Taking the idea of work-life balance to extremes, the sardonic and surrealist thriller “Severance” on Apple TV+ envisions a dystopian corporate world in which employees of a company called Lumon Industries have a chip implanted in their brains that severs their memory in two. At work, their “innie” version has no knowledge of their life or even personal history outside the office; they are simply “at work” all the time. Their “outie” is just as clueless about anything that transpires under the fluorescent lights of their cubicles. They might as well be two different people. What a premise! If half of your life is intolerable, simply free yourself from it. It’s a trap, of course. Part of you is permanently stuck in an experience you hate. It’s especially pernicious because alarming things are happening in that basement at Lumon and each person’s outie is ignorant of the malevolence and misery their innies are living non-stop. Season 1 ended three years ago on a cliffhanger, with the innies staging a rebellion and discovering disturbing truths about their outies. Season 2 picks up in the aftermath. The innies are still at Lumon. After some damage control, the company attempts to restore the status quo for Mark (Adam Scott), Helly (Britt Lower), Dylan (Zach Cherry) and Irving (John Turturro). These workers may have a smidge more information about their circumstances now, but most of it remains as fuzzy as the green carpet of their office space. Mark initially sought out severance as a reprieve from the grief over his dead wife, but is she not dead at all but imprisoned somewhere at Lumon? Can the lovely and skeptical Helly, whose outie is Helena, the cold-blooded daughter of the company’s owner, be trusted once her backstory is relayed to the group? Will she and Mark act on their mutual attraction? What’s going on with their unnervingly serene manager Seth (Tramell Tillman) and his new assistant Miss Wong (Sarah Bock), who is not an adult but a child in knee socks? Tramell Tillman in Season 2 of “Severance.” (Apple TV+) Their respective outies, who remain siloed off and unaware of one another, are flailing too, just as discombobulated by the slivers of information that have come to light about their innies. At the core of it all is the biggest question: What is Lumon’s endgame? “Severance” frames this last one to suggest a larger conspiracy. But I have doubts the show will be able to give a satisfying answer in the end. I could be wrong! But the exploitation of workers is so cynically and depressingly straightforward that it doesn’t need a complicated explanation. Regardless, both the innies and outies are seeking answers and, bit by bit, they hatch plans to uncover the truth. A three-year pause between seasons is not how you build anticipation, but my frustration with the show lies in the format itself. Though “Severance” has a concept that’s equal parts creepy and compelling, boosted by terrific performances and distinctive production design, the core idea is a movie idea. There just isn’t enough story for a nine-episode series (bumped to 10 episodes for Season 2), which happens to be an issue with numerous other streaming shows as well, and increasingly some films (including “Wicked” and the decision to extend it into two parts). So how do you stretch a movie-length premise into a series? Creator Dan Erickson slows the pacing way down and employs stall tactics that masquerade as world-building. “Severance” doubles down on this in Season 2, repeating the same beats and themes over and over again, such as the difficulty of imagining a different life for yourself. Or why people do things that go against their self-interest and are susceptible to the lure of a cult. How our perceptions of identity can be malleable depending on the surroundings or circumstances. Having a terrible job where empty, pandering nonsense is handed down by corporate headquarters. The pointless theater of workplace evaluations and workplace retreats. All interesting ideas! None of which are necessarily deepened over the show’s running time. I’m sure plenty of viewers will say: I liked Season 1, so repeat away! Fair enough. But that’s not a story extending out because it has places to go. Atmosphere — of which “Severance” has plenty — will only take you so far. A show can not hinge on vibes alone, though “Severance” is giving it a try. “Severance” Season 2 — 2.5 stars (out of 4) Where to watch: Apple TV+ Adam Scott in Season 2 of “Severance.” (Apple TV+) Nina Metz is a Tribune critic.