Editor's note: The following contains spoilers for Severance.“She’s alive!” The last line of the ninth episode of the intriguing Severance marked the end of a painful yet promising season finale to one of television’s most engrossing new shows. The line was delivered by a career-best Adam Scott as the troubled Mark, a team leader of a group of office workers who have been "severed" from the half of themselves who live in the outside world. The "she" that Mark was referring to was his wife, Gemma (Dichen Lichman), whom he had been led to believe had died in an accident though was actually revealed to be also working down in the basement of the mysterious Lumon industries. It was the last thing that he was able to say before he was returned to his severed state and the show cut to the final credits.
Though Mark’s declaration most directly referred to the knowledge that the wife who he had been shattered to lose was actually alive, it has echoed around my head as representing something even more than that. Scott’s delivery captured a delicate combination of triumph and tragedy, carrying with it all the work that the group of characters had done to momentarily escape from their basement existence through a loophole known as the “overtime contingency.” This was the payoff to that organizing, a piece of information that made all the risk worth it. This was the moment that Mark was the most alive himself, shouting with both a sense of joy and loss at what this revelation meant. His wife was someone he had met many times, though might be lost to him once again. However, even as this is devastating, he has now gained knowledge that had previously been foreclosed to him. This knowledge is power, a testament to the way he and his fellow workers came together as one.
Just as Mark was discovering this powerful piece of knowledge, his fellow workers and friends were making discoveries of their own. The rebellious Helly (Britt Lower) learned her “outie” is actually Helena Eagan, the daughter of Lumon CEO James Eagan who went through the severance process to build support for a likely expansion of its use. When she figures out what is going on, she is then able to deliver a message at a planned speech and reveal the horrifying truth of what is happening to those trapped working for the company. At the same time, the kindly Irving (John Turturro) is discovering that his outie was actually digging into what is going on more than anyone. He has compiled a list of potential co-workers and who they may be. Helping ensure that they can learn this information is the dedicated Dylan (Zach Cherry) who had to stay behind to wake up each of his colleagues.
This may not seem like all that much of an accomplishment, but it is important to remember where all these characters were when we first met them. They didn't know where they were, what they were doing, or if they had any real hope for a future. The final episode was a turning point for both the characters and the future direction of their lives in the show, revealing how they were more powerful when they came together than anyone could have expected. Sure, they still are facing down an enormous corporation with seemingly unlimited power but that only makes it all the more significant that they were able to score several big victories. Perhaps more important than anything, they now know the power that they hold when they join forces. It was quite a journey to see the characters go from being co-workers who were hindered by humorous yet banal "office speak" where they were more interested in one-upping each other for supposed "perks" to being a real collective who helped each other out when they all needed it most. They were able to see through the ways that they were being divided and learn to unite to help them all rise as one. Even as there are many likely setbacks ahead, the whole dynamic has been forever changed because of their working together.
This is a product of particularly sharp writing that captures not just the intricacies of the character dynamics but of the power relationships that underlie any job. Yes, Severance is a heightened narrative that dips its toe into science fiction. It is still important to understand that its premise is merely a conduit for the deeper reflections on themes of labor exploitation and worker alienation that feel all too real. Its commentary comes in just how painfully accurate it feels as the humiliation and disrespect endured by the characters becomes all too relatable. None of us have had to go through exactly what these people have gone through, at least not yet. However, most if not all of us have had to work a job to survive that both undervalues and ultimately mistreats us. Severance gives that shape and form, building a narrative that resonates through all its stylistic eccentricities. That makes the manner in which all the characters come together both honest and cautiously hopeful, revealing at the end how the most challenging of situations can be overcome by workers coming together.
There have been some rumblings from viewers who were dissatisfied with this conclusion, desiring more explicit answers about the precise mechanics about what was going on in the plot. Respectfully, as someone who also desires to learn the answers to mysteries in shows, this is misguided. The rich narrative experience of Severance would be undone by laying all the cards out on the table. Showing us everything all at once would distract from the deeper ideas that the show is really interested in and engaging with on a more nuanced level. It was never about cracking the mystery box wide open. Rather, it was about witnessing a group of ordinary people overcome immense odds that, with all their strangeness, are all too familiar to our own existence. The lack of certainty enhances the impact that was found in seeing all the characters take a leap of faith to transform themselves and their world through their dogged determination. Even in a final episode where they were the furthest apart any of them have ever been from each other, they were the closest they have ever been in a common purpose.