Silo Season 1 Review

Warning: This review contains full spoilers for Silo Season 1. 

Watching Silo is akin to walking the central staircase of the Apple TV+ drama’s titular 144-floor structure, which supposedly holds the last remnants of human life on Earth: With every level, there is a discovery. Adapted from the best-selling science-fiction novels by Hugh Howey, the world-building of the series is carefully plotted across its first 10 episodes. The pilot is a prologue of sorts, laying a breadcrumb trail that begins with Sheriff Holston Becker (David Oyelowo), and wife, Allison (Rashida Jones), instantly drawing you into the story and setting up the murky power structure. Actual protagonist (and Holston’s successor as sheriff) Juliette Nichols (Rebecca Ferguson) doesn’t appear until the end of the first episode, and the time spent establishing the specificities of Silo’s unique environment, its language, rules, and class system – all before Juliette suffers a motivating loss– lays a strong foundation.

Many unknowns are emphasized early, such as the year Silo takes place, what happened to send 10,000 people underground, and who built this structure. Not answering these fundamental questions by the season’s end could be frustrating; thankfully, Silo creator Graham Yost is not spinning his wheels in dishing out information. The series toggles between easy-to-predict twists and ones that are a breath of fresh air: Part of me expected the finale to cut to black before we get our first glimpse of the world outside the silo; all evidence suggests Juliette will walk outside to find a green and lush landscape, dramatically contrasting the gray, barren, toxic scenery glimpsed from the viewing points inside. Instead, the deception isn’t that the world is thriving, but that Juliette and her fellow survivors aren’t alone. There are silos as far as the eye can see, and after spending a season in one location, the options for the already-ordered second season feel endless.

Given how much time is spent laying the groundwork of a broader conspiracy involving the nefarious new mayor Bernard Holland (Tim Robbins) and head of Judicial Security Robert Sims (Common), it isn’t surprising they are far from alone. The jolt comes from the scale of this underground collection of civilizations, raising even more questions and delivering the kind of climax that matches how Yost has ramped up the tension throughout the season.

Silo’s third episode offers a nerve-shredding masterclass when Juliette has to fix the generator in an extremely tight timeframe with multiple sources of danger. The hold-your-breath sequence directed by Morten Tyldum pits Ferguson’s character against increasingly dangerous situations, culminating with her being sent outside to certain death. Whereas Juliette makes it out of the silo alive, the body count grows relatively quickly, adding to the already brewing anxiety of this precarious ecosystem. Mayor Jahns (Geraldine James) and Deputy Marnes (Will Patton) have targets on their backs the moment they declare their feelings and plan to retire – this is not a happily-ever-after setting.

Before their sad end, James and Patton make an impact that reverberates through the rest of the season; part of Silo’s strength comes from its impressive ensemble (even if they can’t maintain a consistent accent amongst themselves). Likewise, Jones and Oyelowo build a rapport and depict the crumbling of a happy marriage within the span of a single episode. It’s impressive how lived-in this dynamic feels in such little time, and starting the series with their story is a bold choice that pays off: Jones performing some impromptu surgery in an act of fact-finding desperation lingers long in the memory.

Distilling this much information is no easy task, and using the annual Freedom Day celebration and other rituals to explain the failed uprising 140 years earlier is an economical choice that avoids overly clunky exposition. Flashbacks fill in gaps, and items like a Pez dispenser and an “Amazing Adventures of Georgia” guidebook are an itch that multiple characters keep scratching. Juliette’s quest for truth is inextricably linked to her late boyfriend, George (Ferdinand Kingsley), but she can’t help but take on his limitless curiosity regarding the “big questions.” The Georgia tourism guide is a window into the world the silo citizens have never seen, and each person exposed to its contents is suitably bewildered.

The series toggles between easy-to-predict twists and ones that are a breath of fresh air

An information shortcut centering on the rules governing the silo – a.k.a. The Pact – occurs early in the season when Juliette is paired with by-the-book Deputy Paul Billings (Chinaza Uche). Whereas Juliette is clueless about the intricacies of these regulations, Paul knows every single clause and subsection, and the latter proves useful when the gaps in Juliette’s knowledge are being manipulated by those wishing her ill. So while their clashing personalities and methods are primed for conflict, the writing allows room for surprises. Paul has his own secrets, including having a neurological condition known as “syndrome,” which should prevent him from holding a position in law enforcement. Uche (also a standout in Dickinson) paints a figure who uses his knowledge of the Pact as a shield against the medical condition that could bring his world crashing down. It is a measured performance made all the more powerful in his moments of despair, and fear and bravery are a pendulum the community of the silo swings between

Juliette and Paul’s partnership never settles into friendship, yet it’s among Silo’s most rewarding dynamics as their storyline zigs when you expect to zag. This isn’t always the case, though. Some key twists can be seen coming a mile off, but the delivery more than makes up for it. Perhaps the most potent version of this is when Juliette hears George’s video message from beyond the grave in the penultimate episode, quelling all doubts that he loved her. 

Watching this reaction is an exercise in emotionally restrained acting with gut-punch undertones, capturing the personal loss that kick-started Juliette’s drastic career change. Ferguson is equally commanding throughout the season depicting the fierce physicality this role demands. Prickilienss is how Juliette protects herself, and it is satisfying to see how time and information break down barriers with her father, Dr. Pete Nichols (Iain Glen). Even before the release of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One and Dune: Part Two, 2023 has been a strong year for Ferguson.

The same can be said for Harriet Walter, who leaves the wealthy parent roles of Succession and Ted Lasso behind to play a withdrawn Silo engineer who hasn’t left her living quarters in 25 years. The world comes to her, and details about her past are revealed mostly through conversations with Juliette – including flashbacks to when 13-year-old Juliette entered her life – and Martha will only leave the confines of her room when her surrogate daughter’s life is in danger. Again, this outcome is predictable, but Walter’s portrayal of the struggle to step beyond her threshold is captivating. 

It also helps that every nook and cranny of this world offers up new clues, and production designer Gavin Bocquet ensures that every home fits the level and circumstances of its inhabitants. The rich attention to detail adds texture to the industrial environment, whether it’s a walkway, office, or staircase. Everything is well crafted, from the performances to Atli Örvarsson’s evocative score. 

Silo is more than another dystopian drama, and the effortless transition between a post-apocalyptic thriller, a murder mystery, and a conspiracy with flashes of horror adds to its potency. Its debut season is riveting from top to bottom – and all the many floors in between.