The style vigorously catches up to the substance in the seventh episode of Severance. Director Jessica Lee Gagné converts the show's weirdness into a thrilling acid trip that expands the world of Severance but also leaves you a bit underwhelmed because of what the episode decides to reveal (or hide) from the audience. We see how Mark met Gemma, how their relationship went through its ups and downs, and what the couple did a few hours before tragedy came knocking on their doors. There is nothing incredibly fresh about this thread. The meet-cute, the "aww" moments, the happy times followed by rough patches - it's all borrowed from other romantic dramas. While watching the highlight reels of this couple, you feel as if the series is not telling you anything that could be labeled as a "revelation." Mark and/or Gemma are never seen talking to their friends. Their social circle is restricted to Devon and Ricken. Moreover, we view their professional lives from a distance. Mark is seen busy with his work at one point, but what is he doing? Severance displays no interest in such explorations. These memories are triggered by Mark's mental state (he became unconscious at the end of Episode 6), and his visions merely indicate that writers Dan Erickson and Mark Friedman don't have much imagination. The flashbacks are riddled with clichés.
It's Gagné's visual touch that conceals the creative shortcomings of the writers, at least during these flashbacks. In Episode 7, the real fun lies in absorbing the intimidating and endless white corridors of the Testing Floor at Lumon. This is where Gemma is now spending her days, moving from one room to another with names like Allentown, Wellington, and Loveland. There is also a Lucknow room and a room called Cold Harbor. What's the deal with this Cold Harbor? Gemma hasn't gone there yet, and Lumon wants Mark to complete a file of the same name. A character informs someone that they will have to forget Gemma once Mark's job is finished. This makes me think he means Gemma could be killed after the Cold Harbor file is completed. Then again, I could be wrong. Severance has such an unsettling, menacing atmosphere that one always assumes the worst possible outcome. In this world, even kindness comes with a layer of threat. Just see how Milchik asks Gemma to return to the elevator.
The flashbacks aren't strictly confined to Mark's perspective, so it would have been nice to know how Gemma came in contact with Lumon. What happened that night? Why Mark? Why Gemma? What's so special about them? There is a neat suggestion of violence in the scene where Gemma visits a dentist, and it effectively sends a chill down your spine. But soon, you start wondering what's the purpose behind all this torture. In one of the rooms, Gemma's innie is forced to write a greeting card with her left hand. To Gagné's credit, she captures your attention with such intensity that, while watching Episode 7, you don't think about anything else. But when the end credits begin to roll, and the surreal images no longer run in front of your eyes, you realize that you were injected with a heavy dose of atmosphere, but there was nothing ingenious in the substance. The weirdness and the psychological implications look like old wine in a new bottle.
Final Score - [7.5/10]