Fear not, your Outie can think up new Severance questions after the Season 1 finale. Dan has some answers for us.
Fans of Apple TV+'s new mystery workplace thriller were invited to chat with the author of the book. The Los Angeles-based film and television writer talked about working with Ben Stiller and the talented cast, and offered some insight on what's to come for the show.
He did weigh in on some important topics of discussion and left us with a lot to ponder. I did my best to enjoy each response equally, but as a writer, I pulled out 15 of the best AMA revelations. You are welcome.
Page 197 slaps. (And the rest probably do too!) Credit: APPLE TV+
The world needs Ricken's wisdom and his book would be a hit in The Great Resignation era.
There is hope after a user begged to buy a fake self-help book. The show creator was initially worried that fans would only want Ricken's knowledge to be dropped in small amounts, but he said all The You You Are praise has him seriously considering a real book.
I would love a copy on my mantle as well. I think it will happen, I think the chances are pretty good. The genius who wrote all the brilliant book text fans heard read aloud in Season 1 is also the one who wrote the bullies/bull/lies line. We have complete faith in his vision.
On March 18th, Apple Books released a companion book called Severance: The Lexington Letter, which features a revealing letter sent to a newspaper by a former Lumon employee. At some point during her time at the company, Innie found a way to circumvent the code readers on the elevator. She was able to stress Lumon's operations and escape because she started communicating with her Outie. The book doesn't answer our questions about Mark and the current Lumon crew, but it does give valuable insight into the company. The Lexington Letter is a good read for Severance fans.
TheLexington Letter is a canon. He said the same universe. It may be set some years before the Season 1 timeline. Hmm...
A user asked if there were any characters who were severed on the outside. Like their Innie is their original self and their Outie is their severed one, that was interesting to say the least.
He wrote that Ben Stiller's spirit flew out of his body and into his house and slammed his laptop shut. Something to think about.
Waffle party or weird little toy viking boat? Credit: SCREENSHOT: APPLE TV+
Lumon offers severed employees a number of really pathetic work perks. When asked if he had ever received a work perk himself, he shared that he had. The melon is not sounding so bad.
He joked that he could keep Severance going for 14 seasons. And you know what? I would love that. The full scope of the show will likely be three to six seasons, he said during the AMA.
He explained that the show is so popular that he wants the coming seasons to reward that enthusiasm and live up to the love people are giving the show.
We simply love to hear it, because he already has a last scene in mind and a lot of the story that will get us there.
"Who are you?" Credit: APPLE TV+
Helly lay on her stomach on a table in the conference room. After she wakes up so confused, it is a confusing shot. That was intentional according to Erickson.
It is meant to be confusing for the worker, and to give them a sense that they have been in this world for a long time. Chaos!
Philosophers would have a field day discussing Severance for many reasons, but if at any point during your watch you thought. This reminds me of Plato's Allegory of the Cave. When I watch, I sometimes feel like I'm witnessing a modern reframing of Plato's Allegory of the Cave, instead of cave dwellers asking what is.
When asked if the text served as an inspiration for Severance, Erickson pointed to the break room and said yes.
There is no limit on fan theories. He knows that because he is a lurker. We have to respect it.
When asked if any of the cast or crew read fan theories on the Severance subreddit, Erickson came clean in one of the funniest ways possible. He said yes and then expanded. He tried to stay away but now reads fan theories religiously.
He said that he was alone in his bathroom at night when he saw that post. We will see about that bouncy ball.
In an interview with Thrillist, he shared more about the fun he is having as a Reddit lurker. It is just beautiful right now. He told the publication that people are creating all new art and have different ideas that had never occurred to him. The craziest theory he has seen so far is that a goat has been transformed into a woman. Let's not forget the waffle party.
He did note that he hasn't seen anyone crack the revolving mystery yet, but he won't reveal which fan theories are correct.
In the Season 1 finale, we met James Eagan, the current Lumon CEO, as well as the presumed son of the founder of Lumon. He seemed unstable at the Gala and when he confrontedHelena in the bathroom to address her attempted suicide, he mentioned something called a "revolving."
Are you still in pain? I cried in my bed when they told me what she was going to do to you. You will sit with me at my revolving one day.
What is the Helly? No one of us know.
The Office and Ted Lasso are two shows that fans love to watch. There are a lot of Easter eggs in Severance, but when asked if any have gone unrecognized by fans, he said no, but shared a pop culture reference that he hasn't seen anyone talk about.
There is a reference to my favorite line from Jaws in Episode 5. Not really an Easter egg, just a shout out. I don't think anyone has commented on it yet.
We would like to see a bouncy ball Easter egg one day.
The You You Car Credit: APPLE TV+
I too am a Severance lurker, and I have seen a lot of interest in the cars used in the series. Some people wonder why the cars are so old. The old Macro Data Refinement computers are not used in the severance procedure. Some people are curious if the vehicles were picked for a reason. Turns out they were!
The Innies are made to feel unmoored from time and space, and that bleeds into the town a bit. We wanted the town to feel like an extension of Lumon.
Defiant Jazz. Credit: APPLE TV+
It's difficult to enjoy each scene equally because of the amount of love that Severance has. The MDE is a favorite of Erickson. I assume it was canceled before it was officially canceled. He revealed that he tried to cut the scene in the script stage. The audacity?
I wasn't sure we needed it or that there was room for it, but Ben and producer Mark Friedman were adamant it could be something special.
I can not imagine our Severance experience without some jazz.
It has been a long time since we talked about the baby goats. Mark and Helly found a department with hay, a small white fence, and 10 baby goats, and a man in a suit and tie bottle feeding one of the animals, but it is not what we have discussed before on the site.
Remember when the two men met and admired the painting of the four tempers? In our previous article, we mentioned that a robed goat or ram was in the painting on the ground. The painting was recreated by the waffle party dancers. The baby goat department might have something to do with the painting. Possibly! The only other theory we have at the moment is from Helly, who laughs and tells Mark that he figured it out. Normally we would laugh along with her, but we can not discount the theory that the goats lay the eggs.
The goats were very sweet on set, but the cast wasn't allowed to pet them because of Covid protocols.
Burving for life. Thank you, John Turturro. Credit: SCREENSHOT: APPLE TV+
The random baby goats are terrifying. At least we have two people. John Turturro is the one who suggested Christopher Walken for the role in Burving, and according to the man, he was the one who suggested it. BRB CRYING. I adore them and their middle school crush.
One of the biggest unanswered questions after the first season is what the Helly is doing on their computers. What are the numbers? They are linked to emotions. In a previous article, we noted what was new.
We know the leading theories: Dylan thinks MDR is blowing up eels with probes so "a desperate humanity" can populate the sea, and Irv thinks the group is cutting swear words out of movies. Both are solid guesses, but we still don't know what MDR is actually doing on those computers every day.
As Mark told Helly, "Each category of numbers presents in such an order as to elicit an emotional response in the refiner." Some numbers, for example, feel scary — though it inexplicably takes new hires a while to feel the numbers on sight. "We know you may be curious about what the numbers mean," the handbook reads. "However, knowing the true meaning behind the numbers would inhibit your natural intuition."
One leading theory is that MDR is teaching Lumon how to potentially manipulate emotions of severed people (!!!). Kier Eagan's statue explained "the four tempers" that define human beings are woe, frolic, dread, and malice. An eagle-eyed Reddit user noticed that when refiners sort data into a bin, four progress bars pop out, labeled WO for woe, FC for frolic, DR for dread, and MA for malice.
We don't know what MDR does. None of the actors knew when filming Season 1 There is solidarity.
We still have an endless stream of Severance questions, but one thing is crystal clear. There are a lot of thoughtful, intriguing, and just plain funny responses, as well as some great unanswered questions.
The Board has ended this article.
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