When it comes to any TV show, some episodes are stronger than others. Silo season 2 certainly had a strong season, but how do the episodes hold up against each other?
This was a season set in two locations. We saw Juliette make it to Silo 17, learning that her own silo isn’t the only place on Earth, and that her people aren’t the only survivors. Meanwhile, a rebellion threatened to grow in Silo 18, as many in Mechanical believed that Juliette was alive and the air outside was safe.
There were some parts of the story that dragged, but by the end of the season, we were certainly left wanting more. Let’s rank the episodes from worst to best.
Silo season 2, episode 3
I do want to start this by saying that I don’t think there were any terrible episodes. There were just some that dragged a little more than others, and Silo season 2, episode 3 was the one that dragged the most.
After spending an episode with Juliette and then an episode with Silo 18, this was the first one to split time between the two silos. Only, that time split wasn’t equal. We spent a lot of time in Silo 18, getting to see the build up of the rebellion. I think the rebellion took just a little bit too long to get underway.
However, the episode did a good job of showing how accidental causalities can happen. Cooper deserved better, man!
Silo season 2, episode 7
This is one of those somewhat forgetful episodes. Every show has one of them, and the only reason this episode isn’t at the bottom of the list is because of the way things ended. We got a lot more progress in Juliette’s storyline, as she found out that she and Solo weren’t as alone as they thought.
As for the Silo 18 storyline, I can barely remember this one. I know that there was a push to get Carla to talk, but it was clear Bernard was losing power—and he was starting to lose his sanity because of it. Maybe if the series had been eight episodes rather than 10, this episode wouldn’t have felt as much of a filler as it did.
Silo season 2, episode 5
Another episode that dragged was episode 5. This episode focused on Knox, Shirley, Walker, and Carla trying to get out of the Up Top as quickly as possible. They were being framed for a murder they didn’t commit.
There were parts of this episode that didn’t make full sense. Bernard was way too quick to move Sims into the position of Judge and make it clear he was no longer Bernard’s shadow. He did everything he could, and Bernard thought that Sims would continue being loyal?
The Silo 17 storyline also started to drag at this point. This could have been a good point to introduce the teenagers rather than so close to the end, but never mind. It is what it is!
Silo season 2, episode 4
Silo season 2 did need to build up to the rebellion. The problem was that Juliette walking outside kicked off so much in Mechanical that it was always going to need to speed up the rebellion process. The show managed to slow it down a little by having Knox, Shirley, Walker, and Carla make their way up to see Judge Meadows.
Judge Meadows’ involvement in the season was so underused. It would have been great to have just one more episode with her. She could have shared just a little more with Lukas, which could have helped prevent his back and forth for a while.
The episode was good at planting the seeds for Silo 17’s big reveals, though. It was clear that there was a lot that Solo wasn’t sharing, but I don’t think it was too obvious.
Silo season 2, episode 6
After waiting the first half of the season to see Billings decide to be on the side of Mechanical, this episode brought us what we needed. The best thing was that Billings didn’t completely switch at this point. He was starting to question things, but he was still choosing The Pact, and it made it one of the most believable storylines of the entire season.
The proverbial was certainly hitting the fan at this point. Tensions were running high, and we were building up to the big finish. The halfway point always needs to have something exciting happen, but nothing too much before the big finish. Silo achieved that with this episode.
Silo season 2, episode 8
I always enjoy dystopian shows that go into a little about how the dystopian was created. Silo didn’t bother too much with the creation of the silos. Instead, “The Book of Quinn” gave us more of a look into Salvador Quinn and the destruction of the books. Why weren’t there any?
We got to learn more about what Judge Meadows knew before her death. We learned more about family lineage and this idea that the descendants need to pay for the crimes of their ancestors.
Meanwhile, Silo 17 finally brought in the teenagers. Juliette spent more time alone, but it felt like there was a lot of pressure to get some answers. I do wish some of this had come sooner in the season, though. It did end up being a bit too rushed in the end.
Silo season 2, episode 2
The best episodes of Silo season 2 were the start and the end. The second episode of the season took us to Silo 18 straight after Juliette had walked over the hill. Naturally, there were a lot of questions. People didn’t know what to think, and the show managed to capture the chaos beautifully.
We even got to see that people wanted the same thing, but thought a different way was the right way to get that thing. This is such human nature, and it made the tensions between Shirley and Knox believable. I’ll admit that I didn’t think the two would end up back on the same side for a while.
We also got the look of Bernard’s attempt to manipulate the situation. As much as he seems like the bad guy, knowing more about the creation of the silo meant that he knew what could happen if there was a rebellion. You could feel the fear in him during the episode.
Silo season 2, episode 9
The penultimate episode of the season was able to build on the tensions from the previous episode but still leave us needing more in the finale. It was an excellent look at human nature and the need to survive.
There were all these different wants and needs building up into the finale. However, we also got to see how people could take a step away from their own anger. Did we really think Knox hadn’t realized what happened to Walker?
One of the great things about this episode is that it had us questioning so much. We had to question Walker, Knox, Billings, Sims, and so many others. We were thrown into the fear but also the hope that they had the right people by their sides.
Silo season 2, episode 10
I was going to put the Silo season 2 finale as my favorite episode, but I ended up changing my mind. You’ll understand why soon. The finale was excellent. It brought those different rebellions happening, and it brought some of the big answers that we needed, including how Walker had helped Mechanical without Bernard realizing.
There was that chance for Dr. Nichols to go out helping people. We got to see Bernard get his comeuppance. Then there was Juliette in Silo 17, who finally got her suit after an excellent speech about who is really to blame when it comes to the problems within the silos.
The end scene surprised me, but it made so much sense to add it here. Up to this point, we knew that there was far more to the silos. Now it’s time to learn more, and it’s a great way (along with the cliffhanger of the flames with Juliette and Bernard) to push us into the third season.
Silo season 2, episode 1
The Silo season 2 premiere could have been boring. It is extremely hard to do an episode with just one person. Only the best actors manage to pull it off, and Rebecca Ferguson was outstanding. We could feel everything she felt as she panicked about the ripped tape, struggled to breathe as the air ran out, and tried to figure out where she was and what was going on.
There was so much detail put into this episode, and it’s what made it the best episode for me. This was repeated in “The Dive,” but that just built on what the premiere did. We got to see how the silos were all built the same, and we got to see what happens when items are left to disintegrate and almost disappear.
The introduction of Solo was just absolutely perfect. As someone who had read the books, I knew his backstory, but even then, I was pulled into wanting to know more about this man. I already knew the show was going to do a great job with the rest of the adaptation of Wool with this episode.
Silo season 2 is available to stream on Apple TV+.