Is Severance the best show on television right now? There’s a good case to be made for it — combine a great cast, mystery-box storytelling that actually pays off and a resonant premise and you have the makings of essential viewing. But some of the show’s charm also comes from smaller details, including excellent musical selections ranging from Joe McPhee to the Stone Roses. And then there’s the running subplot involving a supporting character’s forays into the self-help world.
For readers unfamiliar with the show, a quick explainer: Ricken, the brother-in-law of the show’s protagonist Mark, is the author of a self-help book called The You You Are: A Spiritual Biography of You. Of the two versions of Mark that we’re watching on the show, the one who actually encounters Ricken is, shall we say, skeptical of his book. The Mark that works on the show’s Severed floor, though, is a fan — something that makes for both wry humor and illuminates some of the show’s themes.
If you’ve ever been intrigued by what a fictional character has to say about one’s inner life, you can now read a fictional book in real life. As Juli Clover reported at MacRumors, Apple has made both audio and textual versions of at least part of The You You Are available to access for free. Actor Michael Chernus — who plays Ricken Lazlo Hale on the show — handles narration duties for the audio edition.
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The new year brings a second “Severance” season, the continuation of Ethel Cain’s trilogy and moreThere’s a long tradition of in-continuity books and related materials release to tie in with a popular television or streaming series — including multiple books expanding on the world of Twin Peaks. This is not the first time something like this has happened with an acclaimed series starring Adam Scott. Viewers may remember that his Parks & Recreation character was fond of a board game called The Cones of Dunshire, which did eventually make its way into the real world, albeit in a very limited manner.
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