Tyrannical despotism is a sly creature, and within the domain of the Silo, it lurks beneath the pretense of pseudo-democratic governance.
The mask has long fallen, but people often take time to recognize or perhaps understand the ugly realities of the false institutions they’ve come to rely on.
Still, others are desperate for meaning and purpose, embracing any authority that offers a moment of animus. Such is the state of things in Silo Season 2 Episode 5.
Things are coming apart at the seams, and Bernard’s mask is slipping of his own volition. Gone is the false smile and sense of amicability, replaced by a perpetually smug scowl, a veneer covering a blind rage.
Blind in the sense that Bernard’s control is slipping. His quarry continues to elude as barriers collapse beneath the weight of the mob.
Handing out credits will no longer work to soothe the crowd, and the carefully crafted machinations that forged division are bearing fruit, just not in the way Bernard expected.
Amidst the unraveling bedlam, Dr. Peter Nichols delivers a heartrending speech in the face of the priggish despot himself, walking away in silence afterward.
Bernard’s regard in the face of such intransigence promises a potentially vengeful future for the poor doctor, who has lost everything to the false order of the Silo.
Even the most innocuous statements, such as “my people” (an employer referring to his employees in terms of camaraderie), are enough to set Bernard off into boiling assertions of lordship and domination.
For the book readers out there, one missing puzzle piece falls back into place, thanks to Bernard’s paranoia and need for a Shadow. Speaking of Bernard’s paranoia, Robert Sims is officially his enemy, feeling his way through the newfound power dynamics of Judicial.
With the Silo falling into complete disarray, Sims’ wife is making her own moves as well, aiding and abetting Knox and Shirley just as the mindless mob descends on them.
The Sims are still going through the motions of adherence to Bernard’s rule, but they conspire and contemplate when alone.
Though Robert and Camille Sims don’t get much screen time, it’s clear that Bernard is losing control, even as he maneuvers desperately to fix it.
If the fall of Silo 17 teaches nothing else, it’s that there is no such thing as permanent control—permanent domination over people. Eventually, their curiosities will break their submissiveness, and there is no manner of control a regime can leverage to stop it.
Most of Silo Season 2 Episode 4 revolves around Knox, Shirley, Walker, and Carla’s journey, and nothing much changes in Episode 5. They’re still trying to make their way back to Mechanical.
Only a handful of subplots are thriving within the constrained setting of the Silo, which makes the constant jumping around unsettling. It also steals any real investment into each storyline.
What’s even more frustrating is the plot’s plodding pace. We spend mere seconds at a time with Sheriff Billings, Bernard, Robert/Camilla, Juliette, and Knox/Shirley.
It’s especially egregious with Juliette, who again makes very, very little progress in any direction that conveys progress.
Some scenes are longer than others, and perhaps only Shirley and Knox make any real progress toward their singular goal. However, despite their efforts, they spend as much time traveling up as they do traveling down.
We’re halfway through the season, and it’s not hard to imagine Silo Season 2 wrapping things up still within the confines of the first book. If you’ve read my previous reviews, you’ll know that the first book is rather thin.
We’re not talking about a Stephen King or Brandon Sanderson doorstop here. Even The Stand (both series) managed to wrap everything up in a single, limited series.
I’m all for a rich plot with complex characters, but often it feels as if they just meander around their respective Silos, accomplishing so much that has little to do with anything.
It’s a gorgeous wax finish on a Suzuki X-90, one of the worst cars ever made. It looks beautiful, the characters are perfect, and it’s going nowhere as fast as possible.
Juliette begins the primary plot (even though she probably gets less screen time than most of the other subplots) still searching for a way to put together a suit that will allow her to go outside.
It ends with Juliette being sick and without a suit. Maybe she’ll call in for Episode 6. That’s an entire two hours of television now, and Juliette progressed from no suit to no suit and sick.
It’s frustrating to watch, and even though there are several intriguing things going on, especially in terms of Silo’s secrets, subtle hints at underlying mysteries, and Bernard’s back and forth with Lukas or Dr. Pete.
Robert and Camilla plot and continue to plot. Bernard plots and continues to plot. Juliette seeks and continues to seek. Billings investigates and continues to investigate. Knox/Shirley escape and continue to escape.
I’m sure you can see the pattern by now. Again, at the risk of beating a dead horse, it seems like Apple TV+ simply wants an eight-season goliath out of three relatively thin books.
Don’t get me wrong. It’s not boring to watch. However, it’s the kind of television that makes you unconsciously lean forward in your seat, attempting to telepathically urge a singular message: “Move forward, move forward, and move forward.”
As an ardent book reader and a fan of Hugh Howey, I find the characters to be mostly perfect in their roles. Bernard was a little whiny in the books, but Tim Robbins has a naturally whiny face, even though his approach is slightly more fervent and commanding.
I will never be able to read Juliette Nichols again without seeing Rebecca Ferguson in the role. Even characters that shouldn’t be there at this point, like Sheriff Billings, are natural in their roles and emanate “belonging” in Silo’s world and story.
It’d be nice to see things start moving with a real sense of flow. There are five episodes remaining, and I hope I am wrong about the story not going anywhere until Season 3. There are ten episodes this season, and we’re only halfway there, so I’m still hopeful.
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