After a few misses, Silo strives to regain momentum

Who else is relieved Juliette has finally finished the diving mission in Silo? The issue of her saving Solo’s home from flooding in 10 months cropped up only a couple of episodes ago, but it feels like much longer because of how glacially Silo has moved this storyline. While it was promising to watch Juliette land in a dangerous, isolated bunker and make an unexpected new friend, the show hasn’t advanced her plot consistently since then. Rebecca Ferguson and Steve Zahn are interesting together, but the time hasn’t been used wisely for character development or world-building since episode four. (The same goes for almost everything going on in Silo 18 as well). 

So it’s encouraging that in “The Dive,” Juliette not only agrees to swim down several floors and start the water pump but also completes the task. At least it’s after the two verbally spar, allowing Ferguson to revel in Juliette’s sarcastic dialogue delivery. No one doubted Juliette’s ability to restart the water pump once she hit the water. Our girl doesn’t even know how to swim, but she efficiently figures it out, partly thanks to Solo offering her advice and a gift: Makeshift swimming goggles. (Ferguson’s upper body strength and those hardcore muscles in these scenes…remarkable!). The cherry on the cake arrives in the closing minutes of episode seven, with a cliffhanger ending that nicely sets up the rest of the season. 

A tired Juliette resurfaces above water, wondering why the rope she was supposed to use to pull herself up fell off. Why isn’t Solo around? He planted himself right next to the lever so he could help her out anytime she pulled the rope. Yet, at this critical juncture, he is nowhere to be found. All that Juliette spots when she gets out of the water and looks for him is blood. There’s quite a bit of it going up the stairs, which indicates one of two outcomes. Has Solo run off with Juliette’s suit and helmet to escape on his own and go find Silo 18? Did he injure himself in the process and is currently bleeding out somewhere? 

It feels like the least plausible outcome because of how Silo has set him up as an anxiety-ridden wreck who doesn’t know how to survive on his own. The more likely and thrilling possibility is that Juliette and Solo aren’t on their own. Either other survivors have been holed up on different floors, or someone else from outside has snuck into Silo 17. The closing shot of “The Dive” makes it feel like another person is spying on Juliette. If true, it opens up the storytelling possibility that Silo season two badly needs. Unlike a 22-episode season of a sci-fi drama (think Lost or Fringe) that can afford to take its sweet time to flesh out multiple arcs, Silo has only 10 outings to do the same job. Every second needs to be spent wisely and to support the overarching suspense. After a few misses, it feels like the Apple TV+ drama is returning to form. 

Even the Silo 18 events pick up momentum, with Mechanical continuing to fight back against Mayor Bernard. They send up a parachute powered by gunpowder, using it to burst notes for the residents of the higher floors with a warning. Here’s what it says in full: “I.T. lies to us. Mechanical wants the truth. What happened to Juliette? How did Meadows really die? What is I.T. hiding? Look and see.” Just then, Mechanical turns the power off in the whole silo for a few seconds, with only I.T.’s lights still on during that time. This act of defiance doesn’t bring them many supporters sadly. Bernard manipulates his way out of explaining why his lights had remained on and sends his workers about their merry way. 

Still, not everything is going his way. His former mentee Robert Sims has decided to push back in his new position as Judge. After serving Bernard loyally and devoting the last 10 years of his life to the cause—whatever Sims believe that is—he’s pissed that Bernard has cast him aside. So he doesn't blindly follow his orders to sign a search warrant for Supply, instead making his stance clear to the Mayor. For his part, Bernard doesn’t hesitate in pulling Sims’ ego down a bit, saying that his judicial power is just for show. “You lack curiosity,” Bernard tells Sims in an accurate as hell read. It’s true. He’s got the fighting chops and spying skills, but the man doesn’t seem to want to question anything. Even when his wife tells him why she helped Shirley and Knox escape in the previous episode, he doesn’t prod to learn her reasons better. Once again, I feel like this character (like a few others) lacks depth, and Common’s stoic portrayal factors hugely. 

Robert is also pissed off that Lukas, of all people, is Bernard’s next shadow. Instead of finishing his prison sentence in the mines, Lukas now has full access to the hidden legacy of the silo. Bernard shows him all the relics and other technology he’s got securely kept away in the vault, allowing Lukas to explore and learn how to decode Salvador Quinn’s message. After several attempts, Lukas makes some progress. He discovers that Quinn’s letter is a numeric cipher, and he’s going to need a book from the before times to solve it. Enter: Mary Meadows’ copy of Frank L. Baum’s The Wizard Of Oz—the book she referenced while talking to Bernard about wanting to exit the silo. Bernard hands it over to his shadow. I can’t wait to see what page of this book contains the answers. 

As for the Mechanical folks, Shirley and Knox have confirmed allies in Sheriff Billings and his deputy, Hank. (Although Dr. Pete Nichols is conspicuously absent from this episode). The two officers learn of a plot to assassinate their new buddies, so they keep Shirley and Knox in a jail cell as the four of them try to suss out which lower-level resident is a mole, secretly working for Bernard. It turns out the answer is the chef, who poisoned their food supply as well. But she did it all to save her mother. Knox promises she won’t be punished in the way I.T. normally would because Mechanical is a tight-knit community. I know I’ve complained about how Silo doesn’t give these characters many layers, so I appreciated seeing them come together here. 

Now if only Juliette can find a way to let her friends know “JL Lives” is the truth, right? Because unlike the edge-of-your-seat thrill and risk-taking of season one, season two has been a tougher act to like. Let’s hope the remaining three installments of Silo kick it up a notch. 

Stray observations: 

• • A key piece of information Bernard tells Lukas in the vault is that the silos were built 352 years ago, but he claims to not know why.
• • Walker spends “The Dive” in agony about rescuing her ex-wife, Carla, from Bernard’s captivity, while Carla doesn’t give in to his interrogation. This might all change now that Bernard has discovered Carla’s weak spot is Martha Walker.
• • I almost thought that while starting up the iPad in the vault, Bernard was about to say something along the lines of “Hey, Siri,” which would’ve been very funny.
• • Lukas is now living in the vault, where the “food is alright” and the “bed is comfortable,” but can someone please give him a pair of clean clothes?
• • Paul Billings, upon learning that Mechanical sent up that parachute with a warning note: “What was the message? That we’re insane down here”
• • Admittedly, Shirley and Knox’s icy cold, out-of-the-blue first kiss last week notwithstanding, I found their banter marginally cute when they were in that prison cell. Shane McRae deserves to have some lighthearted scenes to make this duo believable because he seems to sell that attitude.
• • The lighting in all the scenes in Silo 17 is not great, huh?