Apple TV+ Severance: Why aren’t enough people talking about it?

The big tech giant Apple has been in the OTT business for a while now. Their initial productions like The Morning Show, Servant, Little America, and even Ted Lasso etc. were presented with huge marketing across the globe. The Apple TV+ shows got nominations for Golden Globes, Oscars, etc. Even the winner of the Academy Awards for Best Picture 2022: CODA, is streaming on Apple TV+. There are huge stars on Apple TV+ like Jason Momoa, Tom Hanks, James Franco, Gary Oldman etc. And, yet it is far from finding a space in the OTT market, at least in India.

This can only be because Apple isn’t promoting their shows or movies as extensively as it should have. I mean, you have money. You have hired a few of the best artists in the world. Let the world know about what they have created also. For example, Dune by Denis Villeneuve based on the very popular Sci-Fic novel series of the same name became a rage and won several Academy Awards. Whereas, Foundation a series on Apple TV+ also based on a popular Sci-Fic novel series has no mention, mostly.

Before I talk about Severance; Ted Lasso is also streaming on Apple TV+ and is the finest show about a man burdened under his positivity. Watch it.

Severance Review

Talking about Severance. The uniqueness of the show lies mostly in the writing and cinematography much like HBO’s much popular Euphoria. Severance is an Apple original series about a company called Lumon, which has deduced a technology to separate the memories of their employees from their outer selves. When the employees are at work (Innies) they don’t have a memory of their outer lives (Outies), and the same is true for their outer selves also. Importantly, being ‘severed’ is an irreversible procedure, and takes place only with the person’s consent. Interestingly, the innies don’t know what they do and expect that they do something with numbers. I will end this description, as I don’t wish to give a lot away.

The show explores the obvious themes of corporate slavery, free will, the competitive & incentive nature of our choices, authoritarianism, blind faith, organised religion etc. The show will time and again remind you of George Orwell’s ‘1984’, and a lot of other dystopian novels. The maturity of the show is that it is much more than what you think it is, though the show always remains comprehensive or something you can easily deliberate about with your peers. 

Severance Review:: What did I like?

The pace of the show particularly is slow, which grips the viewers and slowly generates the necessary curiosity. The slowness is maintained and managed primarily through the production design and music. The production design created a simple-looking office with a maze-like feel, where you feel you have all the choices but in reality, you don’t. In addition, how things unravel in each episode, and throughout the series always keeps you guessing. Like, this show is a marvel in long-form storytelling. The writers of the show– Dan Erickson and others – ensured an experience of remarkable skill and produced a thriller cum drama cum psychological science fiction. According to The Indian Express, Dan Erickson has no other credits, except for this show. I mean, once you watch a show of a certain calibre you wish to explore the minds behind that. Maybe, we would have to watch out for Dan Erickson’s work. 

Plea to watch the show

You rarely witness a show of such originality in its debut season. It won’t be an overstatement to say that this is the finest show right now, and people have to, have to, watch it. As I was saying, Apple isn’t promoting the shows enough. It will be a shame if people don’t watch this incredible well-made show. I hope people do watch the show and share their reviews with their friends. 

And, if you’re reading this, then Go WATCH IT NOW. Streaming on Apple TV+ NOW, and you don’t have to have an Apple product to watch it.

PS: Ben Stiller, from The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, is one of the directors of the show which came as a huge surprise to me.

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