Commentary: ‘Severance’ Reveals How Man Can Create Hell
by Frank Martin
Hell has always been a subject of fascination for storytellers. Although it has roots in biblical mythology, the concept of eternal punishment in the afterlife offers a lot of opportunities to challenge characters and create interesting narratives. What started as classical images of monstrous demons torturing humans over pits of lava have evolved greatly in modern times. Hell has been depicted as everything from corporate bureaucracy to wild nightclubs. And yet, through the use of science fiction technology, Severance reveals how man can create Hell right here on Earth.
Starring Adam Scott and Britt Lower, the seriess follows individuals after they have undergone what’s known as the severance procedure. A small device is inserted into their brains that allows a completely separate personality to be activated in certain locations. The objective is to compartmentalize an individual’s work life from their home life — one has zero interaction with the other. It’s a great idea in theory, but in practice, this means that there is a completely separate personality that exists only in the office. They aren’t allowed to leave as their personalities shift inside the elevator when they leave and arrive.
However, the company responsible for the procedure also experiments to push the technology to its limits. They have individuals enter a room that is essentially a dentist appointment. To the person on the outside, a lot of time may have passed between these appointments, but for the individual inside the room, no time has passed at all. From their perspective, they leave the room only to walk right back into it. If Hell is someone having to relive their worst fear over and over again without end, then the severance procedure is about as close to a real world Hell on Earth as storytelling can get.
Severance is now streaming on Apple TV+.
