Severance Season 2: How do the opening credits differ from Season 1 of the Apple TV+ Series?

The second season of Severance on Apple TV+ recently concluded amidst overwhelming reviews. What markedly stood out in the case of the second installment of Severance season two, apart from the compelling narrative and the admirable performances, was the opening credit sequence.

The opening credits of Severance season one had already set a high bar with their reality-bending quality and dream-like animation, with the second season further upping the game.

Whereas the debut season of Severance featured an interesting title sequence consisting of Pajama Mark losing himself in a group of his innies, the second season's opening credits gave audiences a further insight into Mark's character, highlighting the competing relationship between his innies and outies, along with the other characters to boot.

The debut season's opening credits animation ended with innie and outie Mark blending together, while the second season's opening credits ended with one iteration of Mark prying open Pajama Mark's head from within. Here's everything that we know.

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Severance: Season 1 and 2's opening credits animation sequence explained

Mark spends the entirety of the opening credits animation of Severance Season 2 bumping into other versions of himself. However, to complete this multiplication motif, other characters and items repopulate and crowd the surrounding area. At the start of the credits, Helly and Gemma's reflections emerge below Pajama Mark, branching off in opposing directions.

Thereupon, balloons shaped like Mark's head randomly inflate and float around the opening titles, becoming a key symbol in the series based on this season's teaser and first episode. Another repeated image from the debut season's opening credits is the Lumon elevator, which perpetually glows green as it sets to ascend to the severed floor.

The most unusual of all the season 2 credit sequence motifs is the abundance of newborn babies. A few elements from the original title sequence have been carried over into this second iteration, such as the subtle device of dividing the frame into segments, Pajama Mark's fall from his coffee mug into his innie's massive halved head, and the deliberate presence of snow.

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Ben Stiller and Oliver Latta open up about the opening credits animation

Oliver Latta is a 3-D artist based in Berlin and designed the opening credits sequence for both seasons of Severance. His outstanding work on the debut season had earned him an Emmy for title design. While speaking to the Los Angeles Times about the second season's animation, Latta had remarked:

"It’s a little bit darker, I also had a feeling the whole series would be darker."

Similarly, creator Ben Stiller revealed a few telling details about the title sequence and the way it was filmed while speaking with Cinemablend:

"It was actually filmed in a bunch of different parts. I think it was about 10 different parts to it, and each part usually had a different piece of equipment to get it done for whatever piece we needed. But it was actually shot also over the course of probably, like, five or six months, when we would have different sections of the set that were ready.

He further added:

"And it all came out of this idea, really, that when Adam and I talked about the opening of the season, that, you know, this impetus that Mark would have to run and figure out what was going on based on this news he just heard.

Severance season 1 and 2 are exclusively available on Apple TV+.