Apple TV‘s dystopian sci-fi hit has returned with a whole new season. This time around, though, its reception seems significantly divisive. While critics have almost unanimously praised its new installment, most viewers seem dissatisfied with where its story is going. The Apple TV sci-fi show in question, Silo, remains one of the most valuable IPs on the streaming service.
In more ways than one, Silo season 3‘s episode 1 has also dropped enough compelling story beats to hint at how promising it could potentially become. However, there seems to be one specific reason why most viewers are not giving it positive reviews.
Compared to its perfect 100% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, Silo season 3’s underwhelming 59% audience rating on the same platform might seem surprising. This is not the first time a show has seen a stark divide between critics and general viewers. In Silo season 3’s case, though, the drop in reception seems to stem from one major creative decision that significantly changes the original books.
Silo’s Amnesia Plot In Season 3 Is The Biggest Reason Behind Its Low Audience Score
In season 3’s episode 1 itself, Silo introduces a controversial story beat in which Rebecca Ferguson’s Juliette ends up losing her memory. She remembers almost nothing about her past and even struggles to recognize her own face in the mirror. This plot development is being considered controversial for two reasons:
- It rewriters the original Silo books.
- It seems to rewind Juliette’s story instead of moving it forward.
Juliette’s arc received a lot of criticism in Silo season 2 because it barely progressed until the last chapter. After seeing the amnesia plot, many viewers now seemingly fear that the Apple TV sci-fi show’s season 3 is also treading the same path as its predecessor. Many believe that season 3 has intentionally stalled Juliette’s development to ensure its present timeline aligns with its exploration of the silos’ past.
These concerns surrounding the new story development also make sense because “amnesia plots” in modern TV shows and movies can also feel a little too cliché. It is an overused plot device that was not adopted in Hugh Howey’s original Silo books. Interestingly, though, Silo season 3 seems to tie the plot device to an overarching story beat that has been brewing in the series since season 1.
Silo Season 3’s Audience Scores Might Get Better As It Progresses
Instead of showing that Juliette lost her memory solely due to the traumatic incident from Silo season 2’s ending, season 3 explains that her memories are intentionally being suppressed. At the orders of the Algorithm, Camille Sims is secretly drugging Juliette and ensuring that she remembers nothing about her past or her learnings from the outside world.
The memory-altering drugs have previously been mentioned multiple times in silos’ previous seasons and are also featured as crucial plot devices in the books. This establishes Juliette’s memory loss plot is not a complete retcon of the original story.
It must also be noted that most audience reviews on Rotten Tomatoes are solely based on Silo season 3’s episode 1. Meanwhile, many critics have likely watched the entire season before dropping their reviews. This suggests the possibility that, as the Apple TV sci-fi show progresses, audiences will likely give it better ratings, which could potentially improve its score on Rotten Tomatoes.
