Severance S2 -- Post-season Awards

The long-awaited 2nd season of Apple TV+'s Severance dropped this past week, putting an exclamation mark on what was one of the finest seasons of TV we've seen in years. Right up there with Succession, The Bear, Better Call Saul, and Barry - a handful of my favorites of the 2020's. Ben Stiller and his team managed to create such a unique, mysterious, gripping series with an incredible premise at the middle of it. And while it took a whopping 3 years for the follow-up to its debut season - and yes, I watched S1 as it was released and had to wait 3 fucking years for answers to that S1 cliffhanger - the 2nd season was well worth the wait.

If you go back through the Bean's Blog archives, something I like to do after a season ends is evaluate it in the terms I know best - Sports awards. Every season, the NBA hands out their MVP, Most Improved Player, and many more. Today I'll break down this newest season with those same awards, as well as some of my own.

Most Improved Player

Mr. Milchick

Ms. Cobel

Helly

Most Improved to me should always go to the character who makes the biggest leap from the previous season in terms of screentime, likeability, or both. So while I could go Helly - she was still a super prominent and intriguing character in S1. But after Helena took over MDR duties for the first few episodes, Helly made her comeback halfway through the season and was great. Ms. Cobel fits the same bill - I don't think the character improved between seasons, but I think it improved throughout S2 culminating in her being helpful (for once) in the finale.

But the best improvement season-over-season to me is Mr. Milchick. For starters, he's promoted to floor manager replacing Cobel, so that's career improvement off the bat. He's positioned essentially as the main antagonist through the first couple episodes as he tries everything to get the MDR team back to work and back to being productive. He garners more screen-time and has so many of the most memorable moments of the season - both funny and more serious. "Devour Feculence," The marching band dance in the finale, sprinting out of the room with Dylan, stopping Gemma/Ms. Casey from leaving the exports hall, calling out Mark in the elevator - he has no shortage of gold to work with and Trammell Tillman should win an Emmy.

Defensive Player of the Year

Mark S.

Dr. Mauer

Choreography and Merriment Department

DPOY is one we have to get creative for of course, but I think we came up with 3 good nominees. Dr. Mauer came to mind as he's keeping Gemma locked up down there on the testing floor. But the fact is he let Gemma escape twice - once on her own where she knocked him out, and once with Mark to the rescue - takes him out of consideration. Choreography and Merriment earn a nod for their defensive performance in the finale - not only creating the diversion for Mark to escape and for Helly to trap Milchick, but also helping keep him trapped there with Dylan G.

But I'm going with our main character Mark S (Innie, if that wasn't already clear). And what he was defending was his own existence and the existence of other Innies. As the season goes on I think we clearly see a more defensive Mark S with everything that happens, culminating in the finale. He talks with his Outtie who needs his help, but diminishes Mark S's importance and existence in the process. Mark decides that, while he does still want to help Ms. Casey/Gemma escape, his life still matters and his feelings are real. He takes out Drummond and gets Gemma to safety before making the gut-wrenching decision to stay with Helly, defending the audience from the happy ending we all wanted to see.

Comeback Player of the Year

Ms. Cobel

Lorne (Brienne of Tarth)

Dylan G

Lorne coming back in the finale wheeling a baby goat, looking like the Ghost of Brienne Tarth Past scared the fuck out of me at first. We only saw her in Ep 3, but she returned to help Mark S take out Drummond. Dylan G didn't have a long break before his comeback - he resigned in Ep 9 and he was back the next day. But he came through to help Helly lock up Milchick.

Ms. Cobel is my least favorite character on the show. I think she's boring and dull and halts the plot for no reason every time she's in a scene. That being said, her role in the beginning of the finale can't be underestimated. She got through to Mark S, explained to him exactly what Lumon was doing, helped devise the plan to get Gemma out, and ironically is the reason the action of the finale began after hitting the brakes on it so often this season.

Rookie of the Year

Ms. Huang

Mr. Drummond

Dr. Mauer

Limited options for debut characters in season 2. I guess I could've considered the replacement MDR team they brought in for episode 1, but they were kind of dweebs. But I sure as fuck wasn't going to pick Drummond or that freaky little bitch Mauer. So we'll go with Ms. Huang - she has some funny moments interacting with the MDR team and Milchick, and who doesn't love a ring toss game. Unfortunate that she's off to have every ounce of life drained from her at whatever weird Lumon camp she's heading to.

6th Man of the Year

Gretchen

Reghabi

Ricken

I couldn't do the entire blog without at least mentioning Ricken and Reghabi, so I'm mentioning them here. That's about all I have to say because Ricken doesn't do jackshit the entire season, and Reghabi basically exists to be 4 episodes of filler before Devon can call Cobel and bring her back for the last few episodes.

Gretchen is a genuinely interesting and important character in the story. Her visits with Dylan's Innie were instituted by Lumon and Mr. Milchick, and they add so much depth to Dylan G. We also see their home life through her scenes, Dylan's outtie and their family, the POV of someone not involved with Lumon directly. The actress is also very good in my opinion.

Best Moment

Irving's realization - The ORTBO

Mark and Gemma Scout Reunited (briefly - Mark S, you Dickhead)

Mark S and Lorne take out Mr. Drummond

There were a lot more amazing moments throughout the season, but I touch on a lot of my favorites in other sections, so these 3 will do. The moment Mark and Gemma Scout are reunited - when Gemma walks out of the severed room back to herself - was something special. A pay-off 2 seasons in the making, well-earned, well-executed. Mark S. and Lorne fighting Drummond in the hallway, neutralizing him, and taking him down the elevator just for Outtie Mark to accidentally kill him is such a funny but exciting twist to add to the finale.

But my favorite moment of the season was Irving exposing Helena on the ORTBO. It was a whirlwind of an ep for Irving, and what turned out to be a fitting send-off for our favorite Macro data refiner. His fever dream the night before when we walks out into the woods, him confronting her saying "Helly was never cruel," taking matters into his own hands and standing on his gut feeling. Really great TV, really exceptional acting by Torturro, and was hands-down the peak feeling of excitement/unknown I had throughout the season, including the finale.

Best Quote

"Devour Feculence" - Milchick

"Yes, Do it Seth" - Irving B

"They give us half a life and think we won't fight for it" - Helly

Plenty of candidates from the ORTBO episode - everything Irving says in the last scene is a banger. "Helly was never cruel," "Hang in the There" leading them to the map - but his taunt of Milchick takes the cake. Dylan also has lots of funny one-liners throughout the season. I feel like the big finale line was Helly's, but I feel like the finale was more about the unsaid, moments, shots, etc.

But my clear-cut favorite is Milchick's when he finally stands up to Drummond and tells him eloquently to eat shit. There's definitely been a theme of veiled racism from Lumon as a whole throughout the season, so this was a good payoff for a character I really like (even if he's an antagonist). The monologue to follow was gold as well.

Best Episode

Episode 4 - Woe's Hollow

Episode 7 - Chikhai Bardo

Episode 8 - Sweet Vitriol

HAHA like I'd ever pick that piece of shit episode 8 as the best. What a dreary bottle episode that was. She obviously came through in the end, but Cobel was probably my biggest issue with the season, and this episode was 34 minutes of shit for 30 seconds of a rushed big reveal.

The real nominee would obviously be the finale - Cold Harbor. Just an absolute masterclass, especially in the last 40 min or so once Mark S completed the last file. The marching band, the Kier robot stand-up with Milchick, the hallway fight, Mark killing Drummond, Mark finding Gemma and reuniting, Mark S leaving Gemma in the stairwell to be with Helly. The Innie/Outtie conversation at the Cabin was great too - it was an incredible finale (I lean S1 finale very slightly still).

The ORTBO episode was great - was interesting to take MDR out of the office setting and it led to some massive plot moments. Was the last episode we ever see Irving B, revealed Helena had been on the severed floor the whole time not her innie Helly, Mark and Helena bang.

But my personal favorite is the 7th episode - where we see what Lumon is doing with Gemma, as well as Mark and Gemma Scout's origin story as a couple. I loved it because it gave us so much background on how they got to this point, why these two in particular are so important to Lumon's mission, and what Lumon has mysteriously been working on this whole time. Visually amazing, really cool camera-shot-sequences. Gave roots to a shit-load of theories and easter eggs - the Reels community was on fire with little things showing just how influential Lumon was to what happens to Gemma and Mark Scout.

Least Valuable Player

Ms. Cobel

Devon

Jame Eagen

I've already said plenty in this blog about my hatred for Cobel - but I haven't talked enough about my hatred for Devon. (Sorry in advance to my girlfriend who I know loves Devon, but it's time for me to get my takes off). It may be the fact that the actress is surrounded by incredible actors, but frankly I think she stinks. The scenes of her and Reghabi are unwatchable. "C'mon Mark, why aren't you trusting Cobel. Remember when I gave her my baby last season and she disappeared." I liked her more in Season 1.

Jame Eagen is just a creepy old fuck. He's an abusive father that over years and years has beaten all life, fire, ingenuity from his legitimate daughter, wishes said daughter would take her eggs raw (I mean what the fuck), while "siring" god knows how many other children that never see the light of day, leads a company that elicits child slavery as a workforce, and is perfectly okay murdering if it will lead to profit for his company. If a friend ever says Jame Eagen and favorite character in the same sentence, it's your duty to ensure they end up on a list. (all the lists).

Most Valuable Player

Irving B

Mark S

Helly E

This is a hard one to decide (as of starting this paragraph IDK who I'm picking yet). On One hand - Irving has always been my favorite character, he had my favorite moment, and I think if that's the last time we ever see Irv, it was still a successful character.

On another hand - while his decision in the finale was unsatisfying and not what the viewer wanted - Mark S is the heartbeat of the show. He's funny, he's relatable, and at the end of the day, why should he trust his outtie, why not fight for himself? His outtie is invalidating his existence, he thinks Mark couldn't conceptualize the love her has for Gemma. But he loves Helly, why isn't he a real person too?

And on the weird 3rd hand - Helly is re-introduced to us in such a chaotic way, we see her adjust throughout, and is the most intriguing character to me as an Anti-Lumon zealot who is simultaneously an Eagen.

I'm sure it wouldn't be the MVP for most people, maybe it's a legacy award for body of work a la Kobe Bryant All-Star game starter in his final season. But Irving B is my Most Valuable Macro Date Refiner. I'll count his outtie too because I think there's more crossover with his two compared to the stark differences between Mark S/Mark Scout, Helly/Helena. Irving is the guy that was figuring out Lumon's devious deeds from the Innie side AND the Outtie side. Exposing Helena for impersonating Helly was such an iconic moment, leading to his Innie's essential death. Following those events we see him with Burt a lot, we learn his Outtie is skeptical as well, so much so Drummond and Burt both break in to his home searching through his notes and journals. I like the Irv and Burt stuff, I like where they end things and how it ties back to their Innies, I like the example of the theme "Love transcending Severance" that they are. I just think it's a great character, played by a great actor, who may or may not be back next season, getting their well-earned flowers.

If you think any other characters were more deserving of an award above - comment on this blog who you believe should have won MVP, DPOY, MIP, etc.! Or if you have any other awards you'd hand out for this excellent Severance Season, let us know in the comments and we may include it in the future.

Speaking of - we'll be back with a White Lotus Post-Season Awards in just a few weeks!