Introduction
Rebecca Ferguson delivers a compelling performance in the persistently grey-green, subterranean post-apocalyptic setting of Silo. The series' political insight makes it a worthwhile watch, even if it does not always captivate with entertainment value.
Setting and Premise
Being confined indefinitely in an underground bunker after an apocalypse presents numerous challenges, with one of the most significant being relentless boredom. How does one occupy endless days filled only with disputes and despair? This dilemma is a constant presence in Silo, a richly produced yet inevitably damp and oppressive sci-fi drama.
Centuries ago, survivors of a catastrophic event were relocated into the eponymous silo—a vast metal cylinder extending hundreds of stories underground, with its top floor at ground level. Currently, about ten thousand people inhabit this silo, though the records explaining the origins of their confinement have long since disappeared. The inhabitants follow rules upheld solely by solemn tradition and a paralyzing fear of what lies beyond. On the floor functioning as a town square, a giant screen broadcasts a live video feed of the devastated, irradiated world outside. Employment is organized into departments with practical names such as Mining and Mechanical, reinforcing the impression that the silo is a creaking, retrofitted machine liable to fail at any moment.
Atmosphere and Social Structure
While one might describe the series as having a steampunk aesthetic, the typical energy associated with steam and punk is absent. Instead, Silo feels murky and suffocating, making such labels feel misplaced. The bunker’s residents struggle to find any levity living under artificial light. As one greenish-grey episode fades into the next, the recurring plot involves the proletariat—confined literally to the lower levels of the silo—suspecting deception by the upper classes and staging rebellions. Each uprising involves attempting to ascend one more flight of spiral stairs than permitted by law.
Season One Overview
Season one depicts widespread discontent culminating in the inquisitive engineer Juliette (Rebecca Ferguson) challenging the silo’s belief that the surface is an uninhabitable wasteland by venturing outside. She discovers that while the land is indeed a wasteland, it is not unsurvivable. The silo’s leaders had ensured that those who left perished by providing substandard equipment, likely to prevent reports that other silos exist nearby. Season one reveals multiple silos in the region, contradicting the silo’s narrative of being the last refuge of humanity.
Season Two Developments
Season two continues the theme of malaise. Juliette visits another silo where a mass escape attempt resulted in nearly all inhabitants dying. She uncovers that protocols exist for remotely triggering the mass execution of everyone in a silo if they become too rebellious. Additionally, the original silo contains an AI oracle hidden in its basement that appears to govern operations.
Character Dynamics and Plot Progression
After surviving a season two cliffhanger in which Juliette was trapped in a fire-filled airlock with the complex but sinister silo governor Bernard (Tim Robbins)—a nuanced portrayal of an authoritarian whose moral doubts are persistent yet do not prevent him from exerting oppressive control—Juliette returns to what is now known as Silo 18. Unfortunately, the series employs a familiar dramatic device: Juliette suffers amnesia regarding a crucial event, with memories gradually returning through flashbacks, requiring viewers to patiently await her cognitive recovery.
Political Themes and Questions
As Juliette navigates confusion, the series continues as a visually impressive drama that may not always entertain but offers thoughtful political commentary. It explores questions such as:
How do you hold together a coalition of rulers, staff and soldiers when the cause you’re defending is very possibly bogus? How do you control a population if you’ve left them with nothing to lose? What is a society, what is humanity, if not its shared history, which can be shaped and edited by those in power?
These significant themes are handled intelligently, presenting science fiction with substantial gravity.
Season Three and New Timeline
Recognizing the need for tonal variation, season three introduces a new timeline set centuries earlier during the "Before Times," resembling the early to mid-21st century. In this timeline, Iran detonates a dirty bomb in the United States. When a retaliatory aerial mission fails in an unusual manner, Congressman Daniel Keene (Ashley Zukerman)—a dynamic figure resembling a future Democratic party leader—and journalist Helen Drew (Jessica Henwick) investigate the incident.
While their work will eventually influence the establishment of silo life, their presence offers immediate relief by depicting a familiar world. They drive cars, visit parks and cafes, and work in offices with windows. This glimpse outside the silo provides the series with a much-needed breath of fresh air.
