Dan Erickson talks season 2, episode 1

SPOILER ALERT: This article spoils the first episode of Breakup Season 2.

Breakup Creator Dan Erickson knows that the context in which Season 2 was released is important.

Season 2 of the Apple TV+ pro thriller arrived on January 17, almost three years after the first season debuted on the streamer on February 18, 2022. The first season had the abating of the COVID pandemic in its rearview mirror, and the season 2 comes next. – and delayed because of – the double strike in Hollywood which marked the second half of 2023.

“I wouldn’t even say we consciously put that into the season, but I think you can’t stop that from seeping in. And it certainly will seep in for people watching,” Erickson told Deadline. “Whatever is happening in the world affects the context in which people watch the show. It’s going to be really interesting to see how people react to this particular moment when (Season 2) comes out.

In the interview below, Erickson recalls the journey to Seasons 1 and 2 and how the barrier of “separation” will continue to factor into Season 2, as will Helly’s outward identity as a ‘Eagan.

DEADLINE: Was the reunion between Mark, Dylan, Irving and Helly planned beyond the first episode?

DAN ÉRICKSON: I mean, at the end of the day, they’re the heart and soul of the show. We talked at one point about the possibility of developing this a little more, and it was tempting. I remember the day we shot the first scene with Stefano and Bob and Alia, we were like, “Oh, I want to watch that.” show too. It would also be a really fun show in an alternate universe. But as lovely as this group is, I think there’s a sense of relief that comes through in that scene where Irving and Dylan and Helly come out of the elevator, because we’ve invested so much in them and we love them so much. , and we want to see them together. We talked about stretching it out a little bit, but at the end of the day we know what people want, let’s go for it.

DEADLINE: Helly isn’t telling the truth in the season 2 premiere when she reveals what she saw up there in the season 1 finale. Can you tell us if we’ll find out why they’re sorting this data? What do they sort?

ÉRICKSON: Yeah, I mean, Helly and the Night Gardener, there’s something going on there. We talked about the feeling of shame that each character would feel – the three characters who progressed. Dylan, of course, was the hero of LOL, and he stood there holding the line with the switches, but Mark and Irving and Helly, they all went up and each found something that really shattered their perception, and Helly finding out she was an Eagan is the ultimate shame. So the question is: would she be willing to share this information right away, or is this something she should take the time to process on her own before wanting to bring it to the group? And would she be afraid of being judged or ostracized, that her friends won’t accept her if they know she’s part of the reason they’re there? So it was a really interesting scene to tackle from the writing and then during the filming.

DEADLINE: What would you say you learned from filming Season 1 of Breakup that you wanted to include in season 2?

ÉRICKSON: The relationship between the character comedy component of the show and the dark sci-fi thriller part, I always knew those were two of the main building blocks of the show, but I didn’t always understand how they were gathering until I saw it. Watching the show, I was like, “Okay, it’s a comedy in the foreground, and then it’s a thriller in the background,” where they’re arguing about group photos and gum pencil, but then, just as that happens, if you pay attention, there’s this dark thing brewing behind them that threatens to swallow them whole.

It wasn’t until everyone on our creative team – our production designer, our cinematographer, our directors and our actors – all put their stamp on it that I understood how it worked and that it was easier to write this way. , season 2, but then, on the other hand, there was a lot more pressure, because all of a sudden we had this thing that we weren’t sure would be as mainstream a success as he was. There was the pressure of, can you replicate this? And can you do it again? So it was both more difficult and easier.

DEADLINE: It is a commentary on the company’s work culture and what happens in these structures. Did anything happen between this new season and the previous season that you really wanted to incorporate into the show?

ÉRICKSON: It’s funny because we released season 1 just as people were starting to come back to the office. At the same time, there were some jobs where people were like, “Hey, maybe we don’t need to come back to the office.” Maybe this is something where people could work from home. So it was an unexpected context in which we released the first season. But since then we’ve had the Great Resignation, where a lot of people, especially younger people, are saying, “Hey, should work play the role it always has in our lives?” Or is there another way to do this? But then, of course, the question is, “Well, what’s on the other side?” » You can get rid of the old system, but then what is the new system? It’s a fascinating time to live in because people are trying to figure this out.

RELATED: ‘Severance’ Season 2 Release Schedule: When Are New Episodes Coming to Apple TV+?

And then, of course, in our particular industry, we had these massive, months-long strikes that took place for the Writers Guild and the (Screen) Actors Guild and so we were all going to meetings and having these conversations and hearing the people. at all levels of the industry, people who were top writers, who have been working for decades, and then people who were new writers. And on the acting side, these are people who make their living as extras and people who are big movie stars and we were all in conversation, asking this question: “What is the appropriate relationship between work and life and between employer and employee? , and how much of ourselves should we be willing to give up to get a job? even a really great, coveted job like this, and what should we expect in return from the people we work for?

DEADLINE: The blurred lines between innie and outie memories are addressed in this first episode. Is this intended to confuse the public?

ÉRICKSON: This is not specifically intended to cause confusion, there is ambiguity as to what exactly transcends the separation barrier. It’s kind of built in, because of course the characters know how to speak English when they wake up on this table, they know what a chair is, and they know what another person looks like. There are certain things that are intrinsic and have penetrated into the part of your mind where that’s where it can transcend the barrier.

But then you keep wondering and you say, “Well, what about strong feelings, like love? Would you recognize your spouse if you saw them from the other side, or even if you didn’t consciously recognize them, would there be a part of you that would recognize them? And if you cry in your car before you get to work, physiologically, what does that do to your body? Do you still feel that way when you go down the elevator? In a way we have understood this, but we also cannot understand it because it raises questions of nature versus nurture and mind versus body, and what is intrinsic to who we are and what is based on experiences. that we had. I think that’s intentional, not even intentional, but they’re just questions that we’re going to continue to ask throughout the series.

RELATED: Ben Stiller Compares ‘Separation’ to Today’s Hollywood: ‘Restrictions and Safer Choices’