Get me to Kier's country: Recapping Apple's wild "Severance" FYC event
Miss Huang! Cast Q&A! A Music Dance Experience! A Waffle Party!
Are we sure getting severed is really that bad?
I just survived a day in the office at Lumon Industries, and I’ll say it… the hospitality was off the charts. Praise Kier!
Apple TV+ just threw the most ridiculous FYC event of the season on Saturday, creating a fully immersive “Severance” experience complete with a music dance experience, a waffle party, a cast Q&A and so much more. Oh, and it took place at Lumon’s actual office.
Here’s everything that went down.
3:45 p.m. – Arrive at The Roxy Hotel in Manhattan
The day started out in Manhattan, where after checking in Apple shuttled everyone over to Lumon HQ for a very mysterious and important evening.
4 p.m. – Shuttle to Lumon, aka Bell Works in Holmdel, NJ
Of course, the busses were Lumon branded, because Apple doesn’t do anything halfway. Imagine driving down a random New Jersey interstate and seeing a Lumon bus beside you. The shuttle ride was about 90 minutes, and I spent about 89 of those minutes rehearsing what I’d say to Dichen Lachman if I got the chance. (Random fun fact: Dichen Lachman is married to Maximilian Osinski, who played Zava on “Ted Lasso.” I saw them both at the Season 3 premiere of “Ted” and spoke to Max, but totally did not register at the time that that was Gemma, and it’s haunted me ever since.)
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5:27 p.m. – Arrive at Lumon
Get me to Kier’s country. Suddenly, through the fog, there she was: the now iconic Lumon water tower. We pulled up to the front of Bell Works and it was decked out in Lumon signage.
Turns out our shuttle arrived at the perfect time, because we were greeted at the entrance by none other than Miss Huang herself. All the actors got to come to this fancy event and have a good time and they told poor Sarah Bock to put her costume on and get out there and work.
I had to grab a pic with the Wintertide Fellow, and I tried to make some conversation, but she was LOCKED. IN.
Me: “Miss Huang! I hear you’re from Raleigh, North Carolina! I used to live in Raleigh!”
Sarah Bock/Miss Huang: [Silence] … “The work is mysterious and important.”
Great pic though.
5:40 p.m. – Explore Lumon
It’s wild to think that Bell Works is an actual office space and not just… Lumon? But Apple made sure to transform the corporate center into a fully immersive “Severance” experience.
There were actors in character everywhere playing various Lumon employees. At the front desk you could sign in with a receptionist and she’d ask who you were coming to visit, the Optics and Design team walked around in their blue coats whispering, and a handful of women dressed exactly like Ms. Casey quietly observed the whole thing. More wellness directors? Sure, why not!
They even had a giant Kier head projected onto the stone wall in the center of the building, just like the carved one in the series. In the center of the space was a giant stage with screens on each end, but the center portion was covered by a curtain.
6:54 p.m. – Theodore Shapiro plays the Main Titles Live
When it was time to get started, Theodore Shapiro, the show’s composer, kicked things off the only way he knows how: with that haunting theme song. Shapiro played the Main Titles on a piano in front of the stage, and it took everything in me not to sing along with the viral TikTok lyrics. MARK IS HOT. HELLY’S HOT. IRV IS HOT.
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6:56 p.m. – Curtain Drops, Enter Gwendoline Christie
So that’s what was behind the curtain. After the theme song ends, a bang sounds and the curtain drops, revealing an intricately designed portion of Mammalians Nurturable, aka the Goat Department. Rolling hills of green, animatronic goats, and THE Gwendoline Christie, in costume and character as Lorne.
Christie roamed around the stage for a bit, checking in on her goats (no signs of Emile) and eventually raking up some “goat droppings” and placing them on the desk. Then, she rang the cow – er, goat – bell, summoning a crew from O&D.
7:01 p.m. – Stephen Colbert Arrives
“Welcome to whatever the hell this is,” Colbert greeted the crowd. “Like the show, what you’re going to see tonight is strangely familiar. It’s starkly beautiful. And completely insane.”
Accurate.
Colbert set the stage for fan theorie to run wild, saying “Please remember to pay close attention to the order in which they are introduced, where they sit, what they are wearing, and what words they do not use to answer these questions, as any or all of these could be clues to the events of Season 3.”
7:03 p.m. – The “Severance” Cast Arrives
Here they come in all their glory. Please appreciate each panelist equally. Colbert is joined by creators and cast: Ben Stiller (EP, Director), Dan Erickson (Creator, Writer, EP), Adam Scott (EP, Mark S.), Britt Lower (Helly R.), Zach Cherry (Dylan G.), Jen Tullock (Devon Scout-Hale), Tramell Tillman (Mr. Milchick), Gwendoline Christie (Lorne), John Turturro (Irving B.), Dichen Lachman (Gemma), Sarah Bock (Ms. Huang), Michael Chernus (Ricken Hale), Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (Mr. Drummond).
Sadly, no appearances by Patricia Arquette (Ms. Cobel) or Christopher Walken (Burt), but we’ll settle for literally everyone else.
Colbert asked a wide range of questions about Season 2, poking and prodding where he could to try and get info about where the show is heading, but the cast was tight-lipped and noncommittal. Damn you, PR training.
My favorites Q&A bits:
The camcorder conversation between Innie and Outie Mark was
Britt Lower and Zach Cherry both said they’re biased to playing their Innies, but John Turturro played it safe saying he thought they’re the same person. Dichen Lachman said that of all her Innies, Ms. Casey holds a special place in her heart.
Colbert asked if the cast knew that Lower was playing Helena instead of Helly R. while shooting. Zach Cherry answered saying they did know, but Britt was so convincing they forgot during some scenes. GIVE. HER. THAT. EMMY.
Ben Stiller confirmed that he has seen a correct theory about Ricken online. No further details. Michael Chernus did confirm, though, that Ricken is not employed by Lumon.
Colbert asked Cherry if he thought Dylan G’s Innie kissing his Outie’s wife was cheating. Cherry was very careful with his response, saying “My wife is here, so I have to be very careful with this answer. They’re breaking new cheating ground… if it is?”
Jen Tullock said Devon doesn’t trust Cobel, but was simply desperate towards the end of Season 2, saying “If someone fucked with my real life brother, and the only way to help was to call up JD Vance, I’d say let’s call him up.”
Lower said the marching band scene was her favorite this season, adding that Stiller was the one operating the Kier Eagan animatronic behind the scenes. Stiller added that the scene was filmed on Adam Scott’s birthday last year, and that the band played happy birthday after shooting.
Lower refused to answer the question: “Do Helly R. and Helena both love Mark?”
7:47 p.m. – The Q&A Concludes and We Head to the Severed Floor for the After Party
After the Q&A, we were ushered down to the severed floor – sadly by stairs and not elevator. No dings over here.
If the upstairs was impressive, the lower level was even crazier. We're walking through a flashing red hallway, there are “Missing” posters covering the walls with Ms. Casey’s face, Mark S. balloons are everywhere. They’ve got the real conference room table from the show, and you better believe there’s a Helly R. actor laying on top of it. How do you think you get that job? The MDR desks were set up and actors were refining scary numbers, meanwhile other employees were tossing around a red ball.
But the coolest part? Two insane activations. The first was a video station where you could record your own message from your Innie to your Outie, then they’d whip it up and send it straight to your phone, grainy special effects and Lumon logo and all.
The other was a photo booth where you’d take a headshot for your very own custom Lumon employee badge, printed on the spot. Two very different and very unique keepsakes to really help bring this “Severance” experience to life.
The rest of the after party consisted of a music dance experience (plenty of defiant jazz), a waffle party, lots of melon, and TVs playing Ms. Cobel’s crash out episode on loop. Nothing like smoking ether at the after party.
10:07 p.m. – Clock Out, Return to Outie, Shuttle Back to Manhattan
What a night. My Innie told me it was a great time, but sadly I didn’t get to experience any of it for myself.
Oh, and all that time rehearsing what I’d say to Dichen Lachman? I didn’t get to chat with her, but I did wave to her as she was leaving. She smiled and waved back.
Close enough.
