Knox works out who the traitor is and Lukas learns far more than he ever thought possible in Silo season 2, episode 9. The penultimate episode certainly sets up for an intense season 2 finale.
Caution: This post contains SPOILERS for Silo season 2, episode 9.
The synopsis made it clear that we would get some secrets and truths throughout the episode. That’s what we certainly got across multiple storylines. Juliette learned more about Solo, Lukas learned more about the silo, and Knox figured out who the traitor was.
Bernard loses Billings in Silo season 2, episode 9
In a storyline that wasn’t surprising at all, Billings made it clear that he had joined forces with Mechanical. His wife can’t understand why having something like the pamphlet that shows what the world used to be like is so illegal. It doesn’t make sense to hide that past, and it leads to Billings questioning everything.
Juliette helped him realize that following The Pact blindly wasn’t a good thing. Being a “yes man” certainly helps him get promoted, but it doesn’t help the silo or the world as a whole. The question is whether he’s going to be dumb enough to want to open the door to the outside world. There are questions as to whether the world outside is as toxic as the screens suggest, which is exactly what gets a lot of people in a deadly situation in the first place.
Billings knows that he needs to find out if there are others Up Top who think the same. Knox and Shirley share that Camille Sims could be the one to turn to. The only way to get to her is to go through her husband, but can he be trusted? We know now that he and Camille are playing both sides, but which side does he think will win at the moment?
Knox works out the traitor
Knox goes to Walker to share that he’s worked out who the traitor is. I think he knows more than he’s saying. He’s telling Walker something to pass on to Bernard, and he’s making it clear that he doesn’t blame Walker for what she has had to do.
You see, it’s easy to read between the lines, and if Walker is smart, she knows what Knox is saying to her. Teddy’s mom isn’t the traitor, and Knox knows it. He just needed to get a message to Walker to say that he has worked it out and he understands.
Is the plan with the gunpowder actually going to happen? This is likely a way to set up Bernard’s men in a way that benefits Mechanical as they start their plan. I love that we see Knox isn’t angry with the traitor, though. He completely understands why people are doing what they are, but he also knows how to play Bernard at his own game. There’s a reason he’s been the Head of Mechanical for so long!
Lukas gets the answers he needs in Silo season 2, episode 9
After a season of him trying to work out a code, Lukas finally gets some answers. He initially thinks he’s worked out what the code it. It’s telling them about the 50 other silos. Bernard makes it clear that all Heads of IT find out the truth about the number of silos out there—and there are actually 51. This is a clear sign that there is something bigger going on. I think this sets up foreshadowing of who the voice from the Vault is connected to.
Lukas goes back to Quinn’s version of The Pact and realizes that there is more to the code after all. There’s a tunnel in the Down Deep, and that’s where he needs to go next. With Bernard too busy watching Walker, Lukas has to tackle the situation alone. That’s probably the best thing for the whole of the silo as well. If Bernard found out the whole code, he would surely kill Lukas and ensure it remained silent forever.
I still don’t completely resent what Bernard is doing. He thinks he is doing the right thing to keep the entire silo safe. He knows the truth about the silos, and he is getting orders from someone else. Sims makes it clear that there is someone giving him orders—there has to be. Does that mean I like him? Not at all, but I do understand him.
Of course, a TV show wouldn’t be exciting if we kept the status quo. We need to see the rebellion, and that means following Lukas to the Down Deep, where he convinces Shirley to help him figure out what’s further down into the water that nobody else has dared to go into.
Well, others have. Salvador Quinn, Mary Meadows, and George Wilkins all found the tunnel that is at the very bottom of the silo. That voice from the Vault sees Lukas there and shines a light on him to question what he’s doing there. If Lukas says anything to anyone, the entire silo will be destroyed. Considering the voice didn’t know that Lukas was on his way to figuring out the tunnel, it would suggest that there are no cameras elsewhere. So, how would this voice know if Lukas went to someone like Shirley or Billings to pass on the information that he now has?
Lukas gives a speech to his mom about how he was a coward when Juliette asked for his help. What about now? Is he willing to risk the voice going through with the threat of destroying the silo, or is he going to work on figuring out what’s on the other side of the vault door in the tunnel?
Juliette learns a lot more about Silo 17
We’ve only know what Solo has told us up to this point about the rebellion in Silo 17. I’ve always thought the state of the bodies has told us how long ago that silo’s rebellion happened. It’s clear that it happened decades ago, and Juliette finally gets more information.
The teenagers that she found initially want to attack, but they realize that Juliette could get them into the Vault. That’s what they really want. They need food. They’ve managed to survive so long, but it is only a matter of time before everything they have is gone. I can’t blame them for wanting to kill Solo and then Juliette. Not only has Solo clearly hurt them in some way, but he’s an extra mouth to feed—and so is Juliette.
As Juliette searches for the code, she realizes more and more that what Solo has told her isn’t the full truth. However, he’s not lied. All those years alone has led to him believing the stories that he thinks he remembers. He’s also covered up what really happened, as he believes that he was too much of a coward to save people when the rebellion happened.
Juliette learns that Solo was just a child when the rebellion happened. The teens we have now weren’t even born yet. Their parents were just babies. This puts the rebellion as being at least 30 years ago, maybe even 40. Solo was alone all that time with the memory of his dad being shot because he refused to let the sheriff into the vault.
Solo didn’t do anything wrong in that moment. His dad said not to open the door to anyone, and it was to protect his son. He knew what the rest of the silo would do to Solo.
Was he right in killing the two people who got to the vault door? Well, it was self-defense. They were the parents of two of the teens, and they worked out the code for the vault. They got in when Solo was sleeping and it sounds like they shot him. Solo was able to get them in between the two vault doors, locking them in there until the air ran out, suffocating them. Solo was scared. This is a man who has had no contact with people for decades. He’s still got the mind of a child. We can’t blame him for the actions that he took.
But now he has a group of people. Now that group of people have access to the vault. There is a chance that they can survive.
To top it all off, Juliette found another suit. The Heads of IT have one in their silos so that they can get outside if needed. Juliette didn’t leave, though. She could have easily gone, but she chose to stay. As much as she needs to help her silo, there are people here who need her help, too. Plus, there is a place for her silo to go if needed. Juliette is thinking ahead, but she also has a heart, and we see that at the end of this episode.
Overall, the episode has certainly picked up the pace. We have some of the answers that we’ve needed all season, and now it’s time to bring war and rebellion in the Silo season 2 finale. Do I think that we could have had the teens show up a little earlier in this season? Certainly, but that doesn’t stop me from being excited about the season finale.
Silo airs on Fridays on Apple TV+.