Silo: How Forced Birth Control Is Used To Prevent Rebellions
Contains spoilers for "Silo" Season 1, Episode 7 — "The Flamekeepers"
Every episode of "Silo" digs deeper into the titular underground society's corruption and authoritarianism. In Season 1, Episode 7 of Apple TV+'s binge-worthy sci-fi series, the world's twisted secrets are further revealed when Juliette (Rebecca Ferguson) quizzes a heavily sedated Gloria (Sophie Thompson) about the silo's history of rebellions and forced birth control. In turn, she confirms some suspicions that have existed since the start.
In the episode, Gloria tells Juliette that she was part of a resistance movement known as the Flamekeepers, who opposed the silo's authoritarian overlords by trying to preserve the past. As punishment for stepping out of line, however, Gloria was denied the privilege of having a child. Meanwhile, Juliette's father, Dr. Pete Nichols (Iain Glen), and his colleagues in Medical have kept the former rebel on an amnesia-inducing medication at the behest of the silo's rulers.
With this revelation, the silo's darkest secrets are coming to light. Basically, those who challenge the system aren't allowed to reproduce since the only way to keep rebellions at bay is to stop the potential freedom fighters from passing their beliefs and knowledge on to the next generation.
Forced birth control keeps the population in check
Gloria's revelation about the silo's birth control rules explains why Allison (Rashida Jones) is also denied the privilege of having a child at the start of Season 1. Her birth control is kept in, but she is led to believe that it's been removed. However, Allison is curious about the underground society's secrets, and the powers that be know that.
Furthermore, Gloria's and Allison's cases indicate that the silo's upholders of the status quo lie about removing birth control to give people false hope. After all, the desire to start a family is a powerful tactic for keeping people in line, and potential Flamekeepers are less likely to rebel if they know their parenting privileges will be denied. Elsewhere, the series has shown that falling in line has its advantages, as the obedient families inherit the silo's authoritative jobs. Family is a big deal in this world, but not everyone has the right to start one.
Of course, forced birth control is essentially the governing body's way to control the population. By preventing more people from being born, they hope to stop future rebels from overthrowing the regime. However, recent episodes of "Silo" have revealed that the citizens are growing more unsettled by the day, and another rebellion seems inevitable.