Apple TV+ original Severance immediately captivated its audience when it premiered in 2022, with a pricklingly slow-burning mystery that digs into our very souls. Severance is a haunting series filled with scenes that leave viewers frozen in place, taking a moment to process the hidden depths and implications. The show has been utterly unafraid to explore complex themes of the identity of the self, corporate dystopia, and more. These themes are punctuated by memorable scenes full of heavy-hitting lines. These are the moments that will remain in our memories for years to come.
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Severance follows a group of Lumon Industries employees, most of whom have undergone the infamous “severing” procedure. This procedure, which is a kinder way of talking around brain surgery, splits an employee’s working side from their outside-work selves. Thus, it instantly opens the door to moral and ethical debates, which the show has not shied away from. The second season leaned even further into these debates, leaving viewers eager to see what happens in season three.
1) “The Surest Way To Tame A Prisoner Is To Let Him Believe He’s Free.” -Harmony Cobel
During the first season of Severance, Mark S. and his fellow Innies continue to find ways to resist and fight back. For the most part, they thought their plotting was going unnoticed, as they explored new hallways, made allies in other departments, and even laid their hands on a map. The map brings us to an important scene and observation.
It all begins with Mark asking for help with a map that was left for him. As he explains how it works and what he needs, Harmony Cobel (Patricia Arquette) can be seen watching the scene unfold on a monitor. Mr. Michick (Tramell Tillman) is likewise viewing, but he expresses concern for allowing this to happen. This leads to a chilling line from Harmony, cutting right to the point about how she views the severed employees at Lumon Industry.
2) “I Have The Strength of Two Men.” – Dylan G.
Dylan G. (Zach Cherry) might be portrayed as a goofy character at the beginning of the series, but there’s no denying his experience at the hands of Lumon. Where Dylan G. was once obsessed with earning little rewards and points, he’s quick to jump on the resistance train, especially once his eyes have been opened to what could be.
Near the end of Season 1, Dylan G. and his Innie coworkers come up with a daring plan. They’re going to utilize the overtime protocols, letting them get out into the real world. Once out there, the goal is obviously to spread the word about what is happening inside. There’s just one problem: somebody needs to stay inside to activate the process. Dylan G. volunteers to do it by himself, despite the two levels required to trigger the measure. This leads to this amazing quote by Dylan G. It may seem simple, but this one digs deep.
3) “I Guess This Is The Part Where I Should Tell You To Go To Hell…Except You’re Already Here.” – Helly R.
Season 1 opens with Mark S. (Adam Scott) getting a fancy new promotion, all before viewers even had a solid idea of what’s happening. His first assignment, terrifyingly, is to onboard Helly R. (Britt Lower). Where the other Severed employees have seemingly accepted their lot in life, Helly R. is combative and resistant to the idea of giving all of herself to this mysterious job. This sets the scene for one of Helly’s best quotes.
Throughout the first part of the series, Helly R. repeatedly tries to quit her job, a task made impossible since her Outie keeps denying her requests. Helly R.’s attempts get more drastic, as she eventually resorts to threatening to cut off her own fingers, knowing this would directly impact her Outie. Thinking she has finally won, Helly R. leaves this parting shot to Mark S., her boss. While he is a fellow victim in this situation, he became a focal point for her wrath, for a time.
4) “This Is The Life You’ve Been Given. And That’s Another Life And You Don’t Get That One. So Do Something With This.” – Mark Scout
Mark Scout, aka Mark S., is the lead protagonist of Severance, and as such, viewers get to see a lot of both sides to his story. In other words, we get to see both his Innie and his Outie. Looking at this quote, without context, it may feel safe to assume it’s Mark S. talking about his Innie life, but that isn’t the case.
This scene occurs in the first season, while Mark Scout is on an awkward date. The date has ups and downs, and eventually gets to a point where Mark is talking about his late wife. This, naturally, leads to a few heavier questions, including why he and his wife never had kids. The quote above is his answer to that question. It’s a deeply philosophical answer for a person who willingly severed his mind to escape the pain of his wife’s passing. There’s layered meaning to this quote, including a bit of irony to the situation, giving Mark Scout’s subjugation of his Innie.
5) “Let’s Burn This Place To The Ground.” – Irving B.
On the surface, this may not seem like a heavy-hitting quote. After all, who wouldn’t want to burn down a corrupt corporation such as Lumon Industries? The real kicker is who this quote comes from. Irving B. is a voice of reason for the Innies, especially during the earlier parts of season one. He wants everyone to stay calm, follow the rules, and get to work. However, even an employee as loyal as Irving B. (John Turturro) has a breaking point.
For Irving B., that breaking point was losing the man he was slowly, but steadily, falling in love with. He was fortunate enough to meet Burt (Christopher Walken) during one of his group escapades, and it changed his life forever. His feelings for Burt motivated Irving B. to take more and more risks, slowly defying the company rules and mandates. Their rebellion is met with the company “retiring” Burt, which is a kind way of saying they’re effectively killing Burt’s Innie. This was the moment in which Irving B. realized he wanted, no, needed, to see the company fail.
6) “I Am Certain You Will Remain With Me In Spirit, In Some Deep And Yet Completely Unaccessible Corner Of My Mind.” – Burt
Christopher Walken’s Burt is another employee who’s worked at Lumon for years, but for a different department. This explains why he and Irving hadn’t crossed paths, at least not until recently. As mentioned above, Burt and Irving felt an instant attraction to one another, starting with a shared appreciation of Lumon’s artwork. It quickly spirals, with the company ultimately deciding it’s time to retire Burt. While they all claimed it was business as usual, everyone knew it was something else.
This brings us to this memorable quote from Burt, who’s saying goodbye to his fellow employees. As the head of his department, he had a lot of people looking up to him. But he was likely most concerned about how his heart would handle this, as he stared at Irving for much of his goodbye speech. His words felt like more than a retirement speech, forcing a reminder that to an Innie, retirement is death.
7) “She’s Alive!” – Mark S.
Mark Scout was a man drowning in grief, following the sudden death of his wife. It’s what led to him signing up for the severance procedure, as he’d do anything to escape the pain, even temporarily. This opened the door to everything that followed. Ironically, it’s Innie Mark who makes the horrible (or amazing?) discovery: Gemma isn’t dead.
Viewers had already put the pieces of this puzzle together, but it took time. The time between viewers learning the truth and Mark getting his hands on the truth is actually pretty small, but it felt like an eternity. This leads us to one of the final quotes in Season 1, as Mark S. desperately shouts to Devon, trying to tell her that Gemma is alive before he’s swapped with his Outie self. It may be a short sentence, but viewers all felt this one echo.
8) “Devour Feculence.” – Mr. Milchick
Season 2 of Severance hit just as hard as the first, if not harder, including many twists and surprise reveals. While the Innies were actively rebelling, other characters were dealing with their own, seemingly smaller revolutions. Enter Mr. Milchick, who was “scolded” by the company for using too many big words. While they were clearly looking for things to ding him on, the criticism still cut deep.
That brings us to this amazing moment of resistance from Mr. Milchick, as he boldly stands his ground and tells Mr. Drummond to, well, devour feculence. We probably don’t need to explain what the sentiment behind that statement is.
9) “Our Job Is To Taste Free Air. Your So-Called Boss May Own The Clock That Taunts You From The Wall, But, My Friends, The Hour Is Yours.” – Ricken Hale
Richen Hale (Michael Chernus) is Mark Scout’s brother-in-law, and while he’s overall a well-meaning guy, it’s often hard to understand what Devon (Jen Tullock) sees in him. This man is constantly making obnoxious comments (that he truly believes are intelligent and helpful). Worse, he’s the type of person to write self-help books and then host reading parties for all his friends.
Ironically, Ricken’s words do have quite the effect, especially on the Innies. The story of how Ricken’s book got on the inside is a bit complicated, but it leads to several memorable quotes being read out loud. Some are memorable because they’re wildly silly, while others have a shocking amount of clarity and poignance. Go figure.
10) “The Good News Is Hell Is Just The Product Of A Morbid Human Imagination. The Bad News Is Whatever Humans Can Imagine, They Can Usually Create.” – Harmony Cobel
Harmony Corbel is a cold and terrifying character, with viewers never quite knowing where she stands. In the first season, she’s easily seen as a potential antagonist for the series, with her venom for Mark shining through in many ways. This brings us to a conversation between Harmony and Mark that occurs in the very first episode.
Even without context, this quote hits hard. It’s a dark look at the horrors humanity is capable of. Naturally, it teases the dark depths hidden behind Lumon Industries. There’s more to this quote, as Harmony says she learned this lesson from her mother. This tiny detail tells viewers that Harmony is not like the rest of the severed employees, because she knows of her life on the outside. The chills keep on coming with this one.
Severance is available to stream on Apple TV+.
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