Severance Season 2 Keanu Reeves Cameo Explained

The first episode of “Lay-off” season 2 He had the unenviable task of following up on the show's spectacular Season 1 finale, and instead of giving away answers right away, it immerses viewers in some of Season 1's major mysteries. The entire episode takes place in Lumon's office, without any glimpses of the outside world or what may be going on there. The only clues we get are the exposition given to Mark S. (Adam Scott) and the rest of the gang, who are told that their brief escape at the end of Season 1 made them famous and has led to major reforms in working conditions. separated employees.

Season 1 finale events are a collection of animated corporate training videos that are shown to the Macrodata Refinement (or MDR) team upon returning to the office. Anyone who has seen “The Matrix” or “John Wick” likely cheered at the beginning of this scene, as the video's narrator – an anthropomorphized version of the Lumon building – is voiced by Keanu Reeve.

You wouldn't know it by looking at the credits, as Reeves remains uncredited. But if you've seen any of his films, it's impossible not to recognize this iconic voice that recently revived the shadow of Ezees. “Sonic the Hedgehog 3.” And if you're still in doubt that the building was voiced by Neo himself, series creator Dan Erickson may have given the game away during a recent interview with /Film.

Speaking to /Film recently about “Severance” season 2, series creator Dan Erickson was suspicious of Keanu Reeves' unmistakable appearance. Asked about the episode, Erickson slyly replied, “I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. I'm not actually familiar with the actor.” He continued to cheekily ask, “Is that the guy from 'The Lake House'?”

The prospect of Reeves returning in a bigger role seems highly unlikely, but the absurdity of the show is heightened by having such a recognizable voice endorsing the wacky instructional video that plays on MDR. The video itself raises a lot of questions, as it portrays the innies' Season 1 escape as both a violent rebellion (dubbed the “Macrodata Rebellion”) and a highly influential act for which the company is grateful. The resulting “reforms” are certainly some kind of marginal progress in innie rights, but they don't seem to change things all that much. In a way, the company seems to be using the bad publicity of their escape to promote a new image of kind and decent corporate overlords.

While Keanu Reeves is the star of the shoot-style corporate training video in “Severance” Season 2 Episode 1, he's not the only notable name to grace the doe-eyed building. Comedian Sarah Sherman, best known today as a “Saturday Night Live” actor also pops up as briefly as the water tower at the end of the tutorial video. But unlike Reeves, Sherman is actually credited for her one line.

Perhaps because of the acclaim and popularity of Severance Season 1, it seems to have become a hot ticket for household names in Hollywood. Two of the temporary MDR replacements appearing in Season 2 are character actors Bob Balaban and Alia Shawkat, and casting news ahead of the Season 2 premiere confirmed that Game of Thrones alum Gwendoline Christie will also be joining the show.

Since Reeves' role is uncredited, it leaves open the possibility of hidden extras in later episodes. It's just another mystery for eagle-eyed “Severance” fans to watch out for as Season 2 continues.