What happens when the story that we’ve believed turns out to be a lie?
Now streaming on Apple TV+, the new series Silo tells the story of a world entrenched in fear. With a deadly outbreak ravaging the planet, the last 10,000 surviving members of the human race live within the walls an underground silo that keeps them safe from the outside world. No one knows when or how the silo was built. All they know is that it is their sole protector. However, when engineer Juliette (Rebecca Ferguson) suffers the death of a loved one, she begins to ask questions about the world and soon discovers a mystery that threatens to unravel everything that they have ever been told.
Fueled by questions of conspiracy, Silo operates on a slow burn. Claustrophobic in its atmosphere, the world of Silo is immersed in shadows and intrigue. Anchored by its unravelling lore and mystery, this is a world that is meant to feel as though the walls are constantly closing in. With the fear of a devastating virus keeping everyone in isolation, the world of Silo is a ticking time-bomb. The general population is getting antsy about their confinement and the government fears that the people will revolt. (And, in case you’re beginning to draw parallels between Silo and the recent pandemic, it’s worth noting that the series was written long before COVID brought the world to its knees.)
Athough it may have been written almost a decade ago, it’s definitely our recent history that makes Siloresonate. Without question, part of the joy of the series extends to the way that we interact with our world following the global pandemic. Because of the advent of social distancing and the implementation of forced isolation, there is a poignancy to the paranoia that exists within the world of Silo. Like these characters, we can now relate to a world that feels as though it’s spiraling out of control in maddening ways and looking for answers.
Where things become truly fascinating though is in the series’ conversations about who owns the truth. Without giving away any spoilers, it’s fairly safe to say that things in the world of Silo aren’t as they seem. Government story-telling spins the truth in ways to keep the people isolated, afraid and, above all else, controlled. They are told that the world is a dangerous place to be and they accept it without question.
But truth cuts through lies. And it always finds a way out.
In Silo, truth is often the hardest thing to accept as secret passageways help rewrite their history books and threaten the status quo. As cracks begin to appear in the government narrative so too does truth, freedom and, above all else, hope begin to shine through. While this sort of revelation can be terrifying, Silo also recognizes that truth requires that people make a choice. On the one hand, it can be ignored in an effort to maintain the world that we know. On the other, the acceptance of truth creates an opportunity for new life to break through.
When truth breaks through, finally we can breathe again.
Its these conversations that make Silo truly bingeable. Unlike other ‘lore-heavy’ series, this is clearly a series that knows where it wants to go and will unravel its mystery at its own pacing. But, while the setting and characters may be interesting, it’s the quest for truth that keeps you watching. Like, any silo, this one is designed to keep its people—and its secrets—firmly inside its walls.
Silo begins streaming on Apple TV+ on Friday, May 4th, 2023.
