I’ve been obsessed with Apple TV’s Severance since its second season premiered. I have nothing but respect and adoration for this fantastic drama that unfolds every Friday.
For those unaware, Severance is a dystopian drama about employees who undergo an experimental procedure. This procedure splits an individual’s consciousness into two distinct personalities, each activated only within the workplace. Once they leave the building, they revert to their un-severed self and do not recall what happened inside their corporate offices.
It’s a bizarre setup and a clear allegory for oppressive corporate environments.
But I’m discussing Severance because it shares several striking similarities with one of my favorite video games of all time: Remedy Entertainment’s CONTROL. From Season 1 through the latest episode of Season 2, the more I watch Severance, the more I notice familiar elements woven into it.
Here are a few reasons why I believe CONTROL fans will enjoy Severance:
Oppressive Corporate Overlords
CONTROL’s Federal Bureau of Control (FBC) and Severance’s Lumon are two massive institutions specializing in manipulation and control. Granted, dystopian narratives often feature such organizations, but it’s fascinating to see both depicted as authoritarian entities that revel in exploiting people.
In the FBC’s case, they suppress paranatural events through clandestine media manipulation. A biotechnological company like Lumon, on the other hand, takes control to the extreme—even going so far as to revive someone from the dead. Given these similarities, I can’t help but wonder if Ben Stiller played CONTROL at some point and drew inspiration from it. Who knows?
Faceless Authorities
The most striking similarity between the two is their use of enigmatic, faceless leadership figures. In Severance, Lumon’s Board communicates solely through an old analog speaker, emitting static and incoherent mumbling. Only select individuals can interpret its cryptic messages, adding to the organization’s eerie mystique.
Similarly, in CONTROL, the FBC is governed by the otherworldly entity, The Board. Like Lumon’s leadership, The Board communicates in fragmented, cryptic statements that only a few can comprehend. However, CONTROL’s Board at least attempts to convey meaning through semantics, whereas Lumon’s messages remain even more abstract.
Minimalist Designs
The FBC and Lumon both embrace an aesthetic centered on analog technology. Mark S. works with his customized mechanical keyboard and a retrofitted CRT monitor in CONTROL. Jesse Faden navigates hallways filled with aging typewriters and uses a Bakelite hotline phone to communicate with the spirits of former directors.
Both stories transform mundane objects into something uncanny, injecting them with an unfamiliar and unsettling aura. While Lumon’s computers serve an obscure purpose that even dedicated fans have yet to decipher, the FBC’s repository of [REDACTED] information is buried beneath layers of secrecy.
No wonder these organizations favor old technology — newer systems are far too vulnerable to hacking.
Strange Psychological Horror
Finally, both narratives incorporate eerie psychological horror rooted in warped memories and deep-seated trauma. In Jesse Faden’s case, the trauma of the Ordinary Incident left an irreversible mark on her life. For Severance’s Mark S., the death of a loved one drove him to undergo the Severance procedure.
In both stories, their respective traumas are ruthlessly exploited by manipulative corporate overlords for their own gain.
At least in Severance, there’s no alien-like presence akin to The Hiss roaming the Severed Floor. But if Jesse Faden were trapped in Lumon, that would be a completely different scenario — her telekinetic powers would undoubtedly shake things up. Mr. Milchick would be terrified.
I know that some of these parallels may be a stretch, but something about both stories continues to draw me in. Perhaps it’s the unique storytelling style, where we can’t fully trust the characters due to an ever-present, unseen force manipulating their reality. Severance has Lumon, and CONTROL has The Board. Either way, both institutions are sinister, and I sincerely hope our protagonists escape the hellscapes they’ve been thrust into.
If you're a fan of CONTROL, now's the right time to check out Apple TV's Severance, directed and created by Ben Stiller. If you enjoyed Severance, why not try one of the greatest games ever?