Silo came highly recommended and I have to strongly agree with that line of thinking! The core story is one we've seen before: a group of people somewhat trapped in a situation that they don't fully understand, which appears utopic on the service but with some very odd rules that hint at greater mysteries and a more sinister undercurrent just out of view. Watching through, I found myself harking back to the early seasons of Lost or Heroes, where the focus is often on individual characters and interpersonal conflicts/relationships within a relatively small subgroup, whilst the show maintains a general background progression that hints at answers whilst constantly posing new questions. Thankfully, unlike both of those shows, Silo deftly sticks the landing, consistently revealing just enough to keep you interested, whilst leaving the biggest revelations to the very end.

It also cleverly plays with those revelations. More than once, we only get partial answers – enough to make you initially satisfied, but then later you realise that things still don't quite add up – which are then looped back to (or left dangling for future seasons), and the show also does a great job of giving you a huge reveal early and then slowly chipping away at it, so that by the time it crescendos I was both expecting the double-bluff and then also flawed by the subsequent revelations. It's a good cliffhanger to end the season on, because it wraps things up with the characters neatly enough that you could almost leave it here, but obviously leaves the door wide open for much more world-building and many more mysteries.

Speaking of, the world-building is fascinating and a large part of why the show works. Sure, you have a standout cast delivering some truly superb performances – none more so than Rebecca Ferguson as our lead, Juliette, though she's given a run for that spot by, well, everyone else at times – but the attention to detail sells the world. The subtle slang which you don't really notice at first but slowly unravel as you learn more about the titular silo ("going to the farm", "getting sanctioned", and the many ways they refer to the levels of the silo); the way the stratification of society is shown, which is far from the "in your face" portrayals we get in other science fiction, yet still ever-present (a subtle derogatory comment here, and knowing look there); the many public holidays we see; even the design of the silo itself and the public offices, it all forges this nice pocket of realism that makes the community and culture much more vibrant than it needed to be, and in doing so elevates the whole.

But, of course, the show would live or die on how well it handles those core mysteries, and for the most part, they did really well. I like that we never find out the depths (pun intended) of what George was really doing, and Bernard's reaction to Juliette's casual mentioning of "George's door in the down deep" was the perfect way to make those lack of answers less frustrating and even more intriguing, as it appears even the silos grand master was caught off guard in that instant. The revelations around the Janitorial team are handled well and build nicely, placing just enough suspicion on Bernard to keep you wary but building Sims well enough that you drop your guard along with Juliette. Heck, even the questions around Juliette's past and family are dealt with well, fleshing that out and giving some needed character moments with the father. Or how Billings was the man they wanted not just because of his proficiency or dogma, but also because they know about his condition (one mystery the show nicely skirted over: the "syndrome") and can clearly use it to control him.

From top to bottom (again, pun intended) the show is just brimming with interesting storytelling, excellent craftsmanship, and a tightness of vision that pulls it all together extremely well. It's beautifully designed, expertly filmed, blending real and CGI effortlessly, and I really can't wait to learn more in the next season!