Apple TV+’s dystopian drama Silo has returned with its second season and set things in motion with an uncharacteristically slow start. The way things ended on a cliffhanger in the final episode of the first season, where Juliette Nichols, the maverick mechanic from Down Deep, was punished by Bernard and co. for nearly exposing the truth about totalitarian control in Silo, as she was sent outside to clean the sensors. Contrary to Juliette’s assumption, the outside world turned out to be a nuclear wasteland, and she would have succumbed to her death due to radiation poisoning, but thanks to her mentor/mother figure, Martha Walker, providing better heat tape for her protective suit, Juliette managed to survive the ordeal. As a massive reveal, a number of neighboring Silos were seen located in close proximity of each other, which raises inevitable questions as to what kind of life denizens there are used to and whether Juliette will venture into one of them. Both these questions are answered in the second season premiere of Silo, which mostly focuses on Juliette’s survival, her past life at Mechanical, and the mysteries revolving around a dilapidated silo where she ends up.
Cost of Freedom
The episode begins with a flashback, focusing on a different silo where the existing system broke down following the lies purported by the authorities getting exposed and violent unrest, and even back then the silo is already seen in a deplorable state, which bears the signs of ongoing conflict between different sections. The only surviving factions turn out to be the rebels who believe there is a better world outside—just like Juliette used to believe—and engineers at the midlevel who threaten to flood the generators if the rebels don’t stop their attempt to access the outside. A violent clash erupts between them, which ends with the rebels winning, and the rebel leader guides his people to the freedom of the outside world as the silo hatch is opened. They have their doubts about the condition on the outside, but believe it will be better than the slavish existence they were forced into inside . It seems unlike the Vaults in “Fallout,” the social structure of the silos remains more or less constant.
However, this freedom exacts a heavy toll, as all of the rebels, every denizen of the silo who followed the leader, couldn’t even cross the crater at the outskirts of the silo before they succumbed to the poisoned air. At present, Juliette comes across this particular silo, and seeing the hordes of corpses lying in front of her, she probably wonders if Bernard’s fear might not have been that far-fetched. The revelation of the truth about the authorities resulted in the denizens of silo taking matter into their own hands, and in their zeal of revolution, they ended up hurtling towards their own doom.
Juliette’s Past at Mechanical
Despite seeing the harrowing spectacle in front of her, Juliette decides to enter the dilapidated silo; there is no better option for her anyway. Had she ventured elsewhere, the authorities of the other silos wouldn’t have allowed her to enter in fear it would affect their status quo, and in that context, it makes sense to enter the one that is practically vacant. Juliette makes her way through hatches and doorways of the silo, prying them open in a way that puts her protective suit in harm. However, it seems that the air inside the silo is still breathable and the environment hasn’t been contaminated, as Juliette decides to ditch her suit once the oxygen supply runs out. The run down condition of the silo bears proof of how things went bad way before the denizens decided to leave the place behind, and the signs of struggle for survival remind Juliette of her own upbringing in the Mechanical division at Down Deep.
Juliette reminisces about having difficulties getting along with the folks at Mechanical. After all, she was born into the midsection of Silos, where life still offered its pleasantries and was close to ‘normal’, as compared to the miserable plight of the bottom dwellers. Martha became Juliette’s maternal figure, but not by showing tenderness or filling the emotional vacancy—but through brutal honesty, something her own father couldn’t offer her. Similarly, Juliette’s bond with Shirley didn’t form through conventional means like it usually does for teenagers. Shirley appreciated Juliette for her talent as a mechanic, while Juliette found Shirley’s courage inspiring. Life at the Down Deep has molded Juliette to be the person she is today, and the lessons learned there are being put to the test as she descends further down into the silo.
Whom Did Juliette Meet In The Dilapidated Silo?
The lower section of the silo appears to be flooded by underground water, and while trying to bridge the gap to a level to which access has been cut off (as several sections of the central spiral staircase have been demolished), Juliette takes a nasty fall into the water. Using ropes and junks, Juliette manages to build a bridge, as she plans to reach the only section of the silo that still seems to have power. Trying to locate the source of a clanking sound at that particular area, Juliette feels disappointed seeing a still-operating fan making the noise. She manages to get to another section once again by forming a makeshift bridge; the episode is titled “The Engineer,” and Juliette is desperate to prove the significance. Anyway, this time, Juliette is distracted by a song, which seems to be coming out of a protected vault, and she tries to force it open in vain. Moments later, a man peeps out of the looking panel of the vault, starting Juliette at once as the place still having a survivor was the last thing she’d have expected. The man, initially seeming to be a mild-mannered person, soon shows his true colors in the final moments of the episode as he threatens Juliette with her life if she ever dares to disturb his peace again. Living alongside a stranger in a confined, isolated place is a troubling ordeal already, and this one appears to be a lunatic who has lost his mind, probably after spending a long, long time locked inside the vault. If Juliette wants to survive inside the vault, she needs to take care of this particular situation, although who knows how many survivors the vault holds already?
