‘The work is mysterious and important’: So is this ‘Severance’ meme. Let us explain

The Work Is Mysterious And Important meme refers to Severance protagonist Mark, played by Adam Scott, holding up a finger and delivering this line in his cubicle. The show's premise hinges on characters who have split their minds between their work lives and their off time performing strange tasks without any clue as to their meaning. All anyone will tell them is that the work is important. Very mysterious.

The meme is used to comment on all the little things we do each day without knowing why.

Meme basics:

• Meme Creator: u/AAA-111
• Meme Type: Image macro
• First Appearance: Jan. 5, 2025
• Origin Source: Reddit
• Used to Convey: Defensiveness
• Peak Popularity: Jan. 2025

What is the 'The Work Is Mysterious And Important' meme?

The meme consists of a photo of a screen showing a moment from Severance in which Mark S. sits in his cubicle in his suit and tie and a finger in the air as if to scold someone. The closed captioning reads, "The work is mysterious and important."

After someone captured the image and posted it following the release of the episode in 2022, social media users later discovered it and began to use it as a "me when" meme.

"Me when I press the C button on the Switch 2," wrote Threads user @neiltendo_power above the photo.

The meme is meant to poke fun at how humans often perform small tasks out of habit, superstition, or after observing someone else do it, even though they don't understand why it needs to be done.

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Meme origins

Adam Scott speaks this line in season 1, episode 4 of Severance, titled "The You You Are." Having recently become team leader, it's his job to convince the new hire, Helly R., that an existence of perpetual work isn't so bad. When she balks at the idea of looking for sets of numbers that feel weird without knowing why, he tells her that "the work is mysterious and important."

On March 7, 2022, three days after this episode aired, X user @gretaprofessor posted the photo that would become a meme. Picking up on the show's message, she asked, "Watching 'Severance' counts as labor history, right?"

On Jan. 5, 2023, Reddit user AAA-111 reposted the photo on the forum r/exmormon in a meme format with a caption relating to the sub's topic.

"When I ask my TBM family members why God would command Joseph to marry and have sex with minors despite having the Law of Adoption available," they wrote.

The post didn't get too much attention, and it would be a year before the meme began to take off across social media.

'The Work Is Mysterious And Important' meme goes viral

The joke began to pick up steam two episodes into season 2 of Severance as fans started to learn more about the show's mysteries. Entries appeared on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky, and someone has already made a green screen of the clip on YouTube and TikTok in anticipation of the video version.

On Jan. 21, 2025, X user @megannn_lynne went viral with six million views for her take on the meme, writing, "Putting a bay leaf in a recipe even though idk what the f*ck it does."

Severance season 2 will air eight more episodes until March 21. Season 3 has yet to be confirmed.

'The Work Is Mysterious And Important' meme examples:

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