Why Theodore Shapiro’s “The Four Tempers” Is Key to Understanding ‘Severance’

There are many aspects of Severance to appreciate. From the acting to the storyline, the show is enthralling and there is no doubt in mind as to why the show is often considered a turning point in Apple TV+’s reputation as a reliable provider of quality entertainment. Moreover, the show’s musical decisions are nothing to scoff at either. The score, composed by Theodore Shapiro, includes a bevy of songs that strongly capture the sense of confusion, dread, and exhilaration that defines various characters and their experiences in and outside Lumon.

One song, in particular, may be the key to understanding a crucial component of the series. “The Four Tempers” stands out as an essential piece. Harkening back to the widely popular “four temperaments,” a proto-psychological theory that reduces human behavior to four personality types, the four temperaments have appeared throughout the series, from the philosophy of Kier Egan himself to the work Lumon employees conduct on computers.

Perhaps a greater understanding of the song, and the four temperaments, may very well be the key to not only predicting upcoming events of the series, but understanding the myths and facts about human behavior.

The Four Temperaments, at a Glance

As mentioned earlier, the belief in ‘the four temperaments’ reportedly dates back to Mesopotamia. However, much of the knowledge about the theory stems from the teachings of the Greek physician Hippocrates.

The central belief is that human personality can be reduced to four types: sanguine, melancholic, phlegmatic, and choleric. These archetypes and their corresponding expressions were thought to be correlated to the lack of, or excess, of human bodily fluids such as blood, black bile, yellow bile, and phlegm. For instance, it was believed that if someone appeared too excited, the amount of blood in their body may be significantly higher than the rest of the fluids. Similarly, someone in deep despair was believed to have an excessive amount of black bile in their bodies.

The Four Temperaments Beyond the Body

The four temperaments were also heavily associated with the seasons due to their temperature and state of matter. In particular, since phlegm is typically believed to be cold and wet, it was heavily associated with winter. Concurrently, summer was associated with yellow bile due to the latter being hot and dry. As time progresses, the theory has been disproven, but the four temperaments have served as a catalyst for greater understanding of the human body as well as a metaphorical use in the field of psychology.

Lumon & “The Four Tempers”

In the series, Lumon is introduced as an innovative yet polarizing biotech company, “severing” its employees or splitting their personalities into a labor-minded half (“innie”) and a half that exists outside of work (“outie”). Mainly focusing on the Macrodata Refinement Division, the series gives audiences several glimpses at the daily requirements of each employee.

At a glance, the desk job appears to be a confusing organization of encrypted numbers that must be directed to a digital bin. With the 5 month time-jump in season 2, clues about the purpose of said refinement become a little clearer, allowing audiences a look at illuminating scenes that push the plot forward and offer fans a reliable source for their theories.

Chords of Quiet Chaos, Explained

Alongside strong performances and a stark, minimalist aesthetic that is both alluring and eerie, Severance also benefits from a score that harmonizes with the themes and general feel of the show. Conducted by Theodore Shapiro, whose work also appeared in projects like Yellowjackets and A Simple Favor, the score is a sprawling collection of “quiet, subtle, yet detailed” pieces that capture the anxiety and intrigue commonly felt by Lumon employees.

One song in particular, “The Four Tempers”, not only speaks to the aforementioned dread that silently follows each character but also acts as a direct nod to Lumon’s philosophy. The lurching strings trudge forward, a menacing force with an air of delight or twisted joy. Aside from the sonics of the piece, “The Four Tempers” is a clear reference to Lumon creator Kier Egan’s (Marc Geller) beliefs, a major force behind the company’s embrace of the severance process.

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Is TV’s Favorite Quartet Simply a Coincidence?

Between the song, the mechanisms of Macrodata Refinement, and the lore surrounding the Egan dynasty, the four temperaments serve as a major focal point for the series. Upon entering the closed-off, sterile environment that is Lumon, viewers quickly learn that all is not what it seems behind the white walls, spurning theories about Lumon, the true purpose of severance and what that entails for our four protagonists.

Following the first season’s conclusion, many fans subscribed to the notion that Mark (Adam Scott), Danny (Zach Cherry), Helly (Britt Lower), and Irving (John Turturro) serve as multidimensional representations of the four temperaments: Frolic, Woe, Dread, and Malice. Noted by their behavior, fans have associated the nervous and traumatized Irving with dread, the grieving Mark with woe, the frustrated Helly with malice, and the free-spirited, optimistic Danny with frolic. As the series progresses, these associations give way to more complex interpretations as their personalities and approach to uncovering the secrets of Lumon start to shift.

The Future of Our Favorite Foursome

With the second season premiering earlier this month, speculation about the four tempers continued amongst fans. A notable development appears in the final scene of the season premiere, where audiences see a recently reassured Mark resuming his job in Macrodata Refinement, following the “Macrodata Uprising” and subsequent reforms.

Mark resumes work on a file named “Cold Harbor.” As he places the data into one of the four corresponding bins, a flash of Ms. Casey (Dichen Lachman), who is revealed to be Mark’s late wife Gemma, appears on the screen. This conclusion sparked conversation once again about the true purpose of Macrodata Refinement, with many coming to the conclusion that the service is a tool used by Lumon to improve severance chips, thus rendering Ms. Casey/Gemma as one of the project’s subjects.

Given the promise of reform, by way of better treatment and Mark’s reunion with his department, shared by Milchick (Trammell Tillman), “Cold Harbor” might be one of the more insidious examples of said changes proposed by the companies. Due to the Macrodata Uprising, it would be remiss of anyone to believe that Lumon does not already have a plan to circumvent any form of dissent in the future. The four familiar faces fans have come to love may be the key to Lumon’s dominance over the human psyche, or the debilitating force that could cause Lumon to crumble.

In a sea of clues and allusions, there are many places fans can start if they wish to sink their teeth into the suspense behind Severance. Shapiro’s musical contribution to the series, however, is an essential attribute of the series that not only captures the emotions of each character and the situation they find themselves in but also serves as a slight nod to the fundamental theories behind the story at hand.