Severance is a reminder of why I don't watch TV shows [audio only]
5Addenda:
1. I showed the "clocking in" clip at 7:16 in the spoiler section, but I should have shown it at 6:03 instead.
2. I could have put a little more emphasis on how good season 1 is. It's really, REALLY good. (As long as we ignore the ridiculous mystery boxes that were left unresolved.) Season 2 really does thoroughly ruin the whole show. I still like season 1 enough to watch again, and I expect that I will soon. But the season 1 finale cliffhanger is the end of the series for me.
3. I know Fargo was a movie first. I like season 1 of the Fargo show better than the movie, ok?
4. I talked about my "wishlist of gimmick scenes", but of course selecting scenes that serve the narrative is most important. You can't cover every interesting part of the gimmick without compromising the narrative, and compromising the narrative is never ever worth it.
(SPOILERS BELOW THIS LINE)
5. I complained that Innie Mark had no plan to justify his actions at the end of season 2. I understand that once he gets to the push door, locking Gemma out and turning around for Helly is the only reasonable choice. If he opens that push door, separation from Helly is guaranteed and oblivion is likely. Still, none of this explains why he put himself in that situation in the first place. Innie Mark should be afraid of being "laid off" after Cold Harbor is completed. He should be considering his actions VERY carefully, especially after the conversation in the cabin. But instead, he cuts short the meeting with Outie Mark, demands to go to the Severance floor, immediately finishes Cold Harbor, and then risks his life to go save Gemma. Why?
6: Speaking of the wishlist, I forgot to mention that I wanted to see an "innie" get factory reset. And I know that Cobel could implant Petey's innie into a new host. (Maybe even herself.) That'll probably happen in season 3. In fact, season 3 will probably start with a flashback to Petey so we can start "building" his "character". (Consider this my formal prediction 2025-04-22.)
7. I forgot to mention that they've set Dylan up to have the most to gain from reintegration. Beyond the obvious benefit of existing outside of Lumon, naturally. Innie Dylan is brave, but outie Dylan is free and has a family. So an integrated Dylan could have the best of both worlds. But do the writers realize this? Possibly. It was in supertext, but it's difficult to tell how much they comprehend their own show.