While the Apple TV sci-fi show's season 2 was no less compelling, it had some glaring flaws compared to the opening installment. Its pacing issues seem evident as it struggled to consistently progress Juliette's story. Eventually, though, Silo season 2 also managed to make up for its shortcomings by delivering a compelling final arc.
Silo season 3 has a lot of narrative ground to cover, which makes it incredibly exciting. Surprisingly, though, it is already being criticized for changing the books and introducing a storyline where Juliette is experiencing amnesia. Book changes can be problematic, so the criticism is not completely unfounded. However, it does undermine how the new story development perfectly fits into the show's narrative.
Why Silo Season 3’s Amnesia Plot Is Being Heavily Critisized By Book Readers
In Hugh Howey's original Silo books, Juliette does not experience any memory loss after returning home to Silo 18. She immediately becomes the new mayor after coming back and makes provisions to prepare her people for the inevitable conflict ahead. This development in the books ensures that the story remains compelling, unfolding at a breakneck pace that keeps readers hooked.
With the amnesia story, it seems like Apple TV's Silo has almost backtracked all progress from season 2. Juliette's story has suddenly stalled as, despite finding the answers to many big questions, she suddenly seems like a different person altogether. Since the readers of Hugh Howey's books expected the Apple TV show to stay true to the source material's gripping pace and structure, many are now disappointed with the show.
Since Silo season 2 was weighed down by many similar pacing issues, it is understandable that even season 3's creative choices are making many viewers skeptical about the show's future. The early developments in Silo season 3 could easily come off as fillers if they are not handled too well.
However, a closer look at the amnesia story reveals how essential it is for the show as it doubles down on the franchise's core themes of historical revisionism and the manipulation of truth.
Silo's Original Author Has Defended Season 3's Book Change
The original Silo trilogy's original author, Hugh Howey, himself wrote a blog post where he explained that viewers are judging season 3's memory loss plot a little too soon. In the post, he assured viewers that the plot is not going to be dragged throughout the season and is "not an attempt to reset the plot so we can cover old ground."
He also defended the show's creative liberties by explaining how memory loss has always been a key driver of the franchise's post-apocalyptic stories. Even in the books, Juliette does not lose her memories, collective and individual amnesia is used as a method to ensure citizens forget about past rebellions and do not trigger new ones.
The author also drew real world parallels from Silo, explaining how the core idea behind the first Silo book, Wool, came from his observation of how history keeps repeating itself.
Just how Silo season 3 highlights how memory suppression is used to silence threats in both the past and the present timeline, even humans in the real world keep repeating the same mistakes throughout history because oppressive systems distort and suppress the lessons of the past.
These real-world metaphors will likely become all the more evident as Silo season 3 progresses. However, to be able to appreciate them, viewers need to remain a little more patient with the book changes instead of dismissing them too soon.
English (US) ·