints outside) -- just an imperfect severance procedure? Which Helly is more awake?

The answer to the last is obviously "neither" aka subjective, but I think it's worth reflection. Outside, presumably, she's the devoted daughter of the Lumon/Eagan dynasty... is she despicable, as we presume Lumon in general to be? Are Lumon and the Eagans actually despicable? If not, that'd be an interesting turn. Inside, Helly is no-BS, which I think we all like, because Lumon feels like a lot of BS. But what if her outie, who refuses to let her quit, has good reason, which her innie is now thwarting?

Helly and Mark's sister are probably my favorite characters. Milchick is a great character, well-performed. Mark / Adam Scott is a curious choice for this lead. He's not quite likable. This is the second thing I've seen Patricia Arquette in (Boyhood) and I've felt weird about her both times.