TL;DR – Kept me on the edge of my seat until the credits rolled

Disclosure – I paid for the Apple TV+ service that viewed this series.

Silo Review –

I was unsure what to expect when the first episode of Silo, Freedom Day, dropped. I had not read the original novels by Hugh Howey, so when we went down the rabbit hole that was the mystery of the Silo, I was captivated about which turns the show would make. Now that we have seen the first season, I am even more fascinated by where the show can go from here. In today’s review, we will first explore the season finale Outside, before looking at the season as a whole.

So to set the scene, things are looking dicey for Juliette Nichols (Rebecca Ferguson) as she fights to save her life as the judiciaries Robert Sims (Common) and secret lord of the Silo Bernard Holland (Tim Robbins) chase her down, trying to contain the information she knows. It is a race against time, but Juliette does not know just how much the chips are stacked against her. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode and season as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

I may have had some issues with the pacing this season, but I have to say that this episode moved at a breakneck speed, and never once did it feel like it was rushing. It was an episode full of these small moments that caught you wondering. For example, Juliette needed a drink of water, but we already know from Truth that this is a method that the Judicial uses for assassinations. There is the triumph of seeing Martha Walker (Harriet Walter) leave her workshop. Or the awkward way everyone looked away from the screen of verdant wildlife as if they were playing a game of peekaboo with a toddler. We get some wonderful performances of Rage from Common, resignation from Rebecca Ferguson, and superiority, then also deep fear from Tim Robbins.     

When I knew that this episode was titled ‘Outside’, I knew that at least one of the many questions the show has posited this season would be answered and that Juliette’s run from the authorities would not end well. On both counts, I was correct. I would say that I did suspect part of the final reveal all the way back with Holston’s Pick, given how they framed things and never showed what he saw when he took off his helmet. It was a nice touch to make it look like she would clean, only for it to be a fake-out. I liked how this episode mirrored what we saw in Freedom Day and Holston’s Pick, yet each walk up to the surface had a different feeling and vibe: joy, resignation, and potential fear.    

But even suspecting where the episode would end did not take away from the fact that I was captivated for every moment Juliette was walking up the landing into the outside. Nor the audible gasp when it was revealed that there were more Silos around. Much like many shows that focus on mystery, they answered a question by asking more questions. I had suspected that Holland’s key with the number 18 was about the hard drive, but now it feels like it is the number of the Silo they are in. Do the other Silos know about each other? They look quite close, were people meant to be able to move between them? Are they all forgetful of the past, or is this just a feature of our Silo? What happened on Earth? How did they never run into each other in the different mines? Also, what is with that door in the deep under? My mind is just bombarded with questions as I write this.

Looking at the season as a whole, I have to shout out to all the set and costume designers for creating a world that felt tangible. This Silo felt like it could be a real place, with a combination of the original features, with generations and generations of reusing, recycling, and making the most of their replenishable resources. There are clearly some farm levels, so you get natural fibres like cotton and wool, but paper is a luxury, and nothing is wasted if they can use it. Much of this was done with set extensions and digital effects, but you never got taken out of the moments.

When we look at the series’ progression, well, that is where we see a bit more of a hit-and-miss as the season went on. I will give the show props for positioning three different lead characters over those first three episodes, of which two were killed/committed suicide right at the start of the season. It set up a powerful drive that only escalated when mayors were assassinated. Then there is the mystery of who runs the Silo, what information are they trying to hide, and how far are they willing to go to keep order?

However, after we started on such a high note, unfortunately, it did feel like this first season suffered from the mid-season slump, where it just could not match the intensity of the start. I know that part of that is Juliette trying to find her place in the world and needing to ease the audience into many competing answers. However, I found myself disconnecting from the show and wondering if I would see it through to the end of the season. I am glad that I did because, from Hanna onwards, it took back off and raced towards the end. The worldbuilding did get me through some of those more awkwardly-paced episodes, and they were important in the future, but you could still feel the drag in the narrative.

In the end, do we recommend Silo Season 1? Absolutely. While it may have its moments when it does not fire as well as it could. The worldbuilding alone is enough to recommend this. Add to it a mystery that I want to follow to the end and a cast that we here for all the turns in the narrative, and you have me captivated. Also, I can not wait to see where they go in Season 2.      

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Have you seen Silo yet ?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day.    

Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Silo
Directed by – Morten Tyldum, David Semel, Bert & Bertie & Adam Bernstein
Written by – Graham Yost, Jessica Blaire, Cassie Pappas, Ingrid Escajeda, Remi Aubuchon, Aric Avelino, Jessica Blaire, Jeffery Wang, Lekethia Dalcoe & Fred Golan
Created by – Graham Yost
Based On – Silo by Hugh Howey
Production/Distribution Companies – Nemo Films, AMC Studios & Apple TV+
Starring – Rebecca Ferguson, Common, Harriet Walter, Chinaza Uche, Avi Nash, Rick Gomez, Rashida Jones, David Oyelowo & Tim Robbins  with Will Patton, Geraldine James, Chipo Chung, Henry Garrett, Tanya Moodie, Sonita Henry, Amelie Child-Villiers, Sophie Thompson, Sienna Guillory, Remmie Milner, Ferdinand Kingsley, Shane McRae, Matt Gomez Hidaka, Clare Perkins, Billy Postlethwaite, Caitlin Zoz, Christian Ochoa, Alexandria Riley, Will Merrick & Iain Glen
Episodes Covered – Freedom Day, Holston’s Pick, Machines, Truth, The Janitor’s Boy, The Relic, The Flamekeepers, Hanna, The Getaway & Outside