On Thursday July 24, 2025 WormholeRiders News Agency had the honor of attending the Unexpected Treasures Press Room for interviews conducted during San Diego Comic-Con 2025. Unexpected Treasures is brand new science fiction film with comedic flair featuring Direction by John Paul Ungaretti (Outer Banks) and co-written by and Ungaretti and Christina Heller who also served as the films executive producer.
Unexpected Treasures writers Christina Heller and John Paul Ungaretti recently shared their feelings with admirers about this superb film that:
“We are thrilled to share this film with audiences around the world., We believe Unexpected Treasures has the makings of a cult classic for fans of campy fun, supernatural adventures, and nostalgic 90s-style popcorn movies.”
Unexpected Treasures is wonderful science fiction film about an alien adventure that restores a local resident’s faith in humanity as they scrape by in Joshua Tree, located in the Mojave desert of California. Hartley’s world is thrown into chaos when she meets Sam, a mysterious alien on the run. As they navigate the vast Mojave Desert, Hartley must rely on local legends and an eccentric group of allies to survive!
Image by Kenn of #TeamWHR
Unexpected Treasures is a comedic, heartfelt science fiction adventure about survival, trust, and the unexpected connections that transform both human and alien lives. Following the successful premiere at Comic-Con, we are very excited about the Unexpected Treasures science fiction film that is scheduled for broadcast release September 19, 2025 on streaming services Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV!. For your enjoyment, we include our “We Are A Galactic Community” featurette and the recently released extended trailer.
We will be back soon with additional Press Room interviews and Panels that we covered during our time at San Diego Comic-Con this year. In the meantime, please feel free to share this article with your friends, co-workers and or your family!
We look forward to you visiting our dedicated review and analysis web site here in the future and as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit WormholeRiders on X, or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story. I and TeamWHR look forward to Seeing You on The Other Side!
Have you survived the world mandated by your employer that may conflict with objectives in your private life at home? Do you “sever” the reality between those two parts of your life on a regular basis? So do many people to keep the chaos at a minimum level between private and work life? In this series viewers explore the enigma that everyone faces in their lives in the real world but with fascinating details accentuated only a superb science fiction series as created by Dan Erickson, and executive produced by Ben Stiller can do!
Viewers will recall that in season one we began with Mark being promoted at a fictional corporation named Lumon Industries. In a separate sequence we meet Helly who is on a boardroom style table after she was sent as a replacement for the work group now led by Mark who interviews Helly.
The first season ended in an episode aptly named “The We We Are” that sets up the second season when viewers learn about the consequences of the main characters actions including details about their family relationships and their jobs as “Macrodata Refinement” specialists.
Image courtesy Apple TV
Over the course of the first season we learned that our heroes are Lumon employees who voluntarily have undergone a “Severance” procedure that surgically divides their memories between their work and personal lives. This is accomplished using a computer chip implanted in their brains.
This technology is not dissimilar to technology being developed and utilized in contemporary times to help handicapped individuals. However, in “Severance” the extent of the control of their memories goes far beyond what science is capable of today.
Image courtesy EOline
As delightfully described by the series creator and executive producers that include Dan Erickson, Ben Stiller, Adam Scott and Patricia Arquette, Severance is a “daring experiment in “work-life balance” is called into question as Mark finds himself at the center of an unraveling mystery that will force him to confront the true nature of his work … and of himself. In season two, Mark and his friends learn the dire consequences of trifling with the severance barrier, leading them further down a path of woe.”
Image courtesy Apple TV
As season one winds down, Helly finds herself as the star of a high-profile Lumon corporation gala in the season finale “The We We Are”. It is here that viewers learn that Helly’s character is revealed to actually be Helena Eagan, daughter of Lumon’s Chief Executive Officer the Eagan dynasty. Season two further explores the conundrum of why Helly elected to become severed.
We include a video recap of Severance season one below, and above the creative work of excellent VFX Supervisior Eric Leven at Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) courtesy of Accolade Publicity and Consulting. Included below are several video clips from season two videos below courtesy of Apple TV for your enjoyment of our Severance series analysis.
In season two, as the villainous Lumon corporation seeks something known as control of “Cold Harbor”, a “Macrodata Refinement” goal that is delineated in the final episode of season two episode. The season also focuses on Mark’s efforts to rescue his wife Gemma from the clutches of Lumon corporation, revealing significant developments at their headquarters.
The second season shows enjoyable but sometimes crazy sequences including a room full of mountain goats, fruit trays, balloons with Mark’s face and extracurricular field trips to places that in effect are attempts to bribe our heroes. Viewers are stunned to find out that Mark’s wife Gemma no longer exists in the outside world but is being held captive inside the evil Lumon corporation in the “Cold Harbor” room!
The loss of Mark’s wife Gemma is what motivated him to seek “Severance” in the first place as a way to emotionally deal with the painful situation over the disappearance of his beloved Gemma. Along the way viewers learn significant additional details in episode nine “The We We Are” about why the main characters agreed to a computer chip implantation surgery procedure that segregates each employee’s brain into two entirely separate individuals.
The separate halves known as the “Innie” characters, people who spend their seemingly useless work days in the insane and overly controlling Lumon workplace with no memory of their own personal life. This is juxtaposed with each characters “Outie,” where the individuals experience no memory of the horrors the Innie characters. These characterizations are often analogs to what many people experience in real life with corporate and governmental secrets of their employment that cannot be revealed to anyone.
People in real life regularly execute such a mental division on a voluntary basis. This is quite is similar to what is portrayed in “Severance”. However in the streaming series, our Innie heroes Mark, Helly, Irving and Dylan decide during their “work day” to rebel because they suspect that the agreement they made with Lumon corporation is a poor decision. They work out a plan to uncover and reveal the truth about working at Lumon corporation which is run by openly sadistic supervisor’s led by Seth and Harmony that leads to a “Macrodata Uprising”.
Mark’s is in turmoil as he and his team determine they must lead to a “Macrodata Uprising” at Lumon corporation by activating a procedure known as the Overtime Contingency (OC) protocol. Dylan breaks into a Lumon security office depressing two levers simultaneously to activate the forbidden OC procedure. This allows Mark, Helly, and Irving’s to experience Innie consciousness in the outside world for the first time as Outies. Irving seeks out his love interest Burt in the Outie world.
Image courtesy Apple TV
As viewers know, Mark’s Outie agreed to the “Severance” procedure to compartmentalize his sorrow after years of all-consuming grief over the tragic loss of his wife, Gemma. Helly / Helena had voluntarily undergone severance to promote the Lumon technology but also rebelled when she learned that the technology was being used to manipulate the situation and the individuals involved who appear to have become victims of the circumstances.
During the exciting conclusion of season two Mark learns that “Cold Harbor” is a room where Innie Gemma is held captive. Designed to help her deal with trauma and sever from her pain, Mark seeks to free Gemma despite the efforts of Harmony referred to as Ms. Cobel in the show. Cobel Selvig is the former manager of the severed floor at Lumon and in an unexpected plot twist, viewers learn that she is likely Mark’s mother. How dystopian is that?
At the end of “Cold Harbor” we witness Mark’s Innie elect to stay with Helly at Lumon instead of leaving to be with his Outie’s wife Gemma. The adventures of our heroes are mixed with rewards provided by Lumon setting up the third season of this fabulous science fiction series. Severance creator Dan Erickson confirmed that it’s not Helena taking advantage of Mark, but rather Mark “claiming his own autonomy” with his decision to stay at Lumon corporation as an Innie.
We look forward to Severance season three in the future and hope that panels and Press Rooms will be featured at San Diego Comic-Con in July later this year. In the meantime, please feel free to share this article with your friends, co-workers and or your family!
We look forward to you visiting our dedicated review and analysis web site here in the future! Or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit TeamWHR on X, or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story. I and TeamWHR look forward to Seeing You on The Other Side!“
Season two episodes nine “The Safeguard” and episode ten “Into The Fire” exceeded our expectations. We give the series a straight “A” for season two. The rebellion in Silo Eighteen become manifest while events in Silo Seventeen reveal important details dovetailing the season two finale setting up excitement for season three!
Showrunner and series creator Graham Yost in recent interviews shared where his superb science fiction series adaptation of the novels is going in Silo season three: “There are a lot of mysteries about Silo 17. The chief one being that all those people went outside, they had an hour to get outside. They didn’t all die in three minutes. What the fuck happened out there? That’s gonna be part of Season 3. You’ll get the answers to all of that. And then there are other things you don’t find out until Season 4”
Viewers will recall that in a July 2013 interview with SFFWorld author Hugh Howey discussed on the meaning behind the title of his first book “Wool”. Howey also shared where we might be going in season four in another interview with SFFWorld conducted in September 2013 that discusses the final book in the series “Dust”: “There are quite a few meanings behind the title of the series. There’s the old phrase ‘Pull the wool over my eyes’ which is the question raised by the (Silo) wallscreens” (screen that viewers witness in the television series on Apple TV.
Image courtesy Amazon
“What is really out there? Who is being deceived? Or are they? There’s also the allusion to sheep, those metaphorical blind followers who just do what they’re told, go where they’re told to go, never question. A third meaning has to do with humans being compared to sheep when we are taken advantage of or ‘fleeced’.”
All of these interviews have contemporary parallels. Readers with the print editions might notice a hidden clue here and there. The cover of the first “Wool” is meant to highlight the multiple meanings. “I’ve only pointed this out to a few people (I prefer to let readers discover these things on their own), but if you look at the center of the cover, the two ‘O’s look like eyes staring out at the beautiful world beyond. Is the wool pulled down over what we see? Or do we see through it? I really hope the answer to this question bounces back and forth for the reader as they progress through the story.”
In the final two episodes viewers were provided answers to many of the questions posed in the novels including what is in “The Vault” of each Silo as well as a surprise ending in the season finale.
The Safeguard:
Image courtesy Apple TV
As we proceed to analyze the final two episodes of season two, it is Important to remember that other than Miscreant Mayor Holland (Tim Robbins) The Head of IT and their shadows Lukas Kyle (Avi Nash), and Judge Meadows (Tanya Moodie), people who live in their respective Silo’s have no clue regarding the other network Silo bunkers that we learn number fifty-one in total.
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Each Silo resident believes that they are the last remnants of humanity protected from an external polluted environment where no human being can survive. The extra Silo is likely where whoever or whatever controls the Artificial Intelligence (AI), is a central control hub monitoring the happenings in each Silo. We learn that the AI is referred to as “The Algorithm” takes lethal precautions (The Safeguard) in the event of Silo rebellions or other emergency events. Who or what is inside the fifty-first Silo is not revealed. is it a computer controlled AI or are there other human survivors controlling everything?
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Written by Jessica Blaire and directed by Amber Templemore, episode nine sets the pivot point to the season two finale as Sheriff Paul Billings (Chinaza Uche), Hank (Billy Postlethwaite), and Juliette’s (Rebecca Ferguson) father Dr. Pete Nichols (Iain Glen) begin to have serious doubts about Mayor Holland. Billings and his wife Kathleen (Caitlin Zoz) decide to join the rebellion group of Martha Walker (Harriet Walter) who is being blackmailed monitored by Holland to save her lover Carla McLain (Clare Perkins). This factor is unknown to the rest of the main rebellion members Knox (Shane McRae), and Shirley Campbell (Remmie Milner).
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Meanwhile Lukas Kyle, who has broken the code of Salvador Quinn and “The Pact”, heads deep into Silo Eighteen where he learns about “The Safeguard”. As he ventures further into a tunnel, he find that it ends in a circular vault door. Unexpectedly, the AI voice demands answers from Lukas. “Lukas Kyle, why are you here?” The AI tells him that only three people have ever made it that far: Salvador Quinn (who we do not meet), Mary Meadows who was murdered by Holland, and George Wilkins (Ferdinand Kingsley) who was Juliette’s lover who was also murdered for knowing too much.
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Back in Silo Seventeen, Juliette uncovers the truth about Solo’s past. Viewers learn about three characters teens that attacked Solo (Steve Zahn) and Juliette. The three are named Audrey (Georgina Sadler), Rick (Orlando Norman), and Hope (Sara Hazemi) nicknamed Eater who is treated like a slave. Each are children of the Silo Seventeen survivors of the initial rebellion who never went outside to perish as a result of “The Safeguard”. Audrey and Rick grew up in Silo Seventeen literally looking for scraps of food that keep them alive. They have two children together, one of whom is a baby. Their parents were killed by Solo which is why they seek retribution for their parents murder. In the previous episode. Audrey and Rick kidnapped Solo who is the only person who knows The Vault code where Solo has food.
Image courtesy Apple TV
A major reveal in “The Safeguard” is that Juliette learns that Solo’s father was killed when he was a teenager just like Audrey and Rick who were the only other survivors of Silo Seventeen. As such Solo was actually the victim in all the Silo Seventeen events including the fact that his father was murdered by the Silo Seventeen Sheriff forcing Solo to hide inside The Vault at a young age. We learn that Solo’s fathers real name as the head of Information Technology of Silo Seventeen, was Russell Conroy (Nick Haverson). After locking himself in the vault, Solo, on his dad’s instructions to protect his own life does so. Since he grew up in isolation, this explains Solo’s immature behavior that we have observed.
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As the episode winds down we witness Lukas exploring the tunnels in Silo Eighteen just as Juliette had when she went to the bottom of Silo Seventeen. Exactly what is “The Safeguard” and what or who is the overbearing AI who enforces the rules of the Silos? Will Lukas reveal what he has learned in the season finale to Robert Sims (Common) who warned Lucas he is being used by Mayor Holland and his wife Camille (Alexandria Riley)? And will Juliette succeed to head back to Silo Eighteen before the rebellion erupts there?
Into The Fire:
Image courtesy Apple TV
Written by Aric Avelino and directed by Amber Templemore wherein viewers will learn that Juliette and Lukas discovered the same thing when the ominous AI warns it will initiate “The Safeguard” (a release of poison gas) to be activated killing everyone in a given Silo in the process. This is precisely what was perpetrated in Silo Seventeen when the rebellion erupted there. The victims didn’t die from going outside, the all perished from the poison gas!
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The episode focus is on the growing rebellion in Silo Eighteen of which Miscreant Mayor Holland has become aware. This apparently includes destroying the Silo Eighteen generator system at the lowest Mechanical level. Holland overhears this because he has a camera in Martha Walker’s room to blackmail her. Mayor Holland believes the rebellion meeting completely, sending his entire force to the generator level to disarm the explosives and arrest all the perpetrators.
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What Mayor Holland does not know is that Martha Walker used sign language to communicate and warn Dr. Nichols. The good doctor moves to a level above the generator and detonates a suicide vest to destroy the stair case. The result is that all of Holland’s police force are trapped in the lower levels allowing the rebellion to take place.
Next we are in a meeting between Lukas and Miscreant Mayor Holland. Although we do not hear what is being said, we assume that it about “The Safeguard”. When Holland finds out his forces are trapped, he gets his own hazmat suit to escape the Silo before he can be captured by the rebellious residents.
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However, before Holland can step outside through the airlock, Juliette enters Silo Eighteen after her journey from Silo Seventeen where she saved Solo after linking up with him again, promising him that she will return to Silo Seventeen if at all possible. Juliette shares with Holland that that they can still save their underground home if they work together, telling Holland about how “The Safeguard” can be stopped without revealing the details.
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Unfortunately, before Holland and Juliette can finally work it out, they find themselves trapped inside Silo Eighteen’s airlock. The airlock’s decontamination flames automatically activate as Holland screams get down!
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As Bernard and Juliette drop to the floor to save themselves, the scene does not reveal their ultimate fate. Nevertheless, since Juliette is the main character of the series, she will no doubt survive in season three and beyond.
We cannot say the same for the hated Miscreant Mayor Holland. Based on the books where the Holland character is burned to death.
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We will have to wait and see if season three features the Mayor Holland character or not. Why? Because in a sequence prior to this, Judge Robert Sims heads to the Silo Eighteens Vault with his wife Camille and son after Lukas tells them to do so.
To his surprise, the AI voice in the Vault orders Robert and his son to leave, informing Camille that only she may stay. This suggests that the AI has been keeping a close eye on all the events that Camille has been exercising to enhance her political power. The question for viewers to ponder once again is “The Algorithm” AI voice a person or a super intelligent computer monitoring everything from Silo fifty-one? This question is not addressed, but it becomes obvious that Camille has been selected as the new mayor of Silo Eighteen IT to replace Holland. Is this Holland’s final episode in the series? Perhaps.
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As we move to conclude this superb season, viewers must recall that earlier in season two, Mayor Holland revealed the Silos were built 352 years earlier. This suggests that it has been over three centuries since the apocalyptic event forced many human survivors to find shelter in the Silo underground structures. Based on the last known rebellion approximately 140 years earlier this and that it had been over 185 years prior to that since the beginning of the Silo’s, viewers can assume the final scenes in the season happened at least three hundred fifty-two years before the “current” events.
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What is revealed in the final minutes is a scene that occurs well before the Silo’s future timeline in Washington DC. We meet a journalist named Helen (Jessica Henwick), who works for The Washington Post. Helen is meeting with an unnamed Congressman from Georgia’s fifteenth Congressional district. Helen is seeking to learn more about why the United States was victim of a radiological “dirty bomb” attack by Iran.
This is evidenced by the use of radiation detectors just prior to her meeting with the Congressman. Named in the book as Congressman Donald Keene, but not revealed in the episode, the Congressman incorrectly assumes that he is on a date with Helen. However, Helen asks him about the Iran “dirty bomb” attack.
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This meeting with the Congressman can only be a reference for the government plan for dealing with a world war that predates humanities seeking protection in the Silo’s.
We do not learn more at this time since the Congressman keeps quiet and leaves the restaurant. The body language of the Congressman indicates that he obviously knows something Helen does not yet know.
is it about the history of the Silo’s? Likely this is the case based on what happens next.
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In a cryptic sequence, the Congressman gives Helen a Pez dispenser. Viewers must then recall that In Silo season one, George Wilkins gifted the exact Pez dispenser to Juliette with a message describing what he had found in Silo Eighteens lower level tunnels. This is the information that ultimately cost him his life and motivated Juliette to seek answers.
Does this mean that Helen was one of George Wilkins’ ancestors in Silo Eighteen? Is the Pez dispenser a symbol of rebellion against the fifty-first Silo AI also known as “The Algorithm”? Is Helen the ancestor in Silo Eighteen who began the process of inquiring about the world humans currently exist in Silo? This exciting sequence of events will have to be explored in season three and perhaps into season four. Will these details about Helen be featured as the season three opener? TeamWHR believes the answer is yes, but all must tune in to Apple TV to find out!
We look forward to Silo season three in the future and hopefully at San Diego Comic-Con in July later this year. In the meantime, please feel free to share this article with your friends, co-workers and or your family!
We look forward to you visiting our dedicated review and analysis web site here in the future! Or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit TeamWHR on X, or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story. I and TeamWHR look forward to Seeing You on The Other Side!“
Outperforming the expectations of TeamWHR, we are pleased that the series has been renewed for a third and fourth seasons to dovetail the trilogy of novels (Wool, Shift, and Dust) by Howey. What is especially nice about Apple TV has ensured that an appropriate ending is mapped out well in advance for each series. This is especially true when compared to the decades of science fiction series on United States broadcast television that sometimes treated viewers like trash, often cancelling series mid stream or without providing an ending worthy of the devotion to their viewers. While some series we covered did receive an appropriate ending seasons, far too often, superb series such as Terra Nova, Alcatraz, Primeval New World, The Event, V Series, and more, did not. Recently the same channel that broadcast Day of the Dead and The Ark left viewers hanging with no satisfactory resolution for either program. Even top rated series such as Stargate Universe and The Expanse (later picked up by Amazon MGM Studios) were cancelled without explanation. Backlash from viewers have sent a message to broadcast networks who have now followed science fiction series to streamers such as Apple TV.
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In season one, the Silo creators familiarized viewers with life in a dystopian post apocalyptic world fleshing out the hierarchy where TPTB (The Powers That Be) of Information Technology (IT) live in absolute luxury at the top of the Silo Eighteen levels. Next in terms of relative power are the Judicial and Law Enforcement divisions designed to keep the worker class of Mechnical and Agriculture kept in virtual slavery. Anyone suspected of bucking the situation or arguing with TPTB is falsely promoted to become a viewing portal “Cleaner”, is sent outside in defective hazmat suit, and die.
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The hero of the series, Juliette Nichols (Rebecca Ferguson) is driven to investigate the mysterious death of her lover. Her investigation reveals a conspiracy that ends up with her being promoted to “Sheriff” that ultimate leads to Juliette being sent outside. Juliette escapes her death when allies provide her with proper hazmat suit sealing tape that allows Juliette to find that other Silo’s exist as she explored Silo Seventeen.
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As season two began after Juliette went “Outside”, we learn that the Silo Eighteen inhabitants have been lied to for decades leading to a brewing rebellion. Based on the book series, there are fifty Silo’s one for each of the United States, formed by a Unites States Government directive in 2049.
Conversely, when Juliette witnesses an expanse of Silo’s like her own and that Silo Seventeen did rebel before meeting a survivor, viewers know there is much more to learn. Escaping outside, Silo Seventeen inhabitants. all unprotected were killed by the toxic atmosphere. As they superb story proceeds, we will also learn that some residents suspect that rebellion has occurred in the past in Silo Eighteen and are about to burst upon their reality.
Solo might be hesitant to show you inside his vault, but Steve Zahn is more than happy to give you the grand tour.#Silo Season 2 — Now Streaming pic.twitter.com/lr3jKEGAgM
The seventh episode directed by Michael Dinner and written by Katherine DiSavino provides focus is on several story arc details. First, we are with Miscreant Mayor Holland (Tim Robbins) who is in a state of panic over the rising level of tension in Silo Eighteen. Having recruited Lukas Kyle (Avi Nash) as his “Shadow” or protector, Lukas is sent on a mission to decipher the code left by a person known as Salvador Quinn with books stored in a secret vault known as “The Legacy”. Here Lukas finds enough clues related to a numeric code based upon page numbers to begin the decryption process which will be revealed in the next episode.
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Second, Knox (Shane McRae) and Shirley Campbell (Remmie Milner) continue on their mission to turn more people against Holland after he locked up Carla McLain (Clare Perkins) unjustly.
Recently promoted to Judge, from Sheriff, Robert Sims (Common) also has growing serious doubts about the trustworthiness of Mayor Holland despite Sims many years of loyalty to Holland..
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Third, Sheriff Billings (Chinaza Uche) pursues his investigation into the odd occurrences that include blocking entire sections “down below” from being able to visit the upper levels subsequent to food sent to the lower levels being poisoned. The investigation reveals that someone from the upper level of the hierarchy were directly involved.
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Lastly, per the name of the episode “The Dive”, Juliette agrees to help Silo Seventeen’s enigmatic character Solo (Steve Zahn) fix a pump to drain his from flooding which threatens his life. To do so Juliette must undertake a dangerous dive to repair the malfunctioning pump.
Nearly drowning in the process, Juliette suffers further from returning to the surface too quickly. Once she recovers from “The Bends” or decompression sickness, Juliette discovers that Solo is missing with traces of blood where he was standing when she performed “The Dive” to fix the pump system.
The Book Of Quinn:
Image courtesy Apple TV
Written by Remi Aubuchon and directed by Amber Templemore, this episode reveals that Solo is not alone in Silo Seventeen and that Miscreant Mayor Holland resorts to subterfuge to turn off a mechanical pump to meet with Martha Walker (Harriet Walter). Using threats and blackmail Holland forces Walker to spy for him to put down the pending rebellion or Holland will harm her lover Carla.
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Meanwhile Judge Robert Sims has learned about Mayor Holland’s secret mission concerning Salvador Quinn’s code that Lukas Kyle has figured out. Using his wife Camille (Alexandria Riley), Judge Sims convinces Rick Amundsen (Christian Ochoa Lavernia) to reveal why the Mayor is obsessed Salvador Quinn’s life Sims embarks on war with Holland attempting to lure Lukas to his side by revealing that as soon as Holland gets what he wants, Lukas will be sent back to serve out his life in hard labor within the mines of Silo Eighteen. Lukas takes the message to heart while continuing to learn the significance of Salvador Quinn’s code.
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This leads Lukas to a man named Terrance Penbrook (Stuart Milligan), who remembers Quinn was a former head of IT who burned all evidence 100 years ago of rebellions that occurred 140 years ago. This factor maintained peace in Silo Eighteen until the recent uprisings.
Penbrook reluctantly reveals that a long time ago, Judge Meadows (Tanya Moodie) sought them out also looking for Quinn’s books. This ties to Meadows being murdered earlier in the season by Holland after she obtained Salvador Quinn’s copy of “The Pact”.
Image courtesy Apple TV
Lukas finds the book containing several underlined sections that Martha also knows about from her association with Judge Meadows. The code that has been decrypted reads, “If you’ve gotten this far, you already know the game is rigged.” The decrypted message can be seen as a warning. The “game” can refer to only the corrupt administration of the Silo Eighteen, which is rigged by the personal priorities of its rulers that include murder and drugging the population to maintain a rebellion free environment.
Image courtesy Apple TV
The episode winds down when Juliette, upon returning to the surface, learns that her Silo Seventeen friend Solo has disappeared. That is when she finds out that there are more people now inside in Silo Seventeen! She asks an individual about Solo, who tells her that Solo is dead. Juliette must find Solo since he has her hazmat suit needed to return to Silo Eighteen to save it’s 10,000 inhabitants from a useless rebellion. When pressing the mysterious person for answers, he shoots Juliette with an arrow despite defending herself. Suddenly two more people show up. Juliette surmises that they came from another Silo looking for supplies?
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At this juncture, what is not revealed is the motive of these three new characters. Even if they are searching for resources, it is troubling that they are so hostile.
Juliette decides they may useful if she can convince them that she is not their enemy, only seeking to return to her own friends and family setting up the final two episodes of season two, episode none “The Safeguard” and episode ten “Into The Fire” when we will learn more about Solo and his past that created his fate!
Questions to consider: Will Lukas join Judge Sims now that he has uncovered the truth? Will Juliette find Solo and her hazmat suit or was he really killed? Who are the three new characters and where did they come from? Can the growing rebellion in Silo Eighteen be stopped or is it inevitable?
We will be back soon to complete our analysis of Silo season two in the future. In the meantime, please feel free to share this article with your friends, co-workers and or your family!
We look forward to you visiting our dedicated review and analysis web site here in the future! Or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit TeamWHR on X, or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story. I and TeamWHR look forward to Seeing You on The Other Side!“
Season two of the Apple TV series has become volatile in these last few episodes. I am happy to hear that this series has been renewed for a third and fourth season.
I am also happy Apple TV and other streaming services have taken up the torch from Netflix with a large quantity of quality television shows that give fans an intelligent choice of science fiction series as we previously reported.
Since a favorite of mine, Fringe (2008 to 2013) ended, and now that The Ark has not been renewed, science fiction shows are no longer being broadcast on network television for the time being in the United States.
The cast itself is terrific, led by Rebecca Ferguson, who I have been a fan of for a while and who can hold her own against heavy hitters, as demonstrated in the current Mission: Impossible franchise.
Tim Robbins, Common, Steve Zahn, and Harriet Walter round out the other actors in the series. Seeing an Academy Award winning actor like Tim Robbins venture into science fiction television is nice, especially considering that he is primarily a movie actor.
This analysis will be a bit different from my normal routine television reviews. I will review the fourth, fifth, and sixth Silo episodes with a short synopsis of the top aspects of the story arc in each episode.
It will not be an in-depth scene by scene analysis as I usually do, but I will share with you my opinions and observations for the exciting episodes four, five, and six that follows our analysis of season two episodes one, two and three and hope you enjoy my Silo series analysis as much as I do writing it!
While Juliette (Ferguson) is trying to figure out how to fix her hazmat suit, Solo (Zahn) is tagging along in a way and trying to distract her from her task at hand.
I find Zahn’s character on the spectrum, giving her random facts about elephants and talking about 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne. I am not sure if all of that is his intention because he is the only one in that silo or if what he is doing is intentional.
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With the episode directed by Aric Avelino and written for the screen by Sal Calleros, both move the story forward to inform the next episodes.
With Holland (Robbins) and Sims (Common) discussing their plan to impeach Judge Meadows (Tanya Moodie) with the hopes of bringing the Silo to a united front, there may be the opposite effect, and chaos may happen.
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Miscreant Mayor Holland has a plan of his own and has a corrupt plan to take even more control over the citizens of the Silo who are on the verge of rebellion. I had read that the character of Holland in the books is the opposite of the actor portraying him. Tim Robbins is a great actor, but another actor closer to Holland’s characteristics should have been cast. Considering his insecurity in life, it would make more sense to me and make what Holland is doing much more sinister.
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Holland’s intentions toward Judge Meadows are nefarious as he “invites” her to his place to try on her new suit. His intentions are not what they seem. Unfortunately, Meadows finds out the hard way that Holland tricks her, and the dinner she ate, which he provided, had poisonous mushrooms. As she lay dying, he tells her that her death will unite the Silo.
Juliette tells Solo about the outside and how she is scared and lonely. No doubt Solo feels he has been alone for some time and can relate. Solo reminds me of a person who wants some company, and when he finds that company, he takes it upon himself to talk and talk about random things that do not make sense.
Image courtesy Apple TV
Knox (Shane McRae), Shirley (Remmie Milner), and Walker (Walter) go to see Judge Meadows, but only Knox and Shirley enter the room and find Sims there. Once they discover the judge is dead, a knife sticks out of her chest, “The people of the Silo have to take care of themselves,” Holland says to them in the room. Knox and Shirley exit calmly and tell the others to do the same, not to arouse suspicion that something is wrong. Sims lies to the crowd gathered outside Judicial and tells them that Mechanical killed Meadows, hoping to cause a rebellion uprising or riot—justice for his benefit.
Image courtesy Apple TV
The visuals of the Silo in general are wonderfully done. In specific, the spiral staircase that depicts various levels from down below to “up top” where the ruling IT group with the evil Miscreant Mayor Holland and his cronies work and live are very well done.
However, much of the series is very darkly lit. I assume that is intentional to show the bleak nature of the situation in the Silo, but it can be a bit difficult, in fact rather harsh at times. This often makes it hard to see what is happening in some of the scenes.
Descent:
Image courtesy Apple TV
With the mob incited in the previous episode by Sims, the mob is looking for Mechanical. Holland goes to visit Sims at his family home. He tells him that he will no longer be his shadow and that because he forced Holland’s hand, which led to the judge’s demise, Sims will now oversee the Judicial and become the new judge. There is a bounty for Knox and Shirley, one thousand credits each. That is enough incentive for the people of the silo to act. With Sims now judge, his priorities shift, although he has no idea that his wife Camille (Alexandria Riley) has a hand in helping Knox and Shirley hide. It is unclear if Camille would turn Knox and Shirley over or if she had other ulterior motives in mind. The director, Amber Templemore, and writer, Jenny DeArmitt, help move the story further into the chaos we see in the rest of the episode.
Image courtesy Apple TV
Holland is unhappy when hearing that Camille was spotted with the fugitives, but he has other plans. He recruits Lukas Kyle (Avi Nash) to help decipher the hard drive Juliette and Lukas had worked on together. Although Juliette never revealed to Lukas what she saw on the hard drive, Lukas is tasked with trying to piece together what was left of it. Lukas helping Holland is the catalyst for Kyle getting some time from his sentence in the mine. What Kyle discovers is love letters from Salvador Quinn to his wife. Holland’s reaction to hearing that made me wonder if he knew who Quinn was. It was also discovered that there are tunnels in their silo, but do not know where they lead. Holland keeps Lukas on to help figure out what those tunnels are for and where they might lead.
Image courtesy Apple TV
Sheriff Billings (Chinaza Uche) is suspicious of all the chaos and the sudden change in Sim’s role.
With Hank (Billy Postlethwaite), Billings discovers that Kennedy (Rick Gomez) is still alive and hiding in Mechanical. Kennedy convinces Billings that he knows all the “dirty secrets” of the silo and more and will tell him everything if he can get him some help for the bullet lodged in his shoulder.
Image courtesy Apple TV
While searching through the remains of an old silo to repair her hazmat suit, Juliette comes across some evidence that Solo may not be who he says he is. She finds a picture of Solo and Tiny, but the picture looks nothing like who she thinks Solo is.
When Juliette confronts Solo about what she sees, he berserk and tells her he is the IT shadow. With Solo leaving Juliette alone, she continues to find a helmet to help fix her suit. She eventually finds one, but with her injured arm now in a full-blown infection, she collapses.
This is the shortest of the three episodes I reviewed, just forty-five minutes. Holland knows more about what is happening than he lets on. Everything is “going as planned,” from the contaminated food to the barricade’s chaos. He wants Kyle to determine what that cryptic message is on Juliette’s hard drive. What does the code mean? And what does that mean for the Silo?
Image courtesy Apple TV
With Amundsen (Christian Ochoa Lavernia) not doing his job correctly, the barricade gets pushed to 120, allowing Mechanical to get the needed food. This may pose a problem for Holland, but it is only temporary. Diego (Akie Kotabe) meets with Sims and tells him that Mechanical has a saw that can cut through concrete. I assume that this fact is or will be significant in the upcoming episodes. Undoubtedly, that info will throw the proverbial monkey wrench in Holland’s plans. The director Michael Dinner and writer Jeffery Wang, worked together to keep the tension taut in this episode.
Image courtesy Apple TV
Sims is out of the loop and shares his concern with his wife Camille. They decide to cooperate, at least for the time being. Judge Sims then goes to warn Holland about what Mechanical is planning on doing.
Next, when Judge Sims sees Lukas Kyle in Holland’s office, he knows something is wrong because Lukas Kyle was sentenced to harsh punishment. Lukas should be in the mines serving his sentence, not helping Miscreant Mayor Holland.
Image courtesy Apple TV
Instead Lukas therefore continues to decipher the code embedded in the hard drive but cannot quite get all of it and needs more information.
Upon hearing this, Mayor Holland immediately makes Lukas Kyle his shadow with privileges including access to “The Vault”. I am sure that since Solo was in “The Vault” in his own Silo that more of this will be explained in later episodes.
Image courtesy Apple TV
Patrick Kennedy explained to Billings that when Juliette Nichols was on the run, the computer went down, and it was not a system reboot like he thought it was, but something else he could not explain.
Again, I assume this will come into play in later episodes. With that information, Billings finds Martha, Knox and Shirley and asks them what happened to Meadows. Upon learning the truth, he attempts to confront Holland about what he discovered, but Holland cuts off all communications. He tells Hank, “I do not stand with Judge, the mayor, or you. I stand with the law.”
Image courtesy Apple TV
In the final minutes of this episode, we finally see Juliette as she wakes up in bed. With Solo’s help, as he tends to her wound, she does not waste any time and wants to return with the helmet she found to repair her suit. However, Solo has other plans in mind. Juliette knows that she must help Solo stop the water from rising or it will eventually kill him. We will have to wait and see exactly what Juliette decides to do in the next episode titled “The Dive”.
Image courtesy Apple TV
Will Juliette help Solo in exchange for getting an undamaged hazmat suit, or will something else happen? I hope that what happens in the next few episodes helps fans piece together what the powers that be have in store for the Silo and what Juliette’s fate will be. I am sure those who read the books know where the series is going, but the writers may take a few liberties and change a bit of the story. I guess we will have to wait and see as we look forward to seeing the creators and cast at San Diego Comic-Con in 2025.
Thanks to Kenn for video and image embedding for my feature article and many thanks to you for visiting WormholeRiders News Agency. Kenn will be back in the near future for Team WHR with more on Silo analysis. Join us as we prepare for the excitement in the new year when I visit the Turner Classic Movie Film Festival 2025 in April and in July when Kenn and I visit San Diego Comic-Con 2025!
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Silo began its second season on November 15, 2024 after a well received season one that we reviewed previously. The drama is gripping and realistic centering on a future world where humankind has destroyed and polluted the surface with the remnants of our species seeking shelter in what viewers were led to believe was a single mostly underground Silo.
Subsequent to watching season one, TeamWHR decided to review and analyze Silo. This as a result of having been greatly impressed by the depth of the story arc from Hugh Howey’s successful novels that were created for television by Graham Yost. Silo as a science fiction series features fabulous character acting, creative costumes, superb set design, and vibrant visual effects that bring this delightful dystopian adventure to life on our screens each week!
We were delighted to learn at the end of the season one episode ten “Outside” that Juliette discovers there are multiple Silos. A large city pictured in the distance represents opportunities for continuing the saga in future episodes and years up ahead.
When Juliette escapes her own Silo that had become a virtual prison for anyone who doesn’t follow the rigid protocol of Miscreant Mayor Holland and his henchmen, she sets out on an adventure to discover what has happened to humanity. Not all of what Juliette finds is pretty!
In the first episode of season two, we begin with scenes of a rebellion in what we learn is Silo number 17. At first viewers are led to believe it may be Juliette’s Silo number 18. However that proves to not be the case… yet!
Subsequent to masses of people charging the authorities, several people are shot dead. Nevertheless, the rebellion in Silo 17 proves to be an apparent success as the people crowd up the spiral staircase crowding together to get to the hatch in order to get outside.
Image courtesy Apple TV
The first few minutes finds us the Silo 17 rebels carrying a flag with a young person in front running up the staircase. This will prove to be his, and their final fatal mistake.
All of the Silo 17 inhabitant’s (except one we learn about later) break out on to the surface outside the structure. Unfortunately, none are wearing hazmat suits. This indicates that life inside Silo 17 is not the same as Silo 18 where rebels are given defective hazmat suits to go outside to “clean” the viewing portals. This is how rebels are murdered by Miscreant Mayor Holland and his administration. Everyone who escaped Silo 17 are killed within minutes by the toxic atmosphere on the surface that seeps into the defective hazmat suits.
Image courtesy Apple TV
In the process, Juliette, learns that her Silo number is 18. “Outside” she approaches the hatch structure of Silo 17, we observe a horrific scene, thousands of dead bodies that have decayed in the toxic environment.
Juliette seeks refuge in what she believes is an abandoned silo. After the catastrophic Silo 17 rebellion evidenced by the huge numbers of long since dead human beings littering the ground, this is a logical conclusion, albeit an incorrect one for Juliette to make.
Image courtesy Apple TV
Believing herself to be the sole individual inside, viewers will find out later that Silo 17 has a single survivor.
Juliette makes unsettling discoveries as a result of the rebellion that challenge her sanity in solitude.
Juliette flashes back to when she was a young adolescent girl when they were being brainwashed by authoritarian establishment that even when she was young, she did not believe the propaganda that were being fed to the Silo 18 inhabitants.
Image courtesy Apple TV
As our hero explores the devastation in Silo 17, Juliette uses her engineering skills from when she was in the Mechanical Department before becoming a Sheriff in Silo 18, fabricating a bridge across a chasm to a place known as the vault.
However, in the process of her explorations, her hazmat suit is damaged beyond repair.
Suddenly Juliette hears music that she immediately seeks out.
Image courtesy Apple TV
Here we learn that there is a survivor in Silo 17 locked behind an armored door known as the vault who refuses to come out. Juliette makes unsuccessful attempts to open the vault door.
The person is heard threatening to kill Juliette if she tries to open the door. The slow burn episode draws to a close with the person peering out at Juliette. We will learn later in episode three that this person is named Solo.
Episode two takes us back to Silo 18 where we learn that a rebellion similar to that which occurred in Silo 17 is taking shape when people realize that Juliette survived outside suspecting that they have been lied to for years.
As we discovered last season, Judge Meadows is not really the omnipotent political person that Silo 18 people believe her to be.
Image courtesy Apple TV
This episode provides viewers with an insight into Judge Meadows motivations and character. We learn that she does trust Miscreant Mayor Bernard Holland who has been lying to everyone for decades.
Mayor Holland knows that trouble is brewing because Juliette escaped alive. He visits Judge Meadows in her apartment begging for her help. Holland has a plan and he wants her to join him while he addresses the people of the Silo 18.
Image courtesy Apple TV
In the meantime, Martha Walker and her accomplice are arrested by Robert Sims who knows that they were likely involved in Juliette’s escape.
Both of these characters suspect they will be executed since they had worked together to provide the effective hazmat suit tape to Juliette which ultimately facilitated her successful escape from Silo 18.
Mayor Holland says “Nobody knows me better than you” making it evident that at one point both shared a common bond that has diminished over time. We learn that this bond dates back to twenty-five years in the past when Judge Meadows was his protector, known as a “shadow” in the series.
Image courtesy Apple TV
Viewers are not told what caused their relationship to break apart, but we do learn that it caused Judge Meadows to start drinking heavily. Holland says “I’ll never fucking understand you.”Our only other clue is Judge Meadows makes a request to go outside to find Juliette. Mayor Holland agrees since he wants to know the mystery of what Juliette is doing outside Silo 18’s enclosure.
Initially, Judge Meadows refuses to cooperate. When Mayor Holland begins his speech to the entire Silo, he tells a lie that they have invented a new hazmat suit sealing tape that is what allowed Juliette to survive. Surprisingly, Judge Meadows joins Mayor Holland at the podium. She even speaks after he lies to the Silo residents about inventing a new kind of protective hazmat suit tape. What’s up with that?
Robert Sims knows that Mayor Holland did not invent the new hazmat sealing tape, but the cover story was told to the entire Silo 18 residents that allows him to release Martha. Viewers suspect Sims will monitor them for any evidence of a rebellion.
Little does Sims know that Judge Meadows will seek out people in the Mechanical Division who are indeed planning a rebellion of their own as the “Juliette Lives” graffiti is observed all over Silo 18 that caused Mayor Holland to panic in the first place. Two things become obvious. Mayor Holland is a blatant liar. Judge Holland no longer trusts him. All this editor can says is that Judge Holland better maker certain she doesn’t use the defective hazmat sealing tape when she makes her journey to find Juliette!
We return to Juliette Nichols in Silo 17 in an episode aptly named for our new character, the self named man known as “Solo”. We do not know exactly how long Solo has been alone, but it has been decades at least. Solo looks not only crazy and lonely, he is apparently suffering from severe stress due to prolonged periods of time without interacting with any other human beings.
Unfortunately Juliette is trapped without a hazmat suit in an otherwise abandoned Silo 18. We return to her chatting with Solo through the vault door. Solo welcomes the conversation with Juliette. We learn that Solo is alive only because he was told by his protector to lock himself inside the vault. In the past, while the rebellion was set loose, outside of the vault, everyone perished one way or another.
Image courtesy Apple TV
In a poignant confession Solo says “My name is Solo. Just Solo, because I’m in here all by myself” “So I’m Solo. And no one forced the people out. They chose to leave. And when they did, it was a nice day. Everybody was smiling. And then that dust started to blow again. And I think the poison went away for a bit, but it came back and a lot of it. And that’s when they all died.”
Solo continues to reveal to Juliette a story about a person named Ron Tucker, a man who wanted to go outside but refused to clean, instead Ron was witnessed writing “Lies” on the camera lens before disappearing round the corner.
Image courtesy Apple TV
“Two days later they painted on the screen Lies, right over what he had written! And that’s when the fighting started (inside Silo 17). “So Russell put me in here. Russell was the head of Information Technology (IT) and I was his shadow. And Russell told me don’t, no matter what, NEVER let anyone in the vault. Ever!”
Despite sounding crazy, Solo’s story is believable. Viewers have already witnessed Juliette seeing the bodies outside Silo 18. We know other than Solo, Silo 18 is not only a shambles from the rebellion, it is now abandoned.
Image courtesy Apple TV
Solo, is still hiding in the vault, is telling Juliette about people rebelling and then going outside, only to die, makes sense. Solo being associated with Silo 18’s IT department rings true. Therefore it is logical that only IT staff would be allowed access to the vault. However, there are several gaps in Solo’s story. When Juliette asks Solo about the bodies just outside the vault stating “they aren’t as old as the other ones” Solo declines to respond to this as well as several other probing questions. When Solo relates the details of the day that everyone went outside to their death, his eyes look away from Juliette just before he says; “It was a nice day.” It is obvious that there are things Solo is not relating to Juliette in full. Additionally, there are undoubtedly questions of those bodies Juliette found outside the vault door.
Image courtesy Apple TV
Near the end of the episode Juliette see recalls seeing other graffiti but now sees the words “We will get in sooner or later” emblazoned across the doorway that faces Solo’s viewing portal. The implication is that people have tried to get inside the vault before, but failed. Yet whomever they were, they wanted to send Solo a message he could not avoid seeing.
As the episode winds down to a conclusion, Juliette returns after searching for an undamaged hazmat suit that Solo told her about. On her return, another surprise, Juliette finds food waiting for her outside the vault door. This means clearly that Solo had to place it there. Juliette asks why? Solo says “I wanted you to eat the food”.
Additional questions to consider: Why didn’t Solo want to help the people who wrote that threatening note? Did Solo know them during his time working in the Silo 17 IT department? Where they people that did not want to participate in the rebellion? Did they die as the toxic atmosphere began to permeate Silo 17? Did they threaten Solo who poisoned the food he gave them?
Image courtesy Apple TV
If Solo is telling Juliette the truth about what happened in Silo 17, why does he behave so oddly to some of Juliette’s questions? It becomes obvious that there is more going than meets the eye.
As they continue to chat Juliette realizes that Solo is very lonely and has been for a long time. Telling Solo that she is leaving, we can detect that the pitch of his voice becomes elevated.
Image courtesy Apple TV
Realizing that he will be all alone once again, Solo panics, and opens the vault door. Now allies, the two sit down to get to know each other better as the screen fades to black.
We will be back with more analysis and reviews as this delightful dystopian adventure unfolds delivering superb science fiction excitement! Since there is so much more story to tell, TeamWHR, like all Silo lovers will be waiting in eager anticipation each week to learn what is coming over the remaining seven scheduled episodes in season two.
We will be back to continue our analysis of Silo in the future during season two. In the meantime, please feel free to share this article with your friends, co-workers and or your family!
We look forward to you visiting our dedicated review and analysis web site here in the future! Or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit TeamWHR on X, or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story. I and TeamWHR look forward to Seeing You on The Other Side!“
Apple TV has become one of the few places where good science fiction drama series can not only be created, but thrive since the recent dearth of such programs on United States broadcast television. With the final episode of recently completed season two of The Ark, no science fiction programming is available until Alien Earth premieres in 2025 on Hulu and hopefully FX Networks.
Thankfully streaming services such as Apple TV have filled the broadcast television science fiction void with series like Silo, based on the successful novels by Hugh Howey. Following their success of For All Mankind created by Ronald D. Moore and the fabulous Foundation series based on the famous Isaac Asimov novels Both series have been renewed for a fifth and third seasons respectively.
Now comes Silo, created by Graham Yost who is well known in the science fiction community for his time as an executive producer for the great Falling Skies series that encompassed five fabulous seasons from 2011 to 2015.
Image courtesy Apple TV
Silo begins it’s second a season on Friday November 15, 2024 after a well received season one. The series stars Rebecca Ferguson (Mission Impossible series) as Juliette Nichols, Tim Robbins (The Shawshank Redemption) as Bernard Holland, Harriet Walter (Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens) as Martha Walker, Common (Rapper) as Robert Sims, David Oyelowo (Star Wars: Febels) as Sheriff Holsten, Billy Postlethwaite (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny), Angela Yeoh (The Batman) as Deputy Molly Karins, and Will Patton (Outer Range) as Deputy Marnes.
Image courtesy Apple TV
This superb science fiction series features a large ensemble cast that makes the dystopian drama of life underground both frightening and exciting in a place where mining minerals is mandatory.
How do we know? As seen in season one, children are observed drawing with colored chalk that is made from mined gypsum. Everything the survivors deal with to survive including food production that must occur inside the Silo.
Subsequent to a past apocalypse on the surface that has apparently poisoned the planet, sets the tone for Silo making it a very believable science fiction story.
Mining is only part of what these survivors of humanity have to do to survive where the inhabitants deal with extreme stress of living in a confined space that causes some to go crazy and seek escape to go outside “Outside” even if the only job available is to clean the view plate portal.
Image courtesy Apple TV
In the first season, to establish the observed results of going “Outside”, several characters are killed off before Juliette is somewhat accidentally involved to investigate the phenomena. As viewers learn, going “Outside” results in deaths of all who want to do so. This is due to the deficiencies of the “heat tape” used to seal the hazmat suits that apparently the secret mayor Bernard Holland and his team know about. When people want to go Outside, they are always granted permission to “clean” the view plate windows people on the inside often look through.
Image courtesy Apple TV
Of interest is that living underground ensures one thing, that some will want to escape the tyranny of Mayor Holland, forcing him to ensure they never return to upset the balance of life in the Silo. Mayor Holland’s struggle is his obsession to stay in control of everyone the Silo. This drama declines in season one when the slowness of these details falters as he must decide who will be eliminated by sending them “Outside” to certain death.
As thrilling as season one was for humanity living in such an underground sanctuary, season one story arc was a bit slow as viewers internalized the characters and their lives. None survive the ordeal of going “Outside” until Juliette uses non defective “heat tape” she found that properly seals her hazmat suit.
Image courtesy Apple TV
This is how we are ultimately introduced to the main character of the series, Juliette Nichols, a technical expert and computer hacker who successfully escapes the tyranny inside and and doesn’t perish “Outside” in the process of seeking freedom.
The tagline “Julliette Lives” is the set up for a superb season season two of Silo that begins in only ten days on Apple TV!
One thing is certain in season two, just like season one; Silo inhabitants are convinced that they must avoid going outside. The exception is Juliette Nichols, the hacker who beat the odds by having non defective “heat tape” to protect her from the poisonous atmosphere when Mayor Bernard Holland orders her “Outside”.
“Julliette Lives” is where things start in Silo season two. Based on the latest chapter adapted from Hugh Howey’s popular book series, the action picks up right after the season one cliffhanger. Season two introduces Steve Zahn (War For the Planet of the Apes) as a survivor named Solo from another Silo when Julliette sees there are more than one Silo and take refuge in one.
Image courtesy Apple TV
If everything in season one was about the few souls who are searching for the truth, while Mayor Holland and his gang are about hiding the truth from the inhabitants, in season two viewers learn what happens when political power changes hands.
As for the supporting cast, other than who we see in the season two trailers, it is not known if we will see all of the season one ensemble cast who were at the point of rebellion when Julliette escapes the Silo. IMDb shows only that the Juliette character is scheduled for nineteen episodes. Season one hinged on Juliette’s plowing forward to find out what lies beyond. Based on the five minutes sneak peek released by Apple TV, where a rebellion has indeed broken out, Juliette will likely devote her efforts to learning about building communication with the other Silo’s survivors.
The first few minutes of the sneak peek finds us with a torch carrying young person running past signs that are reminiscent of the Fallout series that took the world by storm. It is also similar to the dystopian Snowpiercer series that completed a fourth season thanks only to AMC which brought the third season Warner Discovery (TNT) cancelled series to viewers for closure.
In the extended five minute trailer, the rebellion in the past at other Silo leads to the death of everyone who went to the surface. Juliette finds their skeletons on the surface as she heads to another Silo to meet the new character.
Image courtesy Apple TV
In Juliette’s mission to learn what else of humanity has survived outside her own Silo, she meets the new character named Solo, portrayed by Steve Zahn. Zahn realistic acting takes the science fiction dystopian drama in a new direction by being someone who appears to be nice guy from an abandoned Silo raising the question; are there any other active Silo’s? Or is Juliette’s that only one that is still fully functioning?
Image courtesy Apple TV
While Juliette will apparently invest much of her time in the first episode investigating the rebellion that occurred in the other Silo, she will also literally be building a relationship with Solo after leaving Mayor Holland behind to deal with a potential rebellion, Zahn’s arrival will undoubtedly provide a refreshing perspective juxtaposed against Juliette’s world where the people she knew that escaped only wish in their dreary lives to only get outside to clean a Silo portal window.
Since becoming interested in Silo as a series, I can offer that Apple TV science fiction series have proven to be desirable dystopian worlds to explore and invest time in since it is unique from other worlds such as Snowpiercer and Fallout.
Image courtesy Apple TV
The adventure is about what people seeking to escape their own lives in real life reality. What is fascinating is that Juliette Nichols and her new pal Solo, who promises to provide additional perspective, will also perhaps some much needed comic relief. No doubt they will explore the other Silo in detail to reveal where the series is going.
Since the other Silo rebellion is from that appears to be a failed experiment, it should reveal what the Silo’s are really all about. This factor is similar to Fallout where the world fell apart with only a small percentage of the world’s population surviving to enjoy the spoils of their protected shelters.
The season two questions that arise are;
Will the new rebellion end up the same way as the skeletons found near a tattered flag on the surface? How many of the season one characters will join the rebellion or will they perish as in the past? Will Robert Sims question what Bernard Holland has been brainwashing everyone with? And critically, will Juliette be able to help her former friends to avoid the horrible fate of the other Silo(s) as she learns about the truths of the outside world?
Image courtesy Apple TV
As we prepare for Silo season two, Graham Yost, in his genius at story telling, will provide viewers many other avenues of discovery that are just up ahead for all the survivor’s (if any) in all the Silo’s.
Clearly as the dystopian adventure unfolds, viewers will be impatient biding their time for other doors of knowledge to be discovered that have yet to be opened to learn the chapters of the past history regarding the Silo’s. This factor will deliver excitement since there is so much more story to tell. No doubt viewers will be waiting in eager anticipation to learn what is coming in each new episode!
We will be back to continue our analysis of Silo in the future during season two. In the meantime, please feel free to share this article with your friends, co-workers and or your family!
We look forward to you visiting our dedicated review and analysis web site here in the future! Or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit TeamWHR on X, or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story. I and TeamWHR look forward to Seeing You on The Other Side!“
Fellow Science Fiction Television Series Enthusiasts,
Images courtesy Netflix and Apple TV
Have you ever pondered the fate of science fiction TV shows on regular television networks? Streaming has now become the preferred mode of consumption. In the past, we enjoyed shows like Star Trek, the original Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Lost in Space, and Land of the Lost, all broadcast on network television. While it was delightful to tune in on a specific day of the week to catch our favorite science fiction stories, this is apparently nearly no more as TeamWHRreported recently.
Streaming giants like Apple TV+, Peacock, and Netflix are now leading the way in offering science fiction shows to fans. It is a fact that the number of science fiction shows pales in comparison to the abundance of cop, doctor, and reality shows that have long dominated streaming apps. These shows have always been the norm for network television, making it a tough environment for new scripted science fiction shows to break through. Even when we do get a new science fiction show, it often struggles to gain the same popularity as the more generic, cookie-cutter shows. In this article we will discuss our favorite streaming series with a fond look back at the good old days of science fiction on network television in the United States.
Image courtesy Warner Brothers Television
Shows like Fringe, Farscape, and Firefly were captivating science fiction series that garnered devoted followers but faced challenges due to their ratings. Despite their compelling storylines and high production values, these shows struggled to capture a broader audience. Audiences were primarily familiar with the iconic franchises of Star Trek on television and Star Wars in film. As a result, other science fiction shows found it challenging to resonate with viewers beyond the established realms of these two celebrated series.
Image courtesy SYFY
The rise of streaming services has brought about significant changes for science fiction scripted shows. Once exclusive to regular television networks, these shows now have a new home on popular streaming platforms like Netflix and Apple TV. This shift has led to increased budgets and more compelling story lines for us, that science fiction series enthusiasts enjoy. With tech giants entering the arena, the genre is experiencing a revival. Despite the occasional unsuccessful endeavor, the future of SciFi on streaming platforms looks promising, and we can look forward to more innovative and captivating shows in the years to come:
Netflix:
Image courtesy Netflix
This streaming service had been late to the game to produce original science fiction series. This was a result of focusing on movies and licensing content from other entertainment studios. Additionally, Netflix mistakes were often caused by poor choices in producing questionable political propaganda programs that turned off viewers.
Netflix wisely changed their offerings beginning in 2016 to produce Stranger Things that has particularly captivated audiences and is set to enter its fifth and final season in 2025.
Original high quality science fiction series have been rare, with many current shows adaptations of existing source material. A standout in the genre was Fringe, which brought a fresh and original concept to the screen. While it explored familiar science fiction themes, it added a darker twist and more profound meaning, setting it apart from its counterparts. Despite facing challenges in its final seasons, dedicated fans rallied to secure a short final season, highlighting the immense impact of fans on the success of the scripted science fiction series. This rarity of original content makes us appreciate the unique and innovative nature of science fiction television shows.
Image courtesy Amazon MGM Studios
Scripted science fiction series often face a challenge in presenting original story lines, making it a rare occurrence. While many fans gravitate towards common themes in these shows, deviating from the norm can lead to uncertainty among the general television audience. When a science fiction show gets canceled by a network, it usually spells the end of the series. However, the rise of streaming platforms and vocal fan bases has changed this narrative.
Shows like The Expanse have been able to find a new lease on life, with the opportunity to be revived and complete their final seasons. This was evident when The Expanse, initially canceled by the SYFY network, was later revived by Amazon MGM Studios on Prime Video highlighting the power of dedicated fans and streaming services. This empowerment of the audience is a significant shift in the fate of scripted science fiction shows.
The show will begin its fourth season soon, which is exciting news for existing fans and potential new ones. It is noteworthy that Snowpiercer is based on a movie from 2013 with the same name starring Chris Evans, Jamie Bell, Tilda Swinton and Ed Harris.
Produced by AMC TV Studios, this series is seen on AMC and AMC+ in the United States. Created by Anna Fishko with episodes directed by John Fawcett, Orphan Black Echoes is a spin off of the original Orphan Black (2013-2017) that Fawcett also directed. This superb new series featured on AMC, Orphan Black Echoes, follows a cloned woman and the women she encounters as they weave their way into each other’s lives and embark on a thrilling journey to determine the mystery of their identities. Starring Krysten Ritter, Keeley Hawes, Amanda Fix, Avan Jogia and featuring a stellar supporting cast, based in part on the hit series Orphan Black starring Tatiana Maslany who is featured in a photograph during the pilot episode of Orphan Black Echoes.
There is a beloved series that fans have been eagerly hoping to see revived – Stargate SG-1. With a massive fan base and a history of rumors about its return to television, the time seems ripe for Stargate’s comeback. With the proliferation of streaming platforms, there is a real opportunity for Stargate to make a triumphant return.
Given its well-established fan base spanning decades, there’s little doubt that Stargate would face challenges in its revival in 2018 with a streaming series named Stargate Origins. It seems like we are in a waiting game now, anticipating the moment when Stargate will finally make its comeback. This potential for revival with an announcement expected soon, hopefully at San Diego Comic-Con 2024 giving us hope for the future of science fiction shows on streaming service networks.
Xfinity (owned by NBC Comcast) has created an exciting new streaming bundle called “Xfinity Streamsaver” that includes entertainment content from Apple TV, Netflix, Peacock and hopefully other streamers such as Paramount Plus and AMC+.
This means that fans of each platform have a fantastic opportunity to explore various series across the streaming world if they have an Xfinity account.
The new streaming bundle allows viewer users to discover new shows they may not have encountered before or have not had the chance to watch.
Apple TV:
Image courtesy Apple TV
A noteworthy streaming service provider is Apple TV who has created several original scripted science fiction series. One such series is Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, developed by Matt Fraction and Chris Black. The series features talented actors such as Anna Sawai, Ren Watabe, Kurt Russell, and Wyatt Russell. Following the massive success of Godzilla Minus One, “Monarch is set after the battle between Godzilla and the Titans. It reveals that monsters are real and follows one family’s journey to uncover its buried secrets and a legacy linking them to Monarch.” The first season is worth watching, mainly if you are a Godzilla fan. The success of this series raises hope for the possibility of more Monsterverse original content.
A recent hit, Dark Matter, not to be confused with Dark Matter (2015-2017) on SYFY, has taken the science fiction world by storm. The captivating SciFi series Dark Matter can be found on Apple TV and was brought to life by creator Blake Crouch, adapted from his novel. The show stars an incredible cast, including Joel Edgerton, Jennifer Connelly, Alice Braga, and Jimmi Simpson.
The story line follows a “physicist in Chicago who finds himself thrust into a parallel version of his own life. He faces the daunting task of fighting to regain his original life and prevent an alternate version of himself from taking over his family.” Since Dark Matter is a standalone story, Apple TV has not announced whether the series will continue. This may be an opportunity to explore the narrative further with an original concept.
Another hit streaming series on Apple TV is Silo created by Graham Yost. Silo is based on the novel “Wool” by Hugh Howey that is set in a bleak dystopian future where humanity clings to survival deep underground within the confines of a colossal silo.
Starring Rebecca Ferguson as Juliette Nichols, Common as Robert Sims, Tim Robbins as Bernard Holland and Harriet Walter as Martha Walker. In the story arc of season one viewers find Juliette, an engineer tasked with unraveling the mystery behind the death of a colleague uncovering startling secrets that threaten the very fabric of their enclosed world which if larger than it seems!
Regardless of what happens with any of the current scripted science fiction series we have discussed available on streaming services, there is no doubt that the science fiction genre will continue to thrive including on the streaming service Tubi venturing into original content with ads. Let us hope platforms like Tubi will be at the forefront of new and original content.
I hope that as streaming platforms bundle together, we will see an increase in original content. I am hopeful that the mega studios, with their combined power, will recognize the value of original content. As fans, we deserve it. While we enjoy spinoffs and video game adaptations, original content is always the best source of entertainment. I hope the studios allow proven writers to shine again with original stories.
Well, science fiction series fans keep watching those fantastic shows, and someday we will get the new Stargate series that everyone has been longing for!
Thanks to Kenn for video and image embedding for my Turner Classic Movies Film Festival feature article and many thanks to you for visiting WormholeRiders News Agency. I will be back in the near future with new analysis as Team WHR prepares for San Diego Comic-Con 2024!
Please feel free to leave a comment here or If you prefer, you may also click the social media icons below to share this news article or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit me on Twitter by clicking the links or images avatars in this news story.
Welcome Back WormholeRiders and Science Fiction Series Lovers,
Image courtesy Amazon MGM Studios
Our previous article focused on the non renewed La Brea series that apparently indicates an end of an era in scripted science fiction series on United States Network television as it appears to be the case as TeamWHR reported. This article will focus on a special series of As The Wormhole Turns relating to streaming services that have taken the place of network television scripted science fiction series.
Only two pure science fiction genre series remain, The Ark on SYFY and The Lazarus Project on TNT. Both series are on cable channels, not major networks. As a result of this decline in scripted science fiction series, it is apparent that the big three United States television networks ABC, CBS and NBC appear to be bowing out of scripted science fiction series for the time being.
This first analysis will focus on one of the “elephants in the room”, Amazon MGM Studios science fiction programs that have been featured in the United States on Prime Video and MGM+.
The Man in the High Castle (2015), starring Alexa Davalos, Rufus Sewell, Chelah Horsdal, Jason O’Mara and featuring a huge ensemble cast is an alternate reality timeline story about Germany and Japan winning the Second World War. In our opinion, this was the first major success for Amazon Prime streaming science fiction programs and should be watched by fans of scripted science fiction series.
Since then there were two series that we followed. The first series we enjoyed was “Night Sky” (2022) starring J.K. Simmons and Sissy Spacek that featured an alien wormhole portal on Earth.
Another huge Amazon Studios success was the purchase of “The Expanse” (2015) from SYFY who unexpectedly cancelled their most popular science fiction series. SYFY abruptly stunned admirers of the series. The last SYFY episode, season three episode thirteen “Abadons Gate” was broadcast on June 18, 2018.
Fortunately, we were at San Diego Comic-Con in July of 2019 as a studio panel guest and interviewing star Cas Anvar about the cancellation when Amazon announced live during the Eisner Awards dinner they were purchasing all rights to “The Expanse” and would return for a additional seasons to the delight of series admirers including our team. The revitalized series broadcast to rave reviews for season four, five and six. “The Expanse” concluded it’s six season successful run on January 14, 2022.
Notable recent Amazon Prime successes are “The Wheel of Time” (2021) starring Rosamund Pike now headed for a third season.
Nest is the most expensive television program ever made, “The Rings of Power” (2022) which although not yet announced, is rumored to have a third season in the works.
Both of these science fiction fantasy series have done well on Prime Video.
Image courtesy Amazon MGM Studios
On that point, Amazon Studios and MGM Studios only recently, within the past two months, have been renamed Amazon MGM Studios ending their individual names on their social media and websites sites including the introduction of Amazon MGM Studios banners featured specifically on new streaming products.
The inclusion of the Amazon MGM Studios banners began with the hugely successful “Fallout” (on Prime) season one dystopian science fiction series that follows the and “Outer Range” season two discussed in more detail below.
On the MGM+ streaming service our favorite science fiction series are “From” (2022) which just completed a second season and is entering a third, and “Beacon 23” (2023) which recently completed a second season that we hope will be renewed for a third season. The positive news about Beacon 23 is that Paramount Plus began broadcasting Beacon 23 in the United Kingdom this month (June 2024) hopefully strengthening the series position to qualify for a third season.
Now in 2024, virtually all of the other recent science fiction series are now exclusively only on streaming platforms. What we now know as Amazon Prime began on September 7, 2006 as “Amazon Unbox” in the United States. On September 4, 2008, the service was renamed “Amazon Video on Demand”. The Amazon streaming services expanded in 2011 when Amazon bought the United Kingdom based streaming and DVD by mail rental service named “Lovefilm”. Subsequent to this acquisition up to the present time, Amazon re-launched their effort in what we now known as Prime Video. In April 2024, Amazon Studios and MGM Studios merged their two accounts on X into what we now know as Amazon MGM Studios. Another change occurred when Amazon Prime modified their subscription to feature advertisements on all programs and movies not purchased by the viewer. For a modest $2.99 USD extra each month, subscribers can currently eliminate advertisements on all Prime Video content.
Image courtesy Amazon MGM Studios
What we now know as the MGM+ streaming service was originally launched in the United States as “Epix” in October 2009. Epix was the result of a joint venture between MGM Studios, Lionsgate, and Paramount Studios.
MGM Studios acquired 100% ownership of “Epix” in late 2017. In March 2022 Amazon purchased MGM Studios. Pending final approval by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), MGM Studios announced that Epix would be renamed as MGM+ on January 15, 2023. The famous MGM Lion logo and introduction was reborn digitally for new programs and movies after many decades of the filmed version of the famous lion which is still featured on old movies and famed programs such as Stargate.
Image courtesy Amazon MGM Studios
Aiming to not shock the viewers, Amazon took a slow approach using a gradual transition that took hold in early 2024 when the SEC waiting periods had been completed. MGM Plus, now known as MGM+ assumed it’s place in the Amazon Studios family of Amazon MGM Studios as mentioned above. MGM+ re-positioned itself as a successful sister service on a separate subscription streaming service to the aforementioned Prime Video service. We include both here together because they are owned by the same Amazon parent company.
One of our four favorite science fiction series by Amazon MGM Studios is Fallout on Prime. Based on the highly successful Fallout video game series, Fallout with a post apocalyptic story line has taken the world by storm!
Starring Ella Purnell, Walton Goggins, Aaron Moten, Kyle MacLachlan, Leslie Uggams, Michael Emerson, and talented ensemble cast, Fallout accurately transforms the excitement of the game play into a science fiction series adventure of epic proportions in the “Years after a nuclear apocalypse devastates America, a violent raid by bandits on an underground fallout shelter forces one of its residents to set out into a barren wasteland filled with radiation, mutated monsters, and a lawless society of those who remained on the surface.”
An “Outer Range” wormhole portal in the “west pasture” of a ranch in Wyoming spans 150 years or more in the range wars between American Indians and two ranch families, the Abbott’s and the Tillerson’s. The portal which contains a black crystalline mysterious mineral, opens and closes at various time periods often sending people from the past to the future and from the future to the past. The results confound the residents and authorities in the fictional town of Wabang, Wyoming
Starring Josh Brolin, Imogen Poots, Lili Taylor, Will Patton, Tom Pelphrey, and Tamara Podemski with a great ensemble cast, “Outer Range” is a slow burning intense series about human interactions, prejudice and human history that intrigues the viewer as the exact same characters from different realities sometimes exist at the same time. The season two finale concludes with an “It’s just beginning” that we hope leads to a third season renewal.
“From” has been a runaway supernatural science fiction series hit that began on “Epix” about a group of people who become trapped in a small town with no apparent easy escape. Described on IMDB as “… the mystery of a nightmarish town in middle America that traps all those who enter. As the unwilling residents fight to keep a sense of normality and search for a way out, they must also survive the threats of the surrounding forest; including the terrifying creatures that come out when the sun goes down.”
“Beacon 23” is wild science fiction series set far in the future. The “beacons” are supposed to be off limits to political intrigue as safe places where one person is stationed to aid passing space vehicles. “Beacon 23” is described by the studio as “A man living in the 23rd Century works at a remote lighthouse in space that serves as a beacon to help passing ships.” In reality it is a way point for intergalactic conspiracies featuring human beings and fully evolved Artificial Inteligence (AI) beings blended into conflicts between competing civilian, governmental, and military agencies.
This series stars Stephan James, Natasha Mumba, Lena Headey, Eric Lange, Ellen Wong, Stephen Root and Hannah Melissa Scott as a teenage version of the Aster character portrayed by Lena Headey with a stellar (pun intended) supporting cast. The second season and it’s cryptic finale answers many questions that had been posed during season one. We are hopeful “Beacon 23” is renewed for a third season.
Any analysis of the Amazon MGM Studios science fiction series must include the Stargate franchise. Dormant since “Stargate Origins: Catherine” (2018) but with new movie and or series rumors since then. This includes Stargate trending several times on X over the past two years is the “WeWantStargate” hashtag.
Therefore, many Stargate admirers have wondered why, in the approximate two years since Amazon Studios purchased MGM Studios, the new Amazon MGM Studios have not yet officially announced a new Stargate franchise product?
Why the delay? The precise reasons are known to only to Amazon MGM Studios but are likely related to the following reasons.
All Stargate sets, costumes and props were sold off at the Vancouver Auction in June 2011.
Therefore any new Stargate, even streaming, will be very expensive to produce from scratch.
Many various sites, including TeamWHR indicate the Actors, Writers Strike stopped progress.
Amazon MGM Studios priorities may be focused on other franchises (discussed herein).
Or is there a fear of killing off the franchise if a new Stargate series is not done correctly?
Will they do so at San Diego Comic-Con 2024? We hope so and include one of our favorite scenes from “Stargate Ark of Truth” above to encourage TPTB at Amazon MGM Studios to proceed ASAP because WeWantStargate and so do ten’s of millions worldwide!
We conclude our analysis of Amazon MGM Studios streaming services with only a suggested enhancement for Prime Video; Don’t drop all episodes of a streaming science fiction series at the same time. Admirers of science fiction enjoy meeting on social media on a weekly basis to chat about the latest episode their favorite science fiction series. Dropping all episodes at one time damages the enthusiasm which may contribute to less than successful series.
Next Up The Ends of Beginnings:
The Ark at WonderCon Image by David Yeh courtesy SYFY
In this edition of As The Wormhole Turns, TeamWHR will continue to cover The Ark science fiction series until it concludes it’s run on SYFY.
However, with the lack of new network scripted series we will begin migrate our science fiction series analysis to spotlight the major science fiction programs that will be featured on various streaming platforms.
Next up will be the second of our feature articles about streaming focus on Netflix and a rumored bundle deal that will also include Apple TV and Peacock TV and a different approach is being taken by a streaming service named Tubi. Free to all viewers, Tubi has taken this approach financing their streaming service with paid advertisements.
We will be back in the near future with more on streaming services as we head to San Diego Comic-Con as well as our favorite television series and movie analysis. In the meantime, please feel free to share this article with your friends, co-workers and or family and leave your comments! We look forward to you visiting our dedicated review and analysis web site here in the future! Or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit TeamWHR on Twitter, or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story. I and TeamWHR look forward to Seeing You on The Other Side!“
Welcome Back La Brea and Wormhole Science Fiction Lovers!
Image courtesy NBC
As our article title and the third season La Brea poster header indicated all season long, is this an end of an era in scripted science fiction series on major network television channels like NBC?
Do such science fiction series, subsequent to lower ratings as compared to police, fire, and hospital scripted programs (which are flourishing), spell the end of the science fiction genre on major network channels in the United States?
Unfortunately, this would appear to be the case for new science fiction series that could be broadcast on the United States television networks ABC, CBS or NBC.
What this means is that although science fiction on major United States based network channels may be at the End Of Life (EOL) for now, the science fiction television genre will live on to be loved by tens of millions of viewers as evidenced by recent science fiction series successes such as Fallout, Foundation, For All Mankind, Outer Range, Halo, The Mandalorian and other new content being created for and by streaming television services!
The Forty Year Back Story:
Image courtesy ABC
ABC Network (now part of Disney) was a player in the modern science fiction broadcast world subsequent to their highly successful Lost series from 2004 to 2010 with 121 episodes. After a notable original V mini-series success on NBC in 1983, V The Final Battle in 1984 and a shortened nineteen episode weekly series on NBC that left science fiction fans with huge cliffhanger, ABC picked up the franchise. ABC subsequently left the science fiction genre after a two season run of a reboot of V Series from 2009 to 2011 that also disappointed fans who had hoped the story arc would be completed in a third season.
City On The Edge Of Forever. Image courtesy Paramount Plus
CBS Network had never been a significant science fiction content producer until it picked up the Star Trek franchise now broadcast on the Paramount Plus streaming service.
Likewise, the CW Network (originally UPN – The United Paramount Network until 2006), like SYFY, is actually a cable channel that produced significant science fiction related content including The Secret Circle (2011), The Vampire Diaries (2009), Arrow (2012), iZombie (2015), Legends of Tomorrow (2016), Riverdale (2017) and the popular Superman & Lois (2021) entering its fourth and final season soon.
Image courtesy SYFY
With very few exceptions, notably the SYFY Channel in the United States (a cable channel that is owned by NBC), there are few relatively new science fiction scripted series on network television remaining.
These include as The Ark headed for a second season and comedic science fiction series Resident Alien (hopefully pending renewal for a fourth season).
Now in 2024, virtually all of the other recent science fiction series are now exclusively only on streaming platforms.
Streaming Roots and How We Arrived Here:
Image courtesy SYFY
The roots of successful streaming programs can be said to have arguably begun in earnest in May 2007 with the Sanctuary web series first broadcast on the Internet. The Sanctuary web based series was so successful it actually crashed the Internet servers on launch day. I was peripherally involved in a support role for fans to interact with the series star Amanda Tapping while running a popular website dedicated to supporting the Stargate franchise prior to the launch of WormholeRiders News Agency in 2008. Sanctuary, produced in conjunction with Space Channel of Canada (now known as CTV SciFi), was such a success that the web series was picked up by SYFY (then the SciFi channel) that ran four seasons from 2009 to 2001.
The Invaders Image courtesy ABC
SciFi began broadcasting in September 1992 with the hit movie Star Wars Episode IV (The New Hope) as its first broadcast.
SciFi had much early success over their early years which can be attributed to broadcasting re-runs of iconic science fiction programs such as the early episodes of Dr. Who, The Prisoner, The Invaders, Star Trek the Original Series (TOS) and many various fan favorite science fiction movies.
Image courtesy SYFY
SYFY’s first original hit series was the short lived one season dystopian space opera Mission Genesis in 1997. Then came First Wave co-produced with the Space Channel broadcast from 1998 to 2001.
This was followed by the now classic Farscape series that was broadcast from 1999 to 2003. Farscape was co-produced with Nine Network.
Image courtesy Amazon MGM Studios
SciFi then invested heavily in additional science fiction scripted series beginning when it acquired the rights in 2001 to broadcast Stargate SG-1 owned by MGM Studios (Now known as Amazon MGM Studios).
Stargate SG-1 was originally on Showtime from 1997 to 2001, then continued to be broadcast on SYFY until 2007 for a combined total of ten episode years totaling 214 episodes. SYFY then added the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica in 2004, and Stargate Atlantis in 2005. MGM released two follow on direct to DVD Stargate SG-1 movies in 2008 that SYFY also broadcast. Stargate Universe began in 2009 and in 2010 SYFY created Caprica, a popular Battlestar prequel series that sadly only lasted one season.
Image courtesy SYFY Sharknado
SYFY also became well known for their weekly wild and often wacky science fiction movies for which it became famous in their own right.
The wildly successful weekly movie series generated huge followings of millions of viewers every week that culminated in the success of the Sharknado movies (1 to 6) series that concluded in 2018.
Image courtesy TNT
Close competitors in the with superb science fiction content in the twenty-first century were the Turner Network Television (TNT) Network and its fabulous Falling Skies series with five seasons broadcast from 2011 to 2015.
TNT’s also broadcast their subsequently successful program called The Last Ship, a dystopian action science fiction drama series that ran for five seasons from 2014 to 2018.
Image courtesy Warner Brothers TV
The Fox Network was a strong contributor with their original The X-Files series from 1993 to 2002, Sliders in 1998, Firefly in 2002, and the iconic fabled Fringe series produced at Warner Brothers Television that ran for five years and 100 episodes from 2008 to 2013. Fox and the fascinating time travel mystery series Alcatraz was not renewed after one season in 2011 despite strong ratings when the network decided to renew Fringe for a fifth season instead. Fox left the genre after NexT rogue AI series in 2020 which ran for only one season. Fox Network television was subsequently acquired by Disney which has its hands full with Marvel and Star Wars streaming series.
The Beginning of The End:
Image courtesy NBC
The decline of science fiction series like La Brea on network television channels can be traced back to its roots on December 03, 2009 when telecommunications giant Comcast announced its intent to acquire mass media company NBC Universal from General Electric corporation amid concerns at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of potential negative effects within the vertical entertainment industry since Comcast was also heavily involved in cable television and internet services in many United States media markets.
Image by Mark Taylor courtesy NBC
On March 19, 2013 General Electric divested itself from NBC giving Comcast sole ownership and a free hand to reduce employees located within duplicate internal divisions. Through this acquisition, Comcast gained ownership of the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), the film studio Universal Pictures, cable channels such as SYFY, Universal Parks & Resorts. Among other assets owned by NBC Universal was the USA Network and the E! Channel who often ran large entertainment convention events at San Diego Comic-Con, WonderCon in San Francisco and Anaheim as well as at New York ComicCon at the Javits Center.
Image by Greg Gayne courtesy NBC
SYFY reigned supreme for many years via their continued strong interest in scripted science fiction series (many were acquired and developed with Canadian UK network partners) subsequent to beginnings of the merger mania in 2009.
These fabulous programs included Sanctuary, Warehouse 13, Eureka, Helix, Haven, Alphas, Lost Girl, Merlin, Defiance, Continuum, 12 Monkeys, Dark Matter, Killjoys and The Expanse. Their last major five year successes concluded with the supernatural science fiction thrillers Van Helsing, Wynonna Earp, and The Magicians.
The cracks in the formula became apparent when SYFY, out of nowhere, stunned viewers when it dumped The Expanse despite rave reviews and being the highest rated science fiction program in 2018.
Fortunately The Expanse was picked up by Amazon Studios, running on Amazon Prime for three more seasons on the streaming service with success and high praise.
Image by Mark Taylor courtesy NBC
In 2018, the pressure on broadcast networks became evident when a fabulous science fiction series on the NBC’s USA Network named Colony became a casualty. The NBC and Comcast merger “Reductions In Force” (RIF) became known as “the night of the long knives” which impacted the majority of staffers, employees and publicists whose careers ended abruptly with what many believe were unanticipated layoffs. Another great NBC series, Manifest, was not renewed but was saved by streaming service Netflix.
Image by Greg Gayne courtesy NBC
Great SYFY series such as Primeval New World, Ghost Wars, Incorporated, and Day of The Dead were subsequently not renewed after single seasons, likely a result of terminating publicist marketing employee teams in “the night of the long knives” that were needed for continued series success. Krypton, based on the DC Comics Superman franchise, made it to two years to 2019 but effectively ended cable channel SYFY’s dominance as undisputed king of science fiction series as an NBC network affiliate. SYFY original programming suffered as a result. Alien Nation and horror based Chucky remain as the only multi-season survivors.
Image courtesy Amazon MGM Studios
However, all these events actually jump started the streaming services movement which can be traced in large part to huge success in 2015 with a The Man In the High Castle broadcast on Amazon Prime Video for four seasons concluding in 2019.
This factor was repeated with the Warner Brothers Discovery merger last year that cancelled a completed season four production of Snowpiercer ready to be broadcast on TNT (the fourth season now will broadcast by AMC in 2025), and Westworld which had been renewed for a fifth season on HBO but will not be produced after the merger that produced the Warner Discovery conglomerate. With talk of further consolidation in the entertainment industry looming in the future, all this could mean the end of ABC, CBS, or NBC network channel science fiction series in the United States.
Image courtesy NBC
Since that time a few months ago, new science fiction series broadcast on major network television channels ABC, CBS and NBC are few and far between. After NBC chose not to renew a superb series named Debris with good ratings created by J.H. Wyman of Fringe after broadcasting only thirteen episodes in season one ending in late May 2021, the beloved La Brea time travel science fiction series on NBC may be the last major network television effort in that regard, at least for the time being.
The Future of Science Fiction Television is Streaming:
The Mandalorian Image courtesy Disney Plus
Streaming services accelerated during the transition subsequent to the entire Star Wars and Star Trek franchises moving to streaming platforms when Disney purchased Lucas Film.
CBS, broadcast owner of Star Trek franchise launched Paramount Plus, the renamed CBS All Access streaming service.
Star Wars series such as The Mandalorian, Obi Wan Kenobi, The Book of Bobba Fett, and Andor have been a success on Disney Plus. Star Trek series including Discovery, Picard, and Strange New Worlds have been huge successes on the Paramount Plus streaming service.
All of this begs the question:
Will ever be another science fiction series to be launched on a major network channel in the United States?
Or is the science fiction genre to only find life only on streaming services in the future? We shall see.
In the meantime, enjoy the wildest moments of La Brea courtesy of NBC included below.
We here at Team WHR believed that there is much more to this superb La Brea story remaining to be told. Unfortunately, “The Road Home, Part 2” is the finale for this terrific time travel science fiction adventure series. Although we had been hoping for at least five full seasons of the La Brea series, as the old adage often applied to television programming saying goes; “Don’t Cry and Be Sorry it’s Over, Be Happy Because It Happened”, and we are because the series ended without cliffhangers!
On that note, we waited to post this analysis hoping that series creator David Appelbaum would be able to place La Brea with one of the major streaming services. As of this post, that does not seem to be happening at this time, but will remain hopeful that may occur in the future after we publish this feature article.
“The Road Home, Part 2” finale aired subsequent “The Road Home, Part 1” after a remaining character named Helena (Emily Wiseman) surfaced in the episode “Fire Storm” where we learned that Helena is Gavin Harris’s (Eoin Macken) half sister. We also learned that Time Travel was invented by their father who finished setting up the technology in 1965 using modern 2020’s computer technology to create jet aircraft that in the end help save our heroes.
Image by Greg Gayne courtesy NBC
The good news of La Brea is that the series producers and creator ensured the series would conclude on a happy note creating an enjoyable ending for their fans. Eve (Natalie Zea) and her family of Gavin, Josh (Jack Martin), and Izzy (Zyra Gorecki), in fact all the main characters including Sam Velez (Jon Seda) and his daughter Riley (Veronica St. Clair), Scott Israni (Rohan Mirchananey), Veronica Castillo (Lily Santiago), Lucas Hayes (Josh McKenzie), Judah (Damien Fotiou), and even Petra (Asmara Feik) daughter of deceased villain Maya Schmidt (Claudia Ware), all safely make it back safely to 2021 either using the prototype Time Travel jet aircraft or utilized a wormhole portal to return home to their own time, most likely closing once and for all after everyone returned to 2021.
Image courtesy NBC
In the end, Ty Coleman (Chiké Okonkwo) decided to stay in 10,000 BC with his wife Paara (Tonantzin Carmelo) to live out their lives. Levi Delgado (Nicholas Gonzales) sadly passed away sacrificing himself to save the others.
We never learned the fate of Silas (Mark Lee) and other characters in 10,000 BC. Likewise, Leyla (Edyll Ismail) daughter of Ruth (Chantelle Jamieson) never consummated her relationship with Izzy due to the shortened third season.
Image courtesy Amazon MGM Studios
Lastly, the La Brea series finale reminded me of the famous two part Stargate SG-1 episode “Moebius part 2” where the main characters went back in time to fix the future. The end result was that Stargate SG-1 main characters lived as themselves in ancient Egypt as a method to ensure that the future characters never had to go back in time in the first place so they could fish at Jack’s pond that had no fish before Moebius but did have fish when the future characters ended the eighth season knowing they had changed the future.
Image courtesy NBC
Therefore, speaking of endings, there are a La Brea few items that were not addressed in the finale: Did Gavin destroy the trouble making Time Travel computer chip in the jet aircraft? Did everyone get back to the correct time at the end (pun intended)? Did the original wormhole ever occur in the pilot episode if Gavin destroyed the time chip technology after returning to 2021? Did the finale cleanly avoid all time paradoxes of having two of several main characters that existed at the same time (again pun intended)?
Image courtesy NBC
In closing our analysis of La Brea, one of our favorite science fiction series by the way, we wonder If Gavin did not destroy the time chip after they all returned after the wormhole occurred in 2021, since the items above were never really addressed, what could happen in the future?
Although unlikely, It remains a long shot possibility that a La Brea series could return in the future, perhaps on a streaming service, so everyone can learn more about Gavin’s father in 1965, and the fate of humankind in the future.
We certainly hope that to be the case!
We will be back in the near future with more of your favorite television series and movie analysis. In the meantime, please feel free to share this article with your friends, co-workers and or family and leave your comments!
We look forward to you visiting our dedicated review and analysis web site here in the future! Or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit TeamWHR on Twitter, or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story. I and TeamWHR look forward to Seeing You on The Other Side!“
