Silo season 1 episode 7 review and breakdown: The Flamekeepers

In the seventh episode of Silo, a dystopian sci-fi series from Apple TV+ starring Rebecca Ferguson, we discover more about the surveillance team that is led by Sims. Meantime Juliette follows a lead to the last of a secret group, who possesses revelations she definitely is not ready to know.

We open to an old woman at a beach, her toes in the sand, a nautilus conch in her hands. This is Gloria Hildebrandt, the fertility counselor we saw way back in episode one who was talking conspiracies with Holston’s wife Allison Becker.

It seems this whole thing is a memory and the Golden Ratio shape of the conch shell clearly reminds us of the shape of the silo stairs as well. A man and a girl run into her field of view, playing tag.

It’s a beautiful scene with the sun setting, too bad as it’s all in her head as a nurse comes into her fantasy. We are soon back in the drab walls of the silo’s hospice.

We see now how Gloria became a “paranoid woman” after she failed to conceive a child herself. A shot of sedative from the nurse and she’s back in a zombie state.

Breakdown and review of Silo season 1 episode 7: A natural history of the surface world

Meantime, now that we know Juliette and the whole silo is being monitored the danger of her reading the book about natural history is further driven home. The segue from Gloria’s beach vision to the same beach in the children’s book that Jules is reading is also a nice touch.

Gloria knows what she’s lost. Jules has no idea what it is but still finds it all beautiful. Both are tragic in their own way.

Jules remembers the names inscribed on the inner front cover. One of them is Gloria and, upon checking her files, she narrows it down to Gloria Hildebrandt.

She also remembers how Holston left a note to leave flowers by the mirror. Knowing what she knows now about “them” listening, all his weird clues and notes to her are starting to make sense.

There are flowers there but strangely no vase. She doesn’t think much of it and instead takes the book with her, stashing it in her knapsack when she goes to work.

Breakdown and review of Silo season 1 episode 7: Wave to the surveillance crew

When we cut to the surveillance room somehow it doesn’t surprise me that Sims is the one in charge of the monitoring crew. He gives the order to tail her, when she goes to her office and rebuffs a meeting from Mayor Holland and then goes to the Mids to check her new lead on Gloria.

Initially, she’s rebuffed at the nurse’s station but she flashes her badge and gets taken to Gloria, who’s not really all there because of the drugs. All in all Jules’s convo with Gloria is not at all productive, but she does find out that it was on Judge Meadow’s order that Gloria is kept drugged.

Gloria’s mentions of “the water they don’t want us to know about” are tantalizing clues indeed, it’s just that Jules has only an inkling of the magnitude of what she’s hearing. I mean a photo of the ocean in a book doesn’t really do it any justice until you behold it.

Jules storms off to the Judicial level and barges in, but Judge Meadows is out sick. She gets radioed by Billings before she goes in but she turns her unit off.

Apparently, a riot is breaking out on level 26 and Billings with the rest of the deputies are left on their own to deal with the violence. Apparently, it’s a bar altercation involving a local posse of roughnecks.

Breakdown and review of Silo season 1 episode 7: Neglect of lawful duties

There’s nothing complicated about it. Billings still gets an elbow in the face for his efforts.

Jules arrives to the chaos at her office like an ignorant fool. Neglect of her duties is now a reality and not just a forecast of the folks who want her to fail. Billings is furious so Jules comes clean about how she just wanted to solve George’s murder.

They have their moment of understanding and Jules also promises to see Mayor Holland. She also gets the judge’s address from Billings.

That night, Lukas and Jules also have their own moment when the sketching guy tries to kiss her. She almost gives in but then rebuffs him.

Can’t say I blame him for shooting his shot. Jules as a law enforcement officer in uniform is still an attractive woman. But also, the fact that she isn’t ready to let in anyone is very telling.

At the meeting the next day with Mayor Holland, Jules is informed that there have been threats made by Judge Meadows versus the mayor if he continues to thwart her orders, especially with regards to Jules’s investigation into relics.

Breakdown and review of Silo season 1 episode 7: Curtail Judicial’s powers

Two major talking points from the meeting that Jules takes away are: one, Sims is being groomed to be her replacement as sheriff, and, two, both she and the mayor will be gone by any means necessary if they can’t find something to rein in Judge Meadows’ powers.

First thing next morning Jules goes to the judge’s apartment with her breakfast of bacon and eggs. She gets in by dangling the bit about Gloria being drugged against her will at the mid-level hospice.

Other than the mystery that the judge is also fearful and being controlled by mysterious forces, Jules’s visit isn’t very productive despite her bullying and cajoling. Judge Meadows can’t rescind the order so Jules can talk to Gloria and she cites the mysterious “they” again.

Jules turns to the last person she wants to: her father. Using all her might as well as playing the lost daughter card she gets Dr. Nichols to help her bring Gloria to the nursery with a complex play.

Apparently, they don’t have cameras or audio in there so they have some time to wean Gloria off the drugs and have Jules talk to her. Despite an intense scene where I thought Gloria would die from the seizure side effects of the anti-sedation meds, it actually works.

Breakdown and review of Silo season 1 episode 7: Who are the Flamekeepers?

Now the convo is super productive. Jules learns about The Flamekeepers. This was a secret group that Gloria was a part of that was dedicated to preserving relics and any other objects that let them remember the past.

Jules’s boyfriend George was one of them. Gloria gave his mother the book. Of course, they were also being systematically wiped out because they were a threat to the control of the silo.

It was Juliette’s mother who was a big help to the Flamekeepers, but in turn, Dr. Nichols was also tasked to prevent the Flamekeepers from having children. Gloria confirms it.

Hence it was he responsible for Gloria and the rest being rendered sterile. Juliette is disgusted at the participation of her father. The wedge between them is further entrenched.

Breakdown and review of Silo season 1 episode 7: Score one for the sheriff

Meantime, Sims and his surveillance and peacekeeping crew have been trying to track down both Gloria and Juliette. I mean, just a few watchers for 10,000 people can’t be an easy task. When Sims’ surveillance crew finally tracks Jules down, she’s already bringing back Gloria to the hospice, saying one of her officers found the old woman wandering around.

When Gloria mentions the flowers that Holston brought and put in front of Gloria’s mirror, Jules realizes there are cams behind every mirror.

Juliette also discovers Holston hid George’s hard drive in Gloria’s room. She covers the mirror with a blanket, takes apart the nearby vent, and voila! Jules takes the HD and absconds with it. And when Sims’ raiders finally arrive at Gloria’s room, Jules is gone.

Score one for the freedom-loving folks of the silo! And for the only remaining Flamekeeper left: Juliette Nichols. But you can bet Sims and the people he works for aren’t going to give up that easily.

You can stream episodes of Silo on Apple TV+.