Keanu Reeves’ appearance from Severance fits perfectly with a big theory

the Season 2 of the sci-fi thriller series “Severance” premieres on Apple TV+ She gave a lot of things for her dedicated fans to take care of her. Did Lumon really celebrate the four core members of the Total Data Enhancement Unit for trying to rebel against their masters and tell the truth of the Inner World? What exactly happened in the outside world when people discovered the meaning of cutting? All of these questions feed into the different fan theories people have about “Severance” and what its extensive mythology means. Are esotericists unknowingly working on a way to transfer human consciousness from one body to another? Perhaps the goats seen in Season 1 are being bred to take on the role of humans in the outside world. And so on. But there is one specific theory – that the internals are cogs in some grand simulation, a theory that may affect both internals and outies – She may have gained a little more weight thanks to her unexpected appearance at the premiere.

As fans already know, the main aspect of the episode comes in the form of some Claymation that Mr. Milchick shows Mark and his colleagues. The goal of the brief animation is to convince the characters’ in-house that their rebellious act in the late episodes of the first season has been respected and embraced by Lumon, as told from the perspective of the Lumon Industries building itself. Building is voiced by none other than Keanu Reeves, in an uncredited cameo. (Although his name doesn’t appear in the credits, his voice is almost instantly recognizable thanks to his many years of being A-listers.) It’s a delightfully incongruous moment, partly because modern popular culture isn’t directly referenced More often than not “Severance,” partly because the first season didn’t boast a lot of unexpected roles from well-known actors. But aside from the fun of hearing the former John Wick smilingly throw around some corporate jargon, there’s something else to consider: If you think this show is about characters in a simulation, who better to reinforce that idea than the star of “The Matrix”?

The entire concept of “The Matrix” revolves around the apocalyptic idea that the main character, white-collar worker Thomas Anderson, gradually comes to realize that the world he lives in may seem ordinary, but it is a complete facade meant to pacify humanity. Far from their real miserable surroundings. There’s no cult-like character like Kier Eagan in “The Matrix” — if anything, Anderson himself, who transforms into the all-powerful Neo, is the closest you can get to a cult-like figure in the non-simulated world. But it’s hard to shake those early images of Thomas, before he became Neo, in a sterile office environment being awakened to the feeling that all is not well in his carefully crafted world. There are undoubtedly key differences between The Matrix and Severance, not least the fact that the former film doesn’t waste much time explaining to the audience that the “real” world isn’t real at all. “Severance” is a bold and unexpected show, but it’s unlikely to give up its end game so soon in Season 2 (if it does at all this year).

Instead, what “Severance” does (and has done well over its short history) is provide creative breadcrumbs that are detailed and ambiguous enough to allow for all kinds of theorizing. It’s easy to focus more on the Claymation video itself and what Reeves is talking about, rather than on the nature of why he was chosen for this short role. The language used in the video is enough to make the Innies’ heads spin, as Lumon tries to focus positively on their actions, when they (and all of us in the audience) assumed they would be punished severely for what they did. Reeves’ delivery veers a little into menacing at times, but is meant to be cheerful and upbeat most of the time, belying Lomon’s true intentions. If nothing else, the cast here feels like the equivalent of when Pixar cast Sigourney Weaver in “WALL-E” to voice a computer system that seemed to be mothering on a high-powered space flight; She goes from rebelling against her mother’s computer in “Alien” to becoming that computer herself. Now the man fighting the regime has become the embodiment of the regime itself.

“Severance” has proven to be full of surprises now that it has finally returned after an agonizing three-year hiatus. Like some great TV shows, from Twin Peaks to… “lost,” The series seems to thrive with its most passionate fans trying to figure out the endgame. It was easy to stumble over the delightful shock of the fact that one of Hollywood’s most enduring contemporary stars had lent his voice to the show for a few short minutes, and because fans tend to theorize based on the tiniest bits of information, it’s easy to imagine that the star of “The Matrix” would make an appearance. Here it is just a happy coincidence, albeit intentional. But it doesn’t seem like a real coincidence that when the series’ creative team planned this, they wanted to call Neo, of all people, to deliver a supposed message of goodwill to a group of rebels.

Doesn’t Keanu Reeves showing up here as that messenger mean anything at all? (Or, failing that, could it just be a fun tie-in, similar to the “WALL-E” example above?) Of course, but among the various fan theories circulating around the internet is the idea that Mark, Haley, Irving, and Dylan are all part of a massive simulation , a simulation that might include the inner and outer worlds side by side, which already seemed believable enough before we heard from Neo. (It’s also worth asking: In the world of this show, is Keanu still as popular as Keanu here? Does “The Matrix” exist in that world? That could also open up a weird little Pandora’s box of ideas.) As with many “separations “This may mean something or it may mean everything. The possibilities are endless, as are the ramifications of such a prominent cameo.

New episodes of “Severance” Season 2 are available on Apple TV+ on Fridays.