New to Apple TV+ today is the sci-fi mystery-thriller, Silo. The series – based on a collection of books by Hugh Howey – tells the story of a group of survivalists, who live inside an underground silo.
In the series, a group of humans have formed a huge community inside a purpose-made bunker. They don’t know who built the structure, how they got there, or how long they will have to remain within its walls, but they do know the outside world is uninhabitable.
As such, the human colony go about their lives by working, farming, and enjoying what free time they have, while adhering to the rules and laws that have been set out. Overseeing the law is Sheriff Holston Becker – a likeable man who lives a quiet existence with his wife, Allison.
When the series begins, Holston and Allison have been given permission to start a family. Reproduction is closely monitored within the silo, and for a woman to get pregnant she has to do it within an allocated timeframe (one year), and this is only after she has had her birth control implant removed.
But after numerous attempts at trying for a baby, Holston and Allison don’t appear to be getting anywhere, which causes them both some concern. However, Allison has other things to worry about, when she starts to learn some key information about life outside of the silo, as well as a sinister plot to stop certain individuals from giving birth.
Featuring an impressive cast, which includes David Oyelowo, Rashida Jones, Rebecca Ferguson, Common, Harriet Walter, and Tim Robbins, Silo is an intriguing series steeped in a great deal of mystery. The show sets up its premise very clear, and very quickly, and kicks things off with a strong first episode, which pulls you in and gets you interested.
Yesterday, I reviewed Paramount+’s new TV series, Fatal Attraction, which took an age to get going and delivered a terribly slow first episode. Silo is the exact opposite, and across the course of its one-hour opener (Freedom Day), I was completely hooked.
This first instalment tells the audience everything needed in order to set up the world, while introducing core characters including Sheriff Becker, as played by David Oyelowo. Just a few minutes in the company of Becker is enough to tell you this is someone to trust, and Oyelowo is great in the role.
This initial episode also sets the tone and pace of series, while creating the central mystery. The mystery is then expanded with episode two (Holston’s Pick), which switches a great deal of its focus to another character, engineer Juliette, as played by Rebecca Ferguson.
As with Oyelowo, Ferguson instantly becomes a likeable presence in the series and one to pay attention to. There’s something about her which really clicks here, and this second episode pushes her to the forefront of the story to become the lead.
With the second helping, Silo delves a little deeper into the bunker, and this allows for some strong sci-fi imagery. This show serves up a ‘lived in’ world, which has been meticulously pieced together, and the sci-fi fan in me finds it all very exciting.
There’s no clear guide on just how big the bunker is (not yet anyway), so plenty of room is left for exploration in the future. I want to check out all the little nooks and crannies in the silo, and learn all its secrets, and I have a feeling this will happen in time.
I also have a feeling plenty of new characters will be introduced as the story begins to unravel. This already feels like a tightly constructed piece, with plenty of layers, and this suggests Silo won’t run out of steam any time soon.
So far, only two episodes of Silo have been added to Apple TV+, but I’m already invested. The series feels like a combination of the best parts of Lost, Battlestar Galactica, and The Walking Dead, and I’m eager to see what comes next.
I often say that television series get a three-episode grace period, in order to grab my attention (which is pretty generous), but Silo doesn’t need it. Based on these two episodes alone, I’m in, and this is a strong indication of a good show.
If you are a subscriber to Apple TV+ be sure to slap your eyeballs on Silo. So long as the series doesn’t drop the ball from episode three onwards, this is already shaping up to be a fine piece of television.
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Thank you for taking the time to read this review on It’s A Stampede!. For more reviews, check out the recommended reads below.
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