Silo Review

If you’ve seen any of the myriad of post-apocalyptic television shows, films, or read any of the books out there, you likely have a basic understanding of the various forces at work within Silo, the new dramatic thriller from AppleTV+, adapted from the series of novels under the same name from Hugh Howey. But the execution of this narrative – from the stark minimalist design to the exceptionally great casting – is what sets the series apart and turns it into a thriller that hooks you in and takes you on a complex journey along with our central characters to discover just what is really going on within the Silo itself.

The series is intentionally vague with details – the mystery box elements baked into the plot demand it, but fear not, answers that make sense are unspooled throughout the season unlike with some other series – but the basic plot is thus: 10,000 people live within the Silo. Why? No one knows – all that is known is that the Founders, years ago, housed their population within the Silo to protect them from an outside world that was dangerous to them. Within the Silo, a caste system of sorts has developed, with the more blue collar jobs (Mechanical, who keep the generators and other necessary elements running and in good form, Supply, who provide people with their necessities, etc.) housed in the base of the Silo and the more white collar workers (IT, who keep the rudimentary computer systems online, Judicial, the law but with a paramilitary wing that strikes fear into the hearts and minds of the residents, and medical) housed near the top. The Silo is massive and underground, so it’s rare that the differing classes interact outside of necessary work functions. Overseeing the whole operation is a triumvirate: the Mayor (elected by the people), the Head Judge (who controls Judicial), and the Sheriff (traditionally appointed by the out-going Sheriff, approved by the Mayor). But it quickly becomes apparent that there are deep tensions that exist underneath the seemingly normal, functional structures of the Silo. Information – often in the form of “relics” from humanity’s past – is banned. People aren’t supposed to ask questions about the Silo’s existence and what might be outside its walls (seen through video windows that show a continuous feed from the barren outside). And if people get in trouble – or decide they’ve had enough of the Silo and its rules – they are sent outside to “clean,” decked out in a space suit of sorts, allowed to see the outside for themselves and face its harsh realities on their own.

So, what’s our entry point into this complex society where everything might not be as squeaky clean and calm as it seems? Well, that would be David Oyelowo as Holsten, the current Sheriff. You see, someone close to him has started questioning the rigid strictures of the Silo and that has placed him in a difficult spot. And when an IT tech by the name of George mysteriously dies – did he jump or was it more sinister than that? – Rebecca Ferguson’s Juliette, a Mechanical savant and close friend of George’s, gets pulled into Holsten’s investigation. And Ferguson and Oyelowo aren’t the only big names within the show’s cast. Rashida Jones, Harriet Walter, Common (who, out of the star-studded cast, is the only one who is miscast in his role, lacking the necessary depth and gravitas to turn his Judicial enforcer Sims into the complex character the series is asking him to be), and Tim Robbins (who is just sensational throughout the season) also make appearances and immediate impacts into the story. With a cast this strong, and characters this complex, the series manages to elevate itself beyond being yet another post-apocalyptic warning and into a truly compelling thriller.

But it is Oyelowo and Ferguson who take the reins and drive the story forward. For my money, there are very few actors at the level of Ferguson working today. If she appears in a project, I always watch because she is such an incredibly engaging performer in everything she does. And Oyelowo is similar – he’s able to do more with a silence than many actors could with an entire soliloquy. And together? It’s a match made in acting heaven. While the pair don’t interact too much within the series (which is a shame, really), their scenes together are worth the price of admission alone. But separately, they draw you into the story, help you understand their concerns and fears, and serve as our key point of view characters in a narrative that requires the audience to buy into this world, this political structure, and this world view in ways that isn’t required of a simple thriller. But buy-in we do, as Ferguson and Oyelowo are so effective throughout their work, quietly asking us to trust them as they try to solve just what is really going on around them.

And what is really going on turns out to be a heck of a story. Unlike many tales currently being told on TV these days, there are real stakes to the mystery at hand. Real villains. Real twists and turns. People get hurt, they die, and they stay dead. There’s a ticking clock pushing our protagonists to solve the problem before they get found out – before they lose their chance to potentially make a discovery that could change everything for people within the Silo. I’m not usually one for thrillers. I prefer a nice, quiet, character-driven drama any day of the week. But I found myself on the edge of my seat throughout Silo, eagerly jumping into the next episode once the previous was complete, which is something I rarely find myself doing. The acting, the writing, the production design, this new world were just too compelling for me to turn away from. While AppleTV+ will be releasing the series weekly (with the first two episodes dropping the first week then one episode each subsequent week), it also works as a hell of a binge. While I don’t know if it will strike the same cord as Severance, there’s a lot of similarities in the two series and if you were a fan of that workplace thriller, I suspect you’ll enjoy Silo as well. Either way, this is a heck of a series and worth a look.

Silo premieres on May 5 on AppleTV+. All ten episodes of the first season were provided for review.