"Severance" season 3 is official.
We initially reported that season 3 was in production in February. Despite that update coming from the mouth of show executive producer and director Ben Stiller, it appears Apple hadn't technically given season 3 the stamp of approval.
In an unsurprising move though, Apple officially greenlit season 3 of arguably its most well-known show following the "Severance" season 2 finale last Friday (March 21). Apple even dropped a brief teaser for the third season of the Apple TV Plus thriller.
Here's the thing though — I think I'm out. The events of "Cold Harbor" may have provided closure on some fronts. But for me, they cemented an unevenly paced season of television as being technically masterful but bereft of meaningful story.
Spoilers for "Severance" beyond this point
Turns out 'Severance' is just a love story
First things first. If you saw the bloody finale of "Severance" season 2, then the season 3 teaser from Apple is an odd juxtaposition.
That teaser obviously uses clips from season 2, as season 3 has yet to be shot. It's also clearly trying to avoid spoiling the events of the season finale, which is commendable.
But it shows a Lumon operating as if things are business as usual, which they are definitely not.
At the end of season 2, Mark has inarguably thrown Lumon into chaos. He's killed Lumon's head of security and ruined what was supposed to be the biggest moment in the company's history. His Innie, Mark S., has freed a captive held within Lumon's halls for years (who also happens to be Mark's wife) and has run off with Helly R., the Innie of Helena Eagan, the scion of the Eagan family.
So, in short, things are not business as usual.
That said, what I've described above can be boiled down to a relatively traditional story archetype. Mark S. and Helly R. are star-crossed lovers, no different from Romeo and Juliet.
Which is a major bummer.
If the show wanted to be no more than this from the jump, I'd probably be less disappointed. After all, adding the twist of what if you were in love with someone but your alternate personality was in love with someone else is an interesting concept.
But you can boil that concept down almost entirely to Dylan's storyline with the love triangle he and his Innie are in with Dylan's wife. You don't need to create a whole world of mysticism, tempers, a world-dominating corporation and ritual sacrifices of goats.
"Severance" did all those things though. It gave us an incredible, rich world and peeled back layers of science-fiction technology and cults of personality.
Ultimately though, "Cold Harbor" proved that what made "Severance" special was mere window dressing. Cold Harbor itself was nothing more than a mere MacGuffin, insignificant except that it brought Mark S. and Helly R. to a place where they had to finally choose each other.
Are there things about "Severance" still to be commended? Yes.
The show is, at times, a technical marvel with impeccable score and cinematography. It's provided a few of the best episodes of TV I've seen so far this year, and delved into deep philosophical questions about the soul.
But, again, the events of the finale prove that for all that depth, for all that beauty, the story of "Severance" is relatively mundane at it's core. Maybe by the time season 3 rolls around I'll be at peace with that revelation, but for now it just leaves me as empty as the halls of the severed floor.
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