Rebecca Ferguson does not seem to take herself too seriously but delivers a commanding performance on Silo, which is one of the most fantastic shows on Apple TV+. The post-apocalyptic series, which is adapted from Hugh Howey’s groundbreaking (from a self-publishing standpoint) books (Wool, Shift, and Dust) turned into a sleeper show with the streaming service not hesitating to renew for more below-surface dubious adventures.
As readers realize, the second book takes a sharp left turn with a split story, and it remains to be seen whether Apple TV+ will try to cover both main arcs or stick with Juliette as she leaves Silo 18 for neighboring territory (and scant company). At the end of the first season, she is the only non-governmental member of her silo to realize that more exists in the outside world, so let’s talk about where the architecture of this show could go next.
Plot
Filming is complete on this season, so the finishing touches are in the works, and Hugh Howey is thrilled with what he’s seen, as the author wrote on social media: “I’ve seen season two and it’s one of the best things I’ve ever seen.”
***SPOILER ALERT (FOR THE BOOKS) AHEAD***
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Dang it, Howey knows that he is teasing the biggest question on the table: will there be different timelines, as with the books, in order to show how the silos came into existence? Much time was spent in Silo 1 for the second book with extended trips into Silo 18, as Juliette voyaged into the deep to fix flooding, so that she and Solo could hope to tunnel back to her home. This will follow up on the first season finale, when viewers saw that the projected image in the helmets was fabricated, and the outside world is truly as desolate as it appears from within the silos. Juliette is the first person to survive long enough to travel over the hill, which leads Bernard into panic territory because he knows what she is about to discover.
Here’s where things get tricky for plotting a second season: The first season stuck fairly close to the Wool subject matter with a few key differences, like Common’s character (Sims) being expanded and also wearing questionable clothing in a world where nobody has looked that cool for hundreds of years. Will the second season make even more significant changes?
The difficulty here is that diving between timelines and silos might grow complicated onscreen. As in, setting up Silo 1’s inhabitants and their freeze-unfreeze cycle could get messy. Much could go wrong, and arguably, this season will have been more difficult to adapt from a storytelling standpoint. We have heard zilch from Apple TV+ and Howey on how that complexity will be handled. The most telling clue that we’ve received is from Ferguson herself. She previously told Variety, “It gets incredibly intense… wet.”
So, we know that Juliette will plan to drain Silo 17 as with the books. She will attempt to find the digging machine at the bottom, so that she and Solo can go tunneling. We also know that there will be four total seasons, as opposed to three books from Howey. So, that could conceivably mean that the world wrought by Senator Thurman, Donny, and Anna could be saved for a third season, but wouldn’t that make the second season awfully sparse?
Yes, Silo 1 needs to be revealed soon as with the books. Fingers crossed.
Cast
As mentioned already, Rebecca Ferguson will head into Silo 17 to meet Solo, a pivotal character whose casting has somehow not been announced yet. We can also expect to see Silo 18 events, including glimpses of a freaked-out Tim Robbins as Bernard and Common as Sims. As already mentioned, we could possibly meet a new host of Silo 1 characters, and Reddit’s been fancasting. (Hey, Alden Ehrenreich is pretty busy these days, but he would make a fantastic Donald Keane, and Kristofer Hivju would be an inspired choice for Solo. Also, is Donald Sutherland free to portray Senator Thurman?)
Release Date
Apple TV+ is being secretive about a release date, but late 2024 seems perfectly plausible, given the straightforward shooting style of this series.
Trailer
Since Apple TV+ hasn’t graced us with upcoming footage yet, here’s a look back at Juliette in the first season’s final moments, when she was about to discover that dozens of other silos exist.
