What the Heck is Happening in the Sci-Fi Series ‘Silo’?
The world ended hundreds of years ago, and ten thousand people live in a massive underground circular bunker that stretches down for a mile without an elevator. This society is functional though constantly resource stressed. Technology is limited, and possessing anything from the past is a crime.
History has been erased, and nobody seems to know why they’re stuck in this prison/sanctuary. They don’t know if the world outside is really a barren, poisonous landscape.
Misinformation. Confusion. Psychological control.
Mechanical vs IT
Welcome to “Silo,” which has wrapped its third season on Apple TV.
With solid storytelling and strong acting, it stars Rebecca Ferguson as a mechanic who becomes an unlikely leader for a growing resistance movement against this restrictive society and Tim Robbins as an ‘evil’ manager from the IT department. (Yes, in this future, IT controls everything.)
But what they’re all fighting against is more complicated than they understand.
A Puzzle in a Mystery
And I’ve felt a similar confusion watching this series across the years. I don’t know what’s going on either. That’s “Silo’s” storytelling design. The reveals take their time, and every answer leads to a new question.
The ‘enjoyment’ that comes from this process is the satisfaction of understanding. Sure, I don’t feel as clueless as when I started watching the show, but we’ll all have to wait to the fourth and final season to receive all the pieces that answer the one big question…
Why?
Season 3 invested significant time developing a separate flashback pre-silo storyline that, of course, will connect to future events. And its purpose is evidently providing the ‘why.’ But that plot is not straightforward either.
Throughout all this intrigue and confusion, we’ve got a series that’s part mystery, part adventure and part sci-fi. But it also gives itself the time to explore topics like class structure, mind control and inevitable revolution in this dystopian future.
Thoughts on Season 3
“Silo” has clearly savored its major plot twists through its first three seasons. And while I’ve enjoyed the series overall, season 3 felt slower with less gripping action. I think that’s because so much time was invested setting up the pre-silo plot, which stars Ashley Zukerman as a congressman and Jessica Henwick as a journalist who stumble onto a dark mystery they don’t understand.
On the other hand, season 3 also revealed a much larger conspiracy than I thought I understood. Plus, the last episode in season 3 was perhaps the most jarring and intriguing episode to date. It reframed the entire series and reminded me how confused I felt at the start of this show.
It was a great episode, and yes… a cliffhanger that (slight spoiler) weaves our parallel stories together.
The Fate of Humanity?
So this all leads us to season 4, where I expect everything will come together and finally answer the “why.”
Is this silo a just solution to save humanity? Is it a social experiment? Perhaps both? Or has its true purpose not yet been fully revealed?
As the series wraps, it will also have to provide the fates of our many characters as well as the larger fate of this fragment of the human race.
No pressure.
The Truth is Out There
Shows built on mystery often have a hard time sticking their landing after years of flying about through confusion. (“Lost,” “The X Files,” “Fringe”)
But “Silo” seems to possess a clear road map with all its extensive set up. So, I do have high hopes for a great final season.
Season 4 of “Silo” premieres on July 9, 2027.
