The Silo (SPOILERS)

[Aellic Mornbringer]

A great end to the season. My wife and I are already chomping at the bit for the next season. Some of the questions we had:

Is the senator a "true believer" or was she also wiped and programmed, like Troy? (I'm leaning towards full-blown cultist. She mentions her daughter as the reason they can't neutralize Susan/Charlotte). Speaking of, she seems almost annoyed that they can't just get rid of Susan/Charlotte. Along with the occupants of the silos, it seems like there isn't much regard for the lives of the plebes running Silo 1.

Who does have their full memories? I assume those referred to as the Founders: the late doctor, the senator, Stenson, Henry(?) (the senator's fixer). The senator's daughter?

How many silos have been "wiped"? I've heard conflicting numbers because the screen displays in the control room show different lit/unlit silos at different times.

What was Stenson's vision and is what the current state of things in alignment with that vision or did something get twisted with time?

Where is Stenson? He's in cryosleep but I find it interesting we haven't seen him yet. I guess a better question is why we haven't seen him yet.

Why did Daniel and Helen need to be separated?

What is the purpose of the Forward Vault doors? Our understanding is they connect all of the silos (we know 17's door could not be used to pump poison, sorry, "compound", because it was under water). It sounds like they're the equivalent of maintenance tunnels. In any case, it looks like we'll know sooner rather than later.

I wonder if Daniel had any other contact with Helen after the nuclear blast (via radio or anything) or was that literally the last they saw or heard from each other?

We have the Pact for the population of the silo. But wait, the head of IT operates under the Order which expands what they are allowed to do outside of the Pact. But wait, there is the Directive, that the workers in Silo 1 follow. I feel like there is a (perhaps unwritten) 4th level, call it "the Plan", that only the Founders are truly aware of and follow. I'm curious if we will learn more of what is in the Directive, or even the Order.

And I'll close with Bernard and Juliette's one simple question, "Why?" I can't wait to find out!

 

[briggart]

Depends on how it was framed, a terrorist attack, the people visiting the silos killed, the government sectioning off the area as a memorial. I think there are ways that they could spin the narrative. Though this is now 300ish years after the event, not sure they could keep it quiet all that time.

I interpreted "the outside world is watching" as a sort of Truman Show, or at a very least that the public at large is aware of what actually is going on. If the founders instead managed to keep it a secret, I can see the social experiment angle.

I still do not think it's what is actually going on, because by the current in-show timeline there have been almost 10000 dead bodies outside silo 17 for 30+years and that is something that can easily be picked up by satellites, which makes me think that society at large has collapsed, even if the world is not entirely unlivable as the people in the silos are led to believe.

Anyway, looking forward to S4 to see what is actually going on.

 

[Aellic Mornbringer]

Excellent point about the 10k bodies showing up on satellite imagery. If I recall, there is a throwaway line in the "Gray Goo" episode where Stenson mentions that they pay a lot of money to either keep satellites redirected away from the site or they have it blocked for national security type reasons but forward 300+ years, would those protections still be in place and/or enforceable. Which goes to @briggart 's point that society has collapsed/regressed over the last few centuries. (This in turn raises other questions regarding Silo 1. They obviously have visibility into the outside world, they are flying drones around, etc. So they presumably know the conditions of the outside. There must be a reason they are continuing their mission. What is the trigger condition for the silo project/experiment to end and everyone let outside? Has society not collapsed enough yet?)

I think when Juliet first leaves the silo and the fake green landscape video disappears from her visor, you can see the shell of a city off in the distance. I'm curious if that is supposed to be Atlanta.

 

[Thierry-Advent]

I think the ultimate goal of the Founders is to completely erase the civilization before the Silos to begin anew. That explains the constant hunt for the artifacts. The Founders will not let the silo residents leave (the why?) until all memories of the past are completely obliterated. Which would be ironic because they did not wipe their own memories. It's impossible to erase memories permanently as shown by the Troy/Daniel character. The doctor finally realized that, after 300 years, and killed himself.

 

[Jahydin]

Season 3 started off a little weak for a few episodes for me, but the writing quickly picked up, cementing another solid season. I can't wait for 4 now.

As for why it started off week, I think I was worried it would fall into the trap of everyone (writers and actors) being so comfortable with their characters that all development stops and they slowly just become parodies of themselves. Glad I was wrong though!

 

[Zaukrie]

I found the last episode depressing, evil, and cynical. At least silo one.

 

[cbwjm]

Yep, it wasn't a happy episode. It does have interested in next season, hopefully it will explain the whys of the silos and the control of silo 1

 

[Aellic Mornbringer]

I think the two timelines will be Juliet's Silo 18 crew (along with the surprise element of Silo 17's group, does Silo 1 know about them (outside of the children that they may or may not believe) fighting the good fight in the present day and then a flashback to immediately after the silos are populated. And within that timeline, we'll see the why's and how's that control is exerted from both Helen and Daniel's POVs.

Honestly, that is all such juicy exposition, I just hope they're able to fit it all into the single remaining season. They've done a great job so far though so I think they have a great chance at a strong finish.

 

[Bunch]

Was it ever explicitly or heavily implied that Juliet is Troy/Daniels offspring? I seem to recall that being implied but I get interrupted a lot watching shows.

 

[cbwjm]

I do have the impression that she is descended from him, but I'm not sure whre I got that impression from, unless it had something to do with the Pez dispenser.