Severance is about religion
Severance is a brilliant show on Apple TV+. The second season is nigh upon us and I want to talk about what the show has to say about religion.
Quick caveat to my headline here. Severance is a piece of art. Art means whatever it means to you. There is no one meaning, even if an artist declares there to be one (not that I'm an artist in question here). Art has infinite meanings. I simply want to give you one lens through which you may view the show as we head into season 2.
Severance is a very thought-provoking show. I've seen and heard many people discuss its implications. Theorizing about what it all means. Yet, I've not personally seen anyone make this particular comparison. Why? Perhaps many fans of the show are not religious. Perhaps religious folks are turned off by the strong language, or maybe they simply refuse to see any comparison to their own lives.
Full Season 1 Spoilers Ahead
What do you mean it's about religion?
This show is filled with religious parallels and imagery. I'm going to start by simply listing some of them:
- Lumon is the religion
- Kier is their prophet
- Kier's home is preserved as a holy site
- Cobel is a True Believer who will give anything for her religion
- Cobel worships at an altar
- Cobel sings a hymn about her prophet
- The company handbook is scripture
- Ricken's book is unholy scripture
- Severance is an initiation ritual, something like baptism
- Outies are parents; innies are their children inducted into the religion
- Milchik is a youth pastor
- Innies are never shown the outside world
- Innies are discouraged from questioning their leaders
- Innies greet others with a variety of reactions, including fear
- Some innies try to escape by extreme means, even driven to suicide
- The work of the main characters' innies is to sort numbers by their feelings; this is like a process of receiving personal revelation
- The Break Room is a confession chamber
- Helena states that her father, CEO (and current prophet) Jame Eagan, wishes she had undergone severance because she was moved by the spirit of Kier
- Helena mentions that Lumon is a family and all employees are her brothers and sisters
- Helena is the heir to the entire religious order
- When an innie leaves, they die. The church member is dead to the rest of the congregation.
- Mark is converted to the religion (severed) at his lowest, most vulnerable point
Okay, but what does it say about religion?
I don't think the show is about one religion in particular, but rather high-control religions in general. To me, it's very critical of them. At the end of Season 1, Helly speaks to the larger congregation. She declares that "down there" is a prison and that the innies are "tortured." She herself was driven to suicide earlier in the series.
To me, the show is a warning of the dangers of engaging with high-control religions. Especially in placing your children inside of one. Placing them under the supervision and direction of others. It's telling us that, if you're children are religious, you need to be open and transparent with them. Invite them to do the same with you. Ask them what they are taught and how they are treated. Do not discourage their honesty or curiosity.
What will we see in season 2?
I have no idea. Certainly we'll see Lumon respond to the drastic actions taken by the protagonists in season 1. The larger organization will seek to quash and/or explain away any discussion about Helly's speech. The innies will be punished. I'd be surprised if they aren't isolated from each other.
What would you like to see in the future?
I'd like to see further exploration of some of the side characters. Why is Cobel so devoted? How about Milchik? We get almost no understanding of his motivation or background. We also see much of Mark's innie, but little of the others. How do they feel? What is Irving's innie up to with his map? Will Mark (innie or outie) ever find his wife? I don't know, but I'm eager to find out.
What I'd most like to see is a prequel, when this show is said and done. I'd like a prequel about Kier himself. What was he like? Was he a good man? Was he a visionary? Did he mean well? Was he malicious? Did he create a monster organization that ballooned out of his control, or was he in control the whole time?
Whatever the future of this story brings, I'm invested. I'm in for the long haul on this one (barring some drastic drop in quality).