RE:VIEW ~ “Silo” (3rd series)
I’ve watched this streaming series on Apple TV+ from the beginning. SF and post-apocalyptic stuff fascinates me, I think, because it refines society down to the basics: food, water, shelter, tribalism. Reconstructing a culture requires questions of priorities for justice, or education, governance, economics, arts, religion (or lack thereof), and power. This programme is right up my alley.
I couldn’t wait for the third series of episodes, and just after the second one finished, I sought out the three original books that Hugh Howey wrote and consumed them nearly as fast as possible. I had questions which needed answers and I was not going to wait for them.
The books, unsurprisingly, took me on a similar journey to the show, but there were some differences. The second series of episodes had basically the same characters heading from the same plot point A to the same point B, but the method of arrival followed different routes from one another. I have never been hidebound to the notion it has to be the same as the books or it’s all wrecked! I recognize that the presentation of novels and movies are inherently different in approaches to story-telling. Things must change because of the methods used, plus cultural influences will also have changed between the creation of the material and the adaptation thereof so the story needs to be tweaked to reflect that.
With the third series of episodes, they have hewn completely apart from the books by the tenth instalment. Most big plot points are maintained, but the method of arrival is wildly different. I think I actually like the series better than the books. The narrative is leaner, the characters more clearly motivated for more logical goals, and the several plots are easier to identify with. I am excited to see where they go with the fourth and final series of episodes come next July.
The third series of episodes have the same high quality of presentation, performance, and technical achievements as the previous two. This is excellent storytelling.
The physical spaces of the silo are less occupied by others than previously: there are fewer people wandering around. Mostly this seems to be due to people feeling less safe in public spaces there; it’s certainly a more paranoiac situation than we’ve seen previously. There’s more going on, more questions being asked about their world, and more allegiances are being doubted. Nothing has changed, really, but an awareness of the realities surrounding them has been increased incredibly. Because of the increased space available in the silo, it feels increasingly claustrophobic, driving the paranoia further.
There’s also an historical timeline running, and which may inform this feeling of paranoia for the viewer when watching the other plot line.
Gosh, I’d like to say more about all of that, but I cannot do so without spoilers.
This is an excellent series which you should watch if any of the above intrigues you at all.
★★★★★
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