The first episode of “Severance” season 2 had the unenviable task of following the show’s spectacular season 1 finale, and instead of instantly providing answers, it immerses viewers back into some of the key mysteries established in season 1. The whole episode takes place within the Lumon office, with no glimpses at the outside world or what the characters there may be getting up to. The only clues we get are through exposition given to Mark S. (Adam Scott) and the rest of the gang, who are told that their temporary escape at the end of season 1 made them famous and has led to major reforms in working conditions for severed employees.
The events of the season 1 finale are recapped in an animated corporate instructional video, which is shown to the Macrodata Refinement (or MDR) team after they all return to the office. Anyone who’s seen “The Matrix” or “John Wick” likely perked up at the beginning of this scene, as the narrator for the video — an anthropomorphized version of the Lumon building — is voiced by Keanu Reeves.
You wouldn’t know that by looking at the credits, as Reeves goes uncredited. But if you’ve seen any of his movies, it’s impossible not to recognize that iconic voice, which recently brought Shadow the Hedgehog to life in “Sonic the Hedgehog 3.” And if you still doubt that the building is voiced by Neo himself, series creator Dan Erickson may have given the game away during a recent interview with /Film.
Keanu Reeves’ Severance cameo comes with some big questions
While speaking recently with /Film about “Severance” season 2, series creator Dan Erickson was coy about Keanu Reeves’ uncredited appearance. When asked about the cameo, Erickson replied slyly, “I certainly have no idea what you could be talking about. I’m not actually familiar with that actor.” He went on to ask cheekily, “Is that the guy from ‘The Lake House?'”
The likelihood of Reeves popping back up in some larger role seems highly unlikely, but it adds to the show’s absurdity to have such a recognizable voice backing the bizarre training video shown to MDR. The video itself raises a lot of questions, as it depicts the innies’ season 1 escape as both a violent revolt (referred to as the “Macrodat Uprising”) and a hugely influential act for which the company is grateful. The “reforms” instituted as a result are certainly a kind of marginal progress for innie rights, but they don’t seem to really change things all that much. In a way, the company seems to be using the bad publicity of their escape to foster a new public image of kind and courteous corporate overlords.
Keanu Reeves isn’t the only cameo in the strange Lumon video
While Keanu Reeves is the star of the claymation-style corporate training video in “Severance” season 2, episode 1, he isn’t the only notable name to voice a building with googly eyes in it. Comedian Sarah Sherman, best known these days as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live,” also pops in ever so briefly as a water tower at the end of the instructional video. But unlike Reeves, Sherman is actually credited for her one line.
Perhaps because of how acclaimed and popular “Severance” season 1 was, it seems to have become a hot ticket for established names in Hollywood. Two of the temporary MDR replacements who appear in season 2 are played by character actors Bob Balaban and Alia Shawkat, and casting news prior to the season 2 premiere confirmed that “Game of Thrones” alum Gwendoline Christie will be joining the show as well.
With Reeves’ role being uncredited, it leaves open the possibility of additional cameos hidden in plain sight in later episodes. That’s just one more mystery for eagle-eyed “Severance” fans to watch out for as season 2 continues.
