However, just as any fan of the show will tell you, the wait for the much-anticipated second season has been excruciating, particularly after the stunning revelations of the finale, with the show having debuted in February 2022. Just goes to show the rippling effects of the writers’ and actors’ strikes from last year. Thankfully, there is finally Lumon on the horizon, as a tantalizing forty-second teaser for Severance’s second season was released last week, accompanied by an official release date of January 17th. With this in mind, let’s consider everything we know about the upcoming season thus far.
The second season of Severance will be filmed in part in Newfoundland and will feature a great mix of new and returning talent. Behind the camera, Ben Stiller will once again serve as the series’ lead director, directing five of the 10 episodes, one episode longer than the first season. Irish director Aoife McArdle directed three episodes this season but will apparently not be returning. Instead, Uta Briesewitz, Sam Donovan and Jessica Leigh Gagne will direct the remaining episodes.
Of course, we see the return of the core cast, including Adam Scott, Britt Lauer, Zach Cherry, John Turturro, Christopher Walken, Tramell Tillman, Jen Tulloch, Michael Sarnas, Dichen Lachman, and Oscar-winner Patricia Arquette. There are certainly notable additions to the cast, including veteran actors Bob Balaban, Merritt Wever, Robby Benson, Alaful Dali Alafsson, Alia Shawkat, and former Game of Thrones actress Gwendoline Christie
In fact, the new teaser, which is predictably cryptic, briefly showcases Christie’s palpably intimidating character, ominously telling (inny) Mark and Helly, “You should have left.” This is the most pronounced element of the brief teaser, as much of what we otherwise see are familiar shots of the Lumon grounds, facility, and the primary characters who work there entering the elevator to the office of severance employees, all while a voiceover of Helly recites the severance pledge. What follows, then, before we get our glimpse of Christie, is a series of quickfire cuts which are given little context but nonetheless add to tension of the teaser.
Ultimately, the trailer adds little to what we already knew, though there are significant lingering questions from season one that will certainly be explored in season two. Primary among them (for me at least) is why Mark’s outside self (or outie) is led to believe his wife is dead, when it is shockingly revealed in the finale that she is very much alive and acting as the wellness counsellor Ms. Casey on the severed floor. Then, of course, there’s the equally unexpected twist that the unruly newcomer to the severed floor, Helly, is in fact Helena Eagan – daughter of Lumon CEO James Eagan – and the potential ramifications of Helly revealing how workers on the severed floor are treated to an entire room of people from the outside world. This is all without mentioning that outie Irving is investigating Lumon, hinting at a deeper look into his character this coming season.
While we are still six months away from the return of Severance, our patience will at least be rewarded with the first two episodes being released simultaneously. In the meantime, barring an inevitable full-length trailer sometime in the future, don’t expect to learn much about the acclaimed series. Instead, simply hope that season two will continue to subvert our expectations as much as its first season had.
