Silo Review

I must say, I was very hesitant to watch this particular TV series when someone told me to check it out. The plot was not that new when I checked about it, which raised my doubts even further. Why? The plot goes like this: an apocalyptic event has occurred, and a community of people has taken shelter in an underground Silo for over a century and counting. The underground Silo has 10,000 occupants and 144 levels, with class divisions. The upper, the mid, and the lower. The society is governed by strict rules and regulations called The Pact and different bodies of enforcers that make sure it's adhered to by the occupants. The Pact has an important rule over any other rule; people are not allowed to go outside and must not even say it as it was a death sentence. Sounds familiar enough at this point? Well, if you've seen The 100 and still following Snowpiercer. You'll be familiar with the vibes of the basic plot of Silo, but should that stop you from watching this series? I'll say no. Stay with me as I walk you through how this series impressed me even though its formula was not new. I'll try not to spoil anything for you as much as possible. To get one thing out of the way, the production quality of this show is S-Tier, and the acting is really good. The lead character, Juliette Nichols, was played by Rebecca Ferguson. Other familiar names and faces include David Oyelowo, Common, Ian Glen, Rahisda Jones, and more.

 

1. Character and Character Deaths

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this series. It wasn't presented as a detective type of story in the trailers, yet it's a detective show somehow. Yes, you heard that right. The show starts with a proper detective character, Sheriff Holsten, played by David Oyelowo. Then we have the main character Juliette Nichols played by Rebecca Ferguson. Juliette is sure not a detective material. She's just someone full of courage, curiosity, and resilience. Above all, she's the lead engineer that keeps the Silo engine running. I like how they didn't try to turn an into an instant Sherlock Holmes as she's just an engineer that has been placed in a position she barely knows anything about, and she had some good help along the way, and she made some mistakes along the way, which shows some of her flaws. Giving us a strong and relatable character that doesn't feel invincible.

Silo is one of the few TV shows I've seen recently that treated characters' death in a gutsy manner. Who do I say this? The first episode feature two characters that one can automatically believe will be the lead characters, but in a turn of event, they aren't, as they were killed off. In fact, the first four characters we get to spend a lot of time with at the start of the show didn't last up to midway through the episodes of season one. Something most series will never do. Were these characters not important? They were! But their deaths needed to make way for the mystery to come. You might also be wondering if it paid off. I can tell you that it did, and it all makes sense by the end of the final episode.  Although one of the things I'm a bit worried about is the new characters that will be introduced in the next season, as this first season already had some of its strong characters killed off. There was just a handful left to carry the movie forward. Having only them doing the same might next season might get old quickly, given the context of the plot. We will need to see even stronger characters to drive the story forward next season.

2. The Class Division

As with any story having a plot like Silo does, there is always a class division in their dystopian society. As I mentioned earlier, there is the upper, the mid, and the lower. When you have a division like this, it is okay to easily have a stereotypical view that there will be some sort of power struggle and tussle; like the upper trampling on the lower as they see fit. You wouldn't be wrong to think this, but Silo adds its own personal touch to this narrative. Everyone in the Silo feels and has a sense of duty that they have the most important job in the Silo. It is constantly shown and said literally throughout the runtime of the show. If each division's occupants refuse to carry out their respective jobs and responsibilities, the Silo will collapse within a few weeks or days. Therefore they all need one another for their survival in the Silo.

3. The Mystery and Suspense

Episodes one to five carry a high and fast tempo, with tension peaking at episode three. The suspense in episode three really got me. However, the tension is dialed down by Episode five and starts building again. Some people might call episodes five to nine fillers. But TV series can't always be on high tempo throughout its episodes. There needs to be tension-building and a point where it peaks. 

Silo does another thing most mystery TV series would barely do. By the end of episode ten, it blows its mystery box wide open, and it's really interesting to see. The final episode of season one answered many questions; I mean a lot of mysteries were solved. It also stirred up more questions leading to new mysteries for season two. I like that it did this, and it already sets it apart from the other post-apocalyptic mystery TV series you might have seen. Most mystery TV series will always like to provide as few answers as possible to the audience at the end of their first season in order to retain and secure high viewership for the second season. This was not the case with Silo.

4. The Twist!

By the end of the show, some of my predictions were right and wrong. I missed a subtle object important in unraveling a particular mystery; most people might do. It will be tough to delve into this further without spoiling the show. The plot twist in this show didn't feel cheap and cheesy. They were good and decent. I hope it continues to be this way.

On a final note, if you have seen The 100 and Snowpiercer or haven't seen any, it's worth giving this series a shot. The suspense really paid out with the ending of season one, and I'm looking forward to season two.


If you haven't seen my list of the movies coming out this month, use the link here.