AppleTV+’s Silo has reached its halfway mark with episode 5, but the pace has curiously slowed down. Here’s our thoughts.
Warning! This review contains spoilers for previous episodes of Silo and very slight ones for this episode. You have been warned.
Episode 5 marks the halfway point for Silo, so let’s recap what’s been going on. Silo 18 is on the verge of another rebellion and mayor Holland (Tim Robbins) can barely keep the crowds from tearing each other apart and seizing control of the silo. One of the most exciting aspects of Silo this season is that we don’t really know who to trust and whose motives are pure of heart.
Last week, the mayor also framed Knox and Shirley for the murder of Judge Meadows and Sims (Common) riled up the crowds, sending them after Knox and Shirley. At the same time, Billings has found out the body of the guy who threw the firebomb a couple of episodes ago has gone missing. The plot thickens!
Meanwhile, Juliette is still in silo 18, trying to find something to fix her suit with, allowing her to leave eventually. Solo is becoming more sketchy by the minute, but Juliette has little other choice but to trust him and keep working on a solution.
In other words, an awful lot has happened in the first four episodes and the events only take place within a few days. If your head is slightly spinning and you find yourself strangely out of breath at the end of every episode, that’s understandable. It’s a lot of effort to keep up with everything, but Silo is also immaculately written so it’s hard to resist its breathless plotting.
In episode 5, the pace slows down considerably. There’s still plenty of action in the episode, titled ‘Descent’, but compared to what came before, it feels like a bit of a breather. It’s a very welcome change and a chance to breathe, to consider the real effects of last week’s shocking episode.
That being said, ‘Descent’ is a tense ride. For the most part, we spend the episode with Knox and Shirley as they try to make their way down the silo and into safety after Sims riled up the crowds who are now after blood.
If Rebecca Ferguson was the standout in season 1 – why wouldn’t she be? It was largely her story – she’s a little short changed here. Her own adventure outside silo 17 feels secondary and, frankly, less interesting than what’s going on in silo 18. Her attempts at making another suit and exploring the world more moves slower and doesn’t have much impact, which feels backwards since Juliette leaving the silo was a huge development, a cliffhanger if you will.
Instead, Silo season 2 is very much Tim Robbins’ season. Robbins plays mayor Holland with the perfect blend of slight threat and flimsy stupidity. You’re never quite sure if he’s really as unqualified for the job as he seems he is or if it’s all just a carefully considered act. There’s a great scene in episode 5 where the mayor vaguely threatens Sims’ wife Camille. Robbins beautifully communicates the power relationships with just a smile that isn’t very genuine and his eyes which burrow into Camille, telling her exactly what will happen if she doesn’t follow his lead.
Episode 5 does end on a very intriguing note as we find out Solo (Steve Zahn) might have lied about who he is. All of a sudden, it seems that Juliette might be stuck in a silo, which is in terrible condition and very dangerous in itself, with a potential maniac. As I mentioned last week, Zahn is remarkable here as well which makes Juliette’s narrative much more appealing, even if season 2 is struggling to make her an important part of the overall story.
Join us again next week to chat all things Silo!
