Apple references in *Severence* plus a couple others
I'm really struck with the references in this show. As an aside, it's a really enjoyable show. And this time, unlike Lost, I expect to be let down at the end, and am just appreciating the ride as long as I can til it goes dumb. It's also awfully familiar to some other recent shows, like Homecoming and Loki. I've only just finished ep 2. Thank you, red letter media for the introduction.
Interesting references:
Mark Scout looks a lot like original macintosh era Steve Jobs.
Lumon -> Lemon -> Apple
using a logo without text. Also, the teardrop, if you squint and abstract a little, is like an inverted apple with the bite gone
corporate aesthetic is like evil Jony Ive Apple (I've heard tell it's not unlike 60's IBM), not counting the old testament painting.
founder's cult
I feel like I'm forgetting a couple.
Non Apple references:
Portal (and portal 2): opening animation, instruction books
The Matrix: scary codes on a screen, black goo
The Cube Series: general plotline (I am only on ep 2, mind you).
Time will tell for the totality of the show, but for season one you won't be.
I read an interview somewhere with the writer, Dan Erickson, where he said he does has a plan for how it will end, but how much gets explained along the way depends how many seasons are ordered. iirc he said he would like five. Or twenty.
I suppose it depends on how you define 'satisfactory' really. There's no way they can tie up every little thing, but I don't always like a story which ends like that. It's nice to leave some uncertainty and mystery. Although when Lost just threw any old crap out and ignored most of it, that was extremely frustrating.
Very minor spoiler for mid-season Severance
That said, they are definitely going to have to explain the baby goats.Lumon is a stand in for any American megacorporation, really, so the fact that it could be Apple is entirely coincidental. 😉
But really, given that it is supposed to be generations old, I think it is supposed to match bigger and older corporations like GE or 3M.
The apple thing is mildly amusing. Out of the #BigTech companies they are the most lumon-like, with their emphasis on secrecy and whatnot. It's a bit of stretch, still, though, especially under Cook.
I feel like they definitely took cues from early IBM corporate culture. IBM had a "rally song", and it is incredibly disturbing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0ChoHNEgRI&t=1s. I would also note, at 1:32 (timestamped link) there is someone who looks EXACTLY like Milchick.