TL;DR – The episode where Rebecca Ferguson gets stuff done.   

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 by 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. Well, after a long wait, it is time to see just what they will do as we dive back underground and see what waits in store for us.

So, to set the scene, after being set up by Bernard Holland (Tim Robbins) and Robert Sims (Common), Juliette Nichols (Rebecca Ferguson) was forced to go outside and ‘clean’ in the season finale. However, thanks to some work from Martha Walker (Harriet Walter), Juliette’s suit was fitted with tape that actually worked so that the poisonous air would not leak in. It is here where she discovers not only is there still a barren, poisoned world on the surface, but their Silo is not the only one. Not knowing how long the tape will last, she runs to the next Silo over, only to discover thousands of dead bodies spilled across the ground. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

This is a bit of an odd episode to start your season off because it is more of a slow, meditative work rather than hitting the energy that was in the season finale. We lose most of our supporting characters, bar a couple of flashback moments, and focus entirely on one story of survival. What makes it work is that Juliette Nichols is such an interesting character, and Rebecca Ferguson brings her to life. Watching her slowly try to survive in a desolate world is fundamentally compelling. The title of the episode is so apt because it is just an hour of Juliette trying to engineer her way out of the predicament she finds herself in.

While Juliette is the focus of this episode, I liked the supporting work that Harriet Walter did with the younger version of the characters to help broaden out the world while giving us that link back to the first Silo. But the real heroes of this episode have to be the production teams. Besides the slightly macabre job of having to make so many dedicated bodies, they created a world that felt caught in a moment and then weathered through time. It made this foreboding world where you feel the chaos and fervour of the revolution while being constantly reminded of the outcome at every turn. While making that ending moment hit that little bit harder.

In the end, do we recommend Silo: The Engineer? Yes, we would. This episode shows the strength of casting Rebecca Ferguson as your lead. That determination of will, the strength of character, and, of course, some solid MacGyver-ing.  

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 – Michael Dinner
Written by – Graham Yost
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 & Tim Robbins with Ross McCall and Amelie Child-Villiers, Ida Brooke, Peter Parker Mensah, Finn Guegan, Brian Bovell, Pippa Winslow, Nick Haverson & Kosha Engler