'Severance' Episode 1: Mark clocks in and out of his grief with Petey planting doubt
Spoilers for 'Severance' Episode 1 'Good News About Hell'
Apple TV+ dropped the first two episodes of the much-awaited workplace thriller 'Severance' and it's even more intriguing than it seems! Revolving around a human experiment in a company the show follows Mark as he unravels the mystery of it all.
The Apple TV+ show dives into a unique take on the work-life balance as we see the members of a company have their memories altered so that they have no recollection of what goes on inside while they are outside and vice versa. Directed by the amazing Ben Stiller, 'Severance' tells the story of something sinister being hidden under the folds of the brains by compliance. So read on to know what happened in the first episode of the newest thriller to hit screens.
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Episode 1 introduces us to Mark S(Adam Scott) from the mysterious conglomerate Lumon Industries as we see him clock in and out of work each day. The workers on the Severed floor have to go through a surgical procedure called Severance that divided their memories into work memories and personal memories. This is done via an implant in the brain along with extremely strict measures the company has in place. The first episode sees Mark promoted to the position of Chief of Department after his friend Petey (Yul Vazquez) is suddenly no longer at the company.
Severance is done completely of free will with the procedure being known to everyone outside as well. We learn that the reason Mark decided to take the job in the first place is so that he can get the procedure done. The office worker lost his beloved wife and hasn't been the same since, so the option of forgetting his outside self and problems seemed like a good idea. The truth is that the man is still grieving internally but instead of healthily getting past it he chose to clock in and out of his grief, erasing all memories of his wife's death and his pain from 9 am to 5 pm in the week. The company is worryingly strict and almost dictator-like in its ways, with Mark missing his work best friend Petey.
But the mystery is just beginning as Petey suddenly meets Mark when he is outside. Mark doesn't recognize him but Petey tells him that he is his best friend from work and shares that he managed to bypass his implant with much difficulty, slipping him a red envelope. The envelope contains sensitive information with a worried Petey saying that if anything were to happen to him, he wanted for someone to know what he knows. The scared Petey plants the first seed of doubt in Mark's mind with the episode coming to a close on the mysterious note.
Episodes 1 and 2 of 'Severance' are available to stream with new episodes to drop each Friday on Apple TV+.