Why is severance controversial?

Asked by: Ms. Shanelle Haag III  |  Last update: September 11, 2025
Score: 4.5/5 (7 votes)

A sharp commentary on current office work ethics, this procedure is controversial within the series' own universe due to the mental effects and consequences on both personas that are created as a result.

What's the deal with Severance?

The core of a severance package is often the severance pay itself, typically calculated as one or two weeks' salary for each year of service, though this can vary depending on company policy. Some employers may offer more generous pay to employees with long service records or those in higher-level positions.

What is the point of the TV show Severance?

The plot follows Mark Scout (Adam Scott), an employee of the fictional corporation Lumon Industries who agrees to a "severance" program in which his non-work memories are separated from his work memories. Severance premiered on Apple TV+ on February 18, 2022.

Is Severance a satire?

Severance is, among other things, a workplace satire, taking the concept of "work/life balance" to a dystopian extreme. Like any great satire, it amplifies and exaggerates reality in its own distorted way to highlight the absurdities of everyday life.

What is the big twist in Severance?

Through severance, 50% of Mark's life will be lived without the overwhelming sadness that his wife is dead. However, Severance season 1's biggest theory resulted in a major twist when it was revealed that Mark's wife Gemma is alive, only working for Lumon as the severed Ms. Casey, Lumon's wellness counselor.

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45 related questions found

Why is the tech in Severance so old?

The company cleverly utilizes outdated technology and equipment to cover its dark practices. This way, the company limits the employees from using modern technology and has more control over them. So, the retro-tech isn't just for the show's aesthetics but to showcase its dark and controlling nature.

Is Severance lgbt?

Severance has an incredibly touching LGBTQ storyline that explores the complexities of queer relationships within the rigid confines of corporate environments. It centers around Mark's Macrodata Refinement colleague, Irving, who meets Burt (Christopher Walken), the head of Optics and Design at Lumon.

What is Severance an allegory for?

The sci-fi series “Severance” styles itself as a tidy allegory for the misery of the modern office drone.

What is Ben Stiller in Severance?

Ben Stiller Voices Kier Eagan In Severance

Though his role is uncredited, Stiller portrayed the founder of Lumon Industries, Kier Eagan.

What is the message of the Severance?

It's about the inhumanity of corporate life. Of course there is no actual procedure in real life, but we are expected to be a totally different person at home as we are at work, and we are expected to not let our personal values influence our decisions in the work place.

Why is Severance so highly rated?

A series examining the ways work affects our emotional state not only hits harder, but it's a powerful retort to these ideologies. Whether the audience becomes radicalized by these characters is another question entirely. Season 1 of Severance is a thought-provoking and fascinating television show.

What is the black goo in Severance?

The black goo is his black paint spilling into his thoughts at work. Hints the black ink under his nails.

What is the rule of 70 for Severance?

5) What is the Rule of 70 for severance? In the United States, the "Rule of 70" for severance is a simple way to determine if an employee is eligible for retirement-related. If the sum of the employee's years of service and age is 70 or more, you can combine retirement benefits as severance pay.

What do the scary numbers mean in Severance?

The numbers could also be an empirical representation of the tempers, and the Refiners are performing machine learning by classifying the data. It really depends on how Lumon uses the data, but the numbers seem to relate to Eagan's four tempers somehow.

What is the downside to Severance?

What is the downside to severance? The downside to severance includes financial drawbacks such as loss of steady income, potential loss of benefits, and uncertainty about future job prospects, as well as the impact on retirement savings and benefits.

What is Severance a commentary on?

“Severance,” a dystopian caricature of the workplace, follows the lives of four “severed” Lumon Industries employees: Mark, Dylan, Helly and Irving. The severance procedure they've undergone surgically splits their consciousness and memory for the purpose of achieving work-life separation.

What is the moral of allegory?

A moral allegory refers to when a piece of literature or film has a subtle moral or ethical message. Typically, allegories are somewhat hidden and profound in nature.

What is severance late stage capitalism?

'Severance' makes a claim that Capitalism is a flawed system which suppresses our desires by forcing participation in a system that prioritises capital value over cultural value. A system which delivers our 'wants' rather than our 'needs'.

Why does Irving paint the elevator?

It is speculated that, as part of his investigative process, outie Irving is trying to connect to his innie's memories with the music and repetitive painting of the hallway to the testing floor elevator.

Is harmony severed in Severance?

Harmony Cobel Is The Severed Floor Manager At Lumon Industries In Severance.

Is Severance a dystopian show?

If you somehow haven't got around to watching it yet, you may not know that Severance, an Apple TV+ original is a dystopian TV series which imagines a world where a person's work and personal lives are surgically separated.

What does lumon do?

Lumon pioneered the severance procedure, which divides a person's consciousness and memory. When severed, a person has no memory or knowledge of their workplace when they are not there, and no memory of the outside world when they are in the office. Much of the action of Severance takes place on Lumon's severed floor.

Did Ben Stiller create Severance?

Directed by Ben Stiller and Aoife McArdle and created by Dan Erickson, this sci-fi psychological thriller follows employees at Lumon Industries, a sinister biotech corporation.

Has Severance been Cancelled?

Severance has not officially been renewed for a third season by Apple TV+ (normal, considering Season 2 hasn't even premiered yet), but series writer and Season 2 co-executive producer Mohamad El Masri told IndieWire that the series has "mapped out" the full arc for the rest of the show, however long it may run.