‘Our job is to taste free air. Your so-called boss may own the clock that taunts you from the wall, but, my friends, the hour is yours.’
Isn’t that fucking beautiful? Your boss might own the building, they might own the equipment you use, they might even own the clock that you watch run down that reminds you how trapped you feel. But as long as you are in control of your body and actions (which, admittedly, the people in the show aren’t as the central conflict), that time is yours. It reminds me a lot of the message of the UK version of The Office, another incredibly poignant show with an antiwork message. You’re just thrown together with whoever you work with against your will, you might have nothing in common, but sometimes you can create a lasting memory with someone in those confines that lasts beyond the bottom line of payday. You might make lasting friendships. You might even fall in love. You can choose to do the bare minimum and never completely sell your soul. Your job isn’t to work, your job is to enjoy your life and never let your own time slip away from you against your will. Your so called ‘boss’ can never demand that you submit completely, the hour is yours. It might be the only choice you have, but it’s one we should all cling on to. The work might be dehumanising, but it doesn’t mean it has to dehumanise you.
That’s all to say, everyone should watch Severance. Apart from the poignant message, it’s an incredible thriller and the finale had me swearing at my TV by myself like a lunatic.