I've just finished watching season three of Silo, which concluded last week - spoiler alert for anyone who hasn't caught up, or worse, hasn't watched any of it yet (what are you doing? Sign up to Apple now and get straight on to season one), I'm going to give away some plot points below.

At the very end of the final episode of Silo, season two, we got a glimpse of the outside world, what seemed to be the 'before' times and the origin of the Pez dispenser. It was a short scene, entirely incongruous with everything that had gone before. But it led into season three perfectly, and now we know so much more.

It was never in question whether to watch the third season of this exceptional show, with the only concern being that the showrunners have a decent ending. Slightly experimental productions like this give me flashbacks to LOST, a series that burned such a deep, disappointing hole, that it will never be forgotten (or forgiven). However, it's been confirmed that season four is the last of Silo, and based on a pre-existing trilogy of books, you have to assume they have an endpoint in sight.

After the before

The biggest change to season three of Silo is how much time we spend in the before times. From that small closing sequence in season two, we're now finding out backstory every single episode. Of course we don't get every single answer, and there are probably more questions raised than puzzles solved, but it was satisfying to begin understanding where this all started and how we got to where we are today.

It was a mood shift, though, it changed the vibe of the show completely. Dipping back and forth between the dingy, aging, claustrophobic Silo, to the fresh air of damp city streets or bright green of Atlanta's swathes of fields. It took a while to get used to that juxtaposition. Initially it felt uncomfortable, but gradually it started to feel like a relief.

I have to admit, too, that some of the early episodes were a bit of a slog. I find memory-loss storylines to be a bit of a shortcut... it gives the ability to drag a plot out or 'reset' the stakes, but for a viewer it does nothing. Juliette is a fantastic character, gutsy and impatient and brave, but we had to sit through several hours of knowing things and just having to wait for her to catch up.

Don't go in there

But the pacing picked up, the action revved into gear, and towards the end of the series, I was entirely engrossed. Then, we got to the penultimate episode. I'm not lying when I say that is still living with me. Watching Helen and Daniel splitting into different Silos, that niggle in your gut that tells you something bad is going to happen, almost shouting at the screen STAY TOGETHER. If I've been clingy with Mr C ever since, this is exactly why.

After that, the final episode was a bit of an anti-climax. I almost wish they had ended on episode nine. The final hour had a lot of work to do in the Silo - dealing with yet another set of rebels and whose side is Camille really on, etc. It also gave us startling revelations about how sci-fi Silo 1 really is (they have lifts!). But it all felt a bit like admin, after what would have been a properly startling cliffhanger.

Don't get lost

Pacing issues aside, this was an exceptional series. If you've not already watched it, then prepare to binge the entire thing. Just beware of episode nine - a must-watch but also a might-traumatise-you situation.

It feels like there's a lot to be settled and not a lot of time left to do it in. The timeline needs to make sense. Are they ever going to be allowed outside? What is the end point of The Project? Where is Colin Hanks' creepy trillionaire Per Stensen in this new Silo world?

But I do trust the showrunners at this point. Three seasons complete, and I'm tentatively starting to think we will sidestep the LOST issue. However, that will all be confirmed in July 2027 when the final season airs. I can't wait.