A nuanced review of the Severance finale
The Severance season 2 finale delivered on almost all fronts. Mark and Gemma finally reunited (though short lived), Mr Drummond got his comeuppance from Brienne of Tarth, and Dylan G. had another season-finale altercation with Mr Milchick. The internet is going crazy with reviews, boasting Adam Scott’s performance, theorizing whether it was Helly or Helena at the end, and sensationalizing Mr Milchick’s marching band dance. So this review will take a different approach. We will discuss the less talked about parts, and what to expect moving forward, sprinkled in between some tough love.
What they cannot do for season 3 is return to status quo; the original gang cannot simply go back to MDR like they did at the beginning of this season. Keeping Irving away from the group can also result in a fresh B plot where he infiltrates a new severed floor. Lastly, Mr Milchick must be protected at all costs, for he is well on his way to a resplendent redemption arc.
Though the last leg of the season started to finally uncover some of the show’s biggest mysteries–like Cold Harbor, and what Microdata Refining even is–it still ended with a lot more questions. This is not a problem per say, but these final episodes reveal the writers’ “throw everything at the wall” tactic with Severance. They constantly challenge themselves with curveballs–who can forget the goats? To their credit they have so far managed to pull themselves out of these sticky situations. However, how long can this last? So in the next season we should hope to see answers to older questions rather than being asked brand new ones. Many mystery shows of the past have fallen victim to this phenomenon. They keep upping the antiques, without the promise of a fulfilling payoff.
On a final note, it is not all doom and gloom. This finale slapped and ended with an already-iconic cliffhanger. The imagery of Helly/Helena running down the corridor with Innie Mark will keep doing rounds in the pop-culture ecosystem until the next season drops–which, fingers crossed, won’t take another 3 years!
