Why Patricia Arquette is the Hilarious Heart of Severance You Can’t Ignore!

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Summary

  • Patricia Arquette shines in Severance, balancing humor and unease perfectly, showcasing her talent.
  • Arquette’s character, Harmony Cobel, adds depth and mystery to the show, making viewers laugh and squirm.
  • Arquette’s performance as Cobel is both nuanced and entertaining, showcasing her versatility as an actress.

Apple TV+’s show “Severance” is an extraordinary blend of different genres, encompassing elements of dystopian sci-fi, eerie horror, and biting workplace satire. Despite its frequent moments of unease, suspense, and fear, it also manages to be consistently amusing, drawing laughter from the peculiar actions of its characters and the bizarre nature of working at Lumon Industries.

The television series boasts an impressive ensemble, featuring comedic heavyweights like Zach Cherry and Britt Lower, seasoned comedy performers such as John Turturro, and sitcom stalwart Adam Scott. However, it’s Patricia Arquette who truly embodies the unique spirit of Severance. As the cryptic and devious former head of the severed floor, Harmony Cobel, Arquette crafts a character that is both chilling and hilarious at times, even in the same instance.

Arquette’s Double Performance

Patricia Arquette has been consistently delivering strong performances in movies and TV shows for close to four decades. However, her career has experienced a remarkable resurgence in recent times, a period when many actresses find it challenging to secure substantial roles. In 2014, she clinched her first Academy Award, winning the Best Supporting Actress title for her portrayal of the lead character’s mother in Richard Linklater’s film, Boyhood. More recently, in 2019, she added another accolade to her collection, taking home a Primetime Emmy Award for her role in the Hulu miniseries The Act, where she played the mother of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, a woman who was later convicted of murder.

Throughout her career, she has consistently blazed an individual trail, recently finding delight in portraying characters that let her immerse herself completely, whether they are fictional like Cobel or based on real individuals such as Joyce Mitchell from “Escape at Dannemora” and Dee Dee Blanchard from “The Act.” As Cobel, she must maintain a unique equilibrium, playing a character who knows more than the other characters or even the viewers. Cobel is someone who never discloses her true identity, acting as an unflappable authority figure at work for Innies and appearing ordinary in everyday life. A significant part of Arquette’s humorous performance arises from this disconnect.

In this rephrased version, Cobel’s character as the quirky Mrs. Selvig, neighbor to “Outie” Mark (played by Jen Tullock’s sister Devon) and a lactation consultant, offers Arquette ample chances to display her acting versatility within such a multi-faceted role. She skillfully extracts humor from portraying Mrs. Selvig as someone who pretends to be an innocent oddball, with her attempts to seem friendly and caring evidently requiring significant effort.

In Arquette’s portrayal as Mrs. Selvig in the series, there’s an eerie authenticity that suggests careful planning, and she skillfully employs it to create both suspenseful moments and laughter. The humor in Mrs. Selvig’s joke about snow storms, “Jack Frost needs a new dandruff shampoo!”, stems more from Arquette’s peculiar delivery than the actual line. At times, she seems to reveal too much of Cobel’s coldness, like during the funeral scene in season one when she meets Petey’s daughter and says, “I suppose you were close and everything, hmm?”, offering a brief glimpse into Cobel’s apparent lack of empathy.

Arquette as Lumon’s Devout Disciple

In the outside world as well as at Lumon where she oversees the workers, Arquette skillfully elicits laughter. Yet, her humor in these two roles is distinct. As Cobel, she comes across as stern and intimidating, maintaining a cool demeanor for the most part but sometimes showing flashes of anger. Arquette’s portrayal of this version of Cobel is marked by an understated prickliness that frequently reveals her frustration with the severed employees.

A significant part of the humor in Severance is derived from an unusual form of irony where characters behave unpredictably compared to audience expectations. The acting of Arquette is superbly calibrated to capitalize on this quirkiness. Her performance contains a good deal of camp, complete with scene-stealing overacting that aligns with the series’ peculiar, slightly surreal atmosphere. Her unexpected outbursts and ominous threats keep both characters and viewers on edge, and many laughs are elicited as a release from the discomfort she skillfully creates.

In the Season Two premiere of “Severance,” Britt Lower (Cobel) was missing. Her role in the story moving forward is yet undetermined, given that her character was dismissed at the end of Season One. Following her termination, she appeared ready to destroy everything, but changed course swiftly upon discovering Mark’s innie, indicating her allegiance remains with Lumon. Despite being let go, Lower’s name is still included in the cast list, and sneak peeks suggest Cobel will continue to be a significant part of the show. So, fans won’t have to wait long before they’re left on edge with anticipation again.

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2025-01-21 21:06