When the Severance cast, dedicated fans of the Apple TV+ series, and members of the press headed to Bell Works in Holmdel, New Jersey on April 5 to celebrate Season 2’s success, Decider was sure to ask creator/writer/EP Dan Erickson about one of the show’s most underrated scenes: his Season 1 finale cameo.
Only the most Eagle-eyed fans realized that Erickson makes a brief — albeit, iconic — appearance in Severance Season 1, Episode 9, “The We We Are.” Where?! Well, at around 10:35, as Mark (Adam Scott) descends the stairs at Ricken’s (Michael Chernus) book party, he walks past Erickson, who’s standing against a wall chatting with Devon (Jen Tullock). As post-OTC Mark (a perplexed innie person in the outie world) takes in his surroundings and walks by, Devon touches his arm, he glances at her and Erickson, and Erickson utters a simple yet exhilarating “Hi.”
The cameo may be short, but it serves as yet another exiting Easter egg in a show known and loved for its meticulous attention to detail. It’s a small gift to fans who are so deep in Severance‘s world that they recognize Erickson on sight. And it’s a chance for Erickson to canonicalize himself in the world he crafted. The show was born from his own desire to dissociate from his shifts at a door factory (lore that’s directly referenced in Season 2), so it’s only right that he exist in Severance — if only for a few seconds as an uncredited party guest.
“Thank you, thank you! None of these people have mentioned it, not one,” Erickson playfully said when Decider brought up his stealth Season 1 finale cameo on the red carpet.
Considering Severance‘s creator is officially a pal of Devon, likely Ricken, and perhaps even Mark, we asked if fans could expect to see him reappear in the series down the line. Here’s what Erickson had to say: “Look, I don’t want to say never. I don’t want to say definitely, and I don’t want to say never.”
As for what the Season 1 finale writer remembers about his time in front of the camera, Erickson said, “I thought that there was magic happening on screen there that night. I feel that it was nice to be able to use that tool of my body and my performance in a way that I don’t normally use.”
“I think that when I nod at Mark, it says a lot. It’s more than just a nod. It’s an acknowledgement of him as a human being,” Erickson joked. “So it’s really the heart of the show.”
Though they’re usually more subtle than Erickson’s finale scene, Severance has featured several other memorable cameos throughout its first two seasons, including Keanu Reeves as the voice of the animated Lumon Administrative Building in Milchick’s “Lumon is Listening” video, Saturday Night Live star Sarah Sherman as the voice of the animated water tower, and director/EP Ben Stiller as the voice of Kier in the animated video featured in Season 1, Episode 8.
Here’s hoping Severance keeps the cameo tradition going strong in Season 3 and also finds a way to bring Erickson back to screen. After all, Ricken wanted a book reading redo, didn’t he?
Severance Season 1 and Season 2 are now streaming on Apple TV+.
The post ‘Severance’ Creator Dan Erickson On His Season 1 Finale Cameo And If He’ll Reappear In The Series: “I Don’t Want To Say Never” appeared first on Decider.
