After a near three-year wait, the second season of Severance premiered last week on Apple TV+, and - as we fully expected it would - the episode left fans with plenty to discuss.
If you haven't watched the episode yet, spoilers follow.
At one point, Mark S and his colleagues are shown a "Lumon is Listening" video, which shows the Lumon building coming to life in animated form to reassure our protagonists that their happiness is of paramount importance.
A lot of viewers thought the building's voice sounded familiar, and series creator Dan Erickson has now confirmed that it was indeed the one and only Keanu Reeves.
“All I can say is that we talked about a couple of different people for that role," he told Collider. "We always wanted it to be somebody that people have certain associations with, but also, it had to be a very warm presence. The Lumon building is very friendly in the context of this video, and there’s a friendliness to that particular voice and a heart to that particular voice.”
If you're unfamiliar with the series, it's a blackly funny workplace satire with sci-fi elements, starring Adam Scott as a man named Mark Scout who has his brain "severed" in order to divide his memories between his work and personal life.
This daring experiment in ‘work-life balance’ is called into question as Mark and his colleagues find themselves at the centre of an unravelling mystery involving the sinister company they work for, Lumon Industries.
"It’s really exciting to see the response from people who are loving the show — and the level of fan engagement,” said EP Ben Stiller when the show was renewed for a second season. "It has been a long road bringing ‘Severance' to television. I first read Dan’s pilot over five years ago. It has always been a multi season story, and I’m really happy we get to continue it. I’m grateful to our partners at Apple TV+ who have been behind it the whole way. Praise Keir!"
“Thanks to creator Dan Erickson, the brilliant Ben Stiller, and an incomparable cast and crew, Severance has imagined an existence that‘s equal parts riveting and enthralling as viewers around the globe can’t get enough of these rich characters,” added Matt Cherniss, head of programming for Apple TV+. “We’re excited to go deeper into this wholly unique world and unpack more layers of Lumon in season two.”
You can check out the most recent season 2 trailer below.
"In Severance, Mark Scout (Adam Scott) leads a team at Lumon Industries, whose employees have undergone a severance procedure, which surgically divides their memories between their work and personal lives. This daring experiment in “work-life balance” is called into question as Mark finds himself at the center of an unraveling mystery that will force him to confront the true nature of his work… and of himself. In season two, Mark and his friends learn the dire consequences of trifling with the severance barrier, leading them further down a path of woe."