I thought I'd do a three in one review session this week as I'm falling behind. I've signed up for Apple TV and there's a bit to watch there after exhausting Binge and Stan. I've let the membership lapse for those and won't get them again til there's a heap on there to watch at once.

Silo

I've been looking forward to watching this one. Mum and I enjoyed the books by Hugh Howey when they first came out on Amazon as a self published science fiction. I loved Season 1 and can't wait for Season 2, though it won't be out til next year.

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The show is about ten thousand people who live in a huge underground silo - basically a post nuclear bunker. There's many levels, from the down deep where people fix things and keep the air intake machine alive, and the up top, where the administration and cafetaria are, with a window looking out onto a wasteland. The window gets pretty dirty and if anyone asks to go outside, or committ a serious crime, they'll be send out in a suit to clean the window, whereupon they promptly die. Clearly, it's not safe to go out.

Meanwhile, there's conspiracies and murder. There's conspiracies afoot, such as why certain people aren't allowed to have children (even though they get permission to, it's discovered that the doctor doesn't remove their birth control) and whether what is on the screen is real or not, and whether they're being lied to about whether it's safe outside. There's no memories past 120 years back, where there was some kind of rebellion, and no one is allowed to keep relics from the long ago past, create magnifying equipment (such as what woudl be useful for surgery) or anything that would shuttle people up the long stairways effectively (it takes days to walk from the top to the bottom, and messages are run up and down by porters).

There's actually a lot to talk about with Silo, but it's something you'll have to see for yourself. I really loved the world building, which felt fresh and original. I loved the funeral rites, pictured above, where instead of throwing a clod of dirt on the bodies, people take a bite from an apple and throw it in the grave, giving rise to apple trees on that level. Everything in the Silo's well thought out because they don't seem to lack for food or water. But everything is also very tightly controlled, as it would have to be to maintain a population like this and save humanity. There's lots of nice little details like the very old, blinking screen computers and old technology that no one knows how to use or what it is for, including an old Pez dispenser with a meticulous record.

And of course, it's partly an age old storie of totalatarian control - because how else do you keep 10,000 people alive?

⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 Stars - a great post apocalyptic series with some star actors and a well produced set.

Hijack

The other Apple TV one I'm enjoying is 'Hijack'. I do like a good plane hijacking film! I think everyone can relate to being stuck on a plane, and can imagine how terrible that be if something went wrong! Idris Elba is a negotiator who is called on by companies to help speed up business deals, but this time he is negotiating with terrorists who hijack a plane. No one knows about what is happening on the ground, until a few clues start to emerge and everyone starts putting things together. I'm up to episode 3 and it's still not revealed why they're doing it, but the tension is nicely held as they are only a few hours from London and one can only imagine what they have planned.

I did like how Idris Elba tells a fellow passenger to get all the facts before jumping into action. Just because someone's speaking Arabic doesn't make them a suicide bomber - it just makes sense if you're on a plane from Dubai to London, where you will inevitably have Arab speakers. Der.

⭐⭐⭐ 3/5 Stars - It's a good, fun watch that doesn't require a lot from the viewer, and keeps you on your toes.

Alone Season 10

Still going with the last season of Alone and after watching every single season, I'm finally getting a bit fed up with it. I'm less tolerant of the contrived emotional moments where characters profess how much they miss their loved ones and how they'd rather spend time with them then push forward to win the money. That's about when I shout at the screen and tell them to go home if they can't handle it! There's no one really standing out for me this season either. One thing I do appreciate though is the talent of the survivalists in the Americas. The Australians were pretty poor skill wise in comparision (and swore alot) so unless they fix that in the next season I doubt I'll switch on to Aussie alone again.

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I don't know, there's nothing really new happening. The mice come in for the winter and are killed by rock traps again. People catch and lose fish again. People get excited when they catch food and cry when they're starving again. People don't store their food properly and it gets maggots, mould, or eaten by weasels again.

The formula hasn't changed since 2015, except for one season they did with couples which I really liked, but that wasn't about being 'alone', was it? Though I'd really like to see this formula come back...

Sigh. It was good while it lasted, but I'm done with it now. Unless someone catches a moose or a bear at last, and even then, I'm willing the bear to win.

⭐⭐⭐ 3/5 Stars - unless you've never watched it, where I will tell you it's defintely a 5/5 and you should go watch from the beginning NOW!

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