Silo is the best dystopian series on TV—period. In a category with The 100 and Fallout, the series stands ahead of the rest by a large margin. The 100 started strong but quickly grew sour, with bad writing and too much drama. Fallout is a great series but they focused too much on gruesome actions. So with The 100 overly dramatic and Fallout a bloody mess, Silo is a much better-written series with far better acting than the others. (Also, this review is spoiler free)
Aside from the dystopian backdrop, an interesting thing the three series have in common is female leads. Eliza Taylor (The 100), Ella Purnell (Fallout), and Rebecca Ferguson (Silo) all anchor the cast on their respective shows. Things overlap even more when you start talking about character attributes; each one was disliked at some point. But Ferguson stands out because while she may be annoying and hard to love, she gets things done. Her confidence and ferocity make her a threat to the powers that be and she’s not afraid to ask questions. Was she an easy character to warm up to? No. But about halfway through season two, I knew she could handle anything.
A clear winner in the silo wars, Silo boasts a fantastic story and an extraordinary cast. I can’t say there have been too many times where I found myself disliking Tim Robbins, but in Silo, I loathed him (a nod to his acting). Aside from Ferguson and Robbins, top brass included Rashida Jones, Iain Glen, David Oyelowo, Will Patton, and Common. Shane McRae and Avi Nash were outstanding in the second season and my series favorite, Remmie Milner, gave a smashing performance as well. The series was a big win for Common, who played a major role and owned it. As Robert Sims, he vied to be a shadow, which would make him the No. 2 of whoever was in command at the time (like an apprentice).
The silo has a mayor, sheriff, and your regular classist hierarchy. Judicial is where the law is upheld by a judge and has employees to do their bidding. Those laws can be found in The Pact, a set of rules they live by that were put in place by the silo’s founders. The nicer life and loftier jobs are located on the higher levels of the silo. The rougher, more blue-collar work takes place on the lower levels often called the “Down Deep”. There, the mines await those forced to do hard labor and you’ll find the most vital area of the silo, “Mechanical.” The past is referred to as “The Before Time” and their computers’ aptly appearance was reminiscent of the Apple IIGS.
The series is split into two seasons. The first is before she’s sent to “clean”, which involves leaving the silo to clean the lens through which they view the outside world. There is a grave risk because, as you know, they live in a silo because it’s not safe outside. So being sent to clean is often a form of punishment as your special suit may or may not be enough to protect you.
First off, I mentioned Oyelowo and Jones were part of the cast and they were used a lot in early marketing. Well, they get “Game of Thrones’d” pretty quickly (HBO has a reputation for killing characters just as you’re learning about them). It conjured frustration naturally since Oyelowo is a treasure, but thankfully, the story gets increasingly better to where their absence is fleeting.
The silo sits a mile deep underground to protect them from the deadly and toxic world that exists outside. Grateful for a safe existence, questions still from its residents as to who built the silo, when was it built, and why? Any inquiries into its origin or why it exists are met with fierce resistance and sometimes fatal consequences. The series follows the life of Juliette Nichols (Rebecca Ferguson), an engineer in the “Down Deep” who plays a vital role in Mechanical. She is one of only a few people who push back and ask questions after someone close to her is murdered. When fatal events like this continue to happen, the number of people who suspect foul play starts to grow.
Silo gets a 9.5 out of 10. The story is quite enticing and the acting is phenomenal. There’s a good balance of veteran actors and new faces that are off to a great start. Here’s to hoping the series gets renewed for a third season because simply put: the series is fantastic.
The final episode of season two will premiere on Jan. 17, 2025. Season one is available now in full on Apple TV+ and season two is currently streaming new episodes every Friday.
-Jon Jones
Photos: Courtesy of Apple TV+
Genre: Drama/Mystery/Sci-Fi
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: 45-60 mins., 10 Episodes
Trailer: WATCH
U.S. Release Date: November 15, 2024