‘Silo’: What Is the Syndrome & Why It’s Dangerous? Explained

Life in a 144-level Silo comes with certain risks. For starters, 10 000 people are crammed inside this concrete underground monstrosity with limited resources. Second, they cannot go outside due to the threat of death since the outside is allegedly poisoned. All of this would, under normal circumstances, be enough to severely damage the health of individuals, and in the show, it’s no different. There is one illness specific to Silo that appears to be a great social threat, and the individuals are closely monitored for any symptoms – the Syndrome. In today’s post, we’re going to explore what exactly the Syndrome is and what makes it so dangerous. 

The Syndrome appears to be a form of nervous system illness associated with living in the Silo. The disease mimics many real-life illnesses, and all of them are associated with rapidly declining motor and cognitive functions. The Syndrome represents a great threat to the Silo community, and all individuals that notice the symptoms in themselves and others are under obligation to report it to the nearest medical office.

Since the Syndrome is not something from the books, at this point in the series, we don’t have much to go on except for the general symptoms and the fact that Juliette’s deputy, Billings, is suffering from it. If you’re interested in what we know so far, stay with us and keep reading!

Episode 6 revealed that Deputy Billings is suffering from the Syndrome

Juliette Nichols is so far stuck with former Judicial worker Billings as her deputy, and naturally, she doesn’t trust him due to his former connections. 

Billings isn’t keen on trusting Juliette as well, but it is what it is, but he’s making at least some effort to smooth out the differences between them. Their relationship was mostly amicable so far until Julliete wanted to use him as her fall guy regarding the relic they had found in Douglas Trumbull’s apartment, who was behind the murders of Deputy Marnes and Mayor Jahns. 

Billings told Juliette that she couldn’t manipulate him and put him in danger. He has a family to take care of, and he is not about to just turn a blind eye to her ‘grey area’ approach to investigations. And this is when Juliette fired back that Billings is not as innocent as he presents himself to be. She noticed that he is affected by sudden flashes of pain and loss of fine motor control and that his arms twitch and spasm occasionally. 

She accused Billings of having the Syndrome and not doing anything about it since he should report himself to the closest medical office since he is putting everyone residing in Silo in danger. Billings didn’t even try to defend himself, and later in the episode, we see him with his wife, trying to alleviate the symptoms using ginger and a cold compress. 

So what is the Syndrome, and what makes it so dangerous? 

We don’t know exactly what the Syndrome is since there is no mention of it in the books on which the show was based. There were, however, signs, literally, that pointed to the existence of the mysterious condition as early as Episode 3 when one sign detailing the symptoms can be seen down in the Mechanical, behind Deputy Marnes. According to the sign, the symptoms are: 

THE SYNDROME

Do you know the signs?

1. Involuntary twitching is the first sign, leading quickly to
2. Shaking of the extremities,
3. Flashes of pain and muscle spasms are next.
4. Balance and movement is severely impaired.
5. If untreated infection will attack the brain, resulting in reduced cognitive function and finally,
6. A shut down of the entire nervous system.

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.

According to this sign and symptoms, the Syndrome sounds like some nervous system disease that affects an individual’s cognitive and motor functions. We don’t know whether the disease is considered to be contagious. It doesn’t look like it is, considering that Billings is around his wife and daughter without any special measures taken to protect them from exposure. 

The greatest danger from The Syndrome probably comes from the fact that the individuals affected by it eventually lose their minds and develop paranoid and dangerous tendencies, putting the lives of everyone in Silo in danger. 

Objectively, people with the loss of cognitive functions can put the 10 000 people living in the Silo in danger by opening the protective Silo gates at the wrong time and letting the toxicity from the outside in. 

They can also stage a scene in the middle of the Silo or attack the innocent populace due to loss of judgment. The Syndrome is especially dangerous if you’re carrying a gun, as Julliette noticed. If your hands are shaking and spasming, you shouldn’t handle a dangerous weapon, especially in crowds. 

How is the Syndrome treated? 

We don’t know the origin of the Syndrome, but the disease is probably caused by living in the Silo. Living in Silo is specific because the populace doesn’t have access to truly diverse nourishment. They are never exposed to the sun, which makes them most likely Vitamin D- deficient. They are crowded inside limited space, which makes nervous breakdowns and claustrophobia more likely.

Those are all perfect conditions for several known illnesses to manifest and become commonplace. The Syndrome Awareness poster mentions that treatment is available, but we don’t know what the treatment is. 

The individuals affected by the Syndrome are most likely separated from everyone else, possibly even euthanized, since there has to be a reason that Billings doesn’t want to seek medical help. He is most likely afraid of the stigma associated with having the Syndrome, or he is afraid he won’t be able to provide for his family. 

This is probably the reason why awareness posters are hanging everywhere because people are less likely to report the disease if they know that they aren’t coming back or that the ability to support their families will be taken from them. 

As we’ve said so far, this is all pure guesswork since the illness hasn’t been explained in that much detail. We will have to wait for next week’s episode to get a more in-depth explanation.