The first episode of Silo Season 2 was largely about Juliette’s journey from Silo 18 to Silo 17 and her coming to the realization that they weren’t exactly being lied to about the toxicity of the environment beyond the Silo. The lie was the images of the lush environment outside that were being leaked periodically to get a few souls already suffering from cabin fever to rebel and clean the optical sensors outside. Because if the cameras weren’t cleaned and the Silo residents’ view of the landscape was obstructed, they’d forget about the world they were living in. Anyway, the second episode of Season 2 brings the narrative back to Silo 18 to show the chaos that’s been created by the fact that Juliette had done the impossible: crossing the hill surrounding the Silo. At the end of Season 1, we saw Bernard expressing shock at this feat and rushing to some kind of war room to look at some monitors. The second episode brings us back to that moment to show us what he saw and how he acted on it.
Spoiler Alert
Silo 18 Is In Utter Chaos
Silo Season 2, episode 2, opens with the revelation that Bernard has access to the visor footage of Juliette Nichols, and that he’s seen the thousands of skeletons lying in front of Silo 17 and is shocked to his core. He then opens The Order, which is the rulebook for operating the Silo, and reads through the chapter that says that if someone refuses to clean the cameras, then the authorities should prepare for war. The alarms go off in the Silo, thereby prompting Bernard to leave his war room and deal with the people who are being told to return to their homes by an automated message that has been triggered by Sims to prevent any kind of rebellious activity after witnessing how Juliette had refused to clean the optical sensors. The sound of the sirens wakes up an inebriated Meadows. FYI, Meadows is technically the head of Judicial. I say “technically” because Judicial answers to Bernard, and Meadows’ presence is merely ceremonial and to maintain the image that Bernard isn’t a fascist. Meadows spent most of Season 1 trying to appoint Paul Billings as the new sheriff and expressing her disdain for the dissenting activities of Juliette, Mayor Jahns, and Deputy Sam Marnes. After the deaths of those last two characters, Meadows became a total recluse, and that’s when Juliette found out that Meadows didn’t have any real power, and that Bernard and Sims were calling the shots. Coming back to the events unfolding right now, Bernard (who is the Mayor Pro Tem) tells Sim to announce a curfew and an emergency meeting with the people of the Silo to address the ongoing situation. He bestows the powers of a sheriff on Sims and tells him to take his officers to apprehend Juliette’s father, Pete, in case he knows anyhing about Juliette’s stunt.
In addition to that, Bernard asks Sim to detain residents of the Deep Down, Walker, and her ex-wife, Carla, because they’re responsible for giving Juliette the good heat tape (instead of the standard one that got the sensor cleaner killed) that allowed her to go over the hill. Speaking about the Deep Down, it’s in utter chaos, and people are rabble-rousing in the cafeteria. Hank tries to calm them down, while Knox says that the people’s voices should be heard. Shirley points out the hypocrisy behind Knox’s sudden burst of revolutionary fervor because he is the one who reported Juliette’s location to Judicial when she was on the run in the first season. Knox tries to justify his actions by saying that he did what he did to protect the Deep Down. He even reprimands Shirley for being too rebellious, but Shirley isn’t in the mood to listen to him anymore. All this commotion is literally doused by Walker, who simply tells everyone to go back to work. However, work isn’t the same as before because of the changes that Bernard is making to it. That’s why Paul is shocked to learn that he has to answer to Sims of all people; meanwhile, Sims is trying to put forward a hunky-dory image instead of addressing how monumental Juliette’s action is. Since Sims doesn’t quell Paul’s queries about this “new normal,” the Chief Deputy asks Sims to at least put his last interaction with Juliette on the record. Sims clumsily puts together a story about Bernard trying to execute a non-disruptive arrest because Juliette had a “red-level” relic and then her making a run for it after saying that she wanted to “go out.” After that, according to Sims, Juliette was apprehended and sent out. Paul correctly points out that it doesn’t make sense that Juliette would try to escape the clutches of Judicial after saying that she wanted to go out. Sims, caught in his own lies, says some vague stuff about Juliette changing her mind after saying that she wants to exit the Silo, but that’s not enough to convince Paul that he is lying to him. By the way, Paul is under the impression that the aforementioned red-level relic (George Wilkins’s hard drive) was destroyed by Bernard. The truth is that he shattered the external casing of the hard drive but kept the disc that was in it.
Everyone Wants To Know About The Heat Tape
Shirley tries to make sense of the situation the Silo is in by conversing with Walker. They speculate about whether or not Juliette is alive and if the heat tape was the deciding factor in her survival, which it certainly was. Their conversation is interrupted by Hank, who arrests Walker, takes her to the Sheriff Department for questioning, and puts her in a cell with Carla. Meanwhile, Meadows finally decides to lay off her “medicine” after learning that Juliette not only refused to clean the cameras, but she also went over the hill, which is something that hasn’t happened in her lifetime, I guess. She decides to see the world as it is instead of clouding her judgment with whatever mind-numbing liquid that she is drinking (I think it’s some raw form of alcohol, like moonshine). Bernard arrives at Meadows’ doorstep in the hopes of utilizing her inebriated state to convince her to stand beside him while he addresses all the rumors and apprehensions that are circulating through the Silo. So, he is kind of shocked to learn that she is in her senses. Hence, instead of treating her like a puppet, Bernard answers Meadows’ questions about the role of the heat tape, the rebellion that he is so afraid of, and the images of the situation beyond the hill around Silo 18. Then, he asks her to help him figure out what he should do to avoid an all-out war, because The Order doesn’t have any directives for what the authorities should do if a cleaner goes beyond the hill. In return, Bernard promises to give Meadows whatever she wants.
Using “The Wizard of Oz” as an example (coincidentally, a sort of prequel to this story, Wicked, is out in theaters right now), Meadows tells Bernard that she’ll help him if he gives her everything she needs to survive the outdoors of the Silo. While Bernard decides his next steps, the initial embers of a war begin to form in the dark alleys of the Silo, where Shirley learns about Walker and Carla’s arrest. Shirley theorizes that Judicial wants to know about the heat tape that was used on Juliette’s suit because that’s what ensured her survival. Shirley even thinks that Judicial always knew that the heat tape that they were usually using wasn’t built to last on the outside, and that’s why they were so angry when Juliette stole, thereby exposing the difference in the quality of the heat tape used by IT and that used by Mechanical. Clara also feels that this is the reason why she and Walker have been apprehended, and she wants to take the fall for replacing IT’s heat tape with Mechanical’s. Walker thinks they can avoid punishment by simply denying their involvement in this whole debacle, but Clara says that once Judicial has set their sights on someone, they won’t stop until they admit to the charges being imposed upon them. Walker says that if it comes to it, then she’ll share the punishment with Clara. This whole conversation is recorded by a hidden camera in the vents, which means that Clara and Walker’s fates have been sealed.
Meadows Wants To Go Out Of The Silo
Bernard takes the stage and puts his own spin on the events that have happened so far by smartly planting fake critics, skeptics, hecklers, and dissenters in the crowd. He establishes the notion that Juliette is dead and that she went out there not because of her rebellious nature but because she wanted to sacrifice herself to see if the new heat tape developed by the Silo’s “technicians” actually worked or not. Bernard thanks Juliette for her contribution to the research and development of suits that could help their wearer survive the toxic air outside, thereby winning over the residents of the Silo because he “honors” Juliette while also showing that IT and Judicial have the people’s best interests in mind.
As promised earlier, Meadows backs up Bernard’s nonsense, and the people cheer for them. Shirley tries to burst this bubble that’s being created by IT by telling the folks the truth about the heat tape and how this “next-gen heat tape” that Bernard is talking about is just the heat tape that was being used by Mechanical, while IT kept sending out people with bad tape on their suits. Shirley says that the only reason Juliette survived the trip was because the tapes were changed at the last moment. A raider (the armed wing of the Judicial) tries to suppress Shirley’s voice, but Knox stands beside her. Knox’s attempt to win back Shirley’s trust doesn’t exactly work though, because we know that he is a spineless man who is secretly telling his workers to not make weapons that can be used in a war against IT and Judicial.
Shirley also learns that Knox had asked Cooper to follow her so that he could report her to Judicial too in case she tries to do anything drastic. However, Cooper refuses to report the truth about the meetings that Shirley and her friends partake in because he was Juliette’s shadow, and he is willing to support anyone who supports Juliette. Walker, after being released from her cell along with Clara, interrupts one of these meetings and deflates the rebels’ spirit a bit by saying that whatever they are planning to do will end up being a dud and the punishment will be borne by the entirety of the Deep Down. She warns Shirley of the consequences of her actions, but as soon as she senses the level of determination that Shirley and her partner have, Walker reveals that she is in support of the truth, even if it comes via a full-fledged revolutionary war. By the way, Shirley’s act of protest seemingly doesn’t actually make a difference because, as reported by Sims, the people have gobbled up Bernard’s propaganda. But the “JL” (“Juliette Lives”) graffiti popping up in the Silo says otherwise. Sims talks to Camille about Bernard and Meadows’ relationship and how the former is adamant about not having Sims as his shadow (because Meadows used to be Bernard’s shadow and he continues to consult her). This reveals the fact that even Sims doesn’t know everything about how Bernard’s mind works. Speaking about Meadows, she applauds Bernard’s transformation from an IT official to a full-fledged politician. That said, she tells Bernard that his plans of using brute force to suppress a revolution, if it springs up, aren’t going to work and will backfire. She advises him to give the people something to believe in. Bernard formally asks Meadows to be his shadow because she is the only person he’ll listen to, and he needs Meadows’ diplomatic acumen to weather this crisis.
At the end of Silo Season 2, episode 2, Meadows accepts the job offer, but she asks him to give her some of that heat tape that had helped Juliette to survive the great outdoors because once she has helped him avert the looming crisis, she is going to walk out. Now, why does she want to do that? Well, based on the Wizard of Oz analogy that Meadows uses earlier, she feels like a fraud for ignoring her duties for several decades. She knows how many lives she has ruined, and she has a rough idea of the number of lives she is about to ruin by siding with Bernard. That’s why, at the end of this whole ordeal, she wants to wear the suit (Oz had his hot air balloon, and Meadows has a suit with the heat tape that isn’t defective) to face the toxic air outside instead of being confronted by her neighbors in the Silo. I don’t think Bernard, or anyone for that matter, can deny a resident’s wish to go outside, but given how conniving Bernard is, he is going to milk the hell out of Meadows and her skills before letting her go. Even then, there’s the question of whether or not he is going to give her the good tape because he wouldn’t like the people of the Silo to see yet another person go over the hill.
