The darkness deepens as we sink further down the rabbit hole.

I was right to be scared for that rebel… things do not seem to have ended well for him, but we meet other family members this week as Mark must navigate a thorny social situation. Once again, I’m really enjoying the way the social dynamics of a severed at home / at work memory are explored as the story continues to show rather than tell, and leave it to the viewer to pick up on the cues and analyse them – if we so wish – from the perspective of our own map of the world.

Too deep? Well, Severance will put your brain into that kind of space, and that’s no bad thing. This is TV drama that you will need your brain to enjoy, yet it’s still accessible.

It turns out that the amazing cameo wasn’t one – a beautiful friendship is developing within Lumon’s labyrinthine walls, and just as in West Side Story, even gang – I mean team – warfare isn’t enough to stop it growing. Unpeel another layer, though, and there is yet more deceit and intrigue waiting around the un-mappable corner.

Following a horrific stay in the ‘break room’, Helly may genuinely be broken now. Her path takes a desperate and grim turn, as first Cobel then her ‘outie’ both dash her hopes of escape. Do not underestimate the will that an ‘innie’ still possesses, as I fear her ‘outie’ may have done.

It becomes clearer just who is severed and who is not in the chain of command at Lumon. Still, the enigmatic Mrs Selvig / Cobel continues to be a sinister presence in Mark’s life – or is she? She sends Mark to a ‘Wellbeing’ session, but her agenda is still unclear. Mark’s ‘innie’ sculpts something that connects him to his late wife, and there’s something strangely beautiful and poignant in that – the fact that even a severed brain can’t repress love… or grief.

Verdict: Nasty and shocking… yet utterly compelling as we begin to crave the same answers that Mark does. 9/10

Claire Smith