As the final episode of Severance Season 2 approaches, the Macrodata Refinement team is disintegrating exactly as Lumon Industries planned. Dylan G., played by Zach Cherry, has become so enmeshed in his relationship with Gretchen (Merritt Wever), his outie’s wife, that he’s all but cut ties with his colleagues. Irving (John Turturro) was forcefully dismissed after uncovering Helena Eagan’s (Britt Lower) deception during the outdoor retreat. On the other hand, Mark Scout (Adam Scott) is finding himself more and more isolated as he progresses through his reintegration process, trying to regain memories of his wife Gemma (Dichen Lachman). In addition to developing these character narratives, the second-to-last episode, titled “The After Hours,” cleverly references The Twilight Zone, a series that has been a significant influence on Severance since its beginning. It’s no surprise that Severance Season 2, Episode 9 is named after a well-known episode from the classic anthology show.
WARNING: Spoilers below for Severance Season 2, Episode 9
The episode titled ‘The After Hours’ was broadcasted for the first time on June 10, 1960, as part of Season 1 of ‘The Twilight Zone.’ In this story, we find Marsha White, played by Anne Francis, who enters a department store in search of a golden thimble. Upon her arrival, she notices an elevator that appears to be empty while others are packed. The elevator operator directs her to the ninth floor — a department with special items — even though only eight floors seem to exist according to the elevator’s display. As she steps out on this seemingly vacant ninth floor, she meets a saleswoman who seems to know her personally and shows her a single item: the very golden thimble she was looking for.
After buying a thimble, Marsha realizes it’s damaged upon closer inspection. When she voices her concern to the management, they deny the existence of the ninth floor and any employee resembling the saleswoman. While relaxing in an office, Marsha is startled to find out that the “saleswoman” was actually a mannequin on display. Trapped inside the shop after hours, she becomes alarmed as she hears voices calling her name and notices the mannequins subtly moving around her. Frightened, she enters an elevator that leads back to the ninth floor. There, the animated mannequins gradually unveil a startling secret: Marsha is actually a mannequin herself. Each month, one of the department store’s mannequins gets to live among humans for a limited time. Marsha had become so engrossed in her real-world experience that she forgot her true identity and returned a day late.
In the ninth episode of Season 2 of “Severance,” connections to “The Twilight Zone” are deliberately established through several pointed references. For instance, when Harmony Cobel (Patricia Arquette) takes Devon Scout-Hale (Jen Tullock) to the birthing cabin with Mark secretly in her truck, she tells the security guard that Devon is “Marsha White,” who works on the “ninth floor” in the “Specialties Department.” These are direct references to a character and setting from “The Twilight Zone.” To drive the point even further, the code phrase Cobel uses to gain access to the cabin is “I’m looking for a gold thimble,” which is another clear homage to an episode of “The Twilight Zone.” These aren’t subtle Easter eggs but rather obvious indicators guiding viewers to reflect on the thematic similarities between the two narratives.
How Severance Themes Connect It to The Twilight Zone’s “The After Hours” Episode
In a deeper sense, I find striking resonances between “Severance” and “The After Hours.” While “The Twilight Zone” presents mannequins imprisoned in a store yet granted temporary access to the world outside, the characters in “Severance,” known as innies, are similarly confined within Lumon’s pristine facilities, oblivious to life beyond. Just like Marsha White, who momentarily shed her mannequin persona among humans, the innies have repeatedly been shown glimpsing the potentialities of a life beyond their severed existence. Post the MDR uprising that marked the end of Season 1, each character has wrestled with the poignant disparity between the taste of freedom they experienced and the confinement they’ve since returned to.
As a devoted fan, I find Dylan’s narrative remarkably resonant with the central theme. Over his monitored interactions with Gretchen, he’s been offered a tantalizing glimpse into family life, but it remains ephemeral in its duration. In Episode 9, Dylan encounters the bitter truth that, much like the mannequins in “The Twilight Zone,” he is essentially a creation crafted for a corporate purpose. Overwhelmed by this existence, Dylan decides to terminate himself. This gut-wrenching choice means his ‘outie’ will carry on living with Gretchen and their offspring, while the ‘Innie’ Dylan, in essence, fades away.
In Episode 9 of Severance Season 2, it’s shown that even the executive team at Severed Floor begins to understand their own insignificance in the face of the oppressive system they help maintain. Milchick, repeatedly belittled by Mr. Drummond during performance reviews, eventually rebels with a bold “Devour feculence,” which translates to “eat s-it.” This act symbolizes a puppet defying its strings, resisting the system that reduces individuals to mere tools. Similarly, Miss Huang’s exit from Severed Floor awakens her to her own disposability within the company. Growing up in the Wintertide program, she was essentially being sculpted into a corporate mannequin, trained for a predestined role within Lumon’s corporate hierarchy – a system that disregards her personal goals and ambitions.
Essentially, both “The Twilight Zone’s” episode “The After Hours” and the series “Severance” employ office environments as symbolic representations of corporate dominance and the exploitation of human lives. To emphasize these similarities, “Severance” pays homage to “The Twilight Zone,” acknowledging its significant influence on Apple TV+’s successful show.
Severance Season 2 streams new episodes every Thursday on Apple TV+.
Have you ever watched “The Twilight Zone” episode titled “The After Hours” prior to the series “Severance”? Can you point out any common themes that you noticed between these two shows? Feel free to share your thoughts below!
Read More
- Invincible Season 4: What We Know About Release Date and Plot Speculation!
- ONT PREDICTION. ONT cryptocurrency
- ZK PREDICTION. ZK cryptocurrency
- MNT PREDICTION. MNT cryptocurrency
- INJ PREDICTION. INJ cryptocurrency
- HBAR PREDICTION. HBAR cryptocurrency
- NYM PREDICTION. NYM cryptocurrency
- DGB PREDICTION. DGB cryptocurrency
- USD RUB PREDICTION
- TRB PREDICTION. TRB cryptocurrency
2025-03-14 19:18