People aren’t just laughing at corporate culture in ‘Severance’ Season 2. They’re pushing back

Real-life workers have been dissatisfied for years. As the second season of “Severance” draws to a close, we look at how the Apple TV+ hit highlights our problems with corporate life.

There’s a moment early on in Season 2 of Apple TV+’s workplace drama “Severance” where character Harmony Cobel is at a crossroads. Cobel (Patricia Arquette) stands in front of the future boss of Lumon, the company she has dedicated her life to. She’s just been offered a promotion, one that she rejects in an effort to advocate for her old job. She wants to finish what she started, she says, voice steady and unwavering. Her boss, Helena Eagan (Britt Lower), is set to inherit the company. For reasons not revealed until later in the season, Helena denies Cobel’s wishes and reminds her to be grateful for what the company has already given her. “I think you’ve overestimated your contributions,” Helena says, her tone almost menacing. “And underestimated your blessings.” Her words are a slap in the face for Cobel, who is later revealed to be the creator of the company’s premier “severance” technology, which cleaves employees’ memories into two distinct personas that keep their work and personal lives separate. And looking back on the second season of “Severance,” which concluded its record-breaking run Thursday, that moment between Cobel and Helena underscores a consistent theme through the season: As a worker, you are disposable. “Severance,” which follows a team of “severed” workers led by Mark S. (Adam Scott) as they try to uncover the truth about the company they work for, returned after three years for its second season. And coincidentally, it met audiences at a time of economic upheaval.