February can be a miserable month in my native UK. One day it rains and the other it is very cold. And although the days here gradually lengthen, there never seems to be enough sunlight to chase away the winter blues. So it's been a good time to stay inside and get familiar with a streaming service. Even if you live in warmer climates, there are still days when going outside can feel like a chore and the only thing on your agenda is curling up with a good series.
Can I recommend Apple TV Plus? Silo. This sci-fi show went largely unnoticed and I think the same is likely true for others, with more glossy shows like Ted Lasso, The morning program, Breaking off, and For all humanity stealing the attention of potential binge watchers.
But over time, Apple TV has become the quiet home of great sci-fi series, Silo being one of the best.
Very low we go
Based on a trilogy of books of the same name written by Hugh Howey, Silo has been adapted for television by Graham Yost and revolves around a society living in a vast underground silo in a dystopian future where some apocalyptic disaster or war has made outside life seem impossible.
This premise alone makes Silo A great TV to watch while you're inside on a dark, humid night, the claustrophobic nature of the show's setting almost mirrors your own. I live in a small flat in London, so I can empathize with the lack of living space.
The rules governing this society of 10,000 people are equally claustrophobic, with knowledge of the previous world and historical events removed from the almost literal pages of history. What could present an irritatingly vague environment instead creates a foundation upon which some skillful world-building can be built. This happens almost literally, with the upper levels of the silo housing dignitaries, security, and silo governors, while the middle and lower levels contain manual workers.
It may seem like a clumsy analogy to class division, but it actually paves the way for nuance with upward physical mobility that allows people to move beyond their roles, positions, and perceived class. And it's here that Juliette Nichols, played by Rebecca Ferguson, takes center stage.
Digging deep
Initially an engineer who is interviewed by the silo's sheriff about her friend's death, Nichols soon rises to the position of sheriff. And it is through her eyes that we see the nuances of society in the silo, while at the same time we are fed all kinds of mysteries; from wondering who has the real power in the silo, to what happened before and what is really happening outside.
SiloThe main premise may be familiar to anyone who has played a game in the Fallout series, but what stands out to me is the details. While Netflix's Snowpiercer foolishly and overly obviously creates distinct societies based on positions on a constantly moving train traversing a frozen planet Earth, the world of Silo is subtle.
People in positions of power are not decadent individuals, but rather people who have the weight of the world pressing down on them, while people in the middle levels have equally interesting roles, albeit with less authoritarian influence. Sure, the engineering guys are tough and tattooed, and lean toward post-apocalyptic stereotypes, but in the context of maintaining a massive generator needed to keep the silo alive, their gruffness makes sense.
It is the details in this context that kept my eyes fixed on Silo; the wide walkway that leads to the imposing doors of the Judiciary (a group of law enforcement officers), the retro-futuristic design of the IT department, the Sheriff's office that looks like it was taken from a small Midwestern town and buried underground. There is a richness in SiloThe sets and the environment, despite the limitations of being in what is basically a concrete bunker. It reminds me of fargowhere the camera doesn't mind lingering on shots a little longer than usual, allowing you to absorb the details and tone of a scene.
The color grading also expertly contributes to the atmosphere and details of the silo. Mostly muted to convey life underground without sunlight, there are occasional bursts of color in people's homes or in the shop lights of bustling market areas. All of this emphasizes the world-building that Silo is immersed in, making it difficult to look away even though there are no real threats like the general threat of The Last of Us' infected to keep the tension high throughout. .
The cast is also strong, with Fergerson playing a tough engineer and an equally tough sheriff, but with heart, an inquisitive nature and dogged determination. It could have been easy for Nichols to simply be a tough character with a softer side underneath, but instead, Ferguson brings a lot of modulation to the character. She can go from a cool detective to a warm companion, from an estranged daughter to a relentless force, all giving the sense that Nichols is not as predictable as one might first think and, at the same time, remains someone to be around. we can empathize.
David Oyelowo, who plays Sheriff Holston, also steals some scenes. While Tim Robbins' Bernard Holland deftly conveys a discreet sense of menace beneath the veneer of a seemingly anal and marginalized IT department head. Even Common, who plays menacing head of court security Robert Sims, has more subtlety than just a big man in a leather jacket saying, “I'm the bad guy.”
Silo I could have gone the soapy nonsense route of Snow Punch (again the TV show, not the excellent movie) or delve into the perpetual sadness of The way. Instead, it features thousands of humans getting by in a ruined world, with trials and tribulations affecting them almost parallel to our own; We have our conspiracy theories and so do the Siloians.
By not falling into chaos or campism, Silo presents a thought-provoking post-apocalypse society that involves a murder mystery with a healthy dose of conspiracy. And I think it's a perfect binge for times when you might feel like you're in your own personal silo.
