Inside Out: The Dystopian Temptation of Severance

Song Of The Week

DACEY’s latest track “Bitter” is your new best friend. This song is a deliciously tangled web of angst and resilience that captures the essence of those moments when life hands you a slice of lemon, and you discover it’s not as sweet as you hoped it would be.

Lyric-wise, DACEY dives headfirst into the chaos of heartache. Each verse lays bare the intricate feelings we often try to shove down, like that mysterious Tupperware in the back of your fridge—something we know we should probably deal with. Lines like "You served me bitter tea, but I’m brewing strength" give listeners that empowering jolt to shake off the negativity and master their own narrative.

The chorus, oh, the chorus! It's explosive, a cathartic release that encourages you to scream along at the top of your lungs. The way she juxtaposes vulnerability with strength gives “Bitter” its deliciously paradoxical flavor, making it the kind of anthem you’ll want to belt out during moments of self-reflection.

As the song weaves through verses and choruses, it builds to an emotional crescendo that leaves you both spent and invigorated—like finishing a particularly intense workout, but cooler because you’re not actually sweating in front of anyone else.

Have you ever thought about living separate lives?

Sometimes we wish we could clone ourselves—one version to handle the boring or difficult parts of life, and another to chase what we really want to be doing. Maybe we tell ourselves it’s about being more efficient, but deep down, it's often because we’d rather be somewhere else, doing something entirely different.

Well, the show Severance gives us exactly that fantasy—and then challenges it in the most haunting way possible. So, without further ado, let’s dive into what it truly means to be "severed."

Spoiler alert: If you haven’t seen Severance yet but plan to, I highly recommend watching it first. It’s a slow burn—but one that redefines what a slow burn should be. If you're the type who doesn't mind spoilers, though, keep reading.

Would you do it?

Let’s start with the central concept: severance, a procedure created by a man named Kier Eagan for his company, Lumon. The show’s main character works in the MDR (Microdata Refinement) department and has undergone the severance procedure. Why? Because Lumon's work is top secret—even from its own employees. That’s the point.

Once severed, you have two lives: one outside of work, and one inside. And they don’t overlap. At all. You don’t remember your weekends, your family, or even where you live. You clock in, and that’s it—your “innie” self takes over, knowing nothing beyond the office walls. It’s unsettling. But effective. No more “time theft” through small talk about news, TV, or personal lives. You’re there to work—and that’s all you do. Every day. All day. Sound familiar? America wishes it could be this cracked out version. 

At first, the concept of severance might not seem all that bad—but that’s exactly where the show excels. It slowly unravels any sense of comfort you might have, revealing unsettling truths through perfectly crafted scenes that make you think twice.

On the MDR team, there are four members: the main character, Mark S., along with Irving B., Helly R., and Dylan G. The show opens with the onboarding of Helly R., and through her eyes, we witness the disorienting experience of being severed.

She literally wakes up on a table—confused, dazed, and completely unaware that she’s already at work. A voice speaks to her through a mic—it’s Mark—asking, “Who are you?” as if she should somehow know where she is and why she’s there. Honestly, I’d be terrified too, especially if this was a way to start a new job. Helly R.’s innie realizes just that! She cannot get past her terror even though she has to in order to work there but as an innie you don't get that concept. It is almost like you are reborn, somehow able to speak but confused to know nothing outside than the last minute you “awoken”. This is where the conditioning starts. Since the innies have no idea where they are, Lumon has the opportunity to teach—or, as I see it, brainwash—them into accepting where they are, when they are there, how things work, and why they’re there. 

And just when you begin to grasp how terrifying Lumon truly is, the show takes it a step further—by introducing religion. Although Kier Eagan was just a man yet, upper management/those working to promote Lumon reveres him like a God, treating his invention as divine and positioning him as a messianic figure. They use this to employ messages about leaving your feelings outside of the workplace, never deviating from temptations, believing that Kier is always going to help take their pain away etc. They manipulate the innies by giving them a handbook on how to think and behave—all while hiding the fact that it’s essentially a cult. And yet, Lumon’s ultimate goal is to expand severance to the entire world, creating one giant, "happy" family under their control.

After finishing season one, I kind of, sort of knew my answer. And honestly? It’s a no from me. Lumon is tampering with way too many moral boundaries for me to be on board.

Think about it—what if they started using severance on students? Or what other scenarios might eventually get severance clearance? The workplace already feels like a stretch, but imagine using it during childbirth—could mothers opt to switch to their "innie" to avoid the memory of labor pain? Should high schoolers be allowed to undergo the procedure to separate school stress from their personal lives?

It gets ethically dicey, real fast. It gets ethically dicey, real fast. What Severance does so well is show us how far we’re willing to go to avoid discomfort—emotional, physical, or existential. Each character is battling a place between a hard rock and life and to watch them choose the path of severing puts us ( the audience) in a hole with no escape. But in doing so, it asks the deeper question: if we separate ourselves from pain, do we also separate ourselves from growth, memory, and meaning?

Sure, severance might sound appealing on the surface—but the cost of that kind of convenience is a version of ourselves we no longer fully know. We can never fully know ourselves because our work innie could be a totally different person and who knows what they’re like? And that, to me, is too high of a risk to take.

Not Taking A Chance

There’s something about this track that feels like it was made for the world of Severance. The futuristic sound paired with DACEY’s untamed vocals gives off a vibe that’s both hypnotic and unsettling—kind of like being inside Lumon itself. The song has this break, this almost glitchy moment that pulls you out of the rhythm, just like the jarring shifts between the innie and outie lives in the show.

It’s sonically what it might feel like to be severed: floating in a manufactured reality, detached from your full self, but still feeling the tension of something just beneath the surface. BITTER captures that edge—the discomfort of control masked as calm, and the resistance bubbling underneath.

Enjoy This Journey With Me

° 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 °

Enjoy This Journey With Me ° 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 °

This isn’t the end—just a bookmark in the conversation. Stories don’t really close; they unfold, shift, and find new voices. If this one stirred something in you, let it breathe. Leave a thought, challenge an idea, or carry it forward in your own way. And if you ever feel like wandering through more unfinished thoughts, you know where to find me. Let’s keep the conversation alive. ~XOXO