Oh, the indomitable human spirit! Many works of fiction focus on how powerful the human will is and how far a person can go to find the truth – about society, about the past, and about their own hearts.
silo It is also a dystopian novel that mainly revolves around the search for truth. Season 1 follows Juliette Nichols (Rebecca Ferguson) as she searches for the people and people she loves with the help of Chief Deputy Paul Billings (Chinaza Uche). The truth that cost the lives of the people she had just begun to care about. Bernard Holland (Tim Robbins) and Robert Simms (Corman) tried in vain to hide things from them, and when that was no longer possible, they framed her. Juliet is then banished from the silo to the toxic outside world. But with the help of Martha Walker (Harriet Walter), Juliet survives and discovers not only a destroyed world, but another silo.
The series is based on Hugh Howie’s “The Silo” trilogy, and as far as I’m concerned, the first season only adapted the first half of the first book, “Wool.” Season 2 is supposed to adapt the other half, so this premiere feels less like S02E01 and more like S01E11 (if that makes sense). This episode isn’t as introductory as a regular premiere and simply moves the story forward from where the finale left off. That’s not a bad thing; maybe releasing two episodes like the premiere would have helped, but The Engineer is more than capable of fulfilling its mission of transporting us into that world again. Also, while the pre-episode recap clips are helpful, I think rewatching the first season might be useful for some viewers.
“engineer” – Silos. Pictured: Rebecca Ferguson as Juliet. Photo: Apple TV ©. all rights reserved
As for this episode, the concept is simple, with Juliet recalling important parts of her childhood while exploring the interior of a new silo. Interestingly, Juliet is having an Indiana Jones/Tomb Raider moment, climbing up objects, falling down, trying again, and doing some crazy stunts while exploring new silos. Apparently alone in this abandoned place, haunted by memories of her childhood, her youthful friend Shirley (Ada Brooke) and Martha, her younger self (Emily Chai) De Villiers)’s important friend. That’s where this episode goes, with Juliet calmly and quietly reminiscing about past events, doing everything she can to ensure she has a future in her not-so-calm (but very quiet) present. Finally, she discovers a man alive in another silo. He is listening to a song and after a brief introduction, he threatens Juliet’s life.
Overall, this was a good season premiere. While not as explosive as some expected, it gives us enough emotional context while also setting the stage for what’s to come. Now, we’ll have to wait a little longer to learn not only what happened inside the other silo, but also what happened inside the silo where Juliet was banished. Needless to say, Rebecca Ferguson is great here as always, and if there’s anything I’m expecting from this season, it’s a stellar performance from her.
