My intention this year was to try out a bunch of different streaming services, subscribing to one at a time and then switching every couple months.
Well, so far I’ve sort of failed at that goal, because I can’t seem to let go of Apple TV+. I loved Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, and then I really loved the alternate-history sci-fi drama For All Mankind. I was delighted by Ted Lasso, and I’ve just started watching WWII aviation drama Masters of the Air. And one of my all-time favorite novels, Blake Crouch’s Dark Matter, is getting an Apple TV+ adaptation in just a few weeks.
I’m sad I overlooked this streaming service for so long, because there really is an incredible depth of great content on here. I just finished up season 1 of the sci-fi dystopia Silo and also watched the movie Argylle since I missed it in theaters. I want to spend some time talking about both!
First, an embarrassing confession. I read Wool, one of the books the Silo series is based on, and I really, really liked it. So I’m somewhat ashamed that I forgot most of the major twists by the time I started watching the TV series. I don’t know what it is about me and book plots – I love to read, and I have no idea why I tend to forget more details from books than I do from movies. I’ve come to think of it as a blessing in disguise; if I set down a beloved book for a few years, it will be like discovering it all over again!
Silo is a great, suspenseful TV series, starring the always-wonderful Rebecca Ferguson (I needed something to tide me over until she appears in the next Dune movie). She plays an engineer living inside an underground silo populated by 10,000 people. The people don’t know why they live there, or why it’s so dangerous to go outside. They’ve sacrificed sunlight and fresh air and freedom for the promise of safety.
Then a series of scandals and murders shatters the peace, and Ferguson’s character finds herself inadvertently at the heart of a growing mystery pointing to sinister operations behind the scenes.
This series shows how people could adapt to a claustrophobic life below ground, in some ways seeming fairly happy and content. But there’s tremendous pressure simmering beneath the surface, and it doesn’t take much to ignite a fire.
Be prepared for a cliffhanger, but don’t despair, because season 2 has already been greenlit.
I also recently saw the movie Argylle pop up for streaming on Apple TV+ and decided to watch it. I gave it a pass in the theaters after seeing the terrible reviews, and I was actually pleasantly surprised by it. While it’s not as good as my favorite Matthew Vaughn flicks – X-Men: First Class and the first Kingsman movie – it’s an entertaining film that kept my attention throughout (though I’ve not quite forgiven them for what they did to Henry Cavill’s hair).
It’s silly and over the top, but that was kind of what made it endearing, at least for me. Plus, there are a lot of famous faces, from the always-great Sam Rockwell, Catherine O’Hara, and Samuel L. Jackson, just to name a few. There’s fun music and some wacky action set pieces.
If you enjoy Vaughn’s other work, especially the first Kingsman movie, you’ll probably have a fun time watching this. However, if you like your spies more serious than silly, this may not be the flick for you.
