Severance

Summary

Pop Culture Happy Hour: Breaking Down Severance Season 2

Host: Glen Weldon
Guests:

• Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR White House Correspondent
• Jarrett Hill, Co-author of Historically Black Phrases
• Priya Krishna, New York Times Food Reporter and Author of Indian-ish

Episode Overview:
In this episode of Pop Culture Happy Hour, host Glen Weldon delves into the intricate and enigmatic second season of Apple TV+'s Severance. Joined by NPR’s Danielle Kurtzleben, Jarrett Hill, and Priya Krishna, the panel dissects the season finale, exploring the show's escalating weirdness, complex narratives, and character developments.

---

1. Introduction to Severance Season 2

Glen Weldon opens the discussion by summarizing the premise of Severance: a mysterious corporation, Lumen, employs a procedure called severance, which splits employees' work and personal lives into separate existences. The second season picks up after the season one finale, where characters known as "innies" have started interacting with their "outie" selves, uncovering deeper layers of Lumen’s dark secrets, including the revelation that Mark's wife, presumed dead, is actually imprisoned within Lumen's facilities.

Glen Weldon [04:07]:
"As the second season began, Lumen was reeling from the events of the season one finale... We have not even mentioned the Ortbow yet, but we'll get to as much as we can."

---

2. Guest Reactions and Insights

Priya Krishna's Perspective

Priya Krishna shares her initial confusion while watching the season, pondering the show's cryptic elements and plot twists. Despite the meandering narrative, she appreciates the season finale's coherence and likens it to pivotal moments in other complex series like Lost.

Priya Krishna [04:59]:
"I am the severance viewer who spends most of the season wondering, am I too stupid for this show?... and then I get to the finale and I'm like, oh, my God, this show is awesome."

She praises the show's aesthetics and visuals, drawing parallels between the finale's impact and memorable scenes from Lost.

Priya Krishna [06:00]:
"the finale reminded me of season one of Lost, when John Locke is banging on the hatch door and suddenly, like, the light illuminates."

Jarrett Hill's Take

Jarrett Hill echoes Priya's sentiments about feeling lost amidst the show's complexities. He highlights the deliberate precision of Severance's scripting, noting that every line carries weight, which adds to the challenge of keeping up with the unfolding narrative.

Jarrett Hill [06:37]:
"It always feels like every line is important on this show... Everything feels very measured on this show."

He reflects on the finale's ability to tie together various threads, albeit with some lingering confusion about character motivations and plot devices.

Jarrett Hill [07:59]:
"By the end, it brought me to that same tension of the first season."

Danielle Kurtzleben's Critique

Danielle Kurtzleben offers a contrasting viewpoint, expressing disappointment with the second season's direction. She feels the show ventured into excessive weirdness without meaningful purpose, detracting from its core themes.

Danielle Kurtzleben [08:25]:
"This season disappointed the hell out of me... It just felt like Easter eggs for the Reddit crowd."

She criticizes specific elements, such as the inclusion of the goats and erratic character behavior, which she believes served no narrative function.

Danielle Kurtzleben [15:29]:
"Why did no one ask Brienne of Tarth what her name is? What was up with the goats?"

Danielle appreciates certain character developments but laments the overall lack of cohesion and purpose in the season's storytelling.

Danielle Kurtzleben [18:09]:
"To me, this season was just trying to do too much... Bringing in the topic of race and then getting rid of it."

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3. In-Depth Discussion on Plot and Character Development

The panel engages in a thorough analysis of Severance's second season, debating the effectiveness of its narrative choices and character arcs.

Pacing and Narrative Structure:
Glen Weldon praises the season finale for successfully tying together complex plot threads, describing it as "surprising but inevitable."

Glen Weldon [10:51]:
"I cannot remember a more satisfying season finale. This thing hit every box that needed checking plot-wise."

Danielle argues that the pacing was uneven, with the finale overshadowing the rest of the season's meandering storyline.

Danielle Kurtzleben [10:28]:
"I wish the rest of the season had been at that pace."

Character Dynamics:
Priya highlights the exploration of Mark's dual selves, referencing the "Gollum and Smeagol" dynamic, which delves into the psychological conflict between the innie and outie versions.

Priya Krishna [12:23]:
"The Gollum Smeagol stuff between innie Mark and outie Mark was so interesting."

Jarrett appreciates the show's disorienting nature, viewing it as an intentional stylistic choice that enhances the narrative's depth.

Jarrett Hill [19:17]:
"The disorienting nature of Severance is part of why it works."

Despite differing opinions on the show's execution, all guests acknowledge the ambitious scope of Severance and its willingness to push narrative boundaries.

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4. Themes and Symbolism

The discussion touches upon the thematic elements of Severance, particularly its exploration of identity, autonomy, and the psychological impacts of corporate control.

Claustrophobia and Limited Choices:
Glen Weldon interprets the show's environment as a metaphor for claustrophobia and limited personal agency, mirroring real-world anxieties about corporate overreach.

Glen Weldon [22:14]:
"This show is so weird that what she's bringing can be very easily overlooked. She is grounded. She is real, she's funny, she's warm."

Metaphorical vs. Literal Elements:
Danielle critiques the season for losing its allegorical depth, arguing that the increasing weirdness detracts from the underlying messages.

Danielle Kurtzleben [20:07]:
"In the first season and parts of this season, what I got from the weirdness was it was standing in for something it was almost allegorical."

Conversely, Jarrett suggests that the show's intentional disorientation allows viewers to engage more deeply with its themes.

Jarrett Hill [19:28]:
"We as viewers have kind of gone through our own procedure to say we're gonna allow a certain level of wild and crazy."

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5. Final Thoughts and Conclusion

As the episode wraps up, the panel reflects on the overall impact of Severance Season 2. While opinions are mixed, there is a consensus on the show's boldness and complexity.

Priya Krishna [21:29]:
"I still don't understand the goats. I'm still very confused."

Glen Weldon reinforces the idea that binge-watching enhances the viewing experience, allowing audiences to appreciate the intricate details and references that might be missed otherwise.

Glen Weldon [11:17]:
"Take a Saturday. Watch it all at once. That is what this show is built for."

The guests acknowledge both the strengths and shortcomings of the season, agreeing that while some narrative choices were divisive, Severance remains a compelling and thought-provoking series.

Danielle Kurtzleben [22:14]:
"There were so many moments where people didn't act like people... I don't get it."

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Notable Quotes from the Episode

• Priya Krishna [06:00]:
  "The finale reminded me of season one of Lost, when John Locke is banging on the hatch door and suddenly, like, the light illuminates."

• Danielle Kurtzleben [10:28]:
  "I wish the rest of the season had been at that pace."

• Glen Weldon [11:17]:
  "Take a Saturday. Watch it all at once. That is what this show is built for."

• Jarrett Hill [19:17]:
  "The disorienting nature of Severance is part of why it works."

• Danielle Kurtzleben [15:29]:
  "Why did no one ask Brienne of Tarth what her name is? What was up with the goats?"

---

Conclusion:
Pop Culture Happy Hour offers a multifaceted analysis of Severance Season 2, highlighting both its ambitious storytelling and its areas of contention. The panel's diverse perspectives provide listeners with a comprehensive understanding of the show's strengths and the challenges it faces in maintaining narrative coherence amidst its intricate plotlines.

For more insights on Severance and other pop culture phenomena, tune into future episodes of Pop Culture Happy Hour.

Transcript

[Glen Weldon]

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[Glen Weldon]

Well, finally, in the Blowout season finale of Severance, we got answers to questions we started asking back when season one aired three years ago. And somehow, believe it or not, we also got even more layers of weirdness and complexity, which is saying something because it's not like this series, which stars Adam Scott as an employee at a mysterious corporation, has not been weird from the jump. But the second season gave us more. So much more. Goats and eggs, woe and malice, frolic, dread, Sandra Bernhardt and Robbie Freakin Benson. I'm Glen Weldon, and we're breaking down the second season of Severance on this episode of Pop Culture Happy Hour from npr.

[NPR Sponsor]

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[Glen Weldon]

Joining me today is NPR White House correspondent Danielle Kurt Slabin. Hey, Danielle.

[Danielle Kurtzleben]

Hey there.

[Glen Weldon]

Also joining us is Jarrett Hill. He's the co author of the book Historically Black Phrases. Hey, Jarrett.

[Jarrett Hill]

Hey there.

[Glen Weldon]

And rounding out the panel is New York Times food reporter and author of the bestselling cookbook Indian Ish Priya Krishna. Hey, Priya.

[Priya Krishna]

Hi, Glenn.

[Glen Weldon]

Hey. Okay, everyone, look. You know the premise of the Apple TV plus series Severance. Adam Scott, John Turturro and others play employees of a sinister corporation called Lumen. They've undergone a process called severance, which makes it so that when you're at the office, your work life is the only life you know. And when you're at home, your home life is the only life you know. As the second season began, Lumen was reeling from the events of the season one finale in which some of our main characters, innies, their work selves, successfully managed to wake up and warn their outies, their home selves, that Lumen was up to something. Mark, played by Adam Scott, also learned that his wife, whom he thought was dead, was alive and kept prisoner somewhere in the bowels of the Lumen building. There is a lot to unpack here. I have not even mentioned the Ortbow yet, but we'll get to as much as we can. Priya, what'd you think of this season? Has it verve? Has it wiles?

[Priya Krishna]

Well, first off, praise Kier. Given. Given. So let me tell you the kind of severance viewer I am. I am the severance viewer who spends most of the season wondering, am I too stupid for this show? What does any of this mean? Are they gonna answer that question? Why are there goats? Who is that again? What are they saying? And then I get to the finale and I'm like, oh, my God, it all makes sense. This show is awesome. And that's how I fel about season one, and that is how I felt about season two. Season two, just like season one kind of meandered, it went off into its own. Like, I feel like this is a really unpopular opinion, but I felt like the Patricia Arquette standalone episode, the main takeaway was like, Harmony Cobell invented the severance procedure. Could we have done that a little quicker, a little faster, gotten that reveal without all the backstory?

[Danielle Kurtzleben]

The answer is, yes, they could have.

[Glen Weldon]

Yeah.

[Priya Krishna]

I think it's an amazing show. I think the visuals, the aesthetics, everything, totally spot on. I feel like it sort of took its windy path to get to the season two finale, but I thought the season two finale was just as good and gripping as the season one finale. In fact, it reminded me of season one of Lost, when John Locke is banging on the hatch door and suddenly, like, the light illuminates. And seeing Gemma, who has just, like, escaped Lumen and thinks that Mark is coming with her banging on the door, it kind of brought me back to that moment.

[Glen Weldon]

Yeah. Okay, That's a good take. I love that. What about you, Jarrett?

[Jarrett Hill]

I must say, Priya, I don't have any friends that I talk about this show with regularly, so I feel like I'm the only one having this experience.

[Priya Krishna]

Same.

[Jarrett Hill]

And you just explained so beautifully what I've been experiencing throughout watching this show. I always feel like, am I too stupid for this show? Did I look at my phone too long? Did I not know what that thing meant? And it's an interesting juxtaposition with this show because I also feel like every line is important on this show. Right. It's not a show with a bunch of ad libs and kind of like, oh, that was a funny bit that I'm sure that no one saw coming. Right. Everything feels very measured on this show. And so it's challenging for me in that way because I'm like, I don't know what we doing, but I'm in, right? And, like, I'm here. And then at the end, it was like, oh, okay, so we stuck the landing, but we were wobbly in the air for me. And, like, I spent so much of the season trying to figure out if I was looking at Helly or Helena and kind of having a crush on who I imagine Milchick really is, but not who we're seeing him as. And thinking that's probably more about Tramell Tillman and who I make him in my Head, Right. But like, it was all over the place. And then when they started, like, performing a musical act in the finale, I was like, oh, we.

[Priya Krishna]

I'm.

[Jarrett Hill]

I know that it had to feel like, I really hope this is working.

[Danielle Kurtzleben]

Right.

[Jarrett Hill]

I know. At the end of the episode, I was yelling at the t. No, no, no, no, no. But where are they going? Right. No, hold on. I need another minute and a half.

[Glen Weldon]

Right.

[Jarrett Hill]

By the end, it brought me to that same tension of the first season.

[Glen Weldon]

Okay, that's two stuck to landings. Danielle, I suspect you might be the Russian judge taking off some points. What do you think?

[Danielle Kurtzleben]

This season disappointed the hell out of me. Like, the best I can say about it is it brought me and my spouse closer together because every episode we were pausing it every five to 10 minutes to yell, what are they doing? What did. Why? Why? I love a show that does a big swing. I love a show that does weird stuff. I love a show with strange lore. But it has to be in service of something. Like, I think about the Leftovers. The Leftovers is a show about grief and faith, and it has weird stuff, but it's in service of making bigger points, of having bigger arcs. Twin peaks. I don't need to know what the Log lady's deal is. I need to know that the show is about the darkness beneath the picket fenced, tiny, American idyllic town. That's great. Lost. Lost had these wonderful moments about, what if being on this island is better than the life you came from. Season one of Severance was wonderful when it was plumbing the depths of your work life and your outer life at the weird school spirit you feel for your weird office and your weird office culture. This season veered into weird for weirdness sake. I don't care about this big Icelandic guy with the Frolic tattoo on his hand. I don't care. So much of the weirdness felt like Easter eggs for the Reddit crowd. There were flashes of really interesting stuff, though, like Tramell Tillman Milchick getting at his attitude toward his job, his attitude toward race as his job, his attitude toward being the exploiter and being exploited. Cool. Great. The best scene of the whole season was on this final episode. To me, it was Dylan's letter to his innie from his outtie about, I like knowing you're there. I want to be more like you. I felt so much, and I wished more of the season could be like that.

[Glen Weldon]

I hope someday she sees in me what she sees in you. In the meantime, if I'm being really honest, I guess I like knowing you're there.

[Danielle Kurtzleben]

The plotline between him and Merritt Weaver, part of it is because Merritt Weaver is there. She's great. That was my favorite part of the whole season.

[Priya Krishna]

Yeah, I loved that part.

[Glen Weldon]

I'm just gonna say I cannot remember a more satisfying season finale. This thing hit every box that needed checking plot wise, which is impossible. I thought it was impossible, but it did it. The added complexity we got in that last episode. Exactly. That didn't feel extraneous to me. That felt necessary because it grew out of character. It had literally never occurred to me that, for example, inny and outy Mark would distrust and kind of hate each other.

[Priya Krishna]

Yeah, I love that part.

[Glen Weldon]

So we got that great Gollum Smeagol dialogue. That was fun.

[Danielle Kurtzleben]

I think that I disappear along with.

[Jarrett Hill]

Every innie down there. What do you want from me? We are in this together. Can't you just trust me?

[Glen Weldon]

And it feels like I got this sense that we have been building to that and I didn't realize we were building to that, but it still seemed great to me. And that is the sweet spot when it comes to finales. Like, surprising but inevitable. Surprising in the moment. Inevitable once you take a step back. The only reason I feel this way, I'm certain, is because I binged both seasons over a couple of days. Had I been watching this week to week, and especially if I was paying attention to the Reddit crowd. You mentioned Danielle, like, to the online theories. I'm sure I would feel exactly like you did. Like a lot of reaction I'm seeing online, which is too slow, too meandering, or what the hell are we doing in Saltznick, folks? Take a Saturday. Watch it all at once. That is what this show is built for. You start to see the references, the callbacks, the parallels, it becomes a much richer experience. Let's be annoying and say it becomes a richer text.

[Priya Krishna]

I feel like, Danielle, what you're saying, I will push back in that. I thought that the nuances of looking at your innie self versus your outie self and that being a big focus of the season, I thought that was so, so interesting. Like any Dillon vs Audi Dillon I thought was so interesting.

[Danielle Kurtzleben]

Oh, I agree.

[Priya Krishna]

The Gollum Smeagol stuff between innie mark and outy Mark was so interesting. I feel like for me, the reason I liked this season is because the crux of it was really looking at like, oh, these actually are two different people and what right do either person have to exist? I loved the really creepy dinner conversation between Burt's outie Irving's outie and Burt's outy's husband. You know, the. Like, innies deserve love too, or something like that.

[Glen Weldon]

I believe that innies deserve to experience love. I mean it, and I hope it was beautiful.

[Priya Krishna]

I thought that conversation was just so interesting, and it felt like, to me, the parts I didn't like is when it kind of veered away from that into, like, mythology building around Kir and Lumen territory.

[Glen Weldon]

Yeah, but that. Me, I'm just watching for the Egan lore stuff, the cult stuff. I eat that up with a big old spoon. For me, the romance stuff, like, every character. Every character, both indies and nowadays, I think gets some kind of a romance. Even the very troubling Helena Heli identity theft essay storyline. That's not what I'm watching for. It's part of it, though, right? Cause it's like the jelly in a peanut butter jelly sandwich. I'll eat this. I would much rather you just gave me a plate. Plain peanut butter sandwich. But the jelly, you know, it's there. I'm not gonna hate it.

[Danielle Kurtzleben]

It just.

[Priya Krishna]

There was such a, like, speed shift with the finale versus the rest of the season that I. I wonder if that was intentional, but, like, it's like the season finale, it was like every single moment, I was like, yes, yes. Oh, answer, answer, answer. Another answer. Like, by the time we got to, like, Milchick, like, ramming up against the bathroom door with the marching band playing, I was like, oh, my God.

[Danielle Kurtzleben]

I agree with you all. I thought the season finale was better than the rest. I'm with you on that. I wish the rest of the season had been at that pace. Like, the Mark. I love the Smeagol description. The Mark Smeagol conversation. Like, I thought it went on a little long. Let's pick this up a little bit. I get it. But, yeah, that was lovely. Again, that is one of those things where there was an interesting idea and this could have been fleshed out starting earlier. Once we got there, I was like, okay, yeah, I could see this. Where is this going? But during the finale, I was like, so we're just tacking on all the stuff, this finale. And there was so much that just felt so unexplained. For example, like, why did mark's sister trust Ms. Cobell so much? Why did she even want to give her a call? I still don't get it. And if you can explain it to me, please do. Why did no one ask Brienne of Tarth what her name is? What was up with the goats?

[Priya Krishna]

Brienne Of Tarth.

[Danielle Kurtzleben]

Mark, you're standing right there. Ask about the goats.

[Glen Weldon]

Yeah, that's Gwendolyn Christie. She plays the goat herder who works for mammalians. Nurturable.

[Danielle Kurtzleben]

There were so many moments this season where people didn't act like people. I will add, by the way, that dinner with Irving and Christopher Walken. My husband and I, we have particular feelings on this, but we turned to each other and we said, have the writers met a Christian before? I can't go to heaven because I've done such terrible things. And we were like, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.

[Glen Weldon]

That's not the way it works.

[Danielle Kurtzleben]

Come on. We were wondering, oh, is something coming that's gonna explain that? No, no, Just bad writing. And there were so many moments where the show just snagged for me where I was like, no one is acting normally. No one's acting like a real person. And not in a fun, stylized way. Just like, y'all aren't being human. I don't get it.

[Jarrett Hill]

I might be messing up my own point here, but, Danielle, did you watch Week to Week?

[Danielle Kurtzleben]

Yes.

[Jarrett Hill]

So, Glenn, I think your point about watching the show all together in succession, if you will. I think there is something about watching this kind of show almost, you know, in a bubble, because I do remember watching the first season in Covid, actually, and, like, we're in a weird kind of time in the world, and, like, you know, you can binge it and watch all of that at one time. This thing about watching it week to week, I think, is a big part of what was difficult for me, because we really meander out in these episodes to find out, oh, she invented the severance technique. Right. Got it. Okay. Wow. We took a long road to get there.

[Priya Krishna]

Yep.

[Jarrett Hill]

Like, you know what I mean?

[Glen Weldon]

Literally took a long road. And we watched her drive it. Yeah.

[Jarrett Hill]

Makes me think about the bear in the way that the bear. Every season has felt different, and this season, to me, it felt like, oh, we were taking some big swings in different directions to go really go deeply on a story. And I felt like we spent a lot of time out of the office, and that was challenging. Cause I'm like, the switch thing is really interesting, but we're in a whole other kind of thing here, even watching.

[Glen Weldon]

It in one big gulp. Yeah, we get that episode with Patricia Arquette, Harmony Cobell. We find out she's the creator of Severance Technology. That was one too many threads tied up. I like the fact that that's what was happening this season. A lot of stuff got integrated that I Didn't think was gonna be integrated. Like, a lot of stylistic embellishments and grace notes.

[Danielle Kurtzleben]

Hi.

[Glen Weldon]

Oh, exactly. I didn't even say it, but, like, I thought we'd never get an explanation for the goats. Thought it was there just for weirdness sake. Cause it's a puzzle box show. Puzzle box shows kind of do that. And yet when they tied up the Patricia Arquette thing, the only thing it did was it made the world of the show so much smaller. But then again, what this show is going for is a sense of claustrophobia, of limited choices.

[Danielle Kurtzleben]

To me, this season was just trying to do too much. Had you cut down the number of arcs a bit, I think it would have done better. But, like, bringing in the topic of race and then getting rid of it. Bringing in Mr. Drummond, then really getting rid of him. Just bringing in.

[Glen Weldon]

Dispatching him.

[Danielle Kurtzleben]

Yes. Bringing in the goats and then just kind of. We're gonna have them in for two episodes. Suddenly having a marching band. I don't know.

[Priya Krishna]

Oh, you cannot diss the marching band.

[Danielle Kurtzleben]

No, look, look, look, look. It was cool. But honestly, I was looking at it going, congratulations on having a lot of money. Like, I'm so sorry that I am such a hater. But I was watching it going, so much effort put into this. When effort could have been put into other episodes, man. Like this. I don't care. Just give me better stories.

[Jarrett Hill]

I think that part of what makes severance, severance is this weird, quirky. What the hell are we doing? Why is this happening? Who are these people? I think the disorienting nature of severance is part of why it works. Right?

[Danielle Kurtzleben]

Yes.

[Jarrett Hill]

We as viewers have kind of gone through our own procedure to say we're gonna allow a certain level of wild and crazy. Right. Because of this world that they've created.

[Glen Weldon]

Right.

[Jarrett Hill]

Where it's timeless. I can't tell if it's very modern or in the 80s, like, with different things. I don't know what's up with the clothes and the. I love Patricia Arquette's wig. I think she's really cool and interesting, but she's also very weird. You know, we're allowing some things to just happen in this world. And, like, me being disoriented and not sure what to think or feel about stuff is a big part of the point as you kind of watch how they tease things out.

[Danielle Kurtzleben]

I totally get what you're saying. And I think in the first season and parts of this season, what I got from the weirdness was it was standing in for something it was almost. It was kind of allegorical.

[Glen Weldon]

Yeah.

[Danielle Kurtzleben]

This season it felt more just like, how weird can the show get? Like, her dad sitting there while she eats an egg, this audi heli. And her dad saying, I wish you would eat them raw. Like, yep. What are you doing? I don't care.

[Jarrett Hill]

Now, see, I'm gonna have to agree with you because I was like, now what are we doing? What's happening?

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Yes. Yes.

[Danielle Kurtzleben]

Thank you.

[Jarrett Hill]

This season did deliver me one of my very favorite lines in the history of television. Why are you a child?

[Danielle Kurtzleben]

Because of when I was born.

[Jarrett Hill]

I thought that was hysterical in the way that this show gives us comedy every now and then, like comedic moments. I loved that moment.

[Priya Krishna]

Shout out to Ms. Wong.

[Jarrett Hill]

Yes, exactly. We hadn't spoken about her.

[Priya Krishna]

Gone too soon.

[Glen Weldon]

Yeah. Shout out to Sarah Bach as Ms. Hwang. She'll be back.

[Priya Krishna]

I feel like the show pushes so many boundaries and is trying so many things, and I feel like ultimately, for me, more of the experiments work than don't work. But, yeah, we have to acknowledge the show that's doing so much and just, like, kind of given permission to just, like, see what sticks. Some of it is really interesting and compelling, and the weirdness works, and some of it just is not. Also, Glen, for what it's worth, I still don't understand the goats. I'm still very confused.

[Glen Weldon]

They're an offering. A different goat is buried with each person they kill. And apparently this company has a body count and they've killed lots and lots of people. For me, the finale works because it reminded me so much of an old show from the 60s called the Prisoner. The Prisoner was always working on two levels, the literal level and a kind of metaphorical level. And then for its finale, it kind of turned up the volume and the reality stretched to kind of be able to take on some of that metaphorical weight. Didn't work, but it was interesting to see, and I was feeling some of that happening here. And that's why I'm so grateful for someone we haven't mentioned yet, which is Mark's sister, Devon, played by Jen Tulloch. Great character. She has written well. She's played well. This show is so weird that what she's bringing can be very easily overlooked. She is grounded. She is real, she's funny, she's warm.

[Danielle Kurtzleben]

Without her, she's great.

[Glen Weldon]

I think this show could devolve into kind of an exercise in style and also, not for nothing, a complete bummer, because the view of humanity that at least the villains in the show have is we're made up of woe, malice, dread and frolic. That is not a cheery view. That's 3/4 negative emotions, one positive one. But I mean, look around, right? I was kind of like, this is so negative. And of course it's the villain espousing it, so we're not supposed to buy it. But I mean, show me the lie, right?

[Priya Krishna]

But I mean, I think there is like a self awareness of the show too. Like, you know the meeting between Cobell and Marx Audi where she's just like, how are you doing? And he's like, oh my God.

[Jarrett Hill]

So good.

[Glen Weldon]

My wife's being held prisoner at Lumen.

[Danielle Kurtzleben]

And I just got brain surgery in my basement. How have you been?

[Priya Krishna]

Yeah, so good like that. So good was like, I want that's like how I feel most days. So good Said exactly like that. And those moments I just love because they remind me like, oh, the show is totally aware of what it is.

[Glen Weldon]

Yeah, that's a solid point. If you want to hear more about Severance, check out the NPR science podcast Shortwave. They recently talked to the show's science consultant about how realistic Severing really is. We'll have a link in our episode notes. Priya Krishna, Jarrett Hill, Danielle Kurtzleben, thank you so much for being here.

[Danielle Kurtzleben]

Always happy to do it.

[Jarrett Hill]

Thank you.

[Priya Krishna]

Devour feculence.

[Glen Weldon]

Devour feculence.

[Danielle Kurtzleben]

You had that locked and loaded, didn't you?

[Glen Weldon]

You had that locked and loaded. And just a reminder that signing up for Pop Culture Happy Hour plus is a great way to support our show and public radio and you get to listen to all of our episodes sponsor free. So please go find out [e-mail] happyour we'll also have a link for that in our episode notes. This episode was produced by Liz Metzger and edited by Mike Mike Katsev. Our supervising producer is Jessica Riddey and hello, Come in. Provides our theme music. Thank you for listening to Pop Culture Happy Hour from npr. I'm Glenn Weldon and we'll see you all tomorrow.

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