Silo Season 2 Episode 4, “The Harmonium,” is easily the best episode of the season thus far. Bolstered by powerhouse performances from Tanya Moodie, Tim Robbins, Steve Zahn and Rebecca Ferguson, this outing catapults the story forward in an exciting direction.
Bernard kills Meadows and frames Knox and Shirley in the name of quashing the rebellion they fomented. Juliette endures yet another life-threatening mission to claw her way out of Silo 17. We also see Solo’s story potentially falling apart at the seams. Who is he, exactly? Paul and Hank pull at the threads of the upper level’s attempts to keep Mechanical in line. Why did Judicial (ahem, Robert) take Patrick and Coop’s bodies?
All in all, “The Harmonium” is a compelling, damn entertaining episode that stirs the narrative pot and keeps things interesting.
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Silo, “The Harmonium”
We open with Solo (Zahn) telling Juliette (Ferguson) about the circus. He describes elephants in detail, to which she remarks that they sound terrifying. At the same time, Juliette tries to find materials to create a breathing apparatus so she can dive underwater to retrieve a firefighter suit. While she searches, Solo asks her about her job in Silo 18. Then, he compares her to Captain Nemo from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas.
After this, Solo believes a harmonium will solve Juliette’s breathing dilemma. Juliette initially ignores his suggestion, instead asking for something to write on. Solo reveals there’s a chalkboard in the same room as the harmonium.
Mechanical Gets the Blame
Meanwhile, in Silo 18, Knox (Shane McRae) shows Shirley (Remmie Milner) the writing on the walls in the Down Deep. They were led to believe the names were The Founders. However, Knox insists they’re folks who participated in various rebellions throughout the existence of the silo. There wasn’t only one uprising; there were many. And every time, the upper levels made Mechanical the scapegoat.
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Knox reminds Shirley that they control the power in the silo. They can turn it off whenever they want. Not to mention, he’s the Head of Mechanical. He proposes they demand the truth by scheduling a meeting with Bernard. However, Shirley believes they should meet with Judge Meadows. The silo thinks she rules the roost. Knox adds they should venture upstairs with a small party comprising him, Shirley, Walk and maybe Carla, the Head of Supply.
Later, Robert (Common) offers to send raiders to order Knox and the others back to Mechanical. After all, they could storm the airlock. Bernard (Robbins) urges Robert to keep his raiders out of this. Let Mechanical air their grievances. Perhaps it’ll lower the temperature and ensure this rebellion doesn’t come to fruition. Robert pivots, expressing concern about Judge Meadows. She’s agreed to meet with Lukas Kyle, who was sentenced to a decade in the mines. Robert wonders if Bernard could talk to Meadows. After all, they’ve been clandestinely meeting.
Give Them a Voice
Next, Bernard confronts Meadows (Moodie) regarding her forthcoming meeting with Mechanical. Meadows reminds the mayor that she’s the Head of Judicial. It’s crucial to give all denizens of the silo a voice. Then, Meadows demands to know if Bernard has finished constructing her suit so she can go outside. Bernard insists it’s being assembled. Bernard pivots, asking why Meadows is entertaining Lukas Kyle’s appeal. He claims Lukas is dangerous, increasing Meadows’ desire to meet him.
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Meanwhile, Juliette and Solo explore the classroom with the harmonium and chalkboard. Juliette proceeds to scribble on said chalkboard while Solo reminisces about Lapis, a former classmate from his childhood. He adds that Founders’ Day took place a week before Silo 17’s rebellion. Juliette pokes holes in Solo’s story about Lapis, revealing that she would’ve been 11 or 12 when the uprising started. How was he sitting beside her in class? Then, she asks him about his eye. Solo refuses to answer her question, though.
Next, Kathleen (Caitlin Zoz) walks with Paul (Chinaza Uche) as he prepares to head to the Down Deep to assist Hank. He reassures his wife that he’ll be safe. There’s nothing to worry about. Elsewhere, Carla (Clare Perkins) joins Knox, Shirley, Walk (Harriet Walter) and Teddy (Olatunji Ayofe). Teddy tries to persuade Knox to let him accompany them for Coop. However, they need Teddy to stand by should things go pear-shaped in Judicial. Carla brought a few balls with her for Plan B, claiming her dogs were pissed.
Impeach Her
Later, Camille (Alexandria Riley) proposes an idea regarding Judge Meadows. What if they stage an impeachment? Getting Meadows impeached would mean Robert would finally have Bernard’s ear again. At the same time, in Silo 17, Solo entertains the focused Juliette with the harmonium. He encourages her to look at his feet at the bellows. He explains his idea: It has a bellows, which she could use to pump air through a tube to help her breathe underwater.
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Juliette believes this could work. Solo hopes she can reassemble the harmonium after utilizing the bellows, but it’s not looking good for the instrument. Juliette urges Solo to play one more tune. Meanwhile, Lukas (Avi Nash) chats with Meadows in her office. Meadows confirms that Lukas fled Juliette’s apartment when agents appeared at her door. Lukas admits this is true.
Meadows surmises that Lukas wanted a review of his sentence because “it’s not fair.” She reminds him that the mines are critical to their survival. That’s why he and others who have fallen afoul of The Pact must work there. Lukas asks Meadows why she approved his request for a meeting. After sending her guards away, Meadows reveals she wants to know about the lights in the night sky — the stars.
The Big Ball Spins
While he doesn’t know what the lights are, Lukas explains that they — the silo — move around them. Lukas believes they “live in a ball.” A massive ball that rotates, giving the impression that the lights move. The same logic applies to the sun. It doesn’t move; they do. The big ball spins; thus, they get night and day. Meadows adds that she knows the lights are stars. She explains what they’re composed of.
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This prompts Lukas to ask more questions. Are there other worlds that spin and revolve around the sun? Meadows calls the agents back into her office. She declares that Lukas’ sentence has been reduced to five years in the mines now as they cart him off. Then, Meadows sees a group of people outside her office with signs calling for her impeachment. Undoubtedly, Robert paid them to do this.
Elsewhere, Knox, Shirley, Carla and Walk sit in the garden, waiting for their meeting with Meadows. Carla and Walk chat about their marriage. Walk regrets spending 25 years holed up inside her shop and how they left things.
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At the same time, Knox admits to Shirley that if he gets the opportunity to go outside, he’s most looking forward to seeing the distance and finding Juliette. Deputy Molly Karins (Angela Yeoh) and Sandy (Chipo Chung) arrive, interrupting their conversation. Molly is there to escort them to Judicial.
An Investigation
Next, we see Paul questioning Hank (Billy Postlethwaite) about the firebomb tragedy outside the deputy station that killed Coop. Robert’s ex-raider buddy insisted he acted instinctually when he fired on Coop and Patrick Kennedy. At this point, they believe Patrick is dead. Paul wishes to see Patrick’s body. However, Judicial hauled him to the upper levels that morning. Paul asks if Hank still has Coop’s body, which gets a silent nod from the deputy.
Later, Paul and Hank visit the morgue, only to find that Coop is also gone — Judicial nabbed Patrick Kennedy and poor Coop’s bodies.
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Then, Juliette constructs her breathing apparatus with the harmonium bellows. She urges Solo to pump it. Solo is distracted because he believes he left the vault unlocked. Juliette reassures him that it’s locked. Later, Bernard and Meadows discuss the meeting with Mechanical. They want to build better suits and send a few people out to explore the silo’s surroundings and then return.
Fleshing Out a Plan
Of course, Bernard isn’t a fan of this. It goes against The Pact. However, Meadows asserts she wouldn’t allow that to happen. She’d merely tell them her plans of opening a committee to “study these ideas.” Kill it with bureaucracy. The discussion pivots to Lukas. Meadows believes he’s dangerous, but she cut his sentence in half to make it seem like they’re fair. Bernard asks Meadows to have dinner with him at his place before her meeting with Mechanical. They can flesh out a more sound plan.
Elsewhere, Juliette prepares to dive underwater to get that suit. She must return home before everyone barrels through the airlock in Silo 18. Solo pumps the bellows continuously to ensure Juliette has a steady airflow. Juliette attaches a weight to her waist with rope. Unfortunately, the tube attached to the bellows isn’t long enough, so Juliette takes a big breath before swimming further out.
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Then, Juliette discovers she can’t reach the lockers containing the firefighter suits because of the weight. She finds something sharp to sever the rope around her waist. Thankfully, she emerges from the water before she drowns, gasping for air. After this, Juliette slams her elbow against the lockers to forcibly open them. Most of them are empty, save one. She dons the suit and dives back into the water, re-emerging by Solo.
A Poisoning
In a panic, Solo races back to the vault with a soaking wet Juliette hot on his heels. Solo tries twice to unlock the vault with the keypad but fails to recall the code. However, he opens it successfully on the third try. Solo accuses Juliette of having nefarious motives and luring him out of the vault. He’s supposed to stay there. He slams the door in her face.
Later, Meadows arrives for dinner with Bernard. They reminisce about the old times before Meadows realizes something is wrong. Bernard poisoned her mushrooms. As tears streak her face, Meadows asks why Bernard is killing her. Bernard insists he must adhere to The Order. Also, her death will unite the silo.
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Meadows asks about the hard drive in Juliette’s possession, to which Bernard responds that he destroyed it. That information won’t serve Bernard now, but Meadows discloses what she knows. It had something to do with Salvador Quinn, the Head of IT, during the rebellion 140 years ago. He wrote a letter, part of which was in code. Bernard assumes she deciphered it; however, Meadows won’t divulge that.
Costa Rica
Then, he asks about the time she was his shadow. She vanished for four days, then returned and quit. Where did she go? With only minutes until death, Meadows admits she wanted to work alongside him, to make their relationship work, but he wouldn’t allow himself to get close to her. I knew there was something between them. Meadows begs to go to the cafeteria one last time. This is the best scene in the show so far, in my opinion. Absolutely riveting.
Bernard claims he has something better — a VR headset with the same footage from the cameras in the cleaning suits. However, this is real. He puts it on Meadows. She can see the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Preserve in Costa Rica from 2018. Bernard instructs Meadows to tilt her head in certain directions to gaze at various animals, which he describes in detail. She’s awestruck by what she sees. Before she passes, Meadows asks what the humans before them did to “lose this world.” It’s profoundly heartbreaking. RIP, Judge Meadows.
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Later, Juliette sits outside the vault in her new firefighter suit. She talks to Solo through the door. Juliette gets vulnerable, a state we often don’t see her in. She admits she was terrified when she went out to clean. Juliette didn’t know when she’d drop dead and was surprised she found shelter in a nearby silo. She tells Solo that she knows what it’s like to be scared. Then, she asks him to tell her about the elephants. Solo pokes his head through the door, clearly moved by Juliette’s confession. Zahn and Ferguson are pitch-perfect together.
Frame for Murder
Next, Bernard orders Robert to do as he says after Meadows dies. Meanwhile, Knox and the others ascend the spiral staircase to Judicial. Citizens gather outside Judicial to protest Meadows and continue to call for her impeachment. Unfortunately, the crowd won’t let them through. Bernard appears, telling Knox that Meadows is under the weather.
Carla drops a red ball to the Down Deep, signaling Teddy and the engineers to switch off the power. Once they do this, Bernard urges Knox to restore power before he escorts them to Meadows. So, Carla drops a green ball. The silo floods with light again as Bernard leads Knox and Shirley to Meadows. He orders Carla and Walk to remain behind.
Inside, they see Meadows dead in her chair — a knife protruding from her chest. Robert is present. Shirley and Knox realize they’re being framed. Bernard allows them to leave. Outside Judicial, Robert accuses Shirley and Knox of murdering Meadows, ramping up the crowd to track down her “killers.” Knox and Shirley encourage Carla and Walk to leave but calmly.
Don’t give any indication that something is wrong.
Silo drops new episodes every Friday on Apple TV+
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