New Apple TV+ series silo Set in a massive underground complex full of mystery and danger. Writer Raphael Jordan was immediately attracted to the concept of the show.
“When I saw the initial marketing, I got really excited about it, because I just love bunkers,” Jordan said in Episode 545 of the series. Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy audio file. “Any kind of sci-fi or horror story set in a bunker, I’m in. I know I’m really weird when it comes to these things. I would Airbnb the Silo if I could. Why do you even want to leave?
silo based on the 2011 novel Wool by self-published star Hugh Howey. Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy host David Barr Kirtley so excited to see one of my favorite books turned into a big budget series. “For years, whenever someone said, ‘Oh, you do a science fiction podcast? What’s a good science fiction book I should read?’ I have often said Wool,” he said. “So that’s something I really, really like.”
Science fiction shows often tantalize viewers with intriguing mysteries but then fail to offer satisfactory explanations. Science Fiction Editor John Joseph Adamswho has collaborated with Howey on many projects, promises that silo is building towards a satisfying conclusion in future seasons. “I actually find the facts about these mysteries very satisfying, assuming they keep the answers from the books,” he said. “So at least we have that security blanket, unlike with Lost And Battlestar Galacticawhere they’re obviously writing and producing it as they go, and they really don’t know where it’s going.
Writer Sara Lynn Michener very happy with that silo is being produced by Apple TV+, which has a long track record of supporting their sci-fi shows. “They don’t work the way other streamers seem to be doing right now, where something has to work really well for the first two weeks, or it never will,” she said. There is a second season. “We’ve had examples of shows and movies that built very slowly and then became cult classics. Sometimes it doesn’t happen in the first two weeks. And often, the better a show is, the more likely it is to sell out slowly.”
Listen to the full interview with Rafael Jordan, John Joseph Adams, and Sara Lynn Michener in Episode 545 of Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy (above). And check out some highlights from the discussion below.
Rafael Jordan on silo compare to City of Ember:
I was initially struck by some superficial similarities with City of Ember, which I really like. It’s a youth series and I’ve always wished it was made into a series, so when I came across silo I was very excited, because it seemed like the adult version, more profound. … Basically in that movie [people] has lived underground for several hundred years, but has an expiration date. And that’s where the stories are definitely different, because in that story, they’re actively trying to find a way out, and if they don’t leave then everything falls apart. Strange, Tim Robbins are in both projects, so this makes some people wonder if they are related, but they are not.
Sara Lynn Michener on female characters:
When I see a character who’s clearly not supposed to be charming in every way, and they make her look sexy, it takes me completely off the story. I can’t forgive them for that in this day and age, I can’t. And the fact is [Rebecca Ferguson] totally 100 percent looks like she doesn’t wear makeup all the time, the fact that her hair looks greasy and dirty most of the time, the fact that she believes 100% in her personality makes me very happy. That’s one of the reasons why I stopped watching 12 monkeys series. I can’t stand what they did to the heroine there. She’s always been like “Professor Barbie”. Her hair is perfect in every scene. They would do her perfect makeup and then put some ashes on her chin if she was in a dangerous situation. Come on, guys.
David Barr Kirtley on the Mysteries:
There are people who like the ending of [Lost and Battlestar Galactica] because they really care about the characters, and they feel like all the characters have satisfying emotional journeys, and then you have people like me who don’t really care that much characters and just wanted to know the solution to the mystery, and felt completely cheated. … With [Silo] I’m actually more interested in: What’s the World Outside of Silo Really Like? Why are silos built? What is the truth about the story with the uprising? And I feel like we didn’t really figure out anything about any of the mysteries in the second half of the season. That’s all character development. And at least personally, for my taste, I feel like there needs to be a more balance between revealing the mystery parts and developing the characters, if the whole fundamental thrust of the movie is to be built around introducing you to this fascinating mystery.
John Joseph Adams on silo:
I love the show, and I feel it’s very faithful [to the books]. … I watched it with my wife Christie, and it was funny to watch her—not to the extent that you’re watching it. Game of Thrones for those who haven’t read the book and watch them get shocked with all the big twists and turns in it—but she’s just been standing on the edge of her chair from the very first episode. They dropped the first two episodes at the same time and we don’t always watch two episodes of the same show in a row, but when we watched the first episode, she said, “Yeah, we’re watching the next episode. Right?” Then they drop it once a week, and we see them as the first thing, as soon as we have time on Fridays. So that’s TV appointment.
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