Warning: Slight spoilers for Silo are in play, and readers, at the very least, may want to be aware of events that happen through Episode 3, “Machines.”
The world of author Hugh Howey’s Silo trilogy is an interconnected web of systems, run by people that are just as complex as the government they serve. At the heart of the Apple TV+ series’ adaptation is the character of Juliette Nichols, played by Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One star Rebecca Ferguson. Starting off as an engineer who helps keep this underground world running, her role expands unexpectedly to some; though it makes perfect sense to the viewer, and Ferguson, as she recently elaborated on Juliette’s overall purpose in the story.
I had the privilege of speaking with the star during the press day for Silo series, which is still debuting weekly installments to those with an Apple TV+ subscription. This series is certainly a reason to keep such a membership active as, week by week, new events peel back another layer to what’s going on in this world where the last 10,000 people on Earth try to survive a harsh apocalypse.
What’s fun about where Rebecca Ferguson’s Juliette Nichols fits into the grand scheme of things is that when she’s nominated by former sheriff Holsten Becker (David Oyelowo) to assume his post, no one knows why. Juliette is an engineer by trade, and not a born detective in the ways that are laid out by The Pact; which acts as the Constitution for the world of Silo. As Ferguson explained to CinemaBlend, the intricacies of her character make her job both easier and harder, in the following respects:
[Juliette] can manage tools and machinery, but when it comes to managing tools to human psyche, [it’s a] little bit more tricky for her when she’s an introvert, and she doesn’t really like people touching her, being too close to her. So it makes the whole detective-ness a little more difficult when she has to start reading people. And she realizes that [on] the way forward she does sometimes hurt people, and pisses them off. And then also the unraveling of one truth sets off the domino effect of a lot of truths. It’s just, it’s amazing all of the levels of detail it holds.
While Rebecca Ferguson may not know Mission: Impossible 7’s story in its final form, her knowledge of Silo is concrete. Throughout the mystery that unfolds in the 10-episode run, Juliette does everything you’ve read above, and then some. All the while, questions and answers enter and exit the revolving door of her new life as sheriff of the Silo, as she digs deeper into the death of someone she loved.
Silo’s cast is an assembled murderer’s row of actors that all get to take their place in the machinery that drives this world. But Juliette Nichols’ detective skills continue to uncover those dominoes of truth that set up a consistent string of cliffhangers that leave viewers waiting for the next episode. Which only makes what we know about the drama -- as well as the Apple TV+ strategy of multi-episode premieres followed by new weekly continuations -- an even more intriguing package to follow.
Through her life experiences, stretching all the way back to flashbacks into her childhood, Juliette proves to a hero that serves a great purpose in the show's ecosystem. With that role in her hands, Rebecca Ferguson kind of emulates her character’s purpose, as her performance helps drive he engine that the rest of this stellar cast is a part of. It’s something that even they can agree on, right down to several of her co-stars picking out on particular moment her character encounters as the largest cliffhanger of them all.
Should you be ensnared into the growing intrigue of Silo, you’re in luck, as Season 1 is at about the halfway point on Apple TV+. A quick binge can bring you up to speed, with new episodes arriving every Friday. And Rebecca Ferguson fans will certainly be glad to be reminded that she has two 2023 new movie releases on the way, with Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One heading to theaters on July 12th, and Dune: Part Two spicing things up at the movies on November 3rd.
