Silo (Apple TV+) - Premiers May 5th

[F250 29172]

10 hours ago, wild_turkey said:

I’m also getting increasingly annoyed with how the greater population of the silo can be influenced and manipulated so easily. Last episode, Bernard gives a shitty speech and at some point the entire crowd flips from hating him to supporting him. This week, everyone is on edge and then Common tells them the people from mechanical murdered Meadows and the mob instantly redirects.

It’s like a bunch of elementary children. Or perhaps it’s like a surly game thread that got morphed into part of a TV series.

Manipulation of the population seems to be one of the major themes of the show. Their education is severally limited, exposure to certain technology is forbidden, a strict social order is enforced, and people that raise questions are removed.

The mob was upset because mechanical was visiting the upper decks. Apparently a strong prejudice against mechanical is built into the rest of the population. Knox pointed out that mechanical always gets blamed according to the writings on the walls. Mechanical seems to be designed to be a scapegoat.

Considering how easily the population in an open society is easily manipulated I don't find a population controlled from conception to death being easily manipulated very surprising.

[Js1 86935]

2 minutes ago, F250 said:

Manipulation of the population seems to be one of the major themes of the show. Their education is severally limited, exposure to certain technology is forbidden, a strict social order is enforced, and people that raise questions are removed.

The mob was upset because mechanical was visiting the upper decks. Apparently a strong prejudice against mechanical is built into the rest of the population. Knox pointed out that mechanical always gets blamed according to the writings on the walls. Mechanical seems to be designed to be a scapegoat.

Considering how easily the population in an open society is easily manipulated I don't find a population controlled from conception to death being easily manipulated very surprising.

Yeah, this is literally the whole point.  The population of the Silo is easily controlled - they lack education outside of their job, there is no technological advancement, there is full deference to Judicial running the show and everyone knows the punishments for stepping outside of the strict order (hard labor in the mines or cleaning). 

The Pact is very clear - harbor an upper- and mid-level resentment towards Mechanical and blame them if order breaks down. If the top levels of the Silo are against Mechanical, Mechanical cannot rebel and make it to the doors without significant resistance. 

[gofuckyourself 8939]

The whole "The world is a sphere" dialogue seemed a bit absurd.

But I'm guessing at some point the drugs mentioned earlier that wipe out memories were used on the entire populace so that full generations of knowledge were lost, and then the whole Pact and folklore and mass "re-education" were instituted.

Maybe that's all already obvious but I don't always pay close attention to each episode.

Regardless, it's still entertaining and I'm enjoying the show. 

[zman13 183]

On 12/5/2024 at 10:19 PM, Js1 said:

Shit is getting good

Common is godawful though 

I'd like to just restate that Common is a horrible actor. It's bad enough that it becomes a distraction. 

Who keeps on casting him? What dirt does he have on casting directors?

[F250 29172]

1 hour ago, zman13 said:

I'd like to just restate that Common is a horrible actor. It's bad enough that it becomes a distraction. 

Who keeps on casting him? What dirt does he have on casting directors?

He is a terrible actor. It seems like he isn't even acting, he just says his lines as Common and doesn't attempt to be the character. His scenes pull you out of the show and it seems like you are just watching some contemporary dude interact with the characters, it's very distracting.

He was the same in Hell on Wheels. It was like some rando appeared off the street in modern America and popped up in a Western.

[aggie08 21732]

1 hour ago, zman13 said:

I'd like to just restate that Common is a horrible actor. It's bad enough that it becomes a distraction. 

Who keeps on casting him? What dirt does he have on casting directors?

Do you think "street"--but still incredibly safe and nonthreatening--black actors grow on trees, mister?

[rage-a-holic 4712]

2 minutes ago, F250 said:

He is a terrible actor. It seems like he isn't even acting, he just says his lines as Common and doesn't attempt to be the character. His scenes pull you out of the show and it seems like you are just watching some contemporary dude interact with the characters, it's very distracting.

He was the same in Hell on Wheels. It was like some rando appeared off the street in modern America and popped up in a Western.

Yep, he fucking ruined HoW.

[bschoolprof 6335]

I still don't see the point of meadow's story, which wasn't in the book apparently. I see why.  

Bernard: Meadows, stop drinking, I need you.

Meadows: Ok, you should do X. And I want to escape.  

Bernard: Great, I will do Y.  And get you a suit. And you are now apparently disposable.  Want to come over for dinner?

[Js1 86935]

40 minutes ago, bschoolprof said:

I still don't see the point of meadow's story, which wasn't in the book apparently. I see why.  

Bernard: Meadows, stop drinking, I need you.

Meadows: Ok, you should do X. And I want to escape.  

Bernard: Great, I will do Y.  And get you a suit. And you are now apparently disposable.  Want to come over for dinner?

He should have at least banged her before he murdered her. 

[The Dude 1257]

On 12/8/2024 at 10:44 PM, wild_turkey said:

I’m also getting increasingly annoyed with how the greater population of the silo can be influenced and manipulated so easily. Last episode, Bernard gives a shitty speech and at some point the entire crowd flips from hating him to supporting him. This week, everyone is on edge and then Common tells them the people from mechanical murdered Meadows and the mob instantly redirects.

It’s like a bunch of elementary children. Or perhaps it’s like a surly game thread that got morphed into part of a TV series.

You really think this is a stretch?

[Scary Stranger 1722]

2 hours ago, F250 said:

He is a terrible actor. It seems like he isn't even acting, he just says his lines as Common and doesn't attempt to be the character. His scenes pull you out of the show and it seems like you are just watching some contemporary dude interact with the characters, it's very distracting.

He was the same in Hell on Wheels. It was like some rando appeared off the street in modern America and popped up in a Western.

I've said it before, he gets work because he looks cool and can glower menacingly with the best of them.

[Macanudo 13254]

8 hours ago, Js1 said:

He should have at least banged her before he murdered her. 

You're assuming he didn't.  Pre or post death.

[sidis 9990]

On 12/8/2024 at 10:44 PM, wild_turkey said:

I’m also getting increasingly annoyed with how the greater population of the silo can be influenced and manipulated so easily. Last episode, Bernard gives a shitty speech and at some point the entire crowd flips from hating him to supporting him. This week, everyone is on edge and then Common tells them the people from mechanical murdered Meadows and the mob instantly redirects.

It’s like a bunch of elementary children. Or perhaps it’s like a surly game thread that got morphed into part of a TV series.

 

[Ted Lange 16353]

 

[bschoolprof 6335]

I'm glad they are not drawing it out.

Honestly, this season has been a bit meh to me.  Notice there's not much discussion of the episodes on this thread.  There's not much really to discuss.  It's painfully slow at times.

• Am I supposed to really care about these mechanical characters? They seem 2 dimensional and just thrown out at us.  Meh.  If they die, they die.  
• the deus ex machina, particularly on the stairs, is annoying and frankly insulting
• Sims is a shit character and actor and needs to be offed.  

I actually think the show would benefit by less focus on characters that we don't care about and more on the intrigue of the silo, not just in its origin story, but also how it works to maintain order, hierarchy, and custom.  It's a fascinating world and we see little of the institutional details. Take for example the porters, who are just convenient backstabbers in this episode.  But they are critical to the movement of good across the silo. And the grappling hook would presumably make them obsolete (and allow for quicker flow of information), which the founders can't have for many layered reasons.  I find this much more interesting and thought provoking than whether the head of mechanical makes it or not.  

[LCHorn 2749]

55 minutes ago, bschoolprof said:

And the grappling hook would presumably make them obsolete

Also, I don’t understand how/why judicial can’t fast-rope down.  That’s low tech.  

[Js1 86935]

59 minutes ago, bschoolprof said:

I'm glad they are not drawing it out.

 

This.

Very glad they seem to have a plan and a conclusion.  Not every show needs to be 8 seasons, where it goes downhill after season 5/6. 

[henrygandorf 29218]

9 minutes ago, Js1 said:

This.

Very glad they seem to have a plan and a conclusion.  Not every show needs to be 8 seasons, where it goes downhill after season 5/6. 

you can just say "seinfeld".

[Js1 86935]

4 minutes ago, henrygandorf said:

you can just say "seinfeld".

or Game of Thrones. 

[bschoolprof 6335]

1 hour ago, LCHorn said:

Also, I don’t understand how/why judicial can’t fast-rope down.  That’s low tech.  

Because presumably then everyone else will want that tech. Or, at the beginning, at least want it to be used to transport goods ("why not make our lives easier??").  But then information will travel more quickly.  And porters will become obsolete, so a whole slew of new jobs will have to be found for them in an economy that is constrained in obvious ways.  This will only snowball, leading to all other sorts of downstream (or upstream?) consequences that are hard to anticipate for central planners.  Innovation and progress are very "bad" for the silo's order.  

It's better to let the people enjoy some low level relics as a form of rebellion rather then let them get a taste of what actual creative destruction might look like.  

Edited Monday at 08:00 PM by bschoolprof

[Js1 86935]

22 hours ago, Ted Lange said:

 

Also worth noting Ferguson confirmed 3 and 4 are filming back to back and season 3 filming started in October. So it should not be huge waits between seasons

[YChang 3531]

Cool, now I can binge through all the episodes of this season right?