Silo season 2, episode 5 review: Lies, lies, and more lies

Knox and Shirley need to figure out how to get home in Silo season 2, episode 5. Meanwhile, Bernard opts for a change as he continues to manipulate the situation.

Caution: This post contains SPOILERS for Silo season 2, episode 5.

Silo season 2 continues to bring us lies and more lies. These lies aren’t just coming from Bernard, either. We’re seeing multiple people either lying or figuring out the lies as the episode goes on.

What is Solo hiding in Silo season 2, episode 5?

In Silo 17, Juliette continues to figure out how to make a suit to get back to her own silo. She didn’t manage to get a helmet while getting a suit, so she initially tries to figure out how to make her own helmet fit the suit. That’s not going to work. Of course it won’t. If it did, it would mean that Juliette wouldn’t wander around more of the silo.

We see a very different side to Solo in this episode. He lashes out at Juliette at one point. To be honest, this man has been through a rebellion and decades of being alone. His mental growth isn’t what we would expect of a normal person, so is it really all that surprising that this is how he reacts to situations? He’s scared, and he sometimes hears things. He is also hiding decades of horror from Juliette.

However, he is definitely lying about who he is. When he tells the story of how he became known as Solo, it doesn’t take long for Juliette to find the real Solo and Tiny. If I was Juliette, I wouldn’t confront him about any of this. This man is dangerous and unpredictable. She’s best just going along with his story and then getting out of dodge as soon as she can. She is the only hope for her silo at this point.

Of course, it’s a drama, and we want to know more about Solo. Who is he really, and how did he become the sole survivor of Silo 17. Is he actually the sole survivor? There are hints that something or someone else is out there.

Sims gets a new role in Silo 18

Back at Silo 18, Bernard is dealing with the mess that the murder of Judge Meadows has caused. At the time, he was thinking of a way to turn the people on Mechanical. He needs to quash the rebellion that could be happening down there. The problem is that this is going to turn into a much bigger issues.

Bernard also needs to deal with Sims, and he does that by moving Sims into the role of Judge. Sims is no longer Bernard’s Shadow. This is a blow for Sims, who has only been loyal up to this point. Bernard has made a mistake. The minute Sims figures anything out is the minute that Bernard will be toppled over.

On top of that, Sims’ wife, who happens to work in IT, is also working against Bernard. She decides that she will hide Knox and Shirley, pretending that they’re being arrested for their crimes. It gives the two of them a chance to get back to Mechanical.

It’s a shame that Sims and his wife aren’t talking properly. They could make a dangerous team if they did decide to trust each other fully, but it’s a sign of what the silo regime does to people. They don’t even know if they can trust the people they’re living with. I think the more disillusioned Sims gets now that he’s no longer in Bernard’s pocket, the more the two will start to trust each other in full and work against him, though.

Knox and Shirley manage to start their journey home in Silo

After being accused of the murder of Judge Meadows, Knox and Shirley had to get out of dodge. Walker is able to pass through more freely. The benefit of living in her own cave for so long means that people don’t actually know what she looks like. This gives her the chance to wait for her opening to get back home.

As for Knox and Shirley, they need the help of a few people. When the porters prove to be untrustworthy, they end up going back there and threatening them to get what they need to get home. This is a dangerous move, but not as dangerous as the actual way down the silo. They set up a rig that allows them to jump down the middle of the silo. Their own people are waiting below to help them back over the stairs, and it’s just in time! The new head of Judicial Security is not playing around in an attempt to kill them. Bernard has a new loyal Security head—and it’s just what Bernard needs right now.

I did worry about Knox as he jumped over the ledge. I expected Shirley to make it, but with how apologetic Knox was for getting them both into this mess, I thought that he was going to end up being pulled over the edge with the rigged system as it feel into the deep. I know how the books play out, but we’re already seeing some major changes, so I was ready for this part to change as well.

I am glad to see that Sheriff Billings and Hank have realized that something isn’t right with the messages they are being sent. Hank knows Knox and Shirley well enough to know that they wouldn’t kill Judge Meadows. And I adore that Billings is asking Hank for opinions on the matter. The two are starting to question too much, and Bernard has so little control over them now that they are so far down in the silo. This is just setting up for a major rebellion, and Bernard has no idea.

Bernard finds his new potential shadow in Silo season 2, episode 5

Throughout all this, Bernard decided to pull Lukas out of the mines. He knew that Judge Meadows had shared more with Lukas that she said, and he decides that he wants to use Lukas’ expertise. I get a sense that Bernard is actually testing Lukas on his knowledge of the outside, and that Bernard doesn’t actually know everything. He knows enough to know what life was like before and to know what the Red Level Relics are, but he doesn’t know everything.

Well, Lukas has made a discovery that shows he would make a great Shadow. If you know the books, you know what is coming. I was waiting to see how the series was going to correct putting Lukas in the mines, and I’m intrigued at the way this storyline is going.

Bernard thinks that Lukas will be grateful for being pulled out of the mines. This should make the man loyal to him, right? Well, the problem is that Lukas realized that Juliette was also onto something. Those two had formed a bond, and that bond would be hard to break.

Bernard is losing connections within the silo, though. He decides to offer Dr. Nichols Juliette’s belongings. You see, he needs Dr. Nichols on his side. He needs the people to see that even Juliette’s dad is against her, but he’s lost everything. The silo has taken everything from him, and he no longer has anything to lose. This makes him a reckless man. He will do what he thinks is right, and we’ve already seen that with the decision to remove the implant and go against the Code Orange order. Bernard can’t act on that just yet, but it’s only a matter of time. That’s if he can stay in power.

As we reach the halfway point, it’s clear that many people are reaching a boiling point. It won’t be long now until we see how the rebellion gets started. I think Juliette’s storyline is going a little slow, but we’re not spending too much time over in Silo 17 to feel bogged down by it. I would love to know more about Solo, though!

Silo airs on Fridays on Apple TV+.