The first two episodes introduce viewers to the present’s subterranean universe by way of the eyes of Sheriff Holston Becker (David Oyelowo) and his spouse, Allison (Rashida Jones). They’re fortunately residing inside the Silo after they win an opportunity to probably reproduce. Allison’s government-mandated contraception is eliminated, they usually have a yr to conceive. There’s a way of urgency—that is, we uncover, their third shot at having a child, and sure their final. As months move with no being pregnant, Allison begins to suspect their fertility points aren’t a coincidence however as a substitute are tied to the shadowy nature of the Silo’s authorities and what it desires from its residents. 

Holston and Allison’s storyline is made emotionally resonant by way of two wonderful performances—Jones’ is a career-highlight—and it concurrently serves as an environment friendly little bit of exposition. We study that the Silo capabilities as a self-contained metropolis, powered by a wierd patchwork of applied sciences from the previous; there’s an IT division, radios, and historic computer systems, however no elevators or pulleys or telephones. The residents don’t know a lot about their historical past, as a result of a failed insurgent group destroyed many of the accessible documentation about how the silo got here to be and what occurred to the world aboveground. The Silo is ruled by a doc referred to as the Pact, stipulating strict guidelines about easy methods to behave. The most essential rule? If you ask to go exterior, you should go exterior—and you can not return.

People who go exterior are geared up with a form of hazmat swimsuit and given a chunk of wool to “clean.” They are requested to wipe the sensor on the digicam that gives the silo with its solely view to the surface. These “cleanings” are a communal ritual—a kind of public execution—and folks collect to look at their doomed neighbors succumb to the poisonous air. Corpses of former cleaners dot the decrepit panorama. 

After the second episode, the present’s true protagonist emerges: Rebecca Ferguson’s gruff, succesful mechanic, Juliette Nichols, who will get recruited from a lifetime of grunt work within the decrease ranges to hitch the regulation enforcement staff “up top.” Ferguson provides an action-star flip right here, magnetic and lithe. (My solely criticism about her efficiency is the accent work—regardless of spending her complete life in a North American underground metropolis, Juliette typically sounds oddly Scandinavian.) 

Juliette doesn’t wish to depart her sooty dwelling and her cherished generator. She loves machines! She has a sensible outdated woman good friend! But, you see—a thriller wants unraveling. Her boyfriend, a curious kind, went trying to find ~ solutions ~ in regards to the Silo’s true nature and wound up lifeless. Juliette suspects homicide—and a sheriff’s badge means she will examine. She’s rapidly at odds with leaders from the Silo’s two different foremost energy facilities: the imposing Sims, from the judicial department (Common, glowering) and Bernard, the conniving tech chief (Tim Robbins, glowering even more durable). Intrigue ensues.

The lifeless boyfriend isn’t in Howey’s books. I believe he received concocted to melt Juliette’s edges, since she’s a reasonably hard-nosed heroine. He’s … no matter. There are a number of different adjustments, most notably within the Silo’s look. In the novels, it’s a claustrophobic place, rundown and resource-strapped, and all of the residents put on uniforms similar to their jobs. The present’s Silo is an enormous, cavernous place, and the folks inside it gown how they please. (They additionally appear someway proof against vitamin D deficiency.) Otherwise, the primary season is a reasonably trustworthy adaptation of the start of Howey’s story— factor, since Wool is a humdinger, twisty and thrilling. 

If this present will get picked up for future seasons, it will likely be fascinating to see if it follows Howey’s construction, for the reason that second quantity, Shift, is a prequel with elements set a whole bunch of years up to now. This isn’t a George R. R. Martin scenario; they gained’t run out of pages to adapt and must wing it.