Adam Scott appears in Severance, on Apple TV+.Apple TV+
The Apple TV show Severance follows a series of characters who have agreed to undergo a procedure that separates their work consciousness from their non-work consciousness. This creates two separate personalities for each employee: an “outie” who has no memories of their time at work and an “innie” who only experiences life at their job, without days off or even sleep.
With its twists and turns, the high concept show from creator Dan Erickson and producer/primary director Ben Stiller has been a hit among fans and critics alike. The first season picked up two Emmys. Season two is currently the top show on its platform. The appeal of Severance is its grotesque funhouse mirror of work/life balance. You never have to experience work again, but you’re dooming a version of yourself to an inescapable hell. A literally unending office job. Surprisingly, some people don’t think it seems like that bad of a trade-off.
“I think being able to live my life free of the concern of work and employment while still maintaining a steady income is the ideal scenario,” said Tejas Panchal. The production accountant and photographer is one of many fans who say they’d undergo the severance procedure if it were an option in real life. Chatting with Panchal, he was lighthearted and excited, peppering the interview with references to the show’s Lumon corporation and framing his decision as access to free money. But alongside the riffs and jokes were some real concerns.
“Work has often found itself seeping into my personal life, whether it’s lack of sleep due to the stress of a busy period or responding to e-mails well into the night, to the point where I sometimes feel too drained to participate in my own life. By ‘severing’ I could hopefully live a life of all play, no work.”
When asked if he was at all concerned about what his innie might experience for his choice, Panchal was sympathetic but unwavering.
“The idea that there is some (un)conscious part of me who is perpetually imprisoned, is terrifying. Especially when considering the emotional weight and baggage of feeling trapped for eight hours a day. I don’t think the innies are in real trouble though. A life at Lumon is protected from such things as death. I think a potential response to that from an innie is gratitude, right?”
Off the record, a number of people from all walks of life expressed interest in undergoing the severance procedure. Office workers. Nurses. A few people in the service industry. What repeatedly came up was the stress of their job eating into their “real” life. Many felt like they were already at work all of the time. It’s an increasingly common problem. Nearly 40 per cent of Canadian professionals reported feeling burnout at work, according to a report from HR consulting firm Robert Half. The issues are even coming up at therapy.
During her 17 years in the business world, Naomi Midanik self-described as a “corporate high achiever” working in marketing. After the stress of the pandemic, she decided to pursue a master’s degree in counselling psychology. Midanik noted that the desire for severance procedure mimics a kind of release her clients are looking for in real life.
“The desire definitely feels rooted in reality,” she said. “People come to me going: ‘I can’t switch my brain off. I can’t sleep. I’m up in the middle of the night thinking about my presentation this morning.’ They’re looking for relief. And of course, the idea of severance feels like an escape.”
The therapist didn’t think severance was a great idea for a number of reasons. Among the problems the procedure would cause for your innie, she noted that separating your work and non-work selves undermines all the skills you develop on the job including new approaches to problem solving and conflict resolution.
“I would also encourage people to think about how work actually enhances their life outside of it,” she said
The Faustian bargain of the procedure makes for an enticing hypothetical. But for Norm Wilner, a Toronto-based film programmer and culture writer, even considering the severance procedure undermines the central conceit of the show.
“The pitch is designed to be appealing! It’s a shortcut to success. Go to your job and come home without doing a moment of actual work. That’s your innie’s problem, of which you are blissfully unaware,” said Wilner. “Except that the show actively tells us that you’re consigning your work self to literal enslavement, a lifetime of labour with no escape or relief.”
He also points out that the outies who underwent severance are not any happier, despite the fact that they never experience work.
“Severance is taking place in a world that’s lost its bearings, where increasingly deranged corporate platitudes take precedence over morals and ethics and where people suffering mightily in the outside world could easily fall for something as simple as the severance package … but it’s a trap!”
The fact that many people would be willing to undergo severance is less a damning notion on their character than a critique of the current state of work. While a few people responding to the question treated their answers frivolously, most understood the consequences of taking the procedure and the impact that would have on their other halves. They decided to do it anyway. That’s where so many people are at right now with their jobs.
Among the show’s many mysteries – What does Lumon Industries actually do? What’s the deal with the baby goats? – the central premise of Severance remains a huge selling point for its success. While pondering the moral and philosophical meanings behind the procedure isn’t exactly fun, it’s undeniably interesting.