Tunnels, Mines, and the Drill - Show vs. Book
I’d love to discuss some things that have been on my mind since the end of Season 2 of Silo.
When I started watching the show, I wasn’t familiar with the books. By the end of Season 2, it was clear there’d be a long wait until Season 3 finally aired.
So, what could I do? I bought Silo Book 2—only to realize later that most of my questions wouldn’t be answered until Book 3. :-)
Unfortunately, even after finishing Book 3, the big question about the tunnel at the bottom of the silos remained unanswered… because it doesn’t even exist in the books!
I get that the tunnel isn’t just a one-time thing in the show, but right now, I’m focusing on something else.
After re-reading Book 2 (just in time for Season 3’s premiere), I noticed a few things I’d love to get your thoughts on. But to do that, we’ll need to compare the books and the show—and yes, we’ll have to talk about the end of the books, too.
- The tunnel boring machine appears much later in the books—it’s more or less operational. In the show, it’s a completely different story: old, rusted, gutted, and (as far as we can tell) unusable. But Jules needs it to save Solo and the kids from Silo 17. Honestly, I can’t see even Jules pulling that off. So my assumption was that the tunnel at the bottom of the silo was introduced for this exact purpose.
Then I saw the Silo overview in the Season 3 trailer—or at least Apple’s vision of their arrangement. Right after, there’s a shot of a board that looks like a floor plan or a mall directory, with some silos connected by lines.
Could those lines represent the tunnels?
What speaks against it: I can’t imagine the first silo residents knew about the tunnels. So maybe the lines are surface routes—like a map to help people find their silos?
But the aerial view of the silos doesn’t quite match the connecting lines… or does it?
Also, it would mean Silo 18 isn’t directly connected to Silo 17—only to Silo 14, which then connects to Silo 17 (if the lines are tunnels).
I think the seed (or the entrance to the facility) is probably at the top center. We’ll likely find out in Season 4, but here’s the thing:
I always assumed Jules would use the tunnel at the bottom of the silo to get back to Solo and Silo 17.
What really surprised me (in a good way!) was how big of a deal the mines became in Episode 3. In the books, the mines aren’t a major plot point—but in the show, they’re deliberately brought into focus. There’s even speculation that Lukas was trying to find something in the mines… or maybe even dig a connection to another silo.
So if Lukas’ tunnel is the show’s adaptation of Jules’ drilled tunnel from the books… why do we need the tunnel at the bottom of the silo at all?
You could argue that the tunnel wouldn’t allow for stealthy travel—but if we go by the books, "the voice" isn’t an algorithm or AI. It’s the people from Silo 1’s control center. If that’s the case, then during Lukas’ time, Donny (Donald, Daniel, Troy) was awake (we know from the books that he spoke to Lukas after his appointment as "the shadow"). We also know he helps Silo 18! So he could just let people through the tunnel—making the mines unnecessary.
But right now, it really looks like the show is leaning toward the mine tunnel theory. What do you think?
I like the mine plot, but I’ll admit—it’s confusing because I can’t make sense of the tunnel at the bottom of the silos.
Anyone who’s read the books knows by now that Apple didn’t just take "creative liberties" with Season 3 (and probably Season 4)—they massively adapted the story (which I don’t mind, honestly. I even get the necessity, especially with the cast). This is also clear from the silo arrangement: in the books, Silos 10 and 12 are top-left, but on the board, they’re bottom-right.
But here’s an even bigger hint: the pet dispenser. If Helen kept it, she must have ended up in Silo 18—but in the books, she lands in Silo 2, where Donny was supposed to go.
Are they doing this to mislead book readers?
If their goal was to drive book readers insane… mission accomplished. And yes, I’ve officially fallen down the deepest rabbit hole of my life. :-D
So, Reddit what do you think? Am I overcomplicating this, or is there something I’m missing?