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It has been a while since I started a series given the time it takes to get into something, and usually the endless seasons to catch up on. It can be a bit discouraging at first and a big reason as to why I start a lot of shows or just don't really bother starting them in the first place at the moment. Though Severance has been a show on my radar since before its release. I haven't really followed the productions from Apple TV, but I have noticed a few gems here and there in terms of the quality they have. Some of which having a very unique, high quality look compared to the original content found elsewhere on other streaming services. Though Apple TV sits far from the rest, mostly ignored unless one of its little gems breaks through the floor and finds itself on your screen somehow. It didn't take long after its release for Severance to gain a lot of praise and traction online, I saw it referenced and discussed all over the place for a few weeks as people discovered it and watched through its relatively short first season. I'm not sure why, but I didn't check the show out still, and I'm surprised that I managed to avoid spoilers during that time. 

Curiosity got the best of me the other day and I finally decided to check it out. Curious as to how actor Adam Sott would perform within the show; an actor that I feel is known for playing a bit of an asshole in films. Often comedies and not necessarily things a bit more serious. His performances as someone generally disliked are *very* good. He somehow pulls off that appeal to the point where he genuinely seems like he isn't just playing a role. Naturally, with such actors, they fall into a specific type of role and people associate them with that. To some degree I felt that before going in, but it made me more curious as to how this show would turn out. And so far Severance seems like a clear indication that Adam Scott has a lot of talent, and is only getting better with age as he breaks from those familiar roles. Though he isn't the only familiar face within the show.

<center>**First Impressions**</center>

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A person worth noting from the start here is Ben Stiller, of which most of us will probably know from his comedy films throughout the years. Though in recent times he has taken to being behind the camera rather than in front of it. As a director, with the right budget and approval, I think Ben Stiller is heavily underappreciated. He has a clear knowledge of how to tell a story and get the most from the camera for the intended purpose. His name within Severance is easy to overlook, he's definitely not the type of person you would expect to be creating a production like Severance, and the quality that's present within the show definitely deserves praise in pretty much every aspect. Very few parts of the show seem to be flat, if any. I know for a fact I haven't seen a show this tidy and visually captivating in a long time. It's style certainly amplifies its narrative and setting, of which are eery, void of life, and certainly very corporate.

To match this is a rather tight cast that keeps things mostly empty, detailing this soulless corporate void that takes place. While there's definitely a broader narrative at hand here, so far it details the dystopian act of one having their worklife memories removed, meaning one part of you is forever working, and the other has no recollection of the time spent working and only remembers the rest. It shows the desperate nature of a society so tired of worklife that they'd go as far as just having those hours removed from memory, definitely speaking a bit more on the idea of work and how unnatural it can feel for humans that surround themselves with cubicles, white office walls, with suits and ties followed by the utterly boring hierarchy of individuals that makes conversations incredibly soulless and corporate.

Though thus far the show doesn't feel like it's trying to be anti-work at all, but one that seems to be slowly introducing the idea of awareness between worklife and the real person you are outside of it. Exploring the themes of how work could be restructured to seem a bit more human and less void of emotion and corporate. Beneath much of this is a larger scheme at hand that is slowly hinted and implied to us, that the work these stuck within work hours do is something a bit more sinister than they'd like to believe. I'm not in far enough to have had that idea explored in more detail, and I definitely wouldn't be mentioning them here since they seem like some rather large spoilers that make up much of the show's mystery during its 40 minute, relatively slow burning episodes. Nothing feels slow, however. The show manages to handle the mundane corporate side of things well with balance with scenes outside of work, of which contribute to the mystery of things.

I think so far it would be difficult to choose a favourite thing from the show that I like so far, everything seems very well considered. Its cast are different in their own ways, adding to the characters and their mannerisms that contribute to the corporate side of things, and to some degree they even add some humour to the show through it. Christopher Walken and Turturro definitely bring their own individual sparks to the show, but without taking any of the attention away from the story and our main protagonist. And about halfway in, I still have no idea what's coming. The pacing is good enough to have you getting little snippets of information but never really revealing too much too early. There's so much mystery to it all still, and I find that quite unique for a modern show; typically we would've had the main point made already to which the rest of the show would be trying to tie things up. It's refreshing to have a show not want to let you know things, and allows you to feel dumb and confused, trying to come to your own conclusions each step of the way. It definitely adds to the fun of such a mysterious show.

I have no doubts the show's quality will continue, and the likeliness of it disappointing as it does begin to reveal more regarding its story is incredibly low. Let's just hope it either doesn't need a second season or doesn't fall victim to the typical streaming service axe.

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