Throughout its second season, Apple TV+’s existential workplace thriller “Severance” continues to push the boundaries of psychological horror and corporate satire introduced in its powerhouse first season. (And it’s garnered nearly twice as many Emmy nominations in the process!)
From the moment Mark S. (Adam Scott) returns to the alarmingly sterile halls of Lumon Industries, Season 2 is a master class in escalating tension and emotional revelation. We compiled the best of these moments that left us terrified, chuckling, or simply in awe of the show’s extraordinary vision. Spoilers ahead!
Irving exposes Helly (Season 2, Episode 4)
This chaotic episode, titled “Woe’s Hollow, finally sees long-simmering tensions erupt, as Irving’s (John Turturro) suspicions are confirmed that Helly (Britt Lower) is actually an Eagan posing as an innie. Irving’s line “Helly was never cruel” launches us into a thrilling two-minute power struggle—and murder attempt—that ends with Helly screaming Milchick’s (Tramell Tillman) first name—which none of the innies know—to save her life. The powerful performances and satisfactory emotional payoff ensure that I’ll stay far away if ever offered to go on an Outdoor Retreat and Team-Building Occurrence (ORTBO). —Karen Jenkins, senior social media associate
Cobel’s big reveal (Season 2, Episode 8)
Season 2’s eighth episode, “Sweet Vitriol,” paints a bleak picture of Harmony Cobel’s (Patricia Arquette) childhood in the desolate coastal town of Salt’s Neck, once home to Lumon’s ether factory. The episode packs a mighty punch within its brief 37-minute timeframe: Lumon’s dark origins, Cobel’s devastating backstory, the Wintertide Fellowship, child labor practices, the evils of industrialization, addiction, religious zealotry, and ostracization, oh my! But perhaps the most shocking moment of all is when Cobel finds an old notebook proving she—and not Lumon CEO Jame Eagan (Michael Siberry)—invented the severance procedure. Arquette’s performance juxtaposes righteous indignation, intrinsic fanatical loyalty, vindication, and grief, all wrapped up in a not-so-tidy Eagan-exposing bow. —Suzy Woltmann, writer/editor
Milchick tells off Drummond (Season 2, Episode 9)
Earlier in the season on the fifth episode, “Trojan’s Horse,” Drummond (Ólafur Darri Ólafsson) chastises Milchick during a performance review for using words that the severed floor manager might call sesquipedalian. Drummond’s castigation drips with the just-below-the-surface racism and classism insidiously inherent to Lumon ideology. At first, Milchick responds by trying to conform in a distressing representation of double-consciousness. (That scene where he reprimands his reflection in the mirror? Heartbreaking). But that just makes it all the more satisfying when an increasingly insurgent Milchick tells Drummond to “devour feculence” in the penultimate episode “The After Hours.” —Suzy Woltmann, writer/editor
Milchick dances with a marching band (Season 2, Episode 10)
Tillman’s performance as Milchick is a Season 2 standout for me. Most notably, his uncanny valley marching band dance sequence in the finale, “Cold Harbor,” is nothing short of epic. Tillman’s eerie yet comedic presence onscreen is magnetic and so much fun to watch. —Sky Silverman, social media manager
Tillman brings a quiet intensity to the complex character, a sense of this-guy-could-lose-it-at-anytime that naturally plays into the series’ distinct and unsettling tone. He perfectly toes the line of being frustrating and fascinating to viewers. In the now-viral sequence from the finale, Milchick performs a marching band routine surrounded by drum lines and horns, all with the straightest face imaginable. It’s captivating and anxiety-inducing all at once. —Jacqueline Tynes, editor
Outie Mark and innie Mark meet (Season 2, Episode 10)
The Season 2 finale contains no shortage of mindbending moments, but perhaps the most creative sequence takes place when outie Mark finally has a conversation with innie Mark. Desperate to save his wife, Gemma (Dichen Lachman), from the Lumon building, outie Mark devises a plan with Cobel and his sister Devon (Jen Tullock) to speak with his innie—one that involves talking to a camcorder and walking back and forth through an outie-innie barrier. It’s a difficult feat, making viewers believe it’s two separate people talking to each other, but it works, due to ingenious directorial choices such as having each Mark lit by contrasting hues. Scott’s nuanced performance really sells the differences between the two characters. —Jalen Michael, associate editor