The Apple TV+ seriesSilohad fans gripped from the get-go when it premiered in May 2023. Based on the Hugh Howey novel trilogyWool, Shift, andDust, the sci-fi dystopian drama is about residents of an underground silo following an apocalyptic event. No one understands what happened, and they believe that the Earth above is an uninhabitable wasteland. But when engineer Juliette Nichols (Rebecca Ferguson) starts to investigate, she suspects untruths, secrets, and mysteries that she is desperate to uncover.
The series returned in November 2024 for its second season, and the setting expanded to include another silo along with new characters. Season 2 ends with an epic cliffhanger that has fans relieved to know thatthird and fourth seasons are coming.
With Lukas (Avi Nash) revealing to Knox (Shane McRae) and Shirley (Remmie Milner) that Juliette could still be alive,the folks from engineering are preparing for an all-out war against the leaders of the silo. They believe it’s safe outside and want to explore and find their friend. They enlist the help of Juliette’s father, Dr. Pete Nichols (Iain Glen), who is willing to help for the sake of his daughter. Plus, a small part of him needs to deal with his own guilt about the role he has played in deceiving residents.
Martha (Harriet Walter) discovers that herbetrayal didn’t go as plannedwhen Carla (Clare Perkins) is furious with her for sacrificing her friends for the sake of her love. Carla is so livid, in fact, that she tells Martha she hopes she is sent out to clean for what she did. However, it’s later revealed thatMartha didn’t betray her people after all. She was secretly giving Knox hand signals every time they talked. Bernard (Tim Robbins), who was watching on, did not detect them because it was a language they had been using for years to get around communicating with a loud generator in the background. Knox knew exactly what she was saying, but Bernard had no idea he was being played.
The residents enact their plan to fight back, managing to do so successfully by fooling Bernard into thinking they were falling into his trap. But one plan doesn’t work out when the timer for a bomb is accidentally lost. Realizing the magnitude of the situation, Pete sacrifices himself for the sake of the group.He detonates the bomb himself, knowing he will not be able to get out of the way in time, and seemingly dies in the process.
While the group from the bottom level are now ready to fight, several members of the police department have defected and joined them. Since Bernard instructed all the raiders who were on his side to go down below, they are all now trapped below the explosion with no way to come back up and help.
Meanwhile, in the other silo, Solo (Steve Zahn) isstarting to remember things about his childhood. He recalls that there’s a pipe filled with poison that can instantly kill everyone in the silo. It’s a failsafe plan called Safeguard Procedure, designed to stop a rebellion in its tracks.Juliette now has to figure out how to stop the authorities from getting to this pipe and releasing the deadly gas, eliminating everyone in her silo.
The Walls Close In on Bernard
Realizing that he’s running out of moves, Bernard starts to panic. Lukas whispers the truth to him that he has now learned, though viewers can’t hear what he says. He explains, however, that it’s thereason Meadows (Tanya Moodie) quit, and why he is deciding to do the same. In a rush move, Bernard tellsRobert Sims (Common)he can now have the job as his shadow.He gives him the key and code to the vault and wishes him luck as he walks off in a daze.
While residents in the silo are fighting, Juliette appears on the screen from outside, stopping everyone in their tracks.She cleans the screen then holds up a rag that reads “not safe. Do not go out.”Now secure in knowing she has convinced her people not to try and leave the silo, it’s time to try to get back inside and find that pipe. She is unable to pry the doors open but suddenly, they open on their own. She sees Bernard in a suit, and he’s pointing a gun at her.He wants to go outside and “be free for one f***king day in my life,” he declares.
How Does Juliette Survive Leaving the Silo?
Fans know that Juliette left the silo in Season 1 of ‘Silo’ and that she survived and was shocked by what she saw. What happens next?
Bernard seems shocked when Juliette tells him she knows all about the poison “they” can pump in to instantly kill everyone. He agrees that he doesn’t know the reason why they would do it, but at this point, he doesn’t care anymore. Learning about the safeguard procedure and that those in charge can kill everyone, including him, any time they want,opens Bernard’s eyes to the fact that everything he has sacrificed has been for nothing. He is not, it seems, as powerful as he thought he was.
But when Juliette reveals that she thinks she has figured something out, the door begins to close. It’s as though “they” are listening and need to prevent her from going inside and stopping their safeguard plans. She runs inside to avoid being locked out. Bernard pleads with her not to do so and he runs after her to stop her,both of them now locked in a vault. Almost immediately, the room catches fire. The fate of Juliette and Bernard hangs in the balance.
Meanwhile, Sims finally gets what he wants and enters the vault with his family. The voice asks for his name, but when he gives it, the voice tells Sims to leave with his son and requests that his wife Camille (Alexandria Riley) stays. Sims is visibly gutted at the massive ego hit. But it appearsCamille is the more important of the two, and the one who should have access and opportunity to save the silo, not him.
A Telling Flashback Scene and the Significance of the Duck
The season ends with a flashback scene. A dapper young man meets with a young journalist, and they discuss a dirty bomb and strike by Iran.The presumption is that this is Salvador Quin, the man who started the silo, though his name is never spoken. Before departing, once he realizes she isn’t interested in a casual date but rather just wants information, he hands her a Pez dispenser duck toy as a parting gift. It’s the same relic from the “before times” that George (Ferdinand Kingsley) once had in his possession.Thus, it’s clear that the man, the woman, or both had something to do with the creation of the silo.
Silo Season 2 Review: Sci-Fi Dystopian Drama Takes Bold Chances & Succeeds
In a thrilling feat, showrunner Graham Yost delivers a new set of episodes that up the stakes and add a wonderful Steve Zahn.
Fans will recall that after Juliette took possession of the duck, she planted it in Douglas Trumbull’s (Henry Garrett) apartment as a means to open an investigation into George’s death. As a forbidden relic, finding this in his apartment would have been cause for concern. Interestingly, however, Judicial already knew about the relic and had it in its database.This means this relic was likely the very same one that was exchanged in this before times meeting and made its way into the silo as one of the first-ever relic items. How George came to have it and what relationship he had to the man or woman in the flashback remains to be seen.
The flashback presents many questions about who started the silo and why. With two more seasons left, fans can’t wait to learn how it all comes to an end, and to get answers to these most pressing questions.
