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TV Review: ‘Severance’ Season 2
Adam Scott in ‘Severance’, now streaming on Apple TV+.

‘Severance’ Season 2 receives 9 out of 10 stars.

Returning to Apple TV+ for its second season with the first episode on January 17th, ‘Severance’ once is here again to interrogate the concept of work/life balance and spin more corporate mysteries around the worker drones of the weird, cult-like Lumon corporation.

It has been a long wait, but as the second season picks up the dangling story threads with an accomplished, confident first episode, a worthwhile test of fans’ collective patience.

Related Article: Patricia Arquette Talks ‘Severance’ and the show’s SAG Awards Nominations

Does ‘Severance’ Season 2 meet its entertainment quota?

(L to R) Tramell Tillman, Alia Shawkat, Stefano Carannante and Bob Balaban in ‘Severance’, now streaming on Apple TV+.

‘Severance’ first slid on to screens back in February 2022, and the stylish, unusual series immediately grabbed the public consciousness. With its unsettlingly stark visuals and science fiction take on the idea that your work life can, in the wrong situation, be a ceaseless slog, it almost immediately joined the ranks of shows such as ‘The Twilight Zone’ and ‘Black Mirror’ that explore such territory through fantastical means with just the lingering suspicion that it’s all too terrifyingly possible.

The concept of “severance,” where employs seemingly agree to have their personalities cleaved in two so their work selves no nothing of what goes on in the outside world and vice-versa is such a fascinating one and here handled so effectively. It doesn’t hurt that the show boasts an excellent cast and superior creative team.

You can almost imagine a secure set up such as the Pentagon wondering how it can employ this in real life, though the true strength of the show is in its delivery of metaphor and psychological thrills.

Script and Direction

Dan Erickson on set of ‘Severance’, now streaming on Apple TV+.

Creator Dan Erickson came up with the basic idea for the show while working the sort of mind-numbing day job mirrored here. The real joy of ‘Severance’ is that Erickson and his writing team have spun that into all manner of creative territories. The show isn’t just about its mystery elements –– the characters are empathetic (and in some of the management, utterly creepy) and the sheer level of deep thought about every aspect of the Lumon company and its employees is worthy of applause.

This is a corporation that is part factory, part data processing center and part near-religious cult, based around one legacy family. It’s almost surprising that a company such as Apple –– famously known for its own quirksome attitude to work and the cultish devotion of its customers –– would be the one to put this on screens.

Ben Stiller on set of ‘Severance’, now streaming on Apple TV+.

The directorial team, led by Ben Stiller –– who is absolutely doing some of his best work here behind the camera –– has keyed into a visual style that is both clever and completely unsettling. Dividing the palette between the outside world and the sterile corporate shell of Lumon, it all helps tell the story. And Theodore Shapiro’s offbeat score amplifies it all, gliding between cheery tones and an eerie, winsome slide into melancholy that keeps you off-kilter.

Season 2’s first episode picks up in the wake of the “innies” trying to break free and makes the interesting choice to focus on them at the expense of their outside world counterparts. But it works well, and episode 2 promises to explore more of the fallout for those who know them away from Lumon.

‘Severance’ Season 2: Performances

Around star Adam Scott, the ‘Severance’ team has built a superb cast.

Adam Scott as Mark Scout

Adam Scott in ‘Severance’, now streaming on Apple TV+.

The focus of the show is on Scott’s character and his decision to undergo the procedure partly because of the death of his wife (even as –– spoiler alert in case you haven’t yet caught up with the first season –– he learns she might actually be alive) left him wanting to shut out the pain and grief.

Scott’s low-key delivery is perfectly suited to the tone of the show; you buy him as a man who seems to have accepted his lot… until he starts to worry there’s something he’s simply not being told.

Zach Cherry as Dylan George

(L to R) John Turturro and Zach Cherry in ‘Severance’, now streaming on Apple TV+.

Cherry has been a great supporting performer for years, and ‘Severance’ gives him a meatier part to play as Dylan, who along with Mark, becomes one of the “innies” to try and break free of the company’s control.

Britt Lower as Helly Riggs

Britt Lower in ‘Severance’, now streaming on Apple TV+.

In the first season, Helly is our way of exploring the weird world of Lumon as she decides early on that she’s made a mistake. The latter part of Season 1 gave her more depth and a surprising twist, and while the first episode of Season 2 doesn’t directly explore that, it still gives Lower plenty to do, and she’s superb in the role.

John Turturro as Irving Bailiff

John Turturro in ‘Severance’, now streaming on Apple TV+.

There’s no doubting Turturro’s chops at this stage of his career and sparked by the script, Irving’s a great character, initially loyal to Lumon, but quickly conflicted an angst-ridden. Turturro delivers a masterclass every episode.

Tramell Tillman as Seth Milchick

Tramell Tillman in ‘Severance’, now streaming on Apple TV+.

Following the ouster of Patricia Arquette’s Harmony Cobel in the latter part of Season 1, Tillman’s Milchick has moved into the role of smooth-yet-threatening corporate middle manager. And he’s got just the right level of smarm and deceit to twist our leads’ expectations and keep them guessing.

Final Thoughts

Patricia Arquette in ‘Severance’, now streaming on Apple TV+.

It has been three years since the first season landed on Apple’s servers, and since then, the second has had to weather delays, strikes and a long post-production process, the gap between seasons causing fans some frustration.

But like seeing a friendly colleague again after they’ve been away, it’s a very welcome return for a distinctive and well-crafted show. Step into the televisual elevator and let your “innie” enjoy sinking back into the world of the series.
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What’s the story of ‘Severance’ Season 2?

Mark Scout (Adam Scott) leads a team at Lumon Industries, whose employees have undergone a severance procedure that surgically divides their memories between their work and personal lives.

This daring experiment in “work-life balance” is called into question as Mark finds himself at the center of an unraveling mystery that will force him to confront the true nature of his work… and of himself.

In season two, Mark and his friends learn the dire consequences of trifling with the severance barrier, leading them further down a path of woe.

Who is in the cast of ‘Severance’ Season 2?
- Adam Scott as Mark Scout
- Zach Cherry as Dylan George
- Britt Lower as Helly Riggs
- Tramell Tillman as Seth Milchick
- Jen Tullock as Devon Scout-Hale
- Dichen Lachman as Ms. Casey
- Michael Chernus as Ricken Hale
- John Turturro as Irving Bailiff
- Christopher Walken as Burt Goodman
- Patricia Arquette as Harmony Cobel
- Sarah Bock as Miss Huang
- Bob Balaban as Mark W.
- Alia Shawkat as Gwendolyn Y.
Adam Scott in ‘Severance’, now streaming on Apple TV+.

Movies Directed By Ben Stiller:
- ‘Reality Bites‘ (1994)
- ‘The Cable Guy‘ (1996)
- ‘Zoolander‘ (2001)
- ‘Duplex‘ (2003)
- ‘Tropic Thunder‘ (2008)
- ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty‘ (2013)
- ‘Zoolander 2‘ (2016)
Buy Ben Stiller Movies on Amazon
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January 19, 2025
Movie Review: ’80 for Brady’

(L to R) Rita Moreno, Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Sally Field in ’80 For Brady’ from Paramount Pictures.

Opening in theaters on February 3rd is the new sports comedy ’80 for Brady’ from director Kyle Marvin, which stars Academy Award winners Jane Fonda, Sally Field, and Rita Moreno, as well as Tony, Grammy, and Emmy Award winner Lily Tomlin.

The film is loosely based on the true story of a quartet of octogenarians from Massachusetts who become obsessed with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. In the film (not in real life), the ladies decide to take a road trip to Super Bowl LI to finally see Brady play in person, which results in an unforgettable weekend for the four lifelong friends.

The result is a fun but predictable movie that is basically just a commercial for the NFL and Tom Brady’s legacy. However, the weak script, familiar jokes and corny dialogue is transcended by the four fabulous lead characters and the wonderful performances from the legendary actress playing them.

Full disclosure: I’m from Massachusetts. My mother still lives there, she is over 80, and is a diehard Patriots fan. So, it goes without saying that I was already predisposed to like this movie since all four of the main characters, in one way or another, remind me of my mom. While I definitely had some issues with the script and the ridiculousness of the third act, the film is still very enjoyable, mostly because of the lead actresses.

(L to R) Jane Fonda plays Trish, Sally Field plays Betty, Lily Tomlin plays Lou, and Rita Moreno plays Maura in ’80 For Brady’ from Paramount Pictures.

Of the four main actresses, Lily Tomlin is really the lead, playing Lou, the catalyst for the friends becoming such Brady fans. Tomlin, a legendary comedian in her own right, handles the comedy well, as you would expect, but is really impressive in her dramatic scenes, in particular one with Brady himself.

In fact, all four actress were cast extremely well and play relatable characters. Jane Fonda plays Trish, an author of Rob Gronkowski fan-fiction who is desperately trying to hold on to her youth and beauty. Sally Field plays Betty, a book smart former professor, who still loves her husband (Bob Balaban) but is looking for a little excitement in her life. Finally there is Maura, played by Rita Moreno. She is the oldest of the friends, a widow who misses her late husband, and a bit of a hustler living in a retirement home.

In a movie like this, you could easily see one or two of the actresses getting more screentime than the others, but luckily that is not the case. Each actress has more than a few moments to shine on their own, and all of their characters are fleshed out extremely well. Fonda and Tomlin have worked together before in ‘Nine to Five’ and the Netflix series ‘Grace and Frankie,’ and as you expect, have great chemistry together. But I was also impressed with how much chemistry they both had with Field and Moreno. You really get the feeling that these four women have been friends for a long time.

While the characters are well-defined and their backstories well fleshed out, it’s the familiar attempts at humor and ridiculous third act plot points that hurt the film in my opinion. For example, the ladies attend a Super Bowl party where they are given Gummy Bears, which of course they don’t know are laced with THC. This leads to the characters being high, and getting into silly situations that are extremely predictable, like Maura wondering into a celebrity Poker game.

(L to R) Sally Field as Betty and Lily Tomlin as Lou in ’80 For Brady’ from Paramount Pictures.

Another predictable plot point is when the characters, of course, lose their Super Bowl tickets the day before the game. In fact, this is so predictable that you want to yell at the screen because you can actually see them losing the tickets long before the characters realize it, telegraphing for the audience what the next conflict will be.

Which brings me to my biggest issue with the film, which is that once they get to the Super Bowl, it’s all fantasy. What I mean by that is almost nothing that happens at the Super Bowl could happen in real life. No one can get into a Super Bowl without tickets, the security is just too much, so the idea that these four octogenarians could ultimately find their way in without tickets is just laughable.

But the most ridiculous, over-the-top moment of the film comes during the halftime of Super Bowl LI. Football fans will remember that the Patriots were losing to the Atlanta Falcons 21-3 at halftime, and mounted an unforgettable comeback that took them into overtime eventually winning 34-28. Without giving too much away, the movie would have you believe that it was Lou that inspired Tom Brady’s legendary comeback.

Now, while that is a nice idea for the movie, this is a film supposedly set in reality. It doesn’t take place in the Multiverse as far as I know, it takes place in our world where Tom Brady and the NFL really exists. So, the idea that four 80-year-old women could get access to the star quarterback during halftime was so far beyond any reality I could comprehend, that it took me completely out of the movie.

(L to R) Lily Tomlin plays Lou with Producer Tom Brady in ’80 For Brady’ from Paramount Pictures.

For Brady fans wondering if he just has a cameo in the film, I’m happy to say no, his role is surprisingly larger than that. While he is definitely in a supporting role, he pops up throughout the film, both as himself, and also as himself in Lou’s imagination. Brady gives a strong performance, even if he is just playing himself, and is surprisingly good in his emotional scenes with Tomlin. But it is no surprise to me why Brady would want to make this movie, where he also serves as a producer, because the entire film is one giant ego stroke for the GOAT.

The NFL, which famously doesn’t allow its brand to appear in just any movie, ask Oliver Stone about ‘Any Given Sunday,’ clearly was on board with this production. In fact, a large part of the second act takes place at the NFL Super Bowl Experience, and at times seems more like a commercial for the NFL than a narrative movie. The NFL also (presumably) allowed the film to use footage from Super Bowl LI to recreate the game, which works surprisingly well and is still engaging, even though the audience already knows the outcome.

In addition to Patriots like Brady, Gronkowski, Danny Amendola, and Julian Edelman, the movie also features cameos and supporting performances from Guy Fieri, Billy Porter, Patton Oswalt, Glynn Turman, and Harry Hamlin, as well as Sara Gilbert as Lou’s daughter.

In the end, ’80 for Brady’ is a fun movie that NFL and Patriots fans will enjoy, and my mom and her friends will love! While the film at times loses any sense of reality and slips into pure fantasy, and has more than its share of script issues and NFL propaganda, it’s funny and works thanks to the talent of Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Sally Field and Rita Moreno.

(L to R) Rita Moreno plays Maura, Jane Fonda plays Trish, Sally Field plays Betty, and Lily Tomlin plays Lou in ’80 For Brady’ from Paramount Pictures.

’80 for Brady’ receives 6.5 out of 10 stars
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February 1, 2023