Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for Severance Season 2.
Severanceis filled with weird moments, often highlighting the day-to-day absurd situations the corporate world thrusts upon employees sometimes.Season 2is no different, and Episode 2, “Goodbye, Mrs. Selvig,” has one of the most surreal scenes in the series so far in that sense. As Dylan George (Zach Cherry) interviews for a position at Great Doors after being fired by Lumon, he initially bonds with the local boss, Mr. Saliba (Adrian Martínez), over their shared love of doors, but is immediately dismissed upon mentioning he is a severed individual.This scene has an interesting backstoryand, as weird as it is, is actually based on real life.
‘Severance’s Great Doors Scene Is Based on the Creator’s Real-Life Experience
Sometimes it feels like companies are becoming more and more focused on one kind of product, and Great Doors is, well, all about doors. InEpisode 1ofThe Severance Podcast, series creatorDan Ericksonrevealed thatnot only are door companies a thing, but he has also worked at one. When he first arrived in Los Angeles, the first office job he found on Craigslist was at a door factory, and his experience there helped him come up with the premise forSeverance.
At the door factory, Erickson worked in a windowless basement, which could make any job feel dumb and numbing, regardless of being an innie or an outie. “I was just walking into work one day. It was 9 AM and I literally just had the thought like, ‘God, what if I could jump ahead and suddenly it would be five?And I would have done the day’s work, but I wouldn’t have toexperience it.'” And that’s whatSeveranceis about, literally. For outies, it’s perfect; for innies, not so much. Of course, Erickson remains grateful for that job: “The people there were very nice and treated me very kindly. But it was the last thing in the world I wanted to be doing.”
For Episode 2,having Dylan interview at a door factory was Erickson’s idea. He didn’t think it was a good enough idea at first, but directorBen Stillerdid, as Erickson toldDecider: “I timidly brought it up to Ben. One day I was just like, ‘Hey, would it be dumb if Dylan went to a door factory?’ And he was like, ‘No, that’s great! Let’s do it!’" And that’s how Erickson’s life continued to inspireSeverance. “I allowed myself that littleEaster Egginto my own life, because it’s also the history of the show. It’s where the show was conceived, basically. So I thought it would be fun.”
‘Severance’s Latest Episode Is Giving Us Even More Evidence for Our Biggest Theory
Has Helly R. been replaced?
Adrian Martínez Has Been Confused With ‘Severance’s Zach Cherry Multiple Times
But that’s not all about reality being stranger than fiction. In thelatest episodeofThe Severance Podcast,Adam Scottmentions how Zach Cherry and Adrian Martínez look alike, making the whole scene all themore surreal. And, of course, it turns out this is another fun real-life tidbit, as Martínezrevealsthrough social media that he is constantlymixed upwith Cherry. “It started season one—people congratulating me on my ‘work’ inSeveranceseason one. BREAKING: I am not in season one,” he jokes.Their scene togetheris bound to make things clearer for fans, because, while it starts funny (the doors flying in the background make it seem like it’s a scene inMonsters, Inc.), it does end on a rather sad note, with Mr. Saliba lashing out at Dylan for being severed.
‘Severance’s Interview Scene Depicts the Continuing Stigma Against Severed Individuals
The severance procedure itself is one of the most controversial aspects of work at Lumon, and it’s what makesSeveranceessentially a kind of dystopic sci-fi series. InSeason 1, Mark Scout (Scott) himself starts out defending the procedure against critics, until he eventually starts considering quitting his work at Lumon, with the severed nature of the job being part of the reason. It’s such acomplex issuethat there is even a political lobby to expand the use of the severance chip. Dylan’s scene with Mr. Saliba shows the stigma around the whole issue.Mr. Saliba even says that they “need a certain kind of person here, not a certain kind of two people,“showing how he views the whole issue, even though innies and outies are separate personas, with transition being spatially dictated. Dylan tries to tell him that it’s just him there, but to no avail.
Individuals splitting their brains into two different personas and making one of them exclusive for work doesn’t sound nice, and we bet some employers would love to implement it in real life. But,from the employee’s perspective, many things could lead them to choose to take asevered jobat a company like Lumon, from emotional trauma like Mark Scout, to financial problems, which is implied to be Dylan’s situation, given how he has kids and his resumé only shows mostly short-term employment apart from Lumon. Having a steady job is important for everyone, so Mr. Saliba is actually the lucky one for working with what he loves, and giving Dylan an earful doesn’t sound fair. Hate the game, not the player.
SeveranceSeason 2 is available to stream on Apple TV+ in the U.S. New episodes air on Fridays.
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