Streaming on: Apple TV+
Episodes viewed: 9 out of 10
Following that doozy of a cliffhanger last year, Silo finally returns to Apple TV+ with a second season that, thankfully, rewards the wait. The first season established some captivating foundations: based on Hugh Howey's book trilogy, it charted the aftermath of an apocalyptic event, which forced thousands to co-exist in a strictly governed underground bunker known as the silo. This second instalment — which adapts parts of Howey’s books Wool and Shift — further fleshes out the mythos while introducing fascinating new additions.
Creator and showrunner Graham Yost instantly turns the temperature up on this pressure-cooker of a dystopia. In the fallout of Jules (Rebecca Ferguson) being banished from the silo, tensions quickly boil over between Mayor Bernard Holland (Tim Robbins) and his cronies. Where the first season took a more procedural route, unravelling the central slow-burn mystery, this second run takes a more action-packed approach, even as it keeps up the machinations, power-plays and shock twists.
The immersive environments are just as stunning as last season.
What also remains is that timely social commentary. With politicians and public figures seeking to control through mass manipulation of the truth, inciting mob mentality in the name of ‘order’, and class warfare, it’s a dystopia not far from our own. As the gaslighting Mayor, Robbins excels, the series digging deeper into the shifting power dynamics between him, Judge Meadows (Tanya Moodie) and Robert Sims (Common). It’s enjoyably shocking to see the insane lengths these characters will go to in the name of “protecting the silo”; Simms and his wife Camille (Alexandria Riley), in particular, seem to channel a Macbeth-ian opportunism.
It can, admittedly, be frustrating that all this scheming often comes at the expense of Jules’ arc. The burgeoning silo rebellion sometimes takes precedence over the (arguably more engrossing) events of the mysterious new silo, the parallel narrative not always entirely balanced. But Ferguson again shines in the role, embracing its intense physical and emotional demands. She is also afforded a quieter yet touching dynamic with Steve Zahn’s mysterious but hugely endearing new addition, Solo.
The world they occupy is still hugely impressive, too. The immersive environments from production designer Gavin Bocquet are just as stunning as they were last season, filled with astonishing detail and craft, and the newly added second silo seems to feature even more practical elements and moving pieces. This, combined with a deeper dive into the silos’ compelling mythology, a welcome glimpse into the history of another community, and some fascinating flashbacks, all makes for another atmospheric, tense trip underground.
