As one of the best sci-fi dystopian sagas to grace television in recent times, Apple TV's Silo has kept viewers hooked with its interwoven narrative and endless mysteries. The recently concluded season 3 answers some of the show’s most frequently asked questions; however, much remains to be explored in Silo’s fourth and final season.
We already have a teaser trailer for Silo season 4, and it's evident why many theories, subplots, and mysteries were left open. The viewers now know the truth about Silo 1 and how they have been controlling the underground city, but as Bernard and Juliette pointed out, we still don’t know the "why."
The show’s elusive tone makes it difficult to pinpoint how the characters’ arcs will intersect with the eventual endgame. It’s evident that the next chapter will be about Juliette finding her way to Silo 1, but many of the core questions still remain. What was the need to build the silos? Why do they kill people in them? What will happen when Juliette takes out the silo that controls them all?
The fate of the rest of the world
The illusion of catastrophe is one of the most common story archetypes in post-apocalyptic plots. People are forced to live in shelters because the outside world is uninhabitable, but in reality, they are all part of a greater agenda. The case is more or less the same for Silo, but it’s the kind of Pandora's box that the show is saving for its endgame.
Now, there was a blast; the world was destroyed — we just don’t know how much of it. Also, Silo season 3 episode 10 proved that the outside air is not toxic, and it's Silo 1, which has been preventing people from surviving outside. Therefore, it doesn’t make sense to assume that the Silo Project is just there to protect humanity and facilitate its rehabilitation on the surface.
This means the outside world may not be entirely desolate, unlike the land surrounding the silos. The show has yet to explain the full extent of the world-ending event and exactly who triggered the catastrophe.
The purpose of killing the silos
We know after Troy’s stunt that the Directive is responsible for killing the silos. No matter the body count, if the citizens try to get out, they are automatically offered a death sentence. If we consider this in the context of the generic apocalyptic trope, the common course of action is survival rather than destruction. When the outside world is a wasteland, you don’t kill 10,000 people at a time just to ensure that the system survives.
Moreover, if the outside world were gone, Silo 1 wouldn’t kill thousands of people if they were the last of mankind. It’s evident that the silos are not about preservation but are a part of a ploy that stems from personal vendetta. Of course, if Juliette finds a way to take Silo 1 hostage in the upcoming season, the truth will naturally come to light.
The truth behind the compound
One thing is for sure. The threat outside the silos is not natural. Lukas Kyle being shot and surviving, and the people of Silo 17 breathing freely outside the ramp doors, prove that the air is not the problem. The people have been lied to, and they aren’t being kept underground for their safety.
So, what exactly is the threat? What is killing the people besides the bullets from the drones? We see Daniel telling the pilots to administer a compound that immediately kills the people, but we are never told what it is. This compound may also be the same thing being pumped through the Safeguard valve, but we get nothing more than just “poison.”
What’s more, when Bernard goes out to clean, he dies on the hill after a few moments without the suit, but we never hear or see any drone releasing the compound. The truth about whatever is killing the people is undoubtedly one of those few Silo mysteries that the fans are desperately seeking an answer to.
Daniel Keene or Troy
Daniel was always going to be in the eye of the storm, but the Troy twist catapulted him into a whole new direction. Unlike Daniel, Troy is essentially the big bad in the eyes of the silo inhabitants. It feels like there’s only a narrow window for Daniel to resurface given how his mind has been conditioned.
Of course, his remembering the past — everything about Helen and the silos — will be the key to Silo 18’s salvation. His memories will be crucial in the upcoming season, but the million-dollar question is, how will that happen?
How will Daniel navigate what has conspired in the last few centuries without alarming the rest of Silo 1? He will have a huge burden to carry, from protecting his sister to ensuring that another silo isn’t killed on his behalf.
What happens when Silo 1 is destroyed?
Juliette has finally learned that they must nip the evil in the bud. There’s no use in barricading themselves inside Silo 18 because if they truly want freedom, they must take out the center. At the end of the season 3 finale, Juliette announces that they must take down Silo 1 because it’s the control center.
However, if she does that, will all the other silos cease to exist? What if taking out Silo 1 isn’t an option because it’s possible that there’s nothing out there at all? Then they’d be destroying their only lifeline. It’ll be a complicated affair having Juliette go against Silo 1 because there’s still a lot to unpack on that front.
The biggest Silo mystery at this point is undoubtedly the inner workings of Silo 1. Why is it there? How does it control everything? Why do people go on shifts? Why do they keep killing people? And, ultimately, how can they break free?
There are so many questions and only one season left to answer them all. It’s going to be a fine day for sci-fi fans when Silo season 4 arrives on Apple TV on July 9, 2027.
Add us as a preferred source on Google