Once again, Silo season 2, episode 7 spent a lot of time in Silo 18. That’s not surprising as the Silo 17 storyline could get a little cumbersome fast, but the time we do spend there works well.
Caution: This post contains SPOILERS for Silo season 2, episode 7.
Silo 18 is divided. We get to see how Mechanical is dealing with the knowledge that people down below worked with those up top to poison the food supply. Meanwhile, Bernard needs to handle the situation without radios now that he’s lost the sheriff.
There’s a chance to learn more about Walker’s history and why she cares so much about Carla. This could lead to some manipulation, though, and it actually raises more questions than answers about Walker right now. We also go back to the Sims family, learning more about their plans.
In Silo 17, Juliette is left with no choice but to help Solo. Things don’t quite go to plan, but not in the way you would initially fear, though.
Mechanical roots out the betrayer in Silo season 2, episode 7
Knox and Shirley spend this episode of Silo trying to work out who poisoned the food supply. This is something that all those who want to fight against Bernard need to get to the bottom of. To be fair, Hank and Billings also want to get to the bottom of this.
It takes the whole episode, but we get to see how Mechanical treat one of their own. As they find out that one woman did what she was told from up top, everyone is ready to attack and kill her. They’re angry, and that’s understandable. This woman was willing to threaten the lives of their own. However, Knox, Hank, and others figured out why she did it.
Her mom is on the other side of the barricade and in need of medicine. Up top promised her mom the medicine needed as long as she carried out the poisoning. It’s no wonder she acted the way she did. She lost control of the situation, and she needed to save her mom. Knox gives her the benefit of the doubt, though. He can see why she did it, and he promises to find a way to help her mom. She doesn’t need to go against Mechanical anymore.
Mechanical is one. They stick together and look out for their own, and that includes those trapped on the other side of the barricade. What they still don’t seem to realize is that one of their own is the aunt of a Raider, and she is passing on information.
Bernard shows Lukas the other room
We’ve wondered what is on the other side of the door that Solo has control over. Well, we get to see that in Silo 18. Bernard takes Lukas behind, where Lukas gets to talk to the computer system and ask questions.
There’s a large space filled with books and Relics. This is clearly a space that preserves items from the Before Times, and only the head of IT and his shadow are allowed to know about it. Lukas is in awe, and he’s left alone to figure out the code. They need to get to the bottom of this. Lukas realizes that Bernard doesn’t just need to work out the code to prevent the rebellion. There is something else very wrong, and Bernard needs to get to the bottom of that.
Lukas works out that the cypher probably isn’t an alphabetical one. It’s likely numerical. Of course, we can’t have it easy in the sense that he works it all out right away. The code is connected to another book, a Relic that is outside somewhere. Bernard knows where the book is. It used to belong to Judge Meadows, but now he has it.
Bernard does learn something interesting at the end of the episode, and I'm curious about how he didn't know any of this to start with. He learns that Carla and Walker were married 25 years ago, but they divorced. This is why Walker said that she messed up the first time and she isn't losing Carla again. Bernard now has his way in to manipulate Mechanical. They can go through Walker, and she's likely to give in to save Carla's life.
Sims and his wife discuss what to do next in Silo
Sims is angry that Lukas has been made Bernard’s shadow. He wanted that position. He had always been loyal and not questioned anything. That was the problem, though. Bernard makes it clear that Sims didn’t have the curiosity. It’s funny that Bernard says this because part of what got Juliette sent outside was her curiosity. In some it’s a good thing, and in others, it’s dangerous.
When Bernard tells Sims that his wife helped the Mechanical fugitives escape, Sims doesn’t really want to believe it. Of course, he knows his wife was up to something. It’s not really that she’s working on the side of the rebels, though. It’s that she kept it from him, and I love this about their partnership. It’s clear that they have always discussed things. Bernard has threatened to pull them apart, but he’s really pulled them stronger together.
The Sims family now have to make a choice, though. Which side do they play? Well, they may be the smartest people in the silo. How about working both sides? They have no idea which side will win, but they need to make it look like they were on the winning side when the time comes. They will eventually need to make a full choice, and I’m curious about whether that will divide them or not.
Bernard has been so great at planning ahead, that I can't believe how dumb he's being here. He knows that Sims has been loyal, but he expected to gain something from that loyalty. Bernard is setting things up for Sims to turn against him.
Juliette takes a dive in Silo season 2, episode 7
I love how we get these reminders of all the time Solo has spent alone. All he’s been able to do is read, and now that we’ve seen inside the vault in Silo 18, we can understand where he’s got all the information from. There are books upon books of information from the Before Times.
Those books have become useful in a few instances. They certainly help in this one. We know that if scuba divers rise up took quickly that they can end up with debilitating issues. Well, Solo realizes that Juliette could face that when she comes back up from her dive to fix the pump. He warns her in such a blasé way, reminding us that all he’s done is read. He doesn’t have a connection to anyone to actually care about them. He’s rattling off statistics, and that’s due to years of isolation.
Fortunately, Juliette is able to fix the pump. She doesn’t want to, but I don’t really blame Solo for making it clear she needs to do it now. Sure, she may try to keep her promise to come back, but there’s no guarantee that will happen. Solo is terrified that she’ll die before she can help him. This isn’t a fear for her life but for his. That’s all he cares about right now, and again, it all goes back to decades of isolation.
As Juliette is making her way back up, she realizes that something isn’t right. Solo doesn’t pull her back up as planned. Now, we know that last time Solo left her because he realized he needed to go back to the vault. He was terrified that he left the door open. However, it’s quickly clear that this isn’t a repeat of that. The rope to help Juliette get back up is cut and her air supply is stopped. She needs to get out of the water and fast, and there isn’t time to think about what’s going on right away.
When she does get up to the top, she sees blood splatters everywhere. Solo wasn’t alone. He didn’t cut the rope and almost kill Juliette. It wouldn’t make sense for him to do something like that. So, what is going on in Silo 17? Who else is there, and how did they get there? I think it’s always been clear that Solo wasn’t alone, and part of him feared that was the case. How have others survived, though, and why are they trying to kill Solo and Juliette?
Where is Solo, though? What's happened to him? There was blood but no body. Has he made it back to the vault, or has someone taken him to get the code?
Overall, the two silo storylines are pushing forward nicely. This is the first time I’ve felt a real threat toward Juliette in Silo 17, and while I know the books, I still worry for Juliette in this moment.
What I do want to say is that the level of detail as Juliette dove down was amazing. We got to see how the silos are set up in the same way. There has been a lot of work to create this visceral reminder that there is something bigger going on. There is something heavily organized about this, and it makes me wonder if we can trust the computers at all. What is Lukas getting himself into?
Silo airs Fridays on Apple TV+.