This series is not for those looking for an entertaining sci-fi. Those who struggled with the monotony, repetitiveness, and slowness of this show just simple missed the basic point of it. On the surface, it's about the torture of working in a cubicle, doing a meaningless 9-5 job. The slowness, the slow torture, the break room, the minimalist office with green ceiling and neon white light, it's all meant to induce in you a claustrophobic feeling. This is the true essence of office work when you go into the office during the day and leave after sundown.
Admittedly, its confronting for the vast majority of us because a boring, repetitive, neon-lit, intrinsically meaningless, nine-to-five office job is exactly as torturous as working at Lumon. But who's willing to admit that that which takes up half of our walking hours is simply nothing worth wasting our lives over? Or who's willing to recognise that our jobs probably need us more than we need it? You find yourself questioning the things in your life that force you to think that you need to keep doing that which drains the life out of you.
I believe this is a rich and multilayered series and poses a lot of very interesting questions beyond the basic premise.
Consider the idea that the desire to be free could be innate, like in the case of Helly R. She was "born" in the office, but she finds it all excruciatingly limiting and torturous.
Or consider that if we weren't all so socially biased, same-sex love would not be so controversial and requiring the whole of humanity to decide on its legality... You see Irv and Burt following their desire to connect and the only objectionable thing they're doing is having an "office romance." As an example, you see Dylan questions that relationship as much as he does Mark and Helly's developing friendship.
The show leaves you with a lot of intriguing questions: Why they only focused on the data that provokes fear? And what does this mean?
What did the gory paintings mean?
And who does Kier represent?
There also seems to be religious connotations too; consider Cobel's shrine, the song, the statue... Ultimately, what does Lumon do?
This is a different series from all the dystopian drama out there. I'm quite impressed and I'm curious about the second season.
Admittedly, its confronting for the vast majority of us because a boring, repetitive, neon-lit, intrinsically meaningless, nine-to-five office job is exactly as torturous as working at Lumon. But who's willing to admit that that which takes up half of our walking hours is simply nothing worth wasting our lives over? Or who's willing to recognise that our jobs probably need us more than we need it? You find yourself questioning the things in your life that force you to think that you need to keep doing that which drains the life out of you.
I believe this is a rich and multilayered series and poses a lot of very interesting questions beyond the basic premise.
Consider the idea that the desire to be free could be innate, like in the case of Helly R. She was "born" in the office, but she finds it all excruciatingly limiting and torturous.
Or consider that if we weren't all so socially biased, same-sex love would not be so controversial and requiring the whole of humanity to decide on its legality... You see Irv and Burt following their desire to connect and the only objectionable thing they're doing is having an "office romance." As an example, you see Dylan questions that relationship as much as he does Mark and Helly's developing friendship.
The show leaves you with a lot of intriguing questions: Why they only focused on the data that provokes fear? And what does this mean?
What did the gory paintings mean?
And who does Kier represent?
There also seems to be religious connotations too; consider Cobel's shrine, the song, the statue... Ultimately, what does Lumon do?
This is a different series from all the dystopian drama out there. I'm quite impressed and I'm curious about the second season.
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