Following a tantalizing teaser trailer released on October 23rd that ever-so-slightly hinted at what’s to come in Severance’s feverishly anticipated second season, a full-length trailer was finally dropped on December 7th, and it’s a doozy!
This trailer for Severance season 2, which is almost three minutes in length, is certainly generous in what it shows, seemingly promising answers to some of the burning questions we were left with following the revelatory season 1 finale, while, of course, offering up new ones in the process. However, there are those – myself included – who believe this was the least Ben Stiller and company could do, as this comprehensive trailer has been dropped a little over five weeks before the second season’s January 17th debut, just a month short of three years since the airing of Severance’s debut, which saw the first two episodes dropped at the same time on February 18th, 2021.
Aside from a myriad of blink-and-you’ll-miss-it shots that show up again in the full-length trailer, the initial teaser released on October 23rd saw Mark S. (Adam Scott) coming to in the Lumon’s severance floor elevator, clearly distressed at finding himself there yet again, especially after the revelations of season 1. After an impressive display of cinematography, Mark finds himself in his old office space, but with new faces played by Ali Shawcatt, Bob Balaban, and Stefano Carannante, seemingly replacing him and his coworkers. Then, in walks the severed floor’s supervisor Seth Milchick (Tramell Tillman) with his usual disquietingly joyful-but-hollow demeanour, saying, “Welcome back, Mark S. Been a minute,” while carrying a bunch of helium balloons with Mark’s face on each of them.
As such, it’s clear from this trailer that Mark and his colleagues have been away from Lumon long enough, whatever the reasons might be, that they needed to be replaced. With the release of the latest trailer a little over a week ago, it’s made clear that Mark Scout, Mark S.’s “outie” persona, had been asked to return to Lumon after having apparently left. He is not alone either, as his coworkers Dylan George (Zach Cherry), Irving Bailiff (John Turturro), and Helly Riggs (Britt Lower) are also brought back, as they are apparently now considered “the face of severance reform” after Helly initially blew the whistle on the treatment of “innies” at the end of the first season. As Mark gazes upon the heavily redacted front page of The Kier Chronicle, which shows him and his three co-workers being celebrated during a parade, Dylan subsequently posits, “Okay, so we’re not in trouble?” Wishful thinking, but there is almost certainly more than meets the eye here, as just like the corporations that Severance satires, Lumon is not likely to forgive and forget, with Milchick remarking early in the trailer, “What you all did was one of the most painful moments in the history of this company.” Yikes.
However, our rebellious innie heroes are hardly ones to play along with the deeply manipulative Lumon, as we see them each sharing their brief experiences on the outside world after Dylan activated the overtime contingency in the season 1 finale, with Mark seemingly opting to free his outside self’s wife Gemma, who was thought to be dead but has actually been serving as the severance floor’s inhouse therapist.
This is presented as the primary narrative throughline for season 2, though the trailer also presents some interesting glimpses into the strange but notably on-brand happenings at Lumon, such as the goat room first seen in season 1. In the trailer, we see Mark giving a rousing speech to its workers, and it seems quite clear that the character of Game of Thrones actress Gwendoline Christie will play a domineering role in this room, as she is seen wringing a bell at one point, much like you would at cattle, which is certainly not a coincidence in a workplace satire such as this. It seems Ben Stiller and series creator Dan Erickson may even double down on the show’s satirical elements (if that’s even possible), as we are introduced to another character by the trailer’s end, Miss Huang (Sarah Bock), an adolescent who is serving her first day as “deputy manager”, much to the bewilderment of the adults about her, which also shows that Severance has also not lost its comic edge.
Yet, some of the most intriguing moments in the trailer are the ones taking place outside of Lumon, as we see our heroes’ outies looking deeper into the conspiracy, in particular Irving, who was revealed to be investigating Lumon in season 1, while we also see Mark confronting his nefarious neighbour, Harmony Cobel (Patricia Arquette), whose fate with the company is still unclear after being fired in season 1. We do, however, see her conversing with Helly’s outie, who of course was revealed in the season 1 finale as the daughter of Lumon CEO Jame Egan, and is herself something of a villain. The nefarious way in which she eyes Mark and Helly kissing on a security camera at one point hints that she will continue to act as a foil for her own innie.
Thankfully, the wait for Severance season 2 is almost over and we won’t have to speculate so much, even though that’s certainly part of show’s appeal. While I am certain we will be given plenty of answers, there are surely even more pressing mysteries yet to come.
Severance season 2 will air January 17th Apple TV+, and will consist of ten episodes, one more than the previous season.