When we last left Silo, AppleTV+’s post-apocalyptic series about the denizens of an underground Silo – where the inhabitants are segregated by a rudimentary caste system and three individuals (the Mayor, the Judge, and the Sheriff) control the goings on in society – Juliette (Rebecca Ferguson), the former Sheriff, had opted to take her chances in the wilds outside the Silo, aware that there was once a world out beyond the walls and perhaps some semblance of that world still exists. We know that, with the aid of her allies – including her mentor Walker (Harriet Walter) and Walker’s ex-wife, Carla (Clare Perkins) – Juliette’s suit was insulated properly, allowing her to make it over the ridge and potentially to another Silo. Of course, the people of the Silo know only that, unlike everyone before her, Juliette disappeared from view prior to succumbing to the poison in the air outside – leaving them to wonder if she made it out alive.
It’s hardly a spoiler to say that yes, Juliette survives into season two of the series – and has an arc of her own as she attempts to find other life out there, inside another Silo. I’m saddened to report, however, that this piece of the season two story arc is the weakest piece – an arc that takes nearly the entire season to develop to any sort of meaningful point, and by the time that it has, you’re left wondering just why it took this long (other than the fact that the series needed it to plod along in order to allow the real action back in Juliette’s original home to reach a boiling point, of course). This isn’t the fault of Ferguson, who once again offers a layered performance as Juliette, asked to be the audience surrogate as she attempts to puzzle out just what happened at this new Silo and if she can trust anyone she meets there (I won’t dive too much into who or what she finds, lest I spoil things a bit too much, but suffice to say she’s not alone for very long).
On the other side of the narrative, things in the Silo are quickly devolving. Bernard (Tim Robbins, once again steely and complicated) may have weaseled his way into the role of Mayor, but that doesn’t mean that he has the ability to keep the position when push comes to shove. Sims (Common, still lacking the acting chops the role demands) isn’t under his thumb and is pushing to see how far he can take himself beyond his head of security posting – and his wife, Camille, seems to have some ambitions of her own. With Juliette gone, her post as Sheriff has been passed onto her deputy, Billings (a great Chinaza Uche), who is starting to think his old boss might have been onto something – and perhaps the Mayor and Sims aren’t to be trusted. And then there’s the Mechanical crew. With the Juliette gone, there’s unrest afoot. And a potential revolution brewing. After all, when the have nots start to realize that those with power don’t have their best interests at heart, how long is it until they start to recognize the power they hold in their hands – especially when they are the ones who control the power to the entire Silo?
So, season two is a mixed bag. The building tension in the Silo clicks slowly upward with each character trying to position themselves in the perfect spot to gain the most, playing allies against one another and, ultimately, looking out for themselves (seriously, it’s fascinating to see just what each characters is willing to do to protect themselves or someone they love). And, on the other side of the story, Juliette is trapped in an arc that takes so damn long to develop that I began to resent it when the story shifted her way. Less time slow playing that particular story (case in point: we don’t need a scene where a character warns Juliette that something dire might occur if she does a certain action, then see her complete said action, and then see her have to deal with the after effects of that action – for no apparent reason other than they needed a roadblock in her way for a brief period of time) and more time focused on the Silo would have allowed a better balance to the storytelling. Juliette’s arc is important – it’s just stretched out to such an extent that it starts to bore rather than entertain.
If you enjoyed season one of Silo, I suspect you will also, on the whole, enjoy season two. But with the caveat that this outing isn’t quite as tight as season one. Which is a bummer – but not something the series cannot overcome in a third season.
Silo’s second season premieres on November 15 on AppleTV+. Nine of the season’s ten episodes were provided for review.
-
Writing
-
Acting
-
Direction
