Severanceis the most mind-blowing ongoing show available, and it’s the perfect reminder to check out this classic David Lynch mystery series. Lynch, who recently passed away, is considered among the greatest filmmakers of all time for his work on esoteric classics likeEraserheadandMulholland Drive. However, decades later,there’s no project of his that’s built up more of a dedicated cult following thanTwin Peaks, and it’s arguably the best introduction to his filmography. Apple TV+’s hit series,Severance, is just one of manyshows that wouldn’t exist withoutTwin Peaks.
Severanceseason 2is taking the film and television world by storm, returning after a three-year absence and fulfilling the long-awaited desire for more mind-bending mysteries to theorize about. Be itLost,Westworld, orSeverance, there’s nothing like a TV series that passionate viewers can truly sink their teeth into, examining every detail for clues regarding the show’s deeper meaning. Thirty-five years after its release on ABC,Twin Peaksstill has fans poring it over for ideas, and the prequel movie and 2017’sThe Returnseason only add to the intrigue.
Severance Season 2 Draws Heavily From David Lynch’s Twin Peaks
Twin Peaks Is The Original Mind-Bending Mystery Serial
The influences ofTwin Peaksare all overSeverance, particularly in season 2.Severance’snew season 2 intro, in and of itself, owes some aesthetic credit toTwin Peaks, with its bizarrely compelling imagery. David Lynch’s masterpiece expanded the television medium asone of the first shows to bring film-like imagery, blend genres, create its own mythology, and keep an ongoing mystery over time, laying the foundation for what modern viewers experience as typical television.Severance, in particular, offers a similar blend of absurd humor, suspense, and a healthy dose of surrealism.
Severance, in particular, offers a similar blend of absurd humor, suspense, and a healthy dose of surrealism.
Importantly,Severanceis a series that explores the duality of human beings, examining the similarities and differences between the innies and outies. With the absence of memories, these characters still maintain crucial, innate traits.Duality is a common theme of David Lynch’s work, with Laura Palmer’s double life being a central narrative thread inTwin Peaks.Twin Peaks: The Returnand other Lynch movies likeLost HighwayandMulholland Driveexplore duality through doppelgangers, or alternate versions of people who exist in different dimensions. The ideas are very similar, but Apple TV’s show offers an enthralling, original spin on it.
Severancestar Patricia Arquette played a lead role in David Lynch’s 1997filmLost Highway.
Twin Peaks Inspired Many Of The Best TV Shows Of The Century
Twin Peaksinspired not onlySeverancebut also many of thebest TV shows of all time. Damon Lindelof, one of the creators ofLostandThe Leftovers, once described the series as “the greatest piece of art ever to be broadcast on a television screen” (viaVariety). In an interview withVulture,The Sopranoscreator David Chase spoke about howTwin Peaksinspired his writing process and his show’s dream sequences.Fargocreator Noah Hawley wrote a piece forTV InsideraboutTwin Peaksbeing inspiration for his work, even featuring homages to it in his beloved crime show.
Severance: How Long The Innies Were Awake During The Overtime Contingency
Severance season 2, episode 2 reveals how long the Overtime Contingency Protocol lasted in the dramatic season 1 finale of the Apple TV+ series.
The list goes on and on, be itMad Men,True Detective, orThe X-Files. In the Golden Age of television on streaming services, with platforms like HBO and Apple TV+ producing high-quality prestige television,it’s hard to find a title that doesn’t owe some of its success to David Lynch and Mark Frost’s influence.Twin Peaksis still arguably the most astounding artwork to utilize the television medium, with season 3, in particular, being an extraordinarily unique and mystifying piece.
Severance Needs To Follow Through With David Lynch’s Main Filmmaking Philosophy
Severance Doesn’t Need To Solve All Its Mysteries
David Lynch’s primary philosophy, which made his works timelessly captivating, was the notion that art speaks for itself. The director famously never talked about the themes of his films or provided any insight into the mysteries, believing that by answering those questions for the audience, they would be robbed of the option to decide for themselves.By allowing audiences to view his work without knowing his opinion, he welcomed them to engage with their own creativity and perspective, fully immersing them in the process.
Severance Season 2 Reveals Another Harsh Reality About Lumon’s Power Over The Outies
In Severance season 2, episode 2, another disturbing way that Lumon controls its employees was highlighted via the journey of the Outies.
Severancehas a web of mystery to unravel, and doing so will be a delicate process for its writers. While some viewers will want to know every detail about Lumon’s lore and the meaning behind every aspect of the show,answering every question will devalue the essence of what makes the series so fascinating in the first place.Severance’smain goal should be to provide readers with a beautiful story about humanity and to leave behind an intricate puzzle for its fans to piece together as they see fit. Solving it for them would close the mystery forever.
