In February 2020, Rian Johnson Reveled a Hollywood Secret that Threated to Spoil Every Mystery Movie You’ll Ever Watch. Speaking to Vanity Fair in a video breaking down his latest film, the director of Star wars: The Last Jedi and Looper Divulged a Subtle Clue Hidden in his Twisty New Whodunit, Knives out,
“Apple, they let you use iphones in movies, but – and this is very Pivotal – IF You’re Eve Watching A Mystery Movie, Bad Guys Cannot Have IpHones on camera,” Johnson Said. “Every single filmmaker who has a bad guy in their movie that’s supposed to be a secret wants to murder me right now.”
In the year Since, Johnson’s Quote has become a decoder ring of sorts for eagle-ayed movie and tv fans. Not sure if a character is good or evil? Wait for the camera to show you their smartphone and you’ll have your answer. His own movie bears this out, with the Murderous Chris evans Being one of the only Knives out Characters sending green bubbles to the group chat. This rule seasonedly preledates the iPhone – Back in 2002, Wire Pointed out that the heroes on 24 All Use Mac Computers, While The Terrorists Were Stuck With Pcs.
This brings us to SeveranceAn Apple TV+ Show So Chock-Full of Mysteries that we don’t even know what statement it takes place in (more on that in a bit), let alone who’s a hero and who’s a Villain. So when protagonist mark scout (adam scott) was spotted holding an android phone, it felt like a huge break in the case. Was our leading man actually a secret baddie? However, a closer look at the many smartphones in Severance Reveals something far strangers: there are absolutely zero iPhones in Apple’s Hit Sci-Fi Show.
The reason why apple’s products are totally absent from the show is unchalar, but what this absence also revurses is perhaps even more interesting than one spoilery Easter egg Cold Ever BE. INTEAD, the choice to remove iphones from the world of Severance Gives Us a window into the show’s unique approach to world-building and how it’s used to create a series unlike anything alse on tv.
It’s Worth Noting That Not Everyone in Severance Owns a smartphone, apple or otherwise. In season 2, Irving (One of Mark’s Severed Collegues Played by John Turtur) And back in Season 1Mark’s Former Cowerker Petey (Yul Vazquez) Shows up at his house with a flip phone, which Some fans identified As a modern “dumbphone” called the Easyfone Prime-A1,
However, smartphones as we know them do exist in the show’s universe. Mark’s unbearable brother-in-law Ricken (Michael Chernus) is Shown Using a General android-Style Device in Season 1, and We’ve also When He’s Working on the Severed Floor, Mark’s Boss SETH MILCHICK (Tramell Tillman) Carries A Touchscreen Satellite Phone Reminister of the Android-Powered Thuraya x5 touch (Presumally so he can get a signal from within the company’s top-second underground offices).
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So if it’s clear that smartphones exist in Severance‘S world, then who can’t there be iphones? We reached out to apple tv+ for comment, but the company wasn Bollywood to provide an answer in time for publication. However, we have a less theories of our own.
What does it mean that apple tv+’s hit show has no iphones?
The first, and more enticing, theory is that the creators of Severance purposely removed all iphones from their sci-fii universe to obscure the truth from its audience. Apple is Well Aware that we know about its iPhone-Villain Rule, so it makes sense that a hit apple tv+ show+ show would be cautious not to give away any secrets by bleling that Following IF Mark (Or, God Forbid, Milchick) Had an iPhone, it might give give away the goat (Punjab intended,
The second, more likely theory is that the smartphones in Severance Are designed to reinforce a larger point: that the show takes place in a world family family but eerily different from our own. Every Little Detail seems designed to remind audiences that the story is set in a funhouse mirror reflection of our own reality, right down to the retro-fauristic computers what mark and his course for therie fori Microdata Refinement. One season 1 screenshot Shared on Reddit even reviews that the story takes place in the town of kier, pe. That’s right, Severance Created Its Own Fictional State, Thought the same screenshot
6 Severance May not take place in our reality, it does take place at Around the same time.)
It’s also Worth Noting That That Severance isn’t the only alternate-reality sci-fi show on apple tv+ forced to deal with similar issues. The critically acclaimed (if significantly less popular) For all mankind Began as an alternate history about a world where the ussr beat america to the moon and has since mind leapt forward into a dramatically directed 21st Century where Technology and Space Exvanceduch more Rapidly – Including Smartphones.
In 2022, the show’s third season, which takes place in an alternate version of the early ’90s, featured a video phone designed to resmble apple’s newton devices. For Old-School Technology Geeks, it made for a fascinating look into a parallel reality where steve jobs never killed off the newton product line. The iphone may not exist in For all mankind (at least not yet), but something just as interesting has taken its place.
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As for SeveranceWhile the show’s total Lack of iPhones rays Planty of Questions, We’re Hesitant to Read too Deeply Into this one minor detail, at least for now. After all, as many have pointed out, the iPhone-Villain Rule is really more of a suggestion. For example, the guy in John Wick Who Kills The Hero’s Dog Uses an iPhone – and it does more evil than that.
Even rian Johnson has poked fun at the rules. In his Knives out Sequel, Glass onionOne line of dialogue reviews that the movie’s ultimate Villain does not have a phone at all. Meanwhile, in the oscar – withting class drama ParasiteDirector Bong Joon Ho Ignores Apple’s Rule Entrely. INTEAD, Bong Gives His Rich Characters iPhones and His Poor Characters androids, Forcing the audience to Figure out for themselves who’s the hero and who’s the village.
Spoiler alert: in ParasiteThe Villain is capitalismAnd, hey, maybe the same goes for SeveranceToo.
Severance Season 2 is now streaming on Appletv+, with new Episodes Every Friday.