‘No Real Innie Involved’: The Ethical Dilemmas of Succession and Severance

By Alice Simon, Features Editor

(Warning: spoilers for Succession and Severance. Brief mentions of suicide & sexual assault)

‘What could you possibly kill, that you love so much, it would make the sun rise again?’ Succession (2018)

Here’s a terrifying question that I have to grapple with daily: how do I write about media that I deem to be almost flawless in a nuanced way? How do I eliminate every Tumblr text post from my rotted mind, so as not to be biased? How can I be insightful yet informal, to not bore you to death?

In reality, I should have started writing this article about a week ago, and yet the shadows of Kendall Roy and Helena Eagan loomed over me as if to trap me, as if to say ‘You cannot do us justice’. They are not real, but I can see them as clearly as my reflection in the mirror. I can listen to their advice as if they were long-lost childhood friends, urging me towards reason. Perhaps this is the gripe with consuming media as an obsessive-compulsive: I reach too far into the screen, into the page, and I take fictional characters into the real world, to walk with me. In fact, this entire introduction was a distraction, to make you forget that I’m not yet discussing what I promised you in the title. Fine, I will do it now but don’t expect coherence.

Jeremy Strong as Kendall Roy in Succession, “This Is Not For Tears”, 2019.

Succession and Severance have recently become some of my favourite pieces of TV. Both visually and conceptually, they manage to tackle themes of corruption within multi-million dollar companies while creating strong character bonds that drive the plot forward and force viewers to form emotional attachments. As the title suggests, I am mainly interested in the portrayal of the workers within these companies, and how both shows deal with corporate malpractice. When it comes to Succession, the critique towards capitalism is focused on the turbulent relationship of Logan Roy - powerful media mogul and CEO - and his spoiled (for lack of a better word) children. The constant backstabbing and cruelty the characters display toward each other serves as the perfect metaphor for the tainted nature of neoliberalism, which seeks to alienate us rather than drive us towards unity. While I am undeniably a huge fan of the show, I find that reading negative reviews is often the driving force behind my need to write about it, so I will start by referencing Arwa Mahdawi's piece for The Guardian; ‘It is the same old story over and over again: rich people backstabbing rich people and swearing a lot as they wallow in opulent misery.’ Though I will admit that I've been known to enjoy the ‘rich people backstabbing rich people’ trope a bit too much, I believe there is a point to it in this case. Mahdawi clarifies that Succession isn't bad, just somewhat repetitive, but I find her statement to be fundamentally misguided, especially when taking into consideration the show's final season, which delves into the emotional side of the Roy family. 

With seasons two and three, in particular, I would like to draw attention to the cruises scandal plotline. If you've yet to see the show or perhaps need a refresher, here's a quick rundown: there's been a targeted cover-up in the company's cruises division, and some resurfaced documents reveal cases of sexual assault and suicide by former employees. These employees are referred to as "NRPI" in said documents, meaning ‘No Real Person Involved’, as they are usually migrant women with no residency in the US. Throughout seasons two and three, we see the main characters of Succession weaponizing these scandals to further their political positions, and while most of them truly don't care, some certainly like to pretend they do. In what can only be described as an unwarranted display of performative activism, Kendall Roy sabotages a press conference by playing Nirvana's “Rape Me” on full blast. 

This is only a juvenile attempt at a ‘gotcha’ moment towards his sister, who is on stage promising that the company will do better in the future. Of course, more backstabbing ensues after that, but what's the point of it all? Contrary to what most of Twitter seems to think, it is not to determine which developmentally messed-up billionaire inherits the family company but rather to analyze how their wealth separates them from human empathy. At the end of the day, no matter how much the characters worry about constantly gaining power and status, it is always a losing game; they lose the company, and with it, their entire purpose as the plastic individuals they are.

When it comes to Severance, the narrative is entirely about the workers. In a universe where one can choose to give up control of their body so as to avoid pain, what happens to those who have to experience it? The severed workers at Lumon - a mysterious but prestigious company - grapple with the fact that they have no real-life experiences outside of what happens during their shifts, which circles back to the idea of treating human lives as NRPI. For all intents and purposes, that is what the workers at Lumon are, and whenever they try to challenge that notion, it is met with resistance from higher authorities and, particularly, from their ‘outies’. The latter are perceived to be the primary hosts of the severed body, as they chose to undergo the procedure, but the lines start to blur when the innies develop personalities and relationships that directly clash with the outies' perspectives. The most notable example of this is Helena/Helly Eagan, whose outie is the daughter of Lumon's CEO. Helena's situation begs the question of who exactly is allowed to undergo the severance procedure, as there are also cases of wealthy women using their severed bodies to go through childbirth. To me, this goes further than a general critique of the job industry, as it mirrors current societal issues such as surrogacy and which bodies we find disposable.

Still from Severance (Season 2, Episode 1)

I admit, these are discombobulated musings more than anything else, but I suppose the point is that they've got me thinking constantly. Yes, Succession may be about rich white people complaining all the time, and the severance procedure may seem dystopian and far-fetched, but they pull you in by highlighting the devastating consequences of treating human lives as innies or NRPI. While this is not literal, it exceedingly speaks to the current social climate, as we see real peoples' livelihoods being gambled in the pursuit of the neoliberal dream.