Review: Severance 2x07
*SPOILERS: Only read if you’re caught up on Severance
Severance is the best show on television right now and there’s no way around it. It’s pitch perfect—from the writing, acting, and directing, to the production design and hair and makeup department. Every decision is contemplated; every detail is precise. It is a TV scholar’s dream, yet has the same mass-market appeal as Lost. The team behind Severance—most notably showrunner Dan Erickson and executive producer Ben Stiller—understand that audiences want to be trusted, not coddled. If season two’s frenzied reception is any indicator, the viewers of today crave smart, astute storytelling. When it seemed like the television landscape might be doomed to soulless money grabs, Severance (and a handful of other shows) have appeared on the scene to captivate an audience desperate to be captivated.
Season 2 Episode 7, "Chikhai Bardo," which aired last Friday on Apple TV+, is Severance at its finest. It is the distillation of everything the show is about, thematically and technically. It is one of the greatest episodes of television I’ve ever seen.
The list is small. Fleabag 2x01: the dinner party episode where Fleabag first meets the Hot Priest and turns sharply to the camera saying, “This is a love story.” The Leftovers 3x08: the series finale of the world’s most enigmatic show that left us with only more questions, except we no longer needed the answers. The Bear 1x07: the climactic episode filmed in one continuous shot as the characters run around the kitchen, losing their minds, in a feat of both acting and filmmaking. Parks & Rec 4x11: the funniest episode of television ever made, featuring Ben Wyatt’s infamous claymation journey where he points out, “Could a depressed person make this?” Now Severance 2x07 has joined the ranks.
Though a mid-season, 45-minute episode, "Chikhai Bardo" accomplishes what most two-hour movies set out to do. Every episode of Severance, really, is like a movie. The production value alone is remarkable considering it's essentially a workplace drama. I could also spend hours unpacking why the show is a masterclass in storytelling—the plot pacing, the character minutia, the balance struck between cliffhangers and reveals. But that’s not what I want to focus on when discussing 2x07. The technical aspects of the episode are what astounded me.
Jessica Lee Gagné, a Canadian cinematographer, has been Severance’s director of photography since its inception. Much of the visual look of the show can be attributed to her. In this podcast episode, she talks about how she stumbled into the role of director, despite never having the inclination to be one. Something about the script for 2x07 compelled her. So, in an unprecedented turn, she directed and shot the episode, which was incredibly arduous but lended itself perfectly to the tonal shift within the show.
What happens in 2x07 is a sharp break from the norm of Severance—it is unlike any episode before and (I’m guessing) after it. We, the audience, are in the eye of the storm of the story, and it makes complete sense to shoot that differently.
"Chikhai Bardo" unfolds over three timelines: 1) when Outie Mark is “journeying” through his memories after being reintegrated with his severed Innie; 2) when Gemma/Ms. Casey is being held hostage on the Testing Floor but finally tries to escape and find Mark; and 3) flashing back in time, when Mark and Gemma were married and wildly in love. Ultimately, every timeline is about Gemma. Though we’ve been bombarded by her image for two seasons, and feel how haunted Mark is by her supposed death, we’ve never truly met her. Until now.
This episode is not only the grand reveal of Gemma, but also of her and Mark’s marriage—which is the show’s raison d’être yet has previously been shrouded in mystery. In the make-up of 2x07, merely 15 minutes of the episode are spent developing their marriage, but because the portrayal is so powerful we can grasp the full scope of their relationship. We know what books they taught in their college courses. We know they filled their home with plants. We know how they interacted with Mark’s sister and brother-in-law. We know they wanted kids.
Their past life together has color—warmth and depth—never before used in the show. Their happiness is shot on 16mm film to evoke a sense of nostalgia, a long lost time, that only film can capture. The fluorescent lighting, white hallways, and stiff suits of Severance are briefly replaced by floor lamps, sunrooms, and tweed jackets. In lieu of exposition, the visuals make us feel all we need to know.
In this interview, Gagné talks about how the story of the show is situated through Mark’s lens, which informed the way she shot 2x07. The episode unfolds like memories flooding back to Mark. Of course he remembers his marriage to Gemma in a romantic, filmic way. What originally drew Gagné to this particular episode was the interplay of time, space, and memory in the script. Yes, three separate timelines are being explored, but, to Gagné, they’re all happening at once.
Her perspective is brilliantly executed in the transitions from scene to scene. Crossfades between Gemma on the Testing Floor and Mark in their old house. A series of quick jump cuts to show the passage of time, books piling up, attitudes changing. And (what totally blew my mind) an insane match cut from Mark and Gemma on their shower floor during her miscarriage, to Mark standing alone in the rain, to him on the MDR floor talking to Ms. Casey, then to a one-shot transition from MDR revealing the Control Room below. I’m sure I’ve botched the description of that scene, so watch it for yourself starting 19 minutes into the episode.
Jessica Lee Gagné has talked a lot about that specific transition because, though it may look like a simple use of CGI, it is actually very real and very complicated. As a trained cinematographer and camera operator, Gagné wanted a “side project” like this where she could flex every tool in her toolbelt. The set for the transition was entirely practical and built around a pulley system that pulled the camera away from Mark, dove down his desk into an elaborate wiring system, and emerged on the floor of the Control Room. “It was the most laborious thing I have ever done as a [director of photography],” Gagné said.
But it was all in service of the episode’s theme: memory. While Outie Mark is knocked out on his couch, his brain is doing spins and tricks to combine his own memories with those of his Innie. He’s remembering Gemma’s miscarriage at the same time he’s remembering talking to Ms. Casey at Lumon. On top of that, Gagné’s taking advantage of our memory, as viewers, by ending on the Control Room reveal. Whose memory is that? What information do they have that we don’t? And the age-old question when talking about Severance: What is this all about?
Camera work reflecting or aiding the script is something you find much more in film than television. I think one of the reasons for this is that film typically emphasizes the product, while TV emphasizes the experience. You get one chance to make a particular feature film for an audience that will likely only watch it once—it’s all or nothing. TV, on the other hand, is made to be lived with—it’s allowed the chance to grow on audiences. Shows don’t need to be as attention-grabbing or innovative; therefore, camera work could be considered a bit irrelevant. At least it used to be that way.
With the collapse of distinct film and TV markets, with everyone watching everything on the same screen, the lines between forms of content are blurred. The whole shtick with “prestige TV” is that it’s trying to emulate high quality, dramatic film. I have my fair share of qualms with this (e.g. 70% of mini-series should just be feature films in my opinion), but Severance is an exception. It is making epic use of its episodic form, while spending its large budget and ample shooting time to craft intricate sets and execute complicated film maneuvers. And it doesn’t have to! It’s all for the love of the game. The cast and crew of Severance clearly have such an appreciation and respect for their work, each other, and the art of television. I get giddy thinking about it.
To stop myself from wandering further into Severance fan mail territory, let us circle back to 2x07 specifically. What have we learned?
Jessica Lee Gagné is my new hero. I can’t believe this was her directorial debut…I hope she continues to direct and push the envelope for what is possible on television.
There will forever be an appetite for smart, human storytelling.