Severance (series): Two episodes in and it is pretty great

It's rare to find something unique and unusual these days because no matter what someone makes a show about there is a really good chance that it is something that has already been done, or in the case of things like Star Wars, the idea is there but honestly, they've run a bit far with that ball and now nobody really cares. Severance was recommended by a friend recently and although I do not have AppleTV, there are other ways to get your hands on this that I am sure you can figure out.

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The first episode begins with a man crying dramatically in his car for a full 30 seconds. Then he collects himself opens the door of his car, and walks towards a very dreary looking building, logs in with his work lanyard, and the goes into the elevator.

Something happens to him on the way down that we are not yet made aware of but when the door opens the look of sadness and woe are gone from his face and he carries on down a series of mundane hallways to arrive at an even more mundane cubicle area.

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This is where anyone that has ever held a corporate office job, or perhaps has one right now, starts to get the heeby-jeebies because it is something that all of us can relate to. Offices like this one are extremely prevalent in the workplace, and they are just so devoid of anything joyful that this show appears to be some sort of horror or dread series even before it has been spelled out for us. I was unaware of that but figured it out pretty quickly.

Without spoiling too much, we quickly find out that something has been done to most if not all of the people in this workplace so that they are brainwashed into increased productivity. I think this is an important societal issue right now and always will be because so many people are extremely unhappy with their jobs. That old adage of "do what you love and you will never work for a day in your life" is a dreamer's statement. The world simply isn't like that and if everyone did what they loved there wouldn't be any accountants.

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The dreary way that all the settings are presented make this show remarkably full of dread and even though the scenery rarely changes, they are able to make the work life look extremely mundane without spelling it out for us. Director Ben Stiller has likely never had to work in an environment like this so I find it pretty amazing that he was able to dramatize or even exaggerate how bad working as a corporate slave actually can be.

Should I watch it?

I think you should be able to tell by now that I highly regard this series. I think it will be a lot more impactful to those who are a bit older though. Teenagers and young adults should see this as a bit of a warning also, because whether you want to or not, there is a rather good chance you are going to end up working in an environment similar to but probably not as bad as that which is depicted in Severance. I'm only 2 episodes in so let's see if they can continue to hold my interest.

_{The only LEGAL way of watching this show at the moment is on AppleTV, and that is likely the only place it ever will be as well.}