‘Silo’ Recap: ‘Freedom Day’ & ‘Holston’s Pick’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

‘Holston’s Pick’

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the Series Premiere of ‘Silo’.
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It has often been said, in some variation, that who we are is a direct result of the reality or the environment that surrounds us, and there is merit to that line of thinking. For as children, we only know the world that surrounds us, and it oft is just us and our parents and nothing more and even as we grow, we tend to stick to familiarity in life, and people and places that echo those root memories of the environment that we are initially presented with. Which in some ways, makes that statement quite unnerving to say the least. Since it implies that we function in a cold and routine world. Where no one ever grows and no one moves forward, they’re just a product of what they see and what they think they are.
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But thankfully, our deep-rooted curiosities and our desire to learn and understand more about the world that surrounds that… alters such concerns and makes that saying dynamic in nature. Since we are oft motivated to see other parts of the world and meet people from other cultures and just enjoy the majesty of the planet and everything it has to offer. So that we grow and become so much more, courtesy of the fine environment that surrounds us. But of course… that saying/mantra and the black and white nature of it, does pique the dark corners of one’s curiosity as well. Specifically, what would humanity and its beautiful nature become if the richness of the world wasn’t around us? If one environment was all that we knew? Well, those are questions that are answered in the brand-new Apple TV+ series, Silo, and sadly… those answers are quite bleak in nature. 

For the series premiere of this saga, which is based upon the Hugh Howey novel series of the same name, explores such a world where humanity has become what its environment dictates. A feat ‘Freedom Day’ and ‘Holston’s Pick’ accomplishes, by sending us far into the future. Where the last of mankind lives deep beneath the surface of the Earth in a giant Silo. All because the surface is toxic and barren, and what remains of humanity, is shifted into caste-like living and quite frankly, a miserable existence. One where there is no more dreaming, no more pursuing what matters. Just getting by day after day in a world without sunshine or joy and well… that paints a horrifying picture of a world that is truly stagnant. For there is nothing to this world, just the next meal and the next moment and that informs us… that such a reality would be bleak and devastating, and it leads us to wonder… would it crush our curious and explorative spirit?

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‘Freedom Day’

As it turns out, that is where… the story brings us joy. For it informs us that no, it would not, which means that in order to keep a society like this docile, fear and autocracy and oppression come into play and that is present here in a subtle manner. Since anyone who challenges the way of things is cast out into the void to suffer before dying in the wasteland, and anything that informs this world of the old world is hidden away. But even then, the human spirit and its need for more is strong and that is what brings about great conflict in this premiere. For a Sheriff named Holston and an Engineer named Juliette, cannot comprehend why their loved ones have left this life in such brutal and strange and heartbreaking ways, and that pushes them both to push harder for the truth, to truly understand the mysteries of the Silo and why it is so critical that humanity and its wonder stay buried.
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Which is a plot that perfectly explores the horrors of that mantra, since there is little pleasant to see here, outside of the grand fight that Holston and Juliette seem to be prepared to take to those in charge of the Silo. But while this story does an incredible job of showing us a world robbed of freedom and direction, where it truly shines is in its subtext. Since so much of what we see, serves as an allegory for our world. Since there are people now that want to suppress information and put people into unique pigeonholes from a gender or class perspective. Not to mention, this is a story that feels painfully familiar from a fear standpoint. Since the necessary isolation present here to save everyone from the hostile environment beyond the walls of the Silo, features echoes of the pandemic and our own worries about the virus and the loneliness of lockdown.

All of which provides us with a fascinating new journey, one that will truly explore the power and the wonder of the human experience and our never-ending fight against the nightmare that is oppression, and it doesn’t hurt that this opening chapter is filled to the brim with amazing acting and some quality writing. The kind that gently weaves together a grand tapestry for us, one that clearly, will come undone if the right thread is pulled upon and that is what compels us to continue this fascinating journey post hate. So, we can see what happens to this carefully crafted world now that suddenly, people are beginning to wonder what life is really all about, and whether or not there is more for them beyond the environment that has trapped them in a manner that is far more oppressive than the thick concrete that has entombed them. Until next time.  

To learn more about the incredible characters that make up this world, check out our interviews with series cast members, Tim Robbins (Bernard), Harriet Walter (Martha), and Avi Nash (Lukas).

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