Silo season 2, episode 8 split the story across four important individual character storylines. We learned more about Salvador Quinn, and we got to see who is in Silo 17.
Caution: This post contains SPOILERS for Silo season 2, episode 8.
Since coming out of the mines, Lukas has been on a mission to crack a code. Sims isn’t happy about being pushed to the side, and it’s clear he is trying to work his way back to being important. Meanwhile, Juliette has had to figure out the secrets of Silo 17, while trying to get back home.
The synopsis also told us that Bernard would make Walker a deal. Would she take it, or would she put the rest of Mechanical before herself?
Lukas finally cracks the code in Silo season 2, episode 8
At the end of the previous episode, Bernard told Lukas that the book he was looking for was likely something Judge Meadows used to have. He needed to go on a hunt for that book, but which book would it be? Well, he decides to look through every single book in Judge Meadows’ apartment, kicking out Sims’ men in the process.
That naturally angers Sims, and he tries to manipulate the situation himself. Of course, he no longer has any power. While he may now be judge, he knows just as well as Armundsen that he doesn’t actually have any authority in the place. That all lies with Bernard.
So, Sims needs to manipulate Lukas. He wants Lukas to see who Bernard really is, but this is all for his own gain. I love that Sims and his wife are now on the same side and working together for their own sakes, but it could cause a lot of problems for the rest of the silo.
Back to Lukas, though. He decides to search for Salvador Quinn’s descendants. Maybe they have the book that’s needed. It’s clear that everyone has been told something different, with the descendants believing that Quinn was a villain of the silo. They have all been living in the shadow of his betrayal.
Only to Bernard, Quinn wasn’t a villain. He was a hero. He destroyed the servers and the books for a good reason—to stop the rebellions. When we see what happened to Silo 17, it’s understandable that this could be viewed as a good thing. Look at what could have happened if there were rebellions every 20 years. People want to believe that they’re being lied to and that the world outside is actually pretty and good.
It’s a flaw in the whole cleaning process. There’s this sense of hope that there could be something good despite what the cameras show. Maybe if they got rid of that, they wouldn’t end up with the rebellions as people would accept what is really outside.
In the end, Lukas manages to find out the truth about Quinn, though. He’s able to go back to the descendants to tell them that their ancestor wasn’t a villain. This offers them the positive news they need, which means they are willing to open up to Lukas about the book that he’s likely looking for. It’s a version of The Pact.
Sure enough, this version has the code, but it’s not the code that Lukas thought it would be. Particular letters are underlined, which takes Lukas to Page 99. From there, Lukas works out that there’s a message that tells him everything is a lie. With just two episodes to go, this is sure to set up Lukas deciding whether to believe Bernard or to create a rebellion himself. Lukas has a huge choice to make, but who can he turn to right now?. Is Sims the man?
Bernard makes Walker an offer she can’t refuse
I would love to say that Walker would always choose Mechanical, but she proved in Silo season 2, episode 8 that she can be manipulated. Bernard is always steps ahead of everyone else. Even when it looks like he’s losing, he manages to find a way to manipulate the situation. This is why he’s Head of IT. This is why he gets to go into the Vault.
It doesn’t take long to get Walker to do his bidding. All he has to do is show that Carla is still alive but imprisoned. As long as Walker does what Bernard tells her to, Carla will be left alone.
This is such a normal way to manipulate people. Put them in a position where they have to choose a loved one, and the majority of times, they’re going to choose that loved one. It’s the whole thing of five strangers versus one sibling debate. Who would you choose?
Walker agrees to become a mole for Bernard. She doesn’t like it, but she turns the camera back on in her workshop, and she agrees to pass information on. It leads to Shirley and Knox’s crew getting caught as they attempted to steal from Supply.
So far, Shirley and Knox don’t really know what’s going on. They don’t know who the new mole is. They’re going to feel so betrayed when they learn the truth. I could see Walker sacrificing herself in some sort of way before Silo season 2 ends just to make up for this decision as she realizes that Carla isn’t worth the rest of Mechanical.
Billings shows his wife what life was once like in Silo season 2, episode 8
Billings is struggling with what to do right now. He’s still in Mechanical, hiding out because he knows that once he goes back up, he can have the position of Sheriff stripped from him. Bernard holds all the power.
He’s also struggling with his belief in The Pact right now. That’s what has held him steadfast for so long. If there isn’t order, what is there? If there isn’t The Pact, how can they live? Seeing this play out and then seeing Billings struggle with his beliefs is important for us as viewers. We need to see what all the revelations and lies do to people. We need to see that people can waiver in their beliefs, and what happens then?
Everyone also needs someone that they can turn to and be completely open with. Kathleen is angry that her husband didn’t come to her when she finds out that Billings had a leaflet that showed a beautiful world outside. It’s a relic that he shouldn’t have, which is why he didn’t show her it. He didn’t want to pull her down with him, but he needs her, and she knows that. The two have leaned on each other this whole time. Kathleen loves her husband and is willing to hide his condition from others. Of course she wanted to know about the leaflet.
This is a turning point for the Billings family. Being in Mechanical, they are learning far more than they would have done Up Top. As more and more learn the truth, the threat of rebellion continues to grow. They just have to decide whether their beliefs in The Pact are strong enough, or whether they’re willing to bend their morals for the sake of the truth.
Juliette finds out who hurt Solo
Back in Silo 17, Juliette had to figure out what happened to Solo. However, she also ends up suffering from complications of coming up from the deep water too quickly. We get to see how Juliette has taken in all the information that Solo has provided up to this point. As she realizes what is happening to her when her leg goes dead, she gets back into the deep water and sinks low enough to help stabilize things in her body.
However, she runs out of air again. Someone above the water is trying to kill her, and she needs to figure out who that is.
At first, it looks like she comes across a bulky man who will be able to take her down within minutes. Then there’s an arrow that hits her in the shoulder. What is going on in Silo 17? Who is this person, and how did they survive?
Well, Juliette (and we) ends up with more questions. When she finally takes down the bulky man, she learns that he’s just a teenage boy. Then two more people appear, and they’re both teenagers. How have teenagers survived in a silo that has been decimated? Solo has been alone for decades, so where have these teens come from?
I’m so glad that we’ve finally got to this point in the story. As much as I enjoyed seeing Solo and how isolation destroys the mind, the Silo 17 storyline has dragged a little bit. We’ve always had a hint that Solo and Juliette are not alone, and it’s about time that we get to see who was in the shadows following them. Poor Juliette isn’t getting back to her own silo any time soon, though.
Silo airs on Fridays on Apple TV+.