MovieChat Forums > Severance (2022) Discussion > The main conceptual problem w/ this show

The main conceptual problem w/ this show

posted a month ago by jriley555 (8543)
6 replies | jump to latest

Leaving aside all the absurdities with the concept of 'severance' technically, which ok, that's the price of admission, but..

The near impossible selling of what would motivate people to partition themselves out - they don't get any discernible reward, whatever depression or loss or phobia they're dealing with doesn't go away, they just check out for eight hours of the day, allowing who-knows-what to be done to their heads & bodies 40 hours of the week.

I enjoy the show, but it has to ultimately turn into a clown show, as the 'deep plot' is revealed, which will be as lame as the basic premise.

[–] Annkat (382) a month ago

Severence is real just not in the way they portray it…yet.

The severed employees are not chosen at random, they are studied. They specifically tailor the procedure to appeal to the employees weaknesses.

It could be their goal is similar to what is shown in Westworld. Cloned severed people doing the will of the company.

[–] jriley555 (8543) a month ago

Clearly, they're most interested in Scout & his wife. And yes, they've shown how they manipulate the concept of severance as 'therapy'. Its just that it's not a feasible sell - at least, yet. If they don't dot that i, the show remains conceptually weak, half-baked.

[–] Annkat (382) a month ago

Yes, it could be they haven’t given us that answer. Maybe never which is a problem.

What they showed was that they pay the severed people a bit more. Also they get company housing. Do they pay rent? Aside from Kobell living next to Mark, it looks as if this housing is mostly vacant. In Dylan’s and Irving’s housing there are no lights on besides their homes.

[–] TheCatman (374) a month ago

There was a show featuring Christian Slater that I enjoyed but it got canceled. It was about a James Bond type who had a chip in his head that made him believe he was an average person. It would malfunction and interesting things would happen.

A show like that could go anywhere story wise.

Meanwhile, this show seems like something that would have been amazing in the 70s. We all know that it's a fairy tale about "evil corporations" using people like robots and you have no real life at some "soulless" job, etc. If the writers actually have a point and an ending, it's going to be where the workers gain freedom or something like that.

It's not going to end where it was all worth it because the company is doing great things.

I wouldn't watch it because of the cliched message that is good but would have been original decades ago.

[–] jriley555 (8543) a month ago

Yeah, its a transparent metaphor. I just can't see it going anywhere interesting - but I'll watch until the wheels definitely start to fall off, because I like the main characters - the acting is excellent.

[–] TheCatman (374) a month ago

My bet it's one of those shows that has no end planned. So, it's just the "middle part" of a story that has no beginning or end.

That's a popular "string along" show for decades now.

What is the MYSTERY!!??

There is none, we just created a science fiction soap opera to make money.