The Apple TV+ workplace drama deepens the lore, explores the Innie-Outie conundrum, and fully establishes itself as the series to beat right now.

Fortunately, “Severance” returns to Apple TV+ on Friday, and its makers seem to have used every second of the absence productively. The season takes new turns while remaining the most ambitious, batty and all-out pleasurable show on TV, an M.C. Escher maze whose plot convolutions never get in the way of its voice, heart and sense of humor.

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.