At the end of Severance Season 1, Mark Scout (Adam Scott) learns that his presumed dead wife Gemma is alive and working with him at Lumon Industries as wellness counselor Ms. Casey (Dichen Lachman). Mark’s “innie” does not recognize her at work, and as far as the audience knows, she does not recognize him either. This is strikingly similar to a predicament that a character played by Lachman in the 2009-2010 science fiction series Dollhouse faces as well. With Severance Season 2 finally returning on Apple TV+ this month, the comparison might light the spark you need in your theory engine.
‘Severance’ and ‘Dollhouse’ Have Similar Premises
While Severance and Dollhouse have different lore, central mysteries, and conflicts, they deal with similar themes and questions. What if you could turn your brain off at work? What if you could even be another person and not have to think about, or even remember, your job when you went home? And is that person you become at work real and/or as valuable as yourself? What about their wants and needs?
Dollhouse, a series created by Joss Whedon, envisions a future in which consenting young people are recruited to have their personalities erased for cold, hard cash. They sign five years of their life away and become “dolls” re-programmed with new personalities at the behest of various clients for various purposes — often sexual, but not always.
When not on assignment during the five years, the dolls are kept in a neutral “tabula rasa” state that is not unlike the innies at Lumon Industries on Severance, if a bit lower functioning. At the end of their contract, the dolls’ original personalities are restored with no memory of what they’ve been up to in the intervening years. On paper, it’s not a bad deal, but this is a science fiction series, so, of course, things go very wrong.
Dichen Lachman’s Arc on ‘Dollhouse’ Exposes Flaws in the System
Over the course of the series, Dollhouse reveals that Lachman’s character, a doll called Sierra — whose name in the real world is Priya — did not consent to be part of the program at all. She was manipulated and involuntarily committed by a wealthy stalker with an unrequited crush. This makes everything that the Dollhouse does to her mind and body extraordinarily problematic. What’s more, and even more tragic, is that the folks at the Dollhouse thought they had essentially cured her mental illness with their technology, only to discover that she was only experiencing psychosis because she had been drugged.
On Severance, the agency of the employees at Lumon Industries is a huge issue. Helly’s (Britt Lower) outie refuses her innie’s request to resign, while Ms. Casey is a “part-time employee” who is only activated for 30 minutes at a time, and suspiciously doesn’t have the key card that other employees on the severed floor wear around their neck. What if Gemma was erased under duress like Priya on Dollhouse? What if the company is responsible for faking her death? Did she actually leave the office building when they retired her?
Related
The 10 Best Sci-Fi Shows of the 2000s, Ranked
A decade full of mega-hits and cult classics.
Sierra and Victor’s ‘Dollhouse’ Relationship Also Shares DNA With ‘Severance’
On Dollhouse, when Sierra falls in love with another doll named Victor (Enver Gjokaj) in their tabula rasa state, the romantic connection is so primal and strong it tests the stability of this technology. They’re drawn to each other no matter how many times their memories and personalities are erased and reprogrammed. It’s a high-tech variation of the “in love in every universe” trope.
This has not happened on Severance with all the office romances that bloom at Lumon Industries — but it could. Mark and Helly’s innies developed an attraction over the course of the first season. This is, obviously, complicated by the revelation that Mark’s outie was married to Ms. Casey and Helly’s outie is the CEO’s daughter and a plant. In its own twisted way, this could become a love triangle in Season 2. Then there are the other severed employees who fell in love in their innie state: Irving (John Turturro) and Burt (Christopher Walken). When the innies escaped at the end of Season 1, after Burt retired and left the company, Irving’s innie went to find Burt and discovered that his outie was in a relationship. Maybe they’ll end up being the couple who find each other over and over in different circumstances.
Thanks to Dollhouse, Lachmen is a pro at playing enigmatic characters with a lot (read: whole personalities) bubbling under the surface. If nothing else, take this as a sign to watch Dollhouse if you haven’t already. Now that there are science fiction shows like Made for Love and Westworld, as well as more traditional dramas about sex workers like The Girlfriend Experience and Harlots, a show like Dollhouse has a place in culture as an entertaining and challenging, if perhaps messier, take on similar themes. Maybe you’ll gain a greater understanding of and appreciation for Lachman’s performance on Severance as Ms. Casey in the process.
Dollhouse is available to purchase for streaming on Prime Video in the U.S.
Dollhouse
- Release Date
-
July 28, 2009
- Finale Year
-
November 30, 2009
- Cast
-
Eliza Dushku
, Fran Kranz
, Olivia Williams
, Dichen Lachman
, Enver Gjokaj
, Tahmoh Penikett
, Harry Lennix
, Miracle Laurie
, Amy Acker
, Liza Lapira
, Reed Diamond
, Alan Tudyk
, Summer Glau
, Alexis Denisof
, Aisha Hinds
, Keith Carradine
, Vincent Ventresca
, Philip Casnoff
, Stacey Scowley
, Brett Claywell
, Mark Sheppard - Main Genre
-
Sci-Fi
- Seasons
-
2
- Creator(s)
-
Joss Whedon
- Story By
-
joss whedon
- Writers
-
Joss Whedon
- Network
-
FOX
- Streaming Service(s)
-
Netflix
, Hulu
, Dis - Directors
-
Joss Whedon
Buy on Prime Video
