In 2022, a new streaming sci-fi series popped up out of the blue. It seemed like the perfect amalgamation of my interests: starring Adam Scott, the better half of Leslie Knope on Parks and Recreation; executive-produced and directed♕ by Ben Stiller, the comedian responsible for the feel-good comedies that got me through my teen years; and set in a dystopian future not far from our own with an aesthetically pleasing set design. Sold. But nothing could've prepared me for the psychological horr♎or and the startling exploration of grief - as well as an office disco party with a light-up ceiling.

Severance came, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:gave me an existential crisis, a🌸nd then disappeared into the murky depths of production for nearly three years despite a swift season 2 order from Apple TV Plus.

Fast forward to April 12, 2024, and I’m standing on the s꧅et of Severance season 2 in a raincoat, watching Scott film insert shots. The actor is wearing his suit and tie, standing somewhere in a cold, empty dark corner of the Lumon office. Naturally, I try to contain the big stupid grin on my face - I'm supposed to be a professional, after all, visiting set as a roving reporter. It's the last day of shooting, finally, and the vibe amongst the cast and crew can only be described as both exhausted and delighted.

Every time you find yourself here, it's because you chose to come back 

"We started in Octoberꩲ 2022. Sheesh," Stiller tells me as we walk through the hallways of York Studios, located in New York City in the Br🙈onx. "I don't even remember when we started [laughs]. And because of the break, it feels like we've done three seasons."

It's becoming more and more common for a show to blow yღour mind, get renewed for another season, and then promptly fall off the face of the Earth. Sometimes it’s due to the show’s high production value (i.e Stranger Things), and sometimes the creators just want to take a break (i.e Atlanta; Curb Your Enthusiasm). In the case of Severance, however, claims of a little behind-the-scenes drama (which have since been debunked) and two𝓡 consecutive Hollywood strikes slowed things down a little.

I wish the wait hadn't been as long. That's been frustrating for everybody. But at the end of the day, all you can do is try to do somet💃hing that you would want to 🀅see.

"We had no idea if anybody would even watch or get [into it], but it's a different kind of thing when people had watched the show and really gotten into it. The fans have gotten into it. So you ꩲdo feel like you want to give them something that's worth the wait," Stiller explains.

"Gotten into it" seems liꦰke an understatement given the die-hard fans who have created everything from fan accounts a la Club Chalamet to Mark/Helly fan-fiction and elaborate cosplays that incorpoꦬrate everything from the silver severed floor access pin that bears Lumon’s teardrop-shaped logo to the blue key card every employee wears around their necks.

"I wish the wait hadn't been as long. That's been frustrating for everybody. But at the end of the day, all you can do is try to do something that you would want to see. But as with anything, it's all open to interpretation," he continues. "I felt like we needed to answer some questions on some level, but not answer too many questions. So, it still kind of has this mystery𓂃 in the space that people fill up with their own ideas when they watch the show - which I think is really important."

. It was an idea factory, where some of the brightest minds gathered. Now, it's the place where outie Mark swipes his keycard and gets checked to make sure his innie isn't trying to get notes or messages to the outside world. I haven't visited yet, but I'm bringing my keycard (yes, I have a replica of the Lumon keycard) with me.

Stiller continues: "I'm happy that it worked, but it was definitely not something I [anticipated]. Adam and Britt, and Tramell and Zach [Cherry], they're all really good and they kind of give this emotional life to the characters. I think they're so believable that it allows you to believe this reality. Britt, i📖n the second season, she gets to explore Helena a lot more - which is fun."

. Even the bathrooms, which I giddily step inside, are a little off-putting. Stiller grins: "Wanna see Mark’s house?"

The first season spends the majority of its time in Lumon, namely the office made up of four cubicles arranged curiously꧂ in the center where Mark, Helly, Dylan (Cherry), and Irving (John Turturro) work in Data Refinement - whatever that means. They spend their workday sitting in front of a computer scr꧋een filled with numbers that need to be dragged and dropped into a little bin (I got to try this during the Severance Experience at San Diego Comic-Con 2022 and was pretty good at it, mind you).

ꦑI think there's something about the world, the sort of claustrophobic world of being in that windowless place underground that's really interesting.

Suddenly, I’m standing in Mark’s basement - the very same dark spa🀅ce that housed Petey (Yul Vasquez), Mark's innie best friend who he doesn’t recognize on the outside, while he struggled with reintegration - the process of being reacclimated with the normal world post-severance. Stiller says the new season opens up the outie world, which in turn opens up even more storylines.

"Kind of double the storylines really, because we [really spend] much more time in the Outie ♔world in the second season. So that's been an interesting challenge to figure out how to do that and also figure out⭕ how not to make it too big, but also kind of explore the world," he explains.

"I think there's someඣthing about 🦹the world, the sort of claustrophobic world of being in that windowless place underground that's really interesting. And thinking about how to expand that world was something that we wanted to do. It's just interesting 'cause like, you never know what people really clue into in a show. I think ultimately it's the characters and it's the stories of the characters. And that's something that we really thought about a lot too."

A handshake is available on request

We’re nearing the end of the day, and the cast and crew are headed down to another part of the studio to take a group picture to commemorate the💜 final day of filming. It’s worth noting that York Studios is massive, and that Stiller is riding an electric scooter behind me as we walk - which is mainly how he gets around on set. When I look back, Scott - still dressed in full Mark regalia - is also on an electric scooter - and he apologizes for nearly running me over.

I do come face to face with death, however, in the form of Kier Egan's creepy life-size wax sculpture from season 1 episode 8 - which is sitting in the middle of the room when we enter, and almost knocks me backward. Scott, Tillman, and Stiller huddle around Kier and are joined Dichen Lachman who plays Miss Casey, with maybe 80 or so crew members gathering behind them. I stand off to the side and feel pretty lucky to witness this moment, seeing all these individuals who worked tirelessly to make thi🌸s season smiling out of both pride and relief. The photographer raises her camera: "Say 'Praise Kier!'" Praise Kier, indeed.

---

Severance season 2 hits Apple TV Plus on January 17. For a limited time, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:you can stream season 1 for free ahead of the season 2 release.

For more, check out our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Severance season 2 review and our list of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Apple TV Plus shows.