Warning! This article contains spoilers for Silo season 2’s episode 4.Siloseason 2’s episode 4 features a surprising virtual reality scene that connects to an Apple product but still somehow manages to be relevant for the show’s direction. Given how product placement remains a common practice in TV shows and movies to generate revenue and build a brand or product’s visibility, it is not surprising thatApple TV+‘sSiloalso subtly integrates a similar product into its storyline. However,Siloseason 2 episode 4’s technology focus seems to completely catch one off-guard, but it’s also brilliant.
Based onHugh Howey’sSilobook series, theApple TV+ sci-fi showis among the most compelling series on air right now. With Rebecca Ferguson as its lead, the mystery thriller series has been topping streaming charts, which is not surprising given how it perfectly immerses viewers into its compelling sci-fi drama and realistic character beats. WhileSiloseason 2 is already giving audiences a lot to look forward to, one of its most memorable moments features an intriguing product used in a scene between Bernard and Meadows.
Silo Season 2 Features A VR Headset In Episode 4
Bernard Makes Meadows Wear The Headset Before Her Death
Meadows’ incessant requests to leave Silo 18 help Bernard realize that she is no longer his ally. After seeing her as a threat to the Silo’s security, Bernard starts believing he can no longer have her around. Owing to this, after inviting her home for lunch, claiming that her cleaning suit is ready, Bernard poisons and kills her. The show implies that the two had a romantic history, which makes it incredibly hard for Bernard to let Meadows go. He even struggles to say “no” to her when she asks him to let her see the outside world’s sky moments before she dies.
Tim Robbins thankfully does not pull off aTruman Show-esque moment where he dramatically unveils the device with an exaggerated flourish while breaking the fourth wall.
Although he is unable to fulfill her last wish,Bernard surprisingly pulls out a VR headset, which is similarly modeled like the Apple Vision Pro. Though it wasn’t a case of direct product placement, it seems quite evident that the scene subtly attempts to promote the Apple device. Tim Robbins thankfully does not pull off aTruman Show-esque moment where he dramatically unveils the device with an exaggerated flourish while breaking the fourth wall. It is still hard not to notice what the scene is trying to achieve. Despite this, it surprisingly works.
Season 2’s VR Scene Surprisingly Serves Silo’s Story
The Show Has Been Playing With The Concept Of VR Since Season 1
Even though the VR headset scene inSiloseason 2 is not too subtle, it perfectly manages to fit into the show’s overarching narrative. Since season 1,Silohas been toying with the idea of virtual reality. TowardSiloseason 1’s endingmoments, it is revealed that cleaners are provided with helmets that give them a fake, holographic view of the outside world. The VR projections from their helmets convince them the outside world has healed and is suitable for humans to survive. However, moments after they clean the sensors outside the Silo, the outside world’s harsh conditions kill them.
Silo’s Judge Meadows Explained: Mayor’s Shadow, Red Relics & Why She Wants To Go Out
Since Judge Mary Meadows is one of the main characters in Silo season 2, it is hard not to wonder how her arc will tie into the overarching narrative.
Through the cleaning suit’s helmet,Siloseason 1 established that VR technology has been around for quite some time. Most people in the Silo do not know about it because high-end technologies were banned in the underground city a long time ago.The introduction of VR inSilo’s earlier story beats makes the Meadows scene from season 2 less jarringand more fitting to the established worldbuilding. It could have easily felt out of place if the show had introduced it for the sole purpose of product promotion. Instead, Apple found a unique way to incorporate a growing aspect of the company’s technology.
Tanya Moodie & Tim Robbins Make The Product Placement Work
The Actors Make The Product Placement Scene Seem Organic
IfSilofeatured an actual Apple Vision Pro, it could have easily risked diminishing the emotional impact of the scene where Meadows spends her final moments with Bernard while fulfilling her wish to see the outside world. Tim Robbins and Tanya Moodie deliver such incredible performances in the sequence thatit becomes easy to focus more on the tragedy experienced by their respective characters and less on the product. Due to their powerful performances, the VR scene has become one of the most memorable and poignant scenes fromSiloseason 2.
Silo
In a dystopian future, men and women reside in a vast underground silo governed by strict regulations, believed to shield them from the hazardous world above. The series delves into the complex social order within the silo and the mysteries surrounding their subterranean existence.
