@@finfog4590 - I know we’ve had pandemics and strikes and all that in recent years, but couldn’t the executives at Apple have seen the working prints of this show and realized how good it was, and green lit it for a second season before the first season even aired?
@Sam_T2000 you'd think, but they're ridiculously financially risk-averse. Even if there is an 80% chance the show will be loved they rarely do that until the show has gained traction.
I think this is a great summary of the first season. One thing I think you skipped in your analysis of Irving: his outie seems to be trying some sort of hypnotherapy to access his severed consciousness (or something similar to that), which is why he's using the repetition with the painting/Motorhead, the coffee and innie Irving's dosing, etc. The paint dripping hallucination happens early on for innie Irving and it's commented that the dosing is habitual. This lends credence to the idea that Irving is working for the resistance/Regabhi and correlates with the theory of him knowing Mark as a therapist. I freaking love this show!
We have a couple clues. Mark's checklist asks him "check their lunches" and in another scene they open the fridge for some reason and you can see paper lunch bags in there. So it's safe to assume lunch is provided by the company each day.
I think the metaphor is flexible enough to warn against the dangers of both. And when you think about it, the nature of corporatism and religion are pretty much serving the same impulse anyway - a higher authority that provides for you, as long as you devote your work/time and declare your inferiority on a regular, ritualistic basis.
When you think about this. Innies are *them* just without outside influence. Wouldn't this mean that Helly is actually very rebellious and stubborn but has learned to hide that side of her?
I'd say outtie Helly taking the initiative to become an innie in the first place and insisting she stay (even though her innie tried to off her) is a sign of her outtie's stubbornness and rebellion (even if towards herself.) No Eagen descendents have severed themselves (we know of) and she wants to use herself as the matyr for this bold PR move.
@@MedicoreMacaroniwell innie helly doesn't have the same motivations as outie helly, just the same character. So it kinda is cool to see how a person's nature can lead them to do wildly different things with some environmental differences
I always thought the goats were a way of maintaining the innies' sense of reality distorted; Lumen knows there's an inevitable tendency for the innies to find answers, and rekindle their humanity, they've attempted it in the past, which lead me to believe some of those rooms were meant to be found in those instances of latent rebellion by the innies to shield them from reality with nonsense, like a way of mental isolation through uncanniness, and consequently discouraging further truth seeking behavior (i.e. going outside of your own box is shocking and uncannily terrifying and inherently irrational making said box preferable and predictable). It didn't have to have a convoluted explanation behind it.
This show was shot in my town.And about 20 years ago, someone spray painted red goats everywhere. Like with a stencil. I think Ben included this because the goat graffiti is a known thing in my town. They're called "The red goats of Kingston.
My theory was that Lumon is trying to bring back Kier. That it’s essentially a massive human computer making inputs into what will ultimately be the return of Kier’s consciousness. Not a clone but his consciousness. The main characters are putting computated stimuli into the appropriate emotional category, the products made in fabrication are repetitive in order to make a strong connection over each individual item Kier knew of in his life or that was most important to him. The goats idk
I think that's on the right track because when I started to think about Ai the munger stared to make more she I firmly thought maybe the severance process altered there perception but now I think they maybe organizing some tor of Ai programming to build different types of androids westworld style... but I don't think it's just for one guy not enough personal benefit for his kids... who wants to build something to be in charge of them
I was going to say something similar, not sure they are working on Kiers' consciousness, but pretty sure they are working on some bodies consciousness? With an aim of offering eternal life, that is maybe if you wear the chip all your life than your consciousness can be uploaded (maybe in real time), and can be put in another's body. Or a clone of your body (the goats been tests for this). Maybe the workers are actually sorting through their own consciousness, as it uploads, they feel where the right neural pathway should go? I originally thought they were working on all the dead members of the family, but now think they are the test subjects, with an aim for the rest of the family.
Fingers crossed. I have previously been burned by Westworld. That's one of the problems with mysteries. The payoff is almost impossible to pull off for these big setups.
Irving's last name is Baliff. That is a guy who keeps order for the Judge in the courtroom. I think Petey and Irving were best pals which is why Pete told Mark I am your best friend, you are my very good friend. Irving is a major player here.... building up to something.
I got the chance to talk to Ben Stiller and my only question for him was - what if they have a preexisting condition that they must take care of on the inside and the outside. He said he would have to think about it!
Yes. In the Lexington letter they show evidence that may point to the idea that the data they refined may be linked to an explosion attack targeted towards a Lumon competitor. I believe it is also mentioned that the data that MDR handles involves the oil industry, Lumon, and other industries
Lumon does biotech stuff and goats are kind of an important animal for biotech IRL, so even if it started out as a silly gag it surprisingly fits for Lumon to be raising goats. They can be used for cloning, making medications, etc.
The severance handbook which you can read online has a set of emails from a former employee who used a childhood language she made up to communicate with her altered self. They talk about what they think the numbers mean and coinsides it with an explosion that happened at the same time ( down to the min) in the outside world.
I just finished this show. This has been the only Apple show I've genuinely loved from start to finish. I love forward to your content on season 2, 9 months from now. 😆
I watched this when it aired years ago. The wait for season 2 is fucking torture. This shit reminds me of the wait between lost seasons when it was still on
Sweet, just watched the first season last sunday (yeah, binged it), So this video and the season 2 announcement are right on time for me 😁 lucky me I guess
I recommend reading George Saunders. It might loosen the grip. Cause and effect is not the point. Logic and intellectual explanation is secondary, just as it is in good comedy, or dreams. The real juice of this show is the mystery of how it makes you FEEL.
I’m surprised you didn’t mention anything about the “livestock” comment Helly made in the first episode. It’s when she’s meeting Mark for the first time and she asks “am I livestock” and he laughs and says “good lord no.” I’m also wondering what is up with the whole food less dinner thing…
A small detail in the cene where Mark screams "shes alive" is that hes holding a picture of gemma and him in his hand so thats probably what everyone will notice and ask about
I would like to see what a job at Lumon is like for a regular, non-severed employee, like someone who works above ground, and has nothing to do with the severed floor… do they still have all the cult-y stuff up there, or what? I’d say probably not, at least not to the same degree… but I’d like to see 🤷🏻♂️ also… I kinda hope they don’t actually explain too much, like ever. if Lumon is just a weird, mysterious entity throughout the show’s run and they plot is just about the characters and their various lives, I don’t think I’d mind.
Pretty culty, as they have a giant bust of the founder carved into a wall and employees know what he had for breakfast. Also they live in a state or country named after him.
@@jeremyphillips3087 - yea, the head carving thing looks pretty Sovi-et, and I think it’s just the town that’s named after the founder… but that could just be something like “Hersey, PA…” either way, I’d just like to see some “regular” Lumon employees 👍
@@jeremyphillips3087 - I forget where exactly, but at some point in the show there’s an address listed in “Kier, PE.” so, it takes place in a fictional state, for sure… but “PE” doesn’t seem to line up with the names Kier, or Eagan, or Lumon… sooo, maybe, maybe not. hopefully we’ll learn more in Season 2 🤷🏻♂️
I heard somewhere else the theory that Cobel has actually infiltrated Lumon to take revenge for the death of her mother so in that case she would be somewhat on Mark's side and trying to take down the whole company
She clutched a feeding tube during breaking the shrine. I read somewhere that Lumon had a feed tube recall. Possible that the tube killed her mother. But if she wants to take revenge, why does she worship it prior to being fired?
Also i think the goats are part of making a self-sustaining town of severed employees who never turn off ( seen in the failsafe ). You can see on the map on the napkin a couple of houses. I think downstairs is a prototype town of pll who dont leave and goats ( such as goats milk) is a way to keep them alive.
All I know for sure is that there had better be a good answer for all these questions eventually and that I live long enough to see and hear them. Theories are all very well but, ultimately, they are empty until we see more episodes. I need my Severance fix!
I wonder if every time someone acts up, they just sever them again, making multiple severed employees within one person. This would make sense with the opening credits where there are multiple innie Marks drowning outie Mark. Perhaps Lumen doesn’t know yet the full impact of multiple severances, but they’re doing it for control. And the more someone is severed, the more the controls that keep the parts separate break down and memories break through in dreams, etc. Also, is the politician even aware of what he’s doing? Was he severed and his innie was groomed to advance Lumon’s plans and then was released via the overtime protocol? Also, if Lumon has been pushing for the chip to be implanted in children via that politician, it would create a world of children that could be raised as soldiers or spies, trained secretly in their innie, but the outie is oblivious. Then on the flip of the switch, that person’s innie could be flipped to the outside in any situation. Perfect societal control. That would explain the strange cards that MDR found in optics that looked like martial arts training cards. Why were those important? Secret army? Secret spies? Lots of fun plot theories to explore!
We also see Milchik outside when hes at dylans which he was able to do of his own accord so its unlikely hes stuck at lumon Also im wondering if the innies are going to be wiped or something in order to allow them to go back to work. Maybe we'll have scenes with outie mark, old innie mark, and new innie mark.
The Helena we see in videos/interacting with Helly R definitely comes across callous and arrogant - sure there's similarities to her innie (which I think is natural. Helly's rebelliousness kind of translates to a strong sense of self and entitlement - not unlike her outie)... but I do think that they'll keep the tension in the second season - which is really compelling. The show basically making us root for the servered personality over the "real" person.
Lumon definitely fits the definition of a Cult "a system of religious veneration and devotion directed toward a particular figure or object." Kier is that figure
Most interesting and original show I have seen since Mr. Robot. It's a serious look at the human condition. It's at once a compelling drama but has dark situational humor ripe with claustrophobic suspense - a 'cracked' mirror version of the Office if it had a baby with Twin Peaks.
What MDR is doing is the LEAST important question. They're not "doing" anything, other than providing biometric feedback to Lumen. Certain sequences of numbers trigger a certain response (a feature of the chip that is not explained to them) based on pre-op questionaires/testing. For instance, a certain sequence of numbers might show up to the characters subconscious as, let's say, a giant spider (or whatever that person has revealed to be their biggest fear, etc. IOW - response data, and alliance/enemy/conflict resolution, etc. is the only thing Lumen is mining for. The real question isn't even important, although it seems clear that they are working on a control mechanism for the general population.
So I've watched several of your videos now and I think this one especially highlights your strength in analyzing the dual natures some shows have, also your 8 simple rules video for example, and I'd love to see you apply that to the Show "Kevin Can F Himself" which balances through Sitcom and Drama. I think you'd find the show interesting and have a lot to say on it.
i think because the goats weren't really in the original plan they are going to be a part of a lower stakes but still important reveal. i think lumen makes their own food/drinks that they inject stuff into to help keep people subservient, and the goats just aren't ready to be milked/cooked yet.
What do you mean fully severed , like Cobel? She’s the same consciousness away from work and at work. I don’t get why she wants to keep such a close eye on Mark either.
Awesome video bro a lot of great leads, I like your Cobell theory. I could see Lumon owning other companies where they implemented the severance process. The Mark, Irving therapist theory makes sense, I don't see why you think Regabhi would work with Irving on the outside though?
You know if people keep waiting like 3 or 4 years between seasons people are going to forget and think the show is cancelled. There is another season of the Handmaid's tale supposed to be coming out also.
Idk i watched on release and this show haunts me from time to time and has actually showed up in other pieces of media since its release (like Rick & Morty). If it's great people won't forget
There was side content released with the show called The Lexington Letter, it provided some clues that hint at what they're work is.... I believe it had sonething to do with eliminating competition(other companies)
Well my guess it seems milcheck is medically trained and his persona is very militant...I would say milcheck and ms.cobel was about of lumen pre-severance and may have been apart of the development team in someway milcheck being a neurologist or even a tech genius 🤔 that serve in the military and ms.cobel obviously being some sort of psychologist bought in to develope the way of life fir the innys
Opening scene. If they put the conference table vertical instead of horizontal. It would look like Helli was literally being born. This part of Helena being created and birthed.
one cool thing they could go for is lumon essenrially planning to eliminate all present mdr workers besides helena. perhaps there is a way to set the memory cap for the inni back to 0 which makes them all docile again but to the price of having to re develope their characters for lumon once again. the mext step is removing the outies and other outer interferences so long it doesnt draw more attention which lets be honest isnt much because they are in the main worker city of kier.
what strikes me about harmony as well is that her 2 different lifes are a very strong parallel to the severance programm, emulating it. in this case we can perhaps take it literally as she is the only one with such a stark theme to her character as like you mentioned no other worker is that eccentric. she makes it her duty to split her work life and home life and the writers go out of their way to make it 2 extremes. it seem to me that she believes in a very specific vision for humanities psychology. the one thing she never changes in both her acts is her devotion. now if she just used parts of her life as some sort of inspiration to create these 2 personalities is another thing. a lot to contemplate about.
I have my own theory on the theme of Severance, which centers on commentary on the Protestant Ethic. I believe the foodless dinner party in the first episode, the mystical worship of founder Kier Eagan, and the Luman Bible are clues to this theory. The Protestant Ethic values hard work and profit-seeking and strictly avoids worldly pleasure, idleness, and waste of time, which is what Luman employees are expected to do during working hours.
Am I the only person who thinks that Milcheck is a clone. I think that there is more than one. They can be inside and out, some like Cobel and others don't.
I believe Milchick isn’t who he appears to be. I think he gave the tape to Petey. What’s the deal with them making it a point to show him put a tape in his pocket? Wouldn’t the company have a better recording system? The tape recorder is his.
@@fredvasquez4201 Another good point. Off that’s subject, have you noticed that thing on the back of Helly’s head/neck when she at the gala? I’m not sure what I was looking at, so I thought I’d ask another fan. Have you noticed it? You can see it right before she takes the stage. It’s right after Harmony confronts Helly.
It should be an actual crime to release a show and then not have any plans or preparations made for the next season. How is it that the 2nd most valuable company ON THE PLANET cannot get out ONE season of a show (with almost no CGI) in the time it takes other shows to come out with 2-3 seasons?? Apple is really dropping the ball. At this point I'm doubting we'll even get a season 2. Who ever is in charge of Apple shows should be fired (at).
I just realized, in the final episode at Helly's expo or whatever you call it, in her black and white pictures she's in front of a Lumon computer. Clearly the outside world has modern tech, yet they're not hiding the fact that they use such outdated equipment on the severed floor? Does this mean the MDR is just an experiment and the work they do is pointless, and the outside world knows that it's just an experiment and that the old computers are just for show? Or what other possible explanation could they have given the outside world?
25:05, did he mean the opposite here? Because that is what I'm hoping for, that they create dissonance for the audience. Similarly how they make you like Helly's character but also root for her to succeed in her suicide attempt.
Why would you imply they lack the concept of love? Has this been indicated somehow in the episodes, maybe that I missed? Why would him expressing ‘love’ for a participant a foreign notion… (that being the love and not the affection to a participant)
