My Review - Severance
Streaming on Apple TV+
My Rating 9/10
I usually don't review a series before the first season finishes but the first 5 episodes Severance has impressed me so much that if the quality of the final 4 instalment is as good as the first 5 perhaps my rating will be a TEN.
Ben Stiller has directed 6 episodes of this critically acclaimed first series he said I read the screenplay to the pilot episode at least five years before the show premiered, calling it "the longest thing I've ever worked on ." His Production Company Red Hour Productions, was impressed and took up this futuristic story which doesn't look to far away set in a huge Corporate workplace that looks more like a minimalist factory. I would describe the series a little like the famous Fritz Lang's Classic Science Fiction movie of 1927 Metropolis meets George Orwell's "1984".
The series looks great with minimalist sets or work stations with a very cold colour palette to help create the menacing environment . Filmed at the old Bell Labs building in Holmdel, New Jersey. The water tower out front was supposedly shaped like a transistor.
In January 2017, Ben Stiller invited Adam Scott to star as Mark the promoted Team Leader of four employees at a sinister biotech corporation, Lumon Industries. Lumon uses a "severance" medical procedure to separate the non-work memories of some of their employees from their work memories .
Mark, gradually uncovers the web of conspiracy from both sides of the division.
Every character in this series I find interesting and the development of the story so far mesmerising it will eventually span 19 episodes so a long way to go.
A few standout characters Mark of course a recently widowed nice guy who like all the employees of Lumon is very efficient because at work personal problems are forgotten as that part of their memory has been voluntarily severed.
However when work finishes they have no memory recall of their work life.
In fact no one working at Lumen really seems to know what they are working at because it's all coded but all are told it's vitally important.
John Turturro as Irving and Christopher Walken as Burt develop an interesting and intimate work relationship working in different divisions they are not supposed to mix or form any sort of intimacy with other employees .
Britt Lower as Helly a young new recruit tries to resign but no one seems to leave voluntarily at Lumon her workmate Dylan played by Zach Cherry is the joker of the work team and doesn't really get why his workmates are experiencing anxiety and just wants a quite life.
The standout performance of this series for me so far is Patricia Arquette as Harmony Cobel for viewers of The Handmaid's Tale Harmony Cobel makes Aunt Lydia Clements look like Mary Poppins . Harmony is the most chilling character I've seen in a long while she is Big Brother,sorry Big Sister and spends her work days monitoring every workers performance and behaviour. Harmony is expressionless and unemotional assigning her henchman and spy Milchick to (Tramel Tillman ) to escort and administer disciplinary therapy to workers who step out of line.
Patricia Arquette's character Harmony also spies on Mark in disguise a friendly old dear living next door I'm certain she's channeling the Evil Queen in Snow White . Mark of course so far has no idea who this seemingly sweet she really is as his work memory is severed from his personal life I can see an Emmy award in the future for her chilling role in Severance.
I'll add to my review of course as series 1 of Severance concludes but I had to recommend it as this Apple TV Production I think is a stand out series .
I usually don't review a series before the first season finishes but the first 5 episodes Severance has impressed me so much that if the quality of the final 4 instalment is as good as the first 5 perhaps my rating will be a TEN.
Ben Stiller has directed 6 episodes of this critically acclaimed first series he said I read the screenplay to the pilot episode at least five years before the show premiered, calling it "the longest thing I've ever worked on ." His Production Company Red Hour Productions, was impressed and took up this futuristic story which doesn't look to far away set in a huge Corporate workplace that looks more like a minimalist factory. I would describe the series a little like the famous Fritz Lang's Classic Science Fiction movie of 1927 Metropolis meets George Orwell's "1984".
The series looks great with minimalist sets or work stations with a very cold colour palette to help create the menacing environment . Filmed at the old Bell Labs building in Holmdel, New Jersey. The water tower out front was supposedly shaped like a transistor.
In January 2017, Ben Stiller invited Adam Scott to star as Mark the promoted Team Leader of four employees at a sinister biotech corporation, Lumon Industries. Lumon uses a "severance" medical procedure to separate the non-work memories of some of their employees from their work memories .
Mark, gradually uncovers the web of conspiracy from both sides of the division.
Every character in this series I find interesting and the development of the story so far mesmerising it will eventually span 19 episodes so a long way to go.
A few standout characters Mark of course a recently widowed nice guy who like all the employees of Lumon is very efficient because at work personal problems are forgotten as that part of their memory has been voluntarily severed.
However when work finishes they have no memory recall of their work life.
In fact no one working at Lumen really seems to know what they are working at because it's all coded but all are told it's vitally important.
John Turturro as Irving and Christopher Walken as Burt develop an interesting and intimate work relationship working in different divisions they are not supposed to mix or form any sort of intimacy with other employees .
Britt Lower as Helly a young new recruit tries to resign but no one seems to leave voluntarily at Lumon her workmate Dylan played by Zach Cherry is the joker of the work team and doesn't really get why his workmates are experiencing anxiety and just wants a quite life.
The standout performance of this series for me so far is Patricia Arquette as Harmony Cobel for viewers of The Handmaid's Tale Harmony Cobel makes Aunt Lydia Clements look like Mary Poppins . Harmony is the most chilling character I've seen in a long while she is Big Brother,sorry Big Sister and spends her work days monitoring every workers performance and behaviour. Harmony is expressionless and unemotional assigning her henchman and spy Milchick to (Tramel Tillman ) to escort and administer disciplinary therapy to workers who step out of line.
Patricia Arquette's character Harmony also spies on Mark in disguise a friendly old dear living next door I'm certain she's channeling the Evil Queen in Snow White . Mark of course so far has no idea who this seemingly sweet she really is as his work memory is severed from his personal life I can see an Emmy award in the future for her chilling role in Severance.
I'll add to my review of course as series 1 of Severance concludes but I had to recommend it as this Apple TV Production I think is a stand out series .