Spoilers

Helly hath so much fury.

After that nail-biting cliff-hanger comes the most suspenseful 40 minutes of television drama I’ve seen since about 2004.

The premise is simple: Helly, Mark and Irving are about to go on ‘overtime’ in the outside world – meaning their ‘innies’ are about to be set free from Lumon’s luminous corridors… but the clock’s ticking. Dylan’s reach on the overtime controls can only hold for so long and the second he lets go, it’s game over.

For our three intrepid MDR heroes, this brings both good and bad news, as the characters catch up to the plot points we know while we uncover things about their ‘outies’ that we were unaware of. The cleverness of the storytelling drips from every minute as we ride the roller-coaster from revelation to heart-ache, to bombshell, to heart-stopping ‘JUST SHOW HIM A PICTURE’ moments. If you’ve been watching, you’ll understand that reference.

There is, again, beauty and poignancy in the discoveries all three severed employees make while they’re out and about, and I can’t single out any one performance as they will all, in turn, wring every emotion under the sun out of you as you enjoy this conclusion. Helly, though, arguably makes the most jarring discovery when she finds out who her ‘outie’ is. Oh, that’s why she wouldn’t let her resign, that makes sense now.

This outstanding season finale makes sense of so much and in such a nuanced and intelligent way. That most difficult of balancing acts is executed to perfection: satisfying audiences at the end of a series while whetting appetites enough for another round. I’m so glad that series 2 was announced the day before this episode dropped, or I’d be amongst the throngs clamouring for more of this exceptional show.

Verdict: Well crafted, clever, challenging, emotional, engaging and suspenseful. Severance is, on so many levels, the best TV series I’ve seen in a while. 10/10

Claire Smith