What the hit AppleTV+ show Severance teaches us about mental health at work
Why write a series on how mental health is portrayed in film and television? Born and raised in Los Angeles, I (Evelyn) have always been a stone’s throw away from Hollywood, the origin of some of our most beloved movies and shows. A good story often presents curious perspectives or teaches us valuable life lessons. In the case of mental health, I believe such depictions can destigmatize uncomfortable topics from social anxiety to depression and substance abuse to grief.
My hope is that this opinion column will inspire conversations around meaningful issues in our personal lives and relationships. Without further ado – grab your popcorn and soft drinks and let’s get watching!
(Spoilers ahead)
I am unabashedly obsessed with Severance, the AppleTV+ show directed by Ben Stiller and starring familiar faces like Adam Scott, John Turturro, and Christopher Walken. The show first debuted in 2022 and the second season aired just earlier in 2025. From the uncanny symmetry of the Lumon building to the sometimes peppy, other times sinister score, the story created by Dan Erickson is a vision beautifully executed.
If you haven’t seen the show yet, ostensibly, the premise asks what if there was a procedure you could undergo to completely separate your work life from your personal life? A chip is implanted into your brain; people are referred to as an “outie” in personal life, and an “innie” at the mysterious corporation Lumon. At headquarters, riding a special elevator activates the chip and the innie wakes up in the office. An innie doesn’t have memories of their childhood, families, or personal preferences – aside from what management tells them. Theoretically, severance is the perfect way to achieve work-life balance. But a bevy of questions ensue:
What are the ethical implications of undergoing severance?
How effective is the severance procedure and do an outie’s circumstances overlap with or bleed into an innie’s consciousness?
Could there be any problems between having a separate personality at work vs. at home?
What makes an individual a person?
Mark Scout takes the elevator down to the severed floor. Severance, AppleTV+
In the opening sequence of Season 1, we’re introduced to our protagonist Mark Scout sobbing in his car. The audience learns that he underwent the severance procedure about two years ago in order to cope with the death of his wife Gemma in a car accident. Once inside the office, Mark descends the elevator to the severed floor where his feelings appear entirely unaffected by the emotions we witnessed moments ago. In fact, work Mark looks perplexed when he finds a tissue in his pocket on the way to his department. We sense that outie Mark hasn’t appropriately processed his grief and instead, becomes a severed employee as an act of escapism.
Given outie Mark’s unresolved trauma, how is innie Mark doing? Mark S., as he is known to the Macrodata Refinement or MDR department, is on good terms with his team. He is surprised to learn though that his supervisor and best friend Petey is no longer with the company. Mark feels blindsided by the sudden change and having to assume a managerial role, especially as he welcomes a new colleague named Helly R. How will Mark S. handle the shifts in team dynamics and will it be different from what we saw with outie Mark?
“At work…you’d come in sometimes with red eyes. We had a joke that you had an elevator allergy.”
Petey K. stays with outie Mark for a period while he goes through the process to unsever
While at a “dinnerless dinner party” for his brother-in-law Ricken – an author – and sister Devon, outie Mark glimpses a strange man in the woods seemingly looking for him. We learn this is Petey Kilmer, Mark’s best friend from work. Petey tells outie Mark that all is not what it seems at Lumon, and that employees are frustrated with working conditions. As for his disappearance, Petey is undergoing reintegration to “unsever” his mind – a decision that will later have major repercussions.
Petey points out that Mark S. sometimes shows up to the office with his eyes red, which points to our protagonist’s predicament. Throughout these episodes, we see Mark at home frequently drinking and resisting support from others. One such measure is helping Mark work through his grief by meeting someone new. He eventually agrees to dinner with Alexa, the doula to his expecting sister. Awkward and uncertain whether he is ready for a new relationship, Mark opens up about his late wife, acknowledging the complicated feelings surrounding his grief. Not only does his honesty infuse more humanity into the character, but we root for outie Mark to form meaningful connections and ultimately find joy.
Trigger warning: There is a depiction of self-harm in S1 episode 6. If you are sensitive, fast forward.
“Do you know how to make your eyes kind?”
Innie Helly R. examines a contraband map on the back of the MDR team photo. Severance, AppleTV+
Dissatisfied with the mysterious nature and purpose of the work at MDR, innie Helly R. tries (unsuccessfully) to leave employment at Lumon. After multiple, notably escalating actions – requesting resignation, smuggling notes out, threatening to chop off her hand with a paper slicer, Helly sends a drastic message to her outie. She attempts to hang herself in the elevator. Since Lumon staggers the employees’ exits, it’s Mark who finds Helly gasping for air. He’s promptly whisked out by security officer Mr. Granger, left wondering whether his teammate is still alive.
In the aftermath, we discover that Ms. Cobel, manager of the severed floor, has for her own reasons declined to inform the company board of Helly’s suicide attempt. She instead sends Wellness Director Ms. Casey to MDR to monitor Helly’s mental state. Helly herself is reticent and clearly annoyed to have someone shadowing her at all times. Mr. Milchick, the deputy manager, is seen with innie Mark asking if he knows how to make his eyes kind. The audience hears Mark’s concern about if a few days is enough for Helly to recover. Most of us would rightly take issue with the way Lumon addresses the situation – especially considering how many signs led to Helly’s self-harm. We see that our protagonists can only do so much for their colleague in crisis without the appropriate response and resources from the company.
“Please try to enjoy each fact equally, and not show preference for any over the others.”
Left to right: Mark S., Dylan G., Irving B., and Helly R. at the team music dance experience. Severance, AppleTV+
As the end of the work quarter approaches, MDR is rewarded for reaching quota, all the while covertly plotting to expose the dubious operations at Lumon. Mark and Helly start to form a deeper bond, and we don’t see negative outbursts like earlier in the season. When things are going well at work, we see outie Mark taking healthy steps to process the grief of losing his wife. He tells his sister Devon that he is contemplating leaving his role at Lumon because he might no longer need severance to feel whole. The plot thickens, though, when a picture reveals that Mark’s wife Gemma is, in fact, Ms. Casey. Innie Mark is experiencing a breakthrough in opening up to Helly, but how do we reconcile that knowing Gemma is still alive?
This brings us to the season finale, where the outie of Helly R. is revealed to be Helena, daughter of Lumon CEO Jame Eagan and heiress to the Lumon corporation. Speaking at a fundraiser, Helena means to promote the severance procedure as safe, even beneficial. This flies in the face of everything innie Helly had protested along with Mark S. How can these tensions coexist in the same body but different consciousnesses? Does this change the budding relationship between innie Mark and Helly? What impact will exposing Lumon have on the conditions surrounding Gemma/Ms. Casey? The answer is you’ll have to watch Season 2 to find out!
What the hit AppleTV+ show Severance teaches us about mental health at work
Why write a series on how mental health is portrayed in film and television? Born and raised in Los Angeles, I (Evelyn) have always been a stone’s throw away from Hollywood, the origin of some of our most beloved movies and shows. A good story often presents curious perspectives or teaches us valuable life lessons. In the case of mental health, I believe such depictions can destigmatize uncomfortable topics from social anxiety to depression and substance abuse to grief.
My hope is that this opinion column will inspire conversations around meaningful issues in our personal lives and relationships. Without further ado – grab your popcorn and soft drinks and let’s get watching!
(Spoilers ahead)
I am unabashedly obsessed with Severance, the AppleTV+ show directed by Ben Stiller and starring familiar faces like Adam Scott, John Turturro, and Christopher Walken. The show first debuted in 2022 and the second season aired just earlier in 2025. From the uncanny symmetry of the Lumon building to the sometimes peppy, other times sinister score, the story created by Dan Erickson is a vision beautifully executed.
If you haven’t seen the show yet, ostensibly, the premise asks what if there was a procedure you could undergo to completely separate your work life from your personal life? A chip is implanted into your brain; people are referred to as an “outie” in personal life, and an “innie” at the mysterious corporation Lumon. At headquarters, riding a special elevator activates the chip and the innie wakes up in the office. An innie doesn’t have memories of their childhood, families, or personal preferences – aside from what management tells them. Theoretically, severance is the perfect way to achieve work-life balance. But a bevy of questions ensue:
In the opening sequence of Season 1, we’re introduced to our protagonist Mark Scout sobbing in his car. The audience learns that he underwent the severance procedure about two years ago in order to cope with the death of his wife Gemma in a car accident. Once inside the office, Mark descends the elevator to the severed floor where his feelings appear entirely unaffected by the emotions we witnessed moments ago. In fact, work Mark looks perplexed when he finds a tissue in his pocket on the way to his department. We sense that outie Mark hasn’t appropriately processed his grief and instead, becomes a severed employee as an act of escapism.
Given outie Mark’s unresolved trauma, how is innie Mark doing? Mark S., as he is known to the Macrodata Refinement or MDR department, is on good terms with his team. He is surprised to learn though that his supervisor and best friend Petey is no longer with the company. Mark feels blindsided by the sudden change and having to assume a managerial role, especially as he welcomes a new colleague named Helly R. How will Mark S. handle the shifts in team dynamics and will it be different from what we saw with outie Mark?
“At work…you’d come in sometimes with red eyes. We had a joke that you had an elevator allergy.”
While at a “dinnerless dinner party” for his brother-in-law Ricken – an author – and sister Devon, outie Mark glimpses a strange man in the woods seemingly looking for him. We learn this is Petey Kilmer, Mark’s best friend from work. Petey tells outie Mark that all is not what it seems at Lumon, and that employees are frustrated with working conditions. As for his disappearance, Petey is undergoing reintegration to “unsever” his mind – a decision that will later have major repercussions.
Petey points out that Mark S. sometimes shows up to the office with his eyes red, which points to our protagonist’s predicament. Throughout these episodes, we see Mark at home frequently drinking and resisting support from others. One such measure is helping Mark work through his grief by meeting someone new. He eventually agrees to dinner with Alexa, the doula to his expecting sister. Awkward and uncertain whether he is ready for a new relationship, Mark opens up about his late wife, acknowledging the complicated feelings surrounding his grief. Not only does his honesty infuse more humanity into the character, but we root for outie Mark to form meaningful connections and ultimately find joy.
Trigger warning: There is a depiction of self-harm in S1 episode 6. If you are sensitive, fast forward.
“Do you know how to make your eyes kind?”
Dissatisfied with the mysterious nature and purpose of the work at MDR, innie Helly R. tries (unsuccessfully) to leave employment at Lumon. After multiple, notably escalating actions – requesting resignation, smuggling notes out, threatening to chop off her hand with a paper slicer, Helly sends a drastic message to her outie. She attempts to hang herself in the elevator. Since Lumon staggers the employees’ exits, it’s Mark who finds Helly gasping for air. He’s promptly whisked out by security officer Mr. Granger, left wondering whether his teammate is still alive.
In the aftermath, we discover that Ms. Cobel, manager of the severed floor, has for her own reasons declined to inform the company board of Helly’s suicide attempt. She instead sends Wellness Director Ms. Casey to MDR to monitor Helly’s mental state. Helly herself is reticent and clearly annoyed to have someone shadowing her at all times. Mr. Milchick, the deputy manager, is seen with innie Mark asking if he knows how to make his eyes kind. The audience hears Mark’s concern about if a few days is enough for Helly to recover. Most of us would rightly take issue with the way Lumon addresses the situation – especially considering how many signs led to Helly’s self-harm. We see that our protagonists can only do so much for their colleague in crisis without the appropriate response and resources from the company.
“Please try to enjoy each fact equally, and not show preference for any over the others.”
As the end of the work quarter approaches, MDR is rewarded for reaching quota, all the while covertly plotting to expose the dubious operations at Lumon. Mark and Helly start to form a deeper bond, and we don’t see negative outbursts like earlier in the season. When things are going well at work, we see outie Mark taking healthy steps to process the grief of losing his wife. He tells his sister Devon that he is contemplating leaving his role at Lumon because he might no longer need severance to feel whole. The plot thickens, though, when a picture reveals that Mark’s wife Gemma is, in fact, Ms. Casey. Innie Mark is experiencing a breakthrough in opening up to Helly, but how do we reconcile that knowing Gemma is still alive?
This brings us to the season finale, where the outie of Helly R. is revealed to be Helena, daughter of Lumon CEO Jame Eagan and heiress to the Lumon corporation. Speaking at a fundraiser, Helena means to promote the severance procedure as safe, even beneficial. This flies in the face of everything innie Helly had protested along with Mark S. How can these tensions coexist in the same body but different consciousnesses? Does this change the budding relationship between innie Mark and Helly? What impact will exposing Lumon have on the conditions surrounding Gemma/Ms. Casey? The answer is you’ll have to watch Season 2 to find out!
You can watch the Severance trailer here. In related reading, check out what I also have to say about the music of Severance!
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