Silo Season 2 Episode 3, “Solo,” finds the seeds of the rebellion taking root in Silo 17, with a tragedy uniting Shirley and Knox. RIP, Cooper. Judge Meadows and Paul Billings grow suspicious of the status quo. I’m terrified for Meadows. Methinks Bernard won’t let her live for too much longer.
The performances are excellent across the board, but Steve Zahn and Tanya Moodie blew me away in “Solo.” Zahn portrays the nuances of a traumatized, emotionally stunted man to perfection, while Moodie injects Meadows with renewed vigor and layers of complexity. I love her scenes with Tim Robbins, and the same goes for Zahn’s scenes with the always fabulous Rebecca Ferguson.
This outing fleshes out more of the seasonal narrative and organically builds on the tension that’ll undoubtedly boil over in the coming episodes.
RELATED: Read our recap of the previous Silo episode, “Order”
Silo, “Solo”
We open with shots of Silo 17, including the word “Lies” written on the camera lens from outside, Juliette’s suit and her makeshift bridge. The man inside the vault (Zahn) asks Juliette (Ferguson) about her name. When she gives it, he remarks that it’s “like the play.” She’s surprised he knows about Romeo and Juliet.
The vault dweller (sorry, I couldn’t help slipping in a Fallout nod) wonders which silo Juliette is from. After all, there are 50 of them. Juliette pivots, asking who he is. He shuts the eye slit in the door. After a few seconds, he reopens it, introducing himself to Juliette as Solo. Solo asks Juliette how she wound up outside. Was she sent out to clean like Ron Tucker? Ron, like Juliette, also refused to clean. He was the one who wrote “Lies” on the dirty lens. A few days after that, the fighting started.
Nobody Goes in the Vault
Then, Russell, the Head of IT, put Solo in the vault. Solo was his shadow. Russell instructed Solo not to let anyone inside the vault. Juliette wonders why everyone went outside, to which Solo responds that they all thought it was safe. They didn’t see Ron die, so they assumed he was alive.
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It dawns on Juliette that this could happen to her silo. God, Rebecca Ferguson is brilliant. This moment is so beautifully layered. She realizes she needs a new suit to venture back outside. Meanwhile, in Silo 18, Teddy (Olatunji Ayofe) is arrested for writing the “Juliette Lives” graffiti.
Afterward, his mother tearfully tells Shirley (Remmie Milner), Walk (Harriet Walter), Cooper (Matt Gomez Hidaka) and the others that she’s proud of Teddy for taking a bold stand. After all, the Down Deep is their home. They can mark the walls however they want. Shirley states those above will want to make an example of someone from Mechanical. However, she refuses to let that happen.
The Order
Upstairs, Bernard (Robbins) shows Judge Meadows (Moodie) the Server Room. They discuss The Order and how it states that a failed Cleaning means they should prepare for war. Bernard adds that they’ve arrested a man from Mechanical for the graffiti. Most cameras below 120 have been knocked out, so Bernard had intel regarding said graffiti.
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The conversation pivots to Juliette. Meadows remarks that she didn’t strike her as someone who would want to go outside. Bernard reveals Juliette was caught with a hard drive predating the rebellion. Bernard admits he didn’t check to see what was on said hard drive beyond the 200-year-old Cleaning Juliette shared with the silo. He destroyed it. Bernard claims Juliette said she wished to go out, but Meadows looks incredulous. She knows when Bernard is lying.
Bernard reveals Juliette is heading toward Silo 17, but it’s unlikely she’ll survive there. That silo’s been out of commission for a long time. Meanwhile, Juliette tries to find materials to assemble a new suit. She sees graffiti similar to what’s in our silo, “Ron Tucker Lives,” along with, “We want to go out.”
Erase My Memories
Bernard visits Robert (Common), asking him if he’s pulled aside those who might’ve seen the video Juliette shared on their computers. Robert reveals he plans to put them on “the medication” under the guise of treating their anxiety. Additionally, Patrick Kennedy and Danny Bly, who helped Juliette in the Season 1 finale, are in Judicial seclusion.
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Later, Robert visits Patrick Kennedy (Rick Gomez), who’s not having a good time in Judicial seclusion. Patrick demands to know why he’s there. Robert proposes the memory-altering drug. Patrick’s fine with taking it, so long as it erases his memories from the past 25 years. He wants to forget his late wife Doris because the grief is too painful.
Then, Sheriff Paul Billings (Chinaza Uche) stops by Meadows’ place to discuss Juliette. Paul reveals that Robert and four of the raiders present insist that Juliette voiced her desire to go outside. He’s about to interview the fifth one.
An Unnatural Situation
Before Paul departs, he discloses his Syndrome diagnosis. Meadows was aware of Robert making an allowance for Paul’s illness. She believes it’s a crucial step in breaking the stigma surrounding the Syndrome. Meadows adds there’s a theory circulating the silo that the Syndrome is a “natural, human reaction to an unnatural situation.” She believes humans aren’t meant to be cooped up underground.
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Later, Juliette returns to the vault door. Solo has left out a container of chicken stew. Yum! Juliette wolfs it down. She tells him that she doesn’t have enough materials to make a suit. Solo replies that, in the past, the suits were assembled in Room S, and the material is in Critical Supply. Unfortunately, that’s underwater now. Solo changes the subject, asking Juliette why she didn’t clean.
After admitting she said she wouldn’t, Juliette states why people clean. When they venture outside for the first (and only) time, they see blue skies, gorgeous trees and birds flying overhead. Thus, they feel compelled to clean for those inside the silo. The underground dwellers must see what they’re missing topside. However, it’s merely footage the person sees in the camera in their helmet, not what the silo denizens see. The beauty is a lie.
A Recruitment
Juliette asks Solo about the bodies in the hall around the corner. She notes they don’t look as old as those in the silo’s entrance. What’s up with that? Solo dodges the question, closing the eye slit again. Meanwhile, Robert recruits an ex-raider, one of the best sharpshooters out there, to work in Mechanical. You know, be Robert’s eyes and ears. Elsewhere, Knox (Shane McRae) scolds Cooper for disobeying his orders. Instead of spying on Shirley, Coop joined the cause.
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Next, Dr. Nichols (Iain Glen) meets a woman participating in the birth lottery made possible by Juliette’s Cleaning. Nichols reveals he’s a parent. The woman asks for advice, which the good doctor dispenses. Before parting ways, they finally introduce themselves. Realizing he’s Juliette’s father, the woman offers condolences. Nichols smiles and wishes her good luck.
Then, Solo suggests a firefighter suit for Juliette’s trek outside. She could modify it. Juliette learns that fire equipment is on Level 23 by Recycling, so Juliette heads there … only to find it submerged in water. At the same time, Paul hands over his report on Juliette’s Cleaning to Meadows, which she asked to see before he submitted it. Four of the five raiders who assisted in the apprehension of Juliette claimed she said she wanted to go outside.
Tragedy Strikes
However, the fifth one stated she was too focused on her job but would side with her coworkers. Paul informs Meadows that when he escorted Juliette up the stairs, she was adamant about staying put. Ultimately, Paul believes Juliette never wanted to venture outside the silo. Meadows reassures Paul that she’ll take this from here before heading inside to watch recordings from long before the silo, back when humans could walk along the sandy shores of the beach.
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Meanwhile, Shirley and her crew storm the outside of the deputy’s station in the Down Deep. Knox stands before it with Hank (Billy Postlethwaite), bracing himself to block the door. He tries to get Shirley to turn around. This isn’t who they are, he insists. Shirley and the group demand Teddy’s release.
Suddenly, Patrick hurls a firebomb at the station, setting it ablaze. This must be what Robert instructed him to do in exchange for wiping his memories of Doris. Robert’s ex-raider buddy, who’s standing by Hank, fires on Patrick. The bullet ricochets off a pipe and strikes Patrick and Cooper, who tried to prevent Patrick from throwing the firebomb to begin with. The crowd disperses. Shirley and Knox race toward Cooper, who’s not doing well. They shout for medical help as Coop dies in their arms.
We Want Answers
After the incident, Hank contacts Paul, asking for his assistance. He needs Paul to join him in the Down Deep. There’s too much unrest fomented by residents who want answers. Elsewhere, Shirley and Knox meet in a tunnel sans cameras. They’re both grieving the loss of Cooper. Shirley punches the wall in a rage. Knox encourages her to punch him instead. She quickly delivers a blow to Knox’s stomach.
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Knox insists he’s on her side. He wants answers, too. After all, Shirley isn’t the only one who’s lost Juliette. However, her way of getting answers won’t fly. It’ll get them all killed. This piques Shirley’s curiosity. Knox gestures to the space below the floor, asking if she remembers when they explored “down there” as kids. He mentions the wall of names and how he finally understands what it means. Hmm…
Next, Bernard explains how he’ll throw the silo denizens off the scent to allow Meadows to go outside without their knowledge. He insists she’ll need her own suit. In fact, he’ll do her measurements. He whips out cloth measuring tape and does just that. Bernard reveals that Teddy was released, as per Meadows’ suggestion. Showing mercy is the way to go.
The Truth
However, Meadows knows about the firebombing and the shooting that claimed two lives. Bernard insists he wasn’t behind it. Meadows believes this is straight out of The Order, though: stir up anti-Mechanical resentment. She also knows Juliette didn’t ask to go outside. Bernard keeps mum. After Bernard gets her measurements, Meadows orders him not to return until he has her suit. Damn.
Later, Juliette tells Solo, even though he’s closed the eye slit in the vault, that she could get to Level 23 if she creates an apparatus to pump air for her while she swims underwater. She admits she’ll need Solo to run said apparatus while she’s submerged. Solo remains silent. Juliette pivots, stating she understands he’s lost everyone in his life. He’s traumatized. She thanks him for the food and turns to leave. Solo calls after her, asking what she’ll do next. She’ll figure it out.
Defiance and Connection
Meanwhile, Dr. Nichols learns that the woman he met earlier must think her birth control was removed. However, the Powers That Be don’t want her to have children. He performs the procedure on the woman while her husband is there for support. They thank him for his help. Instead of keeping the birth control in and showing them the fake one, Nichols legitimately removes the woman’s birth control. I love this act of defiance from him.
Finally, Solo emerges from the vault and follows Juliette. He almost crosses the bridge with Juliette’s help but panics, scooting backward in terror. He claims this is the farthest he’s been from the vault. Juliette reaches out to steady him. He realizes she’s real. She’s actually real.
They sit in silence together.
Silo drops new episodes every Friday on Apple TV+
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