Silo Season 2 Episode 1, “The Engineer,” sees our titular engineer, Juliette, fight tooth and nail to survive in a new silo that’s full of dangers aplenty. Rebecca Ferguson is a force of nature. Her depiction of Juliette’s endurance and strength is unmatched. I love the underlying tension in this episode as Juliette explores this uncharted territory. Additionally, the opening scene tells us that other silos have uncovered the truth and rebelled against the establishment (and met their unfortunate end). It’s a solid start to the season.
RELATED: Silo Season 2 Trailer Teases All-Out Rebellion
Silo, “The Engineer”
We open with a child named Tim (Finn Guegan) running through the bowels of a silo. He speeds past a vandalized sign that says, “F*ck the Founders.” He hands a note to his father (played by Ross McCall). It states that the generator will flood in 15 minutes. Tim’s dad is the leader of the rebel group. He’s also the sheriff of the silo. He orders one man to take Tim to safety. Then, he instructs another to give out “five bells.”
We hear the ringing from the bells reverberate through the silo as the rebels approach a broken bridge. Russell (Nick Haverson) and his crew are on the other side. The rebel leader urges his group to take Russell alive after they lay a massive metal makeshift bridge. Then, the rebels charge across said bridge to the other side, firing on the enemy.
We’re Dead, Anyway
Later, the rebel leader and his wife (Kosha Engler) clean up in the aftermath of the skirmish. Was Russell lying? Why didn’t he open the door? They muster the courage to step into the outside world. “We’re dead anyway,” the leader says. We see Tim trailing behind the leader, who waves a green flag. The group barrels up the stairs and opens the door.
RELATED: Mythic Quest Season 4: Get Premiere Date and First-Look Photos
Then, we see that same flag, now torn and dirty, as it flaps in the wind. Juliette (Ferguson) wanders to a new silo after refusing to clean hers. She walks over skeletons — the corpses of the rebels who braved the elements without suits. Some of them didn’t even make it outside before the toxic environment killed them. Juliette trips on the piles of skeletons and tumbles through the double doors.
After pushing open the next door, Juliette spies a crowbar and a lantern, which requires a crank to turn it on. She practically crawls on the ceiling while utilizing said crowbar to pry the third door open. Next, Juliette notices the heat tape around her wrist beginning to unravel. She races through the cafeteria, where we see “Lies” written in bold, red letters on the window. My guess is whoever was condemned to a Cleaning wrote that instead of, well, cleaning. Juliette looks for tools to cut herself out of her suit.
Finding Supplies
While descending the spiral staircase, Juliette is gasping for air. She uses the crowbar to smash the glass on her helmet so she can breathe. Then, she slices through her suit and promptly discards it. Juliette wanders into an apartment and finds an orange jumpsuit to wear. She also snags a backpack and fills it with necessary implements. But before that, she smashes the mirror in the apartment, curious to see if this silo planted cameras behind everyone’s mirrors, too. They did.
RELATED: Apple TV+ Returns to the Office With Severance Season 2 Teaser
Later, Juliette reminisces about when she arrived in Mechanical all those years ago. Young Shirley (Ida Brooke) introduces young Juliette (Amelie Child-Villiers) to Barney (Brian Bovell) and Gladys (Pippa Winslow), who work with Shirley on the trash line. Barney and Gladys explain that they’re the last pitstop before the incinerator. They examine items to determine if they’re truly trash and deserve incinerating or if they can be salvaged. If the latter, they go to Walker.
Next, present-day Juliette moves through a cropless field. She fills her bottle with water trickling from a sprinkler. We return to the memory. Juliette finds a broken toy dog on the trash line. She asks if they can save it. Shirley reveals that Walker doesn’t repair toys. Juliette pivots, claiming she’ll fix it later. Shirley offers Juliette a place to stay, but Juliette turns her down. Shirley looks dejected after that.
Always Blunt
After this, we see Juliette in Walker’s (Harriet Walter) shop. Juliette works on the toy dog while keeping it concealed from Walker. Juliette admits she doesn’t have friends her own age anymore, not since her mom died. “Since your mom killed herself,” Walker bluntly states. Walker tells Juliette that they don’t beat around the bush in Mechanical. She adds that Juliette’s mother dying by suicide is heartbreaking, though.
RELATED: NYCC 2024: Shrinking Gets Season 3 Renewal at Apple TV+
Then, Juliette brings the now-repaired toy dog to work. She impresses Barney and Gladys. Juliette tries to give it to Shirley, but the latter initially rejects it. However, after sound advice from Barney, Shirley accepts the toy as a token of friendship.
In the present, Juliette arrives at the bridge-less passing, where the rebels attacked their enemy all those years ago. She sees a few corpses suspended in the air via rope. She pulls one corpse over the side so she can use some rope.
Swing Life Away
Then, she fastens the rope around her waist and climbs over the edge. We see her swing herself toward the other side. It’s a tense, white-knuckled scene.
RELATED: Colin Farrell’s Sugar Renewed by Apple TV+ for Season 2
Unfortunately, while she’s swinging, the rope snaps. Juliette falls but manages to reach the other side … until she loses her grip and falls into the waters below. Her backpack hinders her, pulling her under. Thankfully, Juliette finds a floating suitcase (?) and clambers atop it while swimming toward the stairs. This poor woman could probably use a 20-hour nap at this point.
Next, Juliette drys herself off before trying a new method. She also rips off cloth from some clothing to wrap around her gnarly-looking forearm wound. She reflects on another memory of her and young Shirley breaking into the bottom of the silo. If you recall, George told Juliette last season that there’s an underwater door. Juliette asks about the writings on a wall, which Shirley assumes are from before the Rebellion. Then, the gals sit on a massive metal construction-like bar, their legs dangling above the water.
Building Bridges
In the present, Juliette puts on her engineering hat and fashions a makeshift bridge. It’s quite impressive. Then, she uses a pulley system to place the bridge over the gap. Juliette tests the bridge to see if it’ll hold her wait. All goes well initially until the bridge collapses from under her. She grabs hold of the walkway on the other side, clambering up until she’s on solid ground.
RELATED: Apple TV+’s Next Best Things: 5 Shows You Can’t Miss
Next, Juliette explores her surroundings. She discovers the source of the noise she heard earlier — a metal desk fan with a name card and key clacking against it. After a brief exploration, Juliette concocts another potential solution to her bridge problem. She finds the massive metal makeshift bridge the rebels used at the beginning of this episode.
Then, Juliette places it on top of a few barrels. She also puts some sandbags on the bridge to give it weight. After this, Juliette pushes the barrels across the space, watching them fall into the water. However, the makeshift bridge remains, with the sandbags proving an effective method of keeping the bridge in place.
Moon River
Suddenly, Juliette hears a recording of “Moon River.” She follows it across the bridge. The dulcet tones of said recording bring her to a vault door. Juliette tries to open it. We see a keypad beside it. As Juliette walks away, a voice (Steve Zahn) calls out to her. We see a man’s eyes peering through a slit in the vault door. The man understands that it’s human nature — innate curiosity — that made Juliette want to open the vault door.
RELATED: Dark Matter Renewed for Season 2 at Apple TV+
However, if she attempts this again, he’ll kill her.
So, no “Moon River” karaoke sessions, then?
Silo drops new episodes every Friday on Apple TV+.
STAR TREK: 9 Great Klingon Episodes
[email protected]
What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet.
Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium.
Critic: Rotten Tomatoes, CherryPicks, and the Hollywood Creative Alliance.
- YELLOWJACKETS Recap: (S03E07) Croak - March 21, 2025
- THE WHEEL OF TIME Recap: (S03E04) The Road to the Spear - March 20, 2025
- Shohreh Aghdashloo Talks Elaida’s Motivations in THE WHEEL OF TIME Season 3 - March 20, 2025
