Severance Review: The Grim Barbarity Of Optics and Design (Season 1 Episode 5)
If you thought a show about people being severed into two different consciouses couldn’t get weirder, I’m happy to report that you’re wrong. Severance Season 1 Episode 5, “The Grim Barbarity Of Optics and Design,” makes its predecessors look mundane in comparison.
We already knew Lumon is up to something, we just didn’t know what. We still don’t have the full picture, but the team discovering new departments helps fill in some of the pieces of how Lumon operates.
After establishing that Helly survived her suicide attempt, the MDR team tries to get back to normal. Except, the time for normal is long gone.
The decision for Rickon’s book to be what radicalizes the MDR staff is hilarious but also a little sad. We’re treated to excerpts of the writing, and it’s not good even in terms of self-help books.
The basic ideas though, about free will and questioning authority, shock the innies. Their entire “lives” they’ve been indoctrinated with Kier Eagan’s pro-corporation dogma and never thought to question it.
Finally, the innies catch up to what Mark’s outie is learning: something is rotten in the state of Lumon. It’s ironic that despite being severed, the two halves are taking similar journeys.
It’s not just the book shaking things up though, and that’s when the episode starts shifting into a bizarre Lynchian turn.
Helly and Mark accidentally uncover a room full of baby goats bottle-fed by an unknown employee who insists the goats “aren’t ready.” Even they can’t make sense of what the goats could be for or mean and leave the scene as shocked as the viewers.
Severance gives us plenty to speculate on but this scene throws the biggest wrench into any theories. Maybe Mark and Helly aren’t meant to ever make sense of the goats, but it is a huge bleating red flag that confirms their suspicions about Lumon aren’t unfounded.
The lighting of Helly and Mark walking down the hallway is brilliantly done as the halls light up based on motion sensors so the “spotlight” always frames them. It’s a great use of the sterile white space to make it seem more dynamic and interesting.
The fact that several characters get lost on this episode reminds you everything about the building’s design is intentional as Lumon tries to keep its departments also severed. The chilling propaganda management seems to circulate to each department about the others is also coordinated.
A violent coup? Larva eating their hosts and taking over? It’s all extreme things that don’t seem likely. Then again, nothing about Lumon seems likely, so you’re left wondering if there’s a kernel of truth in the rumors.
Fortunately, Severance doesn’t just rely on its stylish aesthetic or made-for-Reddit mystery and gives you a reason to invest in the characters also. There are plenty of emotional moments in the plot to help ground the show.
Burt and Irv’s budding romance is sweet to watch as they defy the odds of finding love at Lumon. These aren’t exactly the types of roles Christopher Walken and John Turturro are best known for yet they seem to be right at home in the characters.
Now that Mark is radicalized, he and Helly can meet on the same level and develop a true friendship. Britt Lower and Adam Scott manage to balance the humor of the situations while still finding a place of empathy.
It’s a lot more interesting to see the two characters work together than snipe at each other.
By the end of the episode, your conspiracy board is covered with a lot more red string and pieces of evidence.
Additional Thoughts:
- Of all of MDR, Dylan is the one who I want a backstory for the most. His innie is unhinged enough that I’m dying to see what his outie is like.
- How bad must Helly’s outie’s life be to keep a job that puts her at risk of dying?
- Rickon’s book sounds absolutely terrible.
- Am I the only one who did want an explanation for the kelp?
- Part of me thinks there was a massacre at Lumon before, but it was the management who were attacked.
- We know Harmony and Milchick aren’t severed, but I wonder about Ms. Casey.
What did you think of this episode of Severance? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Breeze Riley
Breeze Riley is a pop culture enthusiast who decided to turn her love of watching too much TV into a hobby writing about it. Although she's a convention-going sci-fi and fantasy nerd, she's just as likely to be watching an off-beat comedy or period drama. She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic.