Fortunately, “Severance” returns to Apple TV+ on Friday, and its makers seem to have used every second of the absence productively. The season takes new turns while remaining the most ambitious, batty and all-out pleasurable show on TV, an M.C. Escher maze whose plot convolutions never get in the way of its voice, heart and sense of humor.

Apple TV+'s thriller returns with more sci-fi creepiness, nuanced social commentary and black humor. And perks like fruit leather.

I’ve already published my full Season 2 (spoiler-free) review. Now, we can dive into each individual episode as they stream every Friday. There’s so much to unpack in each one, I really can’t wait! Let’s start with a brief recap of where we left off back at the end of Season 1.

Severance season 2 episode 2 will be released on Thursday, January 23, 2025 at 9pm PT (Pacific Time) and Friday, January 24, 2025 at 12am ET (Eastern Time) and 5am GMT (Greenwich Mean Time). We had originally thought that new episodes wouldn't arrive until midnight PT on Fridays, but co-creator Ben Stiller shared the good news on X.

We flash through the ending of Season 1 once more, but this time, we return to the moment when the Outies returned. Mark (Adam Scott) wakes up at Rickon’s book reading — and his sister Devon (Jen Tullock) checks in on him.

After an excellently mysterious premiere reintroduced viewers to the world of Severance in its much-anticipated Season 2, “Goodbye, Mrs. Selvig” does the same thing from the opposite angle. While Episode 1 was set entirely within Lumon among the innies,