“The Gap”, review of the second season: it was worth the wait

There’s no doubt about it: Apple TV+ is currently the platform that most successfully explores science fiction. From For all mankind and his thoughts on the impact of technology on FoundationA luxurious film adaptation of the saga of the same name by Isaac Asimov. The truth is that the subscription service’s interest in stories that explore scientific speculation is always surprising in its quality. But the first season from Severance pay was distinguished by its originality.

A story about a scientific procedure that can split a worker’s mind to ensure its efficiency is bound to be uncomfortable. But beyond that, creator Dan Erickson has provided it with a brilliant meditation on success, fear and the paranoia of a conspiracy. On the other hand, director Ben Stiller transformed the corridors and offices of Lumon Industries into a rare combination of minimalism and symmetry. The result was an increasingly complex premise that reached the season finale, leaving dozens of questions up in the air. Among them, who is actually behind the reduction procedure and, therefore, controls the mysterious corporation.

The second part of the production does not answer all the questions that the series raised earlier. That’s not really his intention. Before you do, explore the world it shows from new perspectives. Step by step, Severance pay delves into the lives of its characters outside and inside the office. And also, the way they react now, that they know what is happening to their minds. Thus, recent deliveries are generating more interest in the demonstration the true extent of control that Lumon exercises over its employees.

New riddles in Severance

The new season begins by showing what happened after the overtime mode was activated. As you may remember, Dylan (Zach Cherry) managed to find a way for Lumon employees to find out what was going on outside the office. This led to several shocking revelations. On the one hand, Mark (Adam Scott) discovered that Mrs. Casey (Dichen Lachman) was actually his wife. the one he thought was dead and whose grief caused him to accept the cut in the first place.

On the other hand, Hallie (Britt Lower) had to deal with the news that she is the daughter of Jame Egan (Michael Seaberry), the CEO of the company. A fact that in itself does not explain the reason why she agreed to work in the ominous conditions in which she finds herself. Finally, both Irving (John Turturro) and Burt (Christopher Walken) discovered that what was happening between them behind the company doors was more complicated than they could have imagined. All of these situations seemed to indicate that the second season Severance payat least that would explain any of them. Or he would show how his characters deal with them.

A story that gets more interesting

Which, in essence, is what happens, but without the argument being a set of questions and answers. Until then, Dan Erickson’s script focuses on information. Now every Big Data Refinement participant knows exactly who they are outside the office. And also, the place they occupy in the company. So Mark will try to unravel the mystery of Gemma/Mrs Casey and why he thought she was dead in the first place. The same can be said about Dylan, Irving and Bert. facing the confidence of the people they are outside of Lumon.

The plot then reveals what was always hinted at in the first season. Memories are not just experiences and data that can interfere with the work of company employees. Lumon actually slices and decides what each person needs to remember and how much of that memory benefits their structure. As this idea becomes more obvious, Severance pay shows that his critique of greed, ambition and capitalism, It’s more difficult than ever.

Even more interesting: this part avoids repeating the conflicts of the first season. Therefore, he strives to make the character movement scenario more complex and extensive. Whereas before most of the plot was focused on finding out what was going on outside, now it’s about finding out what’s going on in Lumon. It changed the direction in the mysteries Severance payempowers you to innovate at every level of your enterprise.

Cause and effect in “The Break”

One of the hits of the new season Severance payis to create a butterfly effect that affects all characters and conflicts. Thus, the possible answers to their riddles are actually a consequence of new knowledge available to the characters. A very specific case of this approach is what happens to Harmony Kobel/Mrs. Selvig (Patricia Arquette). The executive will have to deal with the consequences of not learning about Dylan’s plan and what made it effective. But at the same time, the character also understands that he knows very little about his place in the company. So you start asking yourself questions about about what the company he gave his life to really is.

Severance pay It becomes more interesting as its main characters go through similar processes. Whether it’s tracking Mark as he discovers other offices and employees on site, or delving into Helly’s fear of the discoveries he makes. The truth is that the show’s second season details the journey in which their plots and characters grow, like evolution in general.

Part of that growth includes showing how the lines between employees inside and outside Lumon have become increasingly confusing. Whereas in the previous installment the point of the plot was to find out what was going on with their minds, now he uses this information to his advantage. It’s not easy, and it won’t make things any easier. The script avoids obvious explanations for why the characters act the way they do. Until then, he follows them through their evolution, from mere pawns of an anomalous corporate card, enemies of the system behind closed doors.

A visual section that surprises again

Ben Stiller directs five of the ten episodes, and the series returns to its minimal, symmetrical and suffocating aesthetic. A large part of the production’s success is that it manages to focus its visual interest on turning the Lumon Companies’ interior into a labyrinth. Something that becomes increasingly clear in season two. Long corridors covered with opaque white panels They now lead to a staircase that widens and intersects with new rooms.

However, the show ups the stakes when it manages to marry this particular aesthetic with what it’s telling. What happens is quite obvious in Chapter 5, as well as in Chapter 7 of the production, perhaps the most experimental from an aesthetic and plot point of view. Overall, the series tries to make its visual offering more than just a group of thought-provoking images. What he achieved in the new season and makes it successful in all aspects.