You’ve probably heard the following idea before: In a post-apocalyptic world, the remnants of civilization live in a tiered society governed by draconian rules as they battle to keep their humanity.
Then a hero arrives, threatening to destabilise the social order. This story has been told so many times in the history of dystopian fiction, most notably in Fritz Lang’s classic, Metropolis, that I wasn’t overjoyed when Apple unveiled Silo, an adaptation of Hugh Howey’s enormously popular Wool novels.
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Why bother when this can’t even compete with Bong Joon-ho’s insane Snowpiercer (which was derived from an ’80s French graphic novel)? Well, I was mistaken. Silo, directed by Graham Yost (Justified), embodies everything I love about excellent science fiction.
It deals with deep issues and moral quandaries, has memorable and lifelike characters, and has a really unique setting: a 144-story self-sustaining underground city reminiscent of The Matrix’s Zion.
In this case, though, the people seemed to be mainly satisfied with their condition. Because there is no memory of life before the silo, most people are preoccupied with maintaining the city operating rather than breaking out. Why disturb the bunker?
Survival, however, is insufficient, repeating a theme from HBO’s great Station Eleven and Deep Space Nine.
Some people are perplexed by the silo’s design: Is the video stream showing the destroyed outside world true, or a trap to keep them underground? Who decides who can and cannot become pregnant? And what can they learn from the relics of the past civilization?
Silo makes a big first impression. We meet Sheriff Holsten (David Oyelowo), a well-liked lawman who goes about his morning routine before making an unexpected announcement: he wants to walk outside.
Even though the show doesn’t explain it right away, the weight of his revelation is immediately apparent. We subsequently find that anyone who requests to leave can do so, but it is practically a death wish. Because of the power of Oyelowo’s acting, all of this is conveyed virtually wordlessly at first.
I can’t help but like a show that starts out so confidently. Silo makes it plain throughout the first two episodes that you’re in good hands.
Yost and his writing team, which includes Jessica Blaire (On Becoming a God in Central Florida) and Cassie Papas (Tyrant), take their time introducing each character, establishing their motivations, and constructing a larger mystery.
The flawless production design makes the silo appear to be genuinely lived in. And Morten Tyldum’s filmmaking expertly blends intimate drama with grandiose images (the silo has no lift, only very long stairs that seems to go on forever).
Silo is a rare show in which every word speaks volumes, every motion appears meaningful, and every frame tells a tale. It’s also full of grounded and believable performances all around: Rashida Jones plays Allison, the Sheriff’s wife, who is eager to create a family but is also intrigued by the history of the silo.
Rebecca Ferguson (Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation and Fallout), the show’s ostensible star, doesn’t appear until the second episode, but she crafts a believable portrayal of a world-weary engineer who only wants to solve her friend’s death.
Of course, it wouldn’t be dystopian fiction if there wasn’t some type of larger conspiracy at work. The silo’s administration is plainly concealing something from its population, though the mayor (played by Geraldine James) appears genuinely concerned about her people’s well-being.
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Even those in authority appear to be doing their best but may be forced to make difficult decisions in order to keep society running.
You’d think that after being burnt by Lost, The X-Files, and other series centred on significant sci-fi mysteries, I’d be less eager to commit to another. But Silo is so intriguing that I can’t help myself.
