I started watching Severance (Apple TV+) last Sunday. Watched all the shows in a few days, then had to wait until Friday (yesterday) for the season finale.
I’ve tended to not really be a “TV guy” most of my life. My last real “broadcast TV” favorites was ‘The Mole’ was 2002. Shit, that was TWENTY YEARS AGO.
I remember rushing home to see new episodes, absolultey hooked. Then season two started and it turned to shit in a hurry, and I fell off.
Sure, I watched movies here and there (like the Matrix of course), and TV shows (Parks and Rec, etc.), but just nothing hooked me.
In 2019 we got The Mandalorian – WHEW. Wasn’t even fair. A TV series based around my favorite movie of all time? HOOKED.
LOKI in June of 2021, which pulled me in because of the “who’s really behind all this” story? I love that sort of stuff, which goes back to the Matrix, of course.
That things aren’t what they seem.
Which then lands us here at Severance on Apple TV+.
Aside from the amazing sets and design, and the brilliant acting, is a premise that gnaws at me a bit.
The “everyday you’re back here, you chose to come back” part.
The fifth episode of the Book of Boba Fett is my favorite, and one I keep re-watching, mostly for the continuous shot that starts at the 7:04 mark, and lasts until 9:21.
After some gorgeous shots of the ring world of Glavis, we seen Mando walking to the elevator to deliver the bounty.
This interaction says everything, without a single word being said.
The camera goes in motion to Mando’s right, and goes around the entire table. I’ve watched this several times, and it’s fun watching all the subtle movements and reactions that each person sitting around the table has.
See? The camera continued around the table to Mando’s left side, and will follow him out of the club.
The music fades, and we’re left with Mando struggling with his hurt leg.
Mando gets off the elevator, and he walks by the camera and out of frame, ending the continuous shot at the 9:21 mark, cutting to another camera angle.
I haven’t noticed any of the big episode “wrap up” articles making note of this, but I did find a small thread on Reddit talking about.
“Before he 1st goes into the elevator, the shot begins with Mando walking out from behind a arched pillar on his right & a low concrete ledge on his left leading up to the elevator. Those same set pieces are shown in the same spots each floor he enters/exits the elevator from. The CG backdrop & possibly the slight change in lighting are the only things that changes to give the impression that he is ascending & descending levels,” via Reddit
I love any story that involves a “what’s really behind the curtain” element. That’s probably why I love The Matrix (1998) so much, and can watch that first movie over and over again. There’s ‘The Adjustment Bureau’ from 2011, too.
Not sure why I decided to give Loki a chance, being as all those “comic book movies” don’t really do much for me. I didn’t grow up on those stories, or the comics. Sure, the ‘Batman’ from 1989 will always be a movie I love, but mostly because I was in middle school at the time, and everyone had that Batman logo shirt.
Getting into this Loki TV series was pretty easy, though. It jumps right into the mystery and intrigue real quick, and it does it mostly without the huge pomp and flash of those comic book movies.
And honestly, Tom Hiddleston is a delight. I love every bit of him this – the dialogue, the wit, the charm, his dashing good looks, his… journey.
For me two parts reminded me of The Matrix.
When Mobius tells Loki, “you could be whoever, whatever you wanna be, even someone good. I mean, just in case anyone ever told you different.”
Remember Neo riding in the car in the matrix for the first time, going to see The Oracle?
NEO: I have all these memories. None of them happened. What does that mean? TRINITY: The Matrix cannot tell you who you are.
In The Matrix, the machines made up fake memories and lives. The TVA snatched people from the timeline and erased their memories.
Then I felt Neo’s lone meeting with The Architect was similar, too. He Who Remains said he paved the way for Loki and Sylvie, and The Architect said that the remainder was not unexpected, so there was a measure of control. Both were planned, expected. It was fate that led to these meetings.
Neo had to make a choice; return to the source and the salvation of Zion, or go back to the Matrix and the extinction of the human race.
In Loki, there was a final choice, too: go back and lead the TVA, or kill He Who Remains and await the “total destruction of… well, everything.”
I have no idea where The Loki story goes, and of course we know that Neo could have saved everyone a lot of turmoil if he just took the door to the right.
The problem is choice.
Loki could have stopped Sylvie, given his powers and strength, but he didn’t.
Neo coulda have returned to the source, but he didn’t.
Sylvie could have “listened to reason,” but like Neo, she was on a mission. She was in love with revenge, the story. She needed this ending, this finality, this completion to the quest that she’s been on for 1000s (?) of years.
Neo had to save Trinity because he loved her.
I’m fascinated by the Simulation hypothesis, which of course would mean that everything is made up, just like The Matrix, or everything is controlled by something like The TVA. In that, that means I can wake up as Tyler Durden tomorrow if I want, or someone with the confidence of Loki.
If we’re all making this up as we go along, why not?
If I need to wind down, I usually put on ‘The Jedi’ episode from The Mandalorian. There’s just something about the pace of the action and the story that is soothing for me.
The scenery is gorgeous in this episode, mostly because I love gloomy, cloudy days.
