SEVERANCE REVIEW!!

!LIGHT SPOILERS UP TO S1 EP6!

they weren't lying, this shit really IS that good. I made it halfway through season 1 in under 24 hours, but I have work to do so my progress will be slower from here T_T decided to write down some of my initial thoughts in a little half-review~

I love Severance's main concept, and its writing is SOO punchy and tight-knit! the first episode hits you with the disturbing ethical implications of effectively trapping a version of yourself in an office, something I've never thought about before, but the show makes extremely horrifying. each character has a unique way of coping with their situation which we get to find out through their interactions with the others in a gradual, super rewarding process! I'm the type that values good characters over good storytelling, so I was pretty stoked to find out that Severance has both

for example: Helly is a really good audience self-insert despite being much bolder than the average viewer; she tests out every possible way to escape or quit and each one fails, so her character serves to show the hopelessness of everyone's situation and justify staying put. in a way, she renders discussions about possible "easy" escape attemps pointless and lets the audience emotionally invest in the characters instead of speculating the whole time (plus, her outie's video in response to her attempts to quit makes it definitively out of the question)

Severance could've easily gotten lost in melodrama and petty conflict between characters but it manages to take everyone's feelings and weave them into the plot (like Helly's aforementioned anger-driven escape attempts). 

overall, I'm reallyyy liking it so far! highly reccommend it to anyone who likes mystery, philosophy, and good character-driven writing. plus the aweosme shot composition, score, and visual symbolism are nice touches :3