Silo caps off season two with an electrifying finale

The sound of a ticking clock opening Silo’s finale is appropriate as it it represents not only the most welcome quick pace of the hour but also the countdown facing the residents of Silo 18. If only the middle episodes had a similar momentum, the show wouldn’t have been such a slog. While the Apple TV+ series started its second season strong, it’s undeniable that there have only been a few genuinely galvanizing moments recently. Silo has suffered because of its inconsistency, but the closing installment tries to make up for it. “Into The Fire” is a crackling closer that opens up a can of worms begging to be let out. 

So perhaps we should start at the very end of this episode because of how surreal it feels to watch the real world in Silo, with shots of rain falling on the sidewalk, people zooming by on the streets, a lit-up Capitol Hill, a crowded bar, and what appears to be a date. Succession’s Ashley Zukerman and Iron Fist’s Jessica Henwick guest star as a freshman Georgia congressman and a mysterious woman, respectively. Their hangout isn’t romantic, as he presumed, despite both of them vibing with each other. Any lingering sweetness goes away when she reveals her true intentions. She wants to know whether the government has made plans to retaliate against Iran for its radiological attack on the U.S. And just like that, we have an inkling of how and why the underground bunkers were created as a safety net. 

Zukerman and Henwick are bound to return to Silo because it seems they’re crucial to the plan. Before he walks out, unable to answer her inquiry, he gives her a last-minute present he bought her. It’s a PEZ dispenser with a yellow duck on it. Did it look familiar? That’s because it’s the same relic George Wilkins (Ferdinand Kingsley) gifted Juliette (Rebecca Ferguson) in season one that she later planted in the home of a Judicial agent to investigate George’s death. It’s an incredible nugget to drop before making us wait for season three, but this cliffhanger promises the next round of Silo probably has more answers than roundabout questions. It’s a shift I cannot wait for because it’ll spawn more outings like “Into The Fire.” 

Now that we know the teensiest lore of the silos, let’s see how one of them might just be destroyed when season three rolls around. Any ounce of peace in Silo 18 goes for a toss in this finale. The Mechanical versus IT war arrives in full swing, with Knox (Shane McRae), Shirley (Remmie Milner), Billings (Chinaza Uche), and Hank (Billy Postelwaithe) taking the fight to the higher floors. Yes, they’re still discussing their plans in Martha’s (Harriet Walter) room, but it’s for their benefit. They all know Mayor Bernard (Tim Robbins) is listening, thanks to Martha communicating this secretly via hand signals that Mechanical’s crew uses. 

They want Bernard to hear how they plan to attack the barricade and blow up the generator so the mayor can send all his soldiers to defend against them. He falls for the trap, and everything seems to be going his way—even Carla (Clare Perkins) refuses to forgive her ex-wife for betraying Mechanical to rescue her. But his happiness is short-lived when he realizes he’s been played. The real agenda was for Deputy Hank and Paul Nichols (Iain Glen) to cause a distraction with a bomb, but the timer fell without them realizing it. Left with no choice, Paul decides to manually cross the wires and cause an explosion with him standing over it, leaving Hank with a goodbye message for his daughter if Juliette ever returns home. R.I.P, Dr. Paul Nichols, we hardly knew ye. But I will miss Glen’s jarring American accent. 

If Bernard thinks the detonation blowing up the stairs from floors 90 to 92—leaving Silo essentially split into two halves—was the worst part of his day, oh it’s about to get much worse. He learns the full truth from Lukas (Avi Nash) about the Safeguard Protocol, which is that “they” can pump poisonous gas into the bunker at any point and kill all 10,000 residents. Who are they? We don’t know, but they could have something to do with the existence of 51 and not 50 silos that Bernard mentioned to Lukas last week. It sounds like an entity of people living in a secret bunker have access to the rest of the silos, but let’s wait for season three to confirm that. Once again, thanks to this incredible reveal, things are only looking up for this sci-fi saga.  

Shaken to his core that his efforts have been for nothing, Bernard dumps IT shadow duties on Robert (Common) and locks himself up like a coward in the jail area. He’s in there almost alone because his prisoners—Shirley, Knox, Carla, and Paul—have escaped because Paul’s employees still trust him. I will say, Robbins has never been better in Silo than he is in “Into The Fire.” He’s a strong performer who makes it difficult to completely dislike Bernard, bringing nuance to his character’s rough decisions. With Mechanical now having control over IT, things are going well until Patrick Kennedy (Rick Gomez) convinces the charged crowd that they need to head outside because the world is still livable. He’s wrong and an idiot, but it’s easy to get swept up in the notion of freedom if you’ve lived underground under subjugation. While we know the air is still toxic, Silo makes it easy to see why regular citizens want a meaningful—not a monotonous and suppressed—life. 

Thankfully, Juliette makes her grand entrance just in time to stop them, displaying a note telling them it’s not safe. How’d she make it back? Well, after brokering harmony between the Silo 17 survivors led by Audrey (Georgina Sadler) and Solo (a.k.a. Jimmy [Steve Zahn]), they all come together to help her get out. She gets the suit she needs, tested by her new BFF Jimmy by going underwater. (He didn’t drown so the suit works!) This lovely gesture cements their friendship. She says “Nothing is going to stop [her] from trying” to come find him once she’s saved her friends. And you just know Juliette means it. Silo, as meandering with its pace as it’s been, has at least thoughtfully evolved Juliette and Jimmy’s bond. 

Her journey to go into Silo 18 halts almost immediately when she faces off against Bernard in the gateway corridor. He wants to go out for “a fucking moment of peace,” something he doesn’t deserve for being a non-curious, strict rule follower. She tells him she knows about the Safeguard Protocol and has a way to stop it. That’s thanks to Jimmy, whose mother worked on floor 14, where the poison lies. But Bernard doesn’t care anymore. He knows “who” might get them killed but not why, but it’s too late because his position as IT leader has been meaningless. Before he can do anything, Juliette steps inside, and the door shuts close as fire rolls out. 

Huh? This little twist comes out of nowhere before we cut to that aforementioned closing scene set a century or so ago in Washington, D.C. It’s an abrupt way to end Juliette’s homecoming.Where’s the reunion with her friends or her finding out that her dad sacrificed himself? Silo saves those emotional beats for season three, choosing to bring only action into the finale because it was largely missing from season two. The show desperately needed this movement, and it has me excited for what the final couple of seasons have in store. 

Stray observations 

• • Was Juliette’s outburst at Audrey, who has been fairly irksome, the most satisfying Silo scene ever? And even then, in typical fashion, Juliette conveys her frustration and points with so much empathy. 
• • I’m wondering why Martha couldn’t just use the hand gestures to let the others know right away that Bernard is using her as a spy instead of waiting until Knox comes to her room to discuss their plans. 
• • Did Juliette really believe a random crowbar-like object would open the hefty Silo 18 doors? Girl, you’ve got the arm muscles, but come on. 
• • Robert is the IT shadow but when he gets to the vault, the Algorithm kicks him and his son out, asking only his wife Camille (Alexandria Riley) to stay back. Ouch. But also it’s a wise choice. 
• • My request to the writers of Silo is to spend time fleshing out the supporting characters to add weight to the show’s themes. Until next time!