Cosmic Horror & Corporate Dehumanization in Severance

Human identity, dignity and fulfillment vs. perfected capitalism

Welcome to Lumon

Is capitalism fundamentally opposed to human rights? It seems difficult to argue otherwise as we watch the most financially successful continue to thrive while underpaying and laying off workers at every turn; continuing to destroy the planet so that they can watch their wealth skyrocket.

That question is at the heart of Severance and its characters' struggle for existence within the corporate structure of Lumon Industries; the show is now back for its second season but I'll only be spoiling the first season today.

Behind any science fiction world is a novum – a 'new thing' whose introduction has altered that world from the one we know. Severance is that novum here: a procedure which separates a person's work-self ('innie') from their outside self ('outie').

The outie maintains their life exactly as before, with the exception that they no longer experience or remember their time at work. The innie exists only in the office and has no memories of their prior or external life; essentially a new person born on their first day and killed upon retirement.

Mark, Irving, Dylan and Helly, by Bruno Hamzagic

Already this is an interesting idea for a story, but Severance and its message are further elevated by the deeply mysterious nature of Lumon and its (un-severed) employees. The show is labeled a psychological thriller but also pulls off incredible moments of dark comedy as the innies contend with Lumon's absurd and dehumanizing environment.

This morning I was listening to the show's eerie, dissonant soundtrack (featured above, take a listen!) in preparation for writing this post and found myself thinking of the show in an unexpected new light: that of cosmic horror. A quick search online revealed that I'm not the first to make the connection, though possibly the second to write about it.

Work & Workers

One of the most stark examples is the work that the main cast do in their department of 'Macrodata Refinement'; endlessly sorting numbers into bins, based on how the numbers feel to them. This satire stuck out to me especially given my frustration with the amount of effort our entire species puts into moving numbers around for arguably even less purpose, but also highlights the way capitalism inherently alienates workers from their work and thereby reduces fulfillment at all levels.

Here's a great video on that idea, which comes from Kant:

Short of fully switching to AI, Lumon has done everything possible to strip their severed workers of humanity. The innies only exist from 9-5, have only the cult-like principles of Lumon for religion or entertainment, are subjugated to psychological torture for their misdeeds and are manipulated into avoiding fraternization with other nearby departments. Their 'perks' are horribly, hilariously bleak, making an office pizza party sound wondrous in comparison.

Lumon can do all of this because the innies don't know any better (though they are generally unimpressed, aside from Dylan), they have no agency even if they did and because their outies will never know. Their stunted lives feel horribly insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

Cosmic Horror

That feeling of existential dread is a tenet of cosmic horror, which explores the interaction of the vast, alien and unknowable with the mundane and understood. Lumon certainly appears strange to the viewer from the first minute, but it takes the mixing of worlds for the characters to begin experiencing this dissonance.

Mark Scout // Mark S, by sketchupnfries

Petey could be straight out of any story from the genre, physically and mentally deteriorating under the weight of eldritch insight – even succumbing to delusions like a witness to the cult of Cthulhu. A former member of Macrodata Refinement, Petey 'successfully' reintegrated his two selves, got in touch with Mark's outie and put him onto the path of investigating Lumon.

The labyrinthine halls of the severed floor, the dark elevator down, the random room full of baby goats... Lumon is alien and unknowable as it gets. The revelation that Mark and Ms. Casey were married on the outside and are perfect strangers within again emphasizes that the innies are little more than playthings for the powers that be within the company.

Calling the company a cult is no stretch either, with even the un-severed Ms. Cobel genuinely worshiping Lumon founder Kier Eagan, whose musings are leisure reading, code of conduct and gospel to the trapped innies. One of the strangest and most horrifying scenes in the first season sees Dylan enjoying the highest tier perk, the waffle party, and afterward being instructed to lay in Kier's replica bed for... a different kind of reward.

Prove Your Humanity

While all of the severed workers chafe against their dehumanization in the first season, Helly's struggle for agency with her outie is by far the most visceral. She's the audience stand-in, arriving in the first episode and learning about this world alongside us. She's also determined to be allowed to leave, to the point of threatening her outie with self-mutilation and even attempting suicide.

Helena Eagan // Helly R, by space-sheep08

The brutal twist that Helly's outie Helena is an Eagan who has undergone the severance procedure for the sake of publicity (and potentially to boost her image as future CEO) makes the stonewalling of Helly's efforts that much more poignant. Helena is choosing to dehumanize her own work self in the name of Lumon; her choice a microcosm of the company's policies as a whole.

The end of the first season sees Helly taking control of Helena's body on the big stage, begging for the humanity of innies and their deplorable working conditions to be recognized. It remains to be seen what impact she might have had, if any. After all, how many times have workers around our world stood up and asked for better treatment, only to be either ignored or temporarily assuaged until the public eye turns away?

To the Kitchenette (not the Break Room, thankfully)

It will be fascinating to see how the innies fair with the new insights they've gained, and how Lumon responds in treating and handling them in Season Two.

I'll probably return to Severance after the season, or perhaps mid-way if any ideas of particular potency pop up. I didn't even get around to discussing the ominous 'Board' today, looming over proceedings like great Cthulhu himself. Here's hoping we learn more soon!

Thanks for reading and until next time <3