'Silo' season 3 review: Apple TV dystopian sci-fi drama weaponises truth bombs
- S.J.
- 3 hours ago
- 4 min read
Do you remember when you asked Juliette if she knew Helen, but she Drew a blank? This, ladies and gentlemen, is one of the many dumb jokes not included in season three of Silo (adapting Hugh Howey's book series of the same name), which returns to bring us our weekly dose of dystopian drama shenanigans. Following the flaming cliffhangers, we do discover that Juliette Nichols (Rebecca Ferguson) unsurprisingly made it out alive, but she is now experiencing memory loss, giving bureaucrat Camille Sims (Alexandria Riley) and her AI overlord an opportunity to control her movements as Juliette becomes Silo 18's new mayor. Her old pals hope to help her regain her memories and identity.
In a past timeline, after an alleged bombing of Washington D.C. by Iran, American congressman Daniel Keene (Ashley Zukerman) attempts to get involved in the country's military mission against Iran, motivated by the fact that her sister Charlotte (Jessica Brown Findlay), an army pilot, will be a part of it as well. The retaliation goes horribly wrong, Charlotte suffers a serious head injury and is treated at an experimental clinic specialising in memories and brain activity. Daniel gets entangled with nosy journalist Helen Drew (Jessica Henwick) and the two of them try to figure out why the mission failed so spectacularly and no answers are being given. This government conspiracy introduces them to senator Thurman (Laura Innes), controversial doctor Victor Crnkovich (Matt Craven) and billionaire Per Stensen (Colin Hanks).
Should we start with some good news? If you've been a fan of the show, there's no need to ring any alarm bells because most of the strengths are still there. Ferguson is a solid (co-)lead despite taking a backseat this season; Nicole Northridge's production design is top-tier as far as the TV landscape goes and it meshes expertly with the VFX (supervised by Daniel Rauchwerger, produced by Jennifer Wessner); composer Atli Örvarsson's score supports the storytelling quietly; and the mysteries of this well-designed world unfold in compelling ways. You're in good hands here.
In terms of new elements, Henwick and Zukerman bring some firepower with them (as the two other de facto leads) as season three splits the narrative once again, jumping from Silo 18 to a modern-ish world and back. Zukerman stands out from the cast as he's tasked to carry much of the emotional weight towards the second half. The actor's interactions with Henwick and Craven in particular create a nice amount of friction, which helps the final three episodes soar as high as they do. So in case you're worried about the destination after a long journey, you should not worry since the final stretch is worth one's investment. There's a nice blend of human drama and spectacle waiting.
But to be clear, the components that have prevented Silo from becoming a bona fide triumph haven't gone away. The sluggish pacing does test your patience and this series isn't one where episodes should be around 60 minutes long (it's probably a cost saving thing because of some per episode fees). Problems regarding uneven lighting (Eric Kress and Jean-Philippe Gossart handle cinematography), some awkward staging (Amber Templemore and Michael Dinner pop up as directors) and faux poignancy in supposedly emotional scenes underline those grievances. Oftentimes, something is just a bit off.
Showrunner Graham Yost and his writers' room (including Fred Golan) are also in a state of flux. The dialogue is still spotty, Charlotte and Daniel's sibling relationship being the best example of this because their shared scenes come off as extremely forced, whilst the middle third of this 10-episode run drags since the dry wordplay doesn't have quite enough juice and there's a heavy emphasis on exposition. Although, one lovely touch is that these influential, trigger-happy Americans—including Daniel— keep talking about this obscure country called "Eyeran", which unfortunately speaks to what's happening in our world right now.
On the positive side, this season's overarching story is more or less dynamite. You get lots of satisfying answers, the split narrative works really well, plus the crescendo, a cliffhanger in episode nine and the climax are deftly constructed. Themes and ideas surrounding surveillance, political as well as military power, control, memory, privilege, class and liability emerge and mix thoughtfully.
Having said that, none of it won't make naysayers reconsider their thoughts on the series as a whole. At this point, it's pretty strictly for those who rock with it already. But if you're on its wavelength, you should be satisfied. Intelligent, thought-provoking and stylish shows like Silo are a good way to distract yourself for a short while as the planet burns. Season three does its job and does it well.
Smileys: Ending, story, Ashley Zukerman, production design
Frowneys: Dialogue
She's not from the barrio, but she hears their algorithm on her radio.
4.0/5
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