One of the most frustrating things about enjoying Apple TV’s hit streaming series “Severance” is that it’s oddly the show everyone is talking about, yet no one you know has seen. In fact, I’ve gone to the Reddit forums because I so desperately wanted to discuss the show’s messaging, symbolism, and potential theories. I’m embarrassed to say how excited I got when I once overheard people discussing the latest episode at a local restaurant.

I had spoken to more than a dozen of my peers who I knew had a deep appreciation for television and film, and not one of them had seen this show. I spoke to family and friends who responded with blank stares upon mentioning it, and it drove me mad.

I wasn’t the only one who noticed this. The Guardian published “Big stars, little shine: Is anyone actually watching Apple TV shows?” citing a sizable financial loss (to the tune of $1 billion per year) on big budgets with few subscribers to make up profits. SLATE Magazine referred to “Severance” as “trapped on a platform no one’s watching.” Their article quotes Nielsen data stating that less than 1 percent of all TV screen time in the U.S. is spent watching Apple TV content during the average month.

Here are five reasons you should grab some popcorn and start watching “Severance.”

1. Balancing work and/or school with personal life

As students, most of us can understand the difficulty of school-related stress spilling over into our everyday lives. In the series, Lumon Industries is a mysterious and powerful company that offers the “Severance Procedure” as an answer to this inconvenience. A chip implanted in the brain creates a split consciousness, with one half being present at work (“innie”), and the other half living your personal life (“outie”). Each has no recollection of the other’s memories or experiences. The idea that being impacted and influenced by our daily lives is a “problem” to be solved is a reflection of the very nature of “work” that strips us of our humanity. Marx’s “theory of alienation” suggests that capitalism causes us to become increasingly detached from ourselves and our surroundings. “Severance” explores this phenomena through illustrating the aftermath of the procedure through its main characters. Is it truly possible to “sever” away the pieces of ourselves to achieve a goal or reach a particular level in our academic or professional pursuits? If our experiences influence who we are, isn’t the knowledge we gain from even the hardest lessons still valuable? This thrilling series aims to answer these questions and more through a chain of mind-bending episodes.

2. The Deification of Corporate Figures

People like Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Steve Jobs, and even Henry Ford have historically been regarded as god-like figures. Their contributions to our world have solidified them in the eyes of many as aspirational “deities” who continue to inspire the next wave of innovators. Amongst the richest in the world, figures like them have a way of infiltrating every corner of our lives. Gates and Jobs transformed the way we access data and communicate via computers and cell phones. Bezos and Amazon have an impenetrable grip on delivery service, while Ford’s automotive legacy left a permanent imprint on the world of transportation. “Severance” uses Kier Eagan, the founder of Lumon Industries, and his family’s legacy to examine why we place corporate figures on pedestals and moral high grounds. Kier has his own town, museum, hymns, dedicated books, and even a national park. With Mark (Adam Scott) and the other Lumon employees living, working and playing under the thumb of Kier’s legacy, it makes you begin to question just how much autonomy the employees actually have in the outside world. Sociological conflict theory suggests that our illusion of “free will” is limited by the power that institutions like government, education and mass media have over our lives. Lumon Industries in the streaming series is a symbol of the constant battle between these invisible forces and our desire to regain control over our livelihoods.

3. How Relationships Shape Our Humanity

American psychologist Abraham Maslow created a theoretic diagram of the things required in order for humans to self-actualize, or feel we have power to influence our lives. After physiological and safety needs, love and belonging exists to place us one step closer to that goal. We live in an increasingly lonely world, and social connection is an important part of what makes us human. In 2023, the U.S. Attorney General released a publication titled “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation” which dissects how social relationships influence our mental and physical health, as well as overall quality of life. The report says that more than 50% of Americans are struggling with loneliness, with youth accounting for the largest numbers. Mark’s struggle with grief and loss is a central theme of the show. Losing an important connection can be a traumatic experience, and there is evidence supporting how trauma alters the brain. The idea that we can simply shut our emotions off to avoid feelings of loneliness and pain is pretty arrogant, but this avoidant approach would seem like the ideal catalyst for the severance procedure, right? How would this new consciousness build and maintain the relationships necessary for survival if their world is limited to seemingly endless office space and hallways?

4. Race and Microaggressions in Professional Spaces

There are very few people of color on this show. As much as I would like to see a more diverse cast, I understand what even the casting says about the professional working world. There are four main cast members of color: Dylan (Zach Cherry) works in “Macro Data Refinement”, the department that is the focal point of the series. Milchick (Tramell Tillman) is who helps manage that department. Ms. Casey (Dichen Lachman) is the company’s Wellness Counselor and Natalie (Sydney Cole Alexander) is a representative for the strange Board of Directors for Lumon Industries. Race isn’t even acknowledged until the second season, and even then, it is a tiny blip on the horizon of a glaring problem.The racial inequities in employment can begin at the hiring process. In “Systemic Discrimination Among Large U.S. Employers,” the University of Chicago’s Friedman Economic Institute reported that applications with names seemingly belonging to white candidates are more likely to receive a call from employers. Data from the Harvard Business Review recorded that most managerial positions in the U.S. are held by white men, and Princeton University’s Institutional Antiracism Project notes that professional standards contain biases that align whiteness with achievement and leadership. Employees of color are often underestimated, overmanaged, voiceless and stretched thin in subservient positions. How Lumon’s tokenized population navigates these hurdles is quite interesting to watch.

5. Sexism and the Erasure of Women’s Contributions

Historically speaking, it is documented that women have often gone uncredited for their ideas and hard work. African American mathematician Katherine Johnson (whose story was later adapted into the movie “Hidden Figures”) composed the calculations used for the Apollo moon landing in 1969, but wasn’t given public recognition until decades later. Six women were responsible for the world’s first electronic digital computer (“Proving Grounds” by Kathy Kleiman), but credit would later be assumed to two men. Even now, the current presidential administration has erased pages from federal websites about women’s contributions to breaking barriers in the military and banned phrases such as “women,” and “female” from other government websites, NPR reports. Apple TV’s “Severance” takes workplace sexism to another level with the foundation it lays for the mysterious technology behind Lumon Industries. Founder Kier Eagan is largely credited for making the world “a better place” through his work with Lumon, however, what exactly the company does is never explicitly mentioned. It can only be assumed, by the paintings and halls dedicated in his honor, that Eagan is the sole proprietor of the company’s perceived success. No one thought of Mackenzie Scott (ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos) working as Amazon’s first accountant and overseeing the company’s transition from booksales to e-commerce. And no one thought of Anna Hedgemen (civil right activist and organizer) when MLK Jr. spoke at the March on Washington while the “Big Six” received all the credit. Through carefully crafted storytelling, “Severance” examines the capitalist practice of building the world’s most powerful companies and movements on the backs of marginalized groups. It is the robbery and exploitation of labor, intellectual property and time that strengthens such corporate entities, and that cannot be ignored in this suspenseful work of art.