Fans have been introduced to The Syndrome in Apple TV +'s Silo series, but actually is it?
The hit sci-fi series based on Hugh Howey's series of dystopian novels, centers on the residents of a cylindrical underground bunker forced to live below the surface of the Earth and under the rule of an overbearing bureaucracy.
At the center of the show's conspiracy is Rebecca Ferguson's Juliette, an engineer who is miraculously promoted to the rank of sheriff, where she begins to peel back the layers of a terrifying cabal trying to gobble up power in the Silo.
What Is The Syndrome in Silo?
One of the ongoing threats in Silo is a mysterious disease known as The Syndrome.
Fans first came into contact with The Syndrome in Season 1 of the Apple TV+ series thanks to a poster located on the Mechanical level of the underground Silo community.
The poster warns residents to look for signs of "involuntary twitching," "Flashes of pain," and a "shut down of the entire nervous system:"
"The Syndrome
Do you know the signs?
Involuntary twitching is the first sign, leading quickly to shaking of the extremities,flashes of pain and muscle spasms are next.
Balance and movement is severely impaired. If untreated infection will attack the brain, resulting in reduced cognitive function and finally,
A shut down of the entire nervous system."
It also asks if one believes they or another citizen of the Silo has become infected that they "must report your symptoms there to receive the necessary treatment:"
"For those who are infected or think they may be advice and treatment are free at any Medical Level. You must report your symptoms there to receive the necessary treatment.
Don't be afraid. Be Honest. There is help.
Clean living is the real safeguard."
One of the primary characters of the show's first season, lawman Paul Billings (played by Chinaza Uche) who is assigned to Juliette when she becomes sheriff, notably has been showing the first signs of having The Syndrome. However, he hides this, potentially hinting at bad things for him down the line.
Some have speculated The Syndrome could be some sort of neurological disease caused by a deficiency of Vitamin D thanks to the years of living underground.
Showrunner Graham Yost described the effects of The Syndrome in a conversation with SFX magazine, saying, "Human beings weren't meant to live like this" so he and the book's original author Hugh Howey came up with The Syndrome as a result of this thought:
"There is a sense, at the core, that this is wrong. Human beings weren't meant to live like this. Talking about that with Hugh, we came up with something called 'the syndrome.' Is it genetic? Is it this or that? It's something people are ashamed of, and we wanted to play with that. If you have the syndrome, you shouldn't have access to any weapons. You shouldn't have physical activity."
It is worth noting, this was an original idea for the series and not something that appeared in Howey's books.
Silo is now streaming on Apple TV+.
