Steve Zahn crushes it in Silo’s game-changing penultimate episode

Silo works best when it dwells on the psychological impact of living under a monarchy—that’s just what it is—in an enclosed underground bunker with nowhere to escape. And yet, it seems like escape is what everyone’s looking for. Juliette (Rebecca Ferguson) is desperate to get out of Silo 17 and return home, fearing the loved ones she left behind will start a fatal revolution. In Silo 18, Sheriff Paul (Chinaza Uche), Shirley (Remmie Milner), Knox (Shane McRae), Lukas (Avi Nash), and a few others dare to dream about a life outside. So it’s not surprising that, in season two’s penultimate outing, their ideas and actions bear fruit, even if it took a few tedious episodes to get there. 

“The Safeguard” also adds more context to Juliette’s empathetic personality and provides answers about Solo’s (Steve Zahn) history. It ends on a jaw-dropping cliffhanger that could and probably will completely change the show’s premise. The episode is still bogged down by a certain degree of incredulousness, like expecting us to believe Mayor Bernard (Tim Robbins) has nothing better to do with his day. Is he sitting around and monitoring Martha Walker (Harriet Walter) on a screen like a mustache-twirling villain during an imminent rebellion and not meeting his shadow to whom he has given an important task? Give me a break. But the wins here seem far more thrilling than the losses considering how season two has drudged along. 

Let’s get the Silo 18 discussion out of the way first because of that aforementioned shocker of a closing scene. Lukas’ tireless efforts to break down Salvador Quinn’s code have yielded results thanks to Quinn's copy of the Pact. He’s found out about the 50 other silos, information that Bernard was already privy to. But Lukas doesn’t tell his IT boss that Quinn’s message includes a huge secret: There’s a tunnel at the bottom of the bunker. Everyone believes the water there is too deep, but it’s yet another lie that those in power have told residents to hide the existence of a possible pathway to the other Silos. Although there's a good chance Bernard knows about the tunnel, too, right? 

Lukas swiftly heads to the lower floors, winning Shirley with his sincerity about wanting to save Juliette and confessing he kissed her before she was caught. He feels bad about not helping Juliette and willingly risks his life to find that tunnel. Silo didn't really flesh out Juliette and Lukas' chemistry in season one, but the writing has at least developed him enough in season two to make his actions believable in "The Safeguard." Again, it's the kind of character development I wish several others, notably from Mechanical had gotten to make their storylines land with an impact instead of a thud. Anyway, it's good Lukas jumps in because those water levels are merely knee-length. Unlike Silo 17, the pumps are working perfectly fine here. So lo and behold, Lukas—who was suffering in the mines, his fate sealed—now stands at the gate.  

An A.I. voice stops him quickly, saying only three people have gotten to this point: Salvador Quinn, Mary Meadows (Tanya Moodie), and Juliette’s ex, George Wilkins (Ferdinand Kingsley). Quinn and Meadows were given the same directive that Lukas gets now, which is that if he tells anybody about his discovery, something called The Safeguard will activate. Whatever that entails, it sounds horrible, especially because there’s a strong chance Lukas will tell someone, most likely Shirley. I cannot wait for the finale to reveal—and it better—what mysteries lie in that tunnel. Since Silo 17's water might take time to reduce, it's not going to be anywhere as simple as simply walking over, is it? 

Meanwhile, Paul’s efforts to get in touch with Camille (Alexandria Riley) lead to a surprising conclusion. Paul, Knox, and Shirley deduce that if Camille helped them once, she might be inclined to do so again. However, Robert (Common) turns up at the barricade meeting point instead, willing to hear Paul out now that Bernard has ditched him. Look, I’ve complained enough about Common’s inability to bring all of Robert’s complex emotions to life. It remains the case in “The Safeguard.” The actor doesn’t make me believe that Robert could switch sides so fast or be open to helping out, even though Camille wisely tells him he can take advantage of the situation. But it is clear that Bernard doesn't have any major allies left. That dude should be thinking about self-preservation, not smirking at the computer. 

While all of this is going down in Silo 18, Juliette is a step closer to getting back. That is, once she sorts out the teeny tiny detail of three people trying to kill her. She comes face-to-face with people who are essentially family, except for one of them. Flashbacks reveal how these Silo 17 survivors have been observing Juliette since she got to their bunker and show their ringleader's attempts to kill her. But it’s not Juliette they want dead. It’s Solo, who murdered their friends when they attempted to enter the vault in search of food. 

After a lot of verbal back-and-forth and negotiations, Juliette is set free so she can roam around and figure out the vault’s code. In that process, she connects with the lonely Eater, who reveals the nickname comes from the others looking at her as just another mouth to feed. It might be one of the saddest bits of dialogue I’ve heard in Silo so far. Juliette also comes across a hidden suit, the kind she was searching for to safely head above ground. Solo conveniently never mentioned it, but she doesn’t hold it against him. 

Juliette, our compassionate queen, has emotionally connected with Solo despite their rocky start. She fully comprehends his fragile mental state. So instead of yelling at him or leaving him alone to deal with the newbies, she pacifies him and gently reminds him that he is not the IT shadow. In reality, he’s Jimmy, the son of Russell Conroy, who was the IT head during the rebellion. Solo was only 12 years old when it happened. We see in flashbacks how, in a state of panic and fear, he remained inside the vault instead of opening the door to let his father in and save him. He then watched his dad get shot and die. Since then, the poor guy has remained within those walls. Juliette has already deduced this, but it’s still an incredible moment when Solo confesses. Steve Zahn and Ferguson are truly the acting saving graces of Silo. Their scenes together are remarkably sweet. That shoulder touch! 

With no more bad blood between anyone, once Solo tearfully explains to the other survivors how their friends died, they all enter the vault to eat ice cream and listen to music, much to the joy of the kids. Juliette doesn’t indicate she’s leaving right away, but she might not need to if Lukas finds his way here in the future. Plus, maybe Solo will know how Juliette can communicate with Silo 18. The possibilities are endless after that insane cliffhanger. I’ll be impressed if Silo satisfactorily wraps this season up and reunites Juliette with her loved ones, but “The Safeguard” does a great job of setting up expectations. 

Stray observations

• • Did Audrey, Rick, and Eater know that Silo 17 was going to flood in less than a year and that Juliette just saved their asses? I hope she tells them in the finale. 
• • Similarly, I’m curious whether Solo knew that other people were still alive. And if he did, why didn’t he tell or warn Juliette?   
• • Paul is further motivated to support Mechanical because his wife also demands to learn about the outside world. Plus, Patrick Kennedy spurs her on by reminding her what Juliette’s last words were. 
• • Knox figures out Walker is the mole. I appreciate how he doesn’t blow her cover yet lets her know he understands why she did it. To top it all, he also makes up a fake plan for Bernard to overhear. Knox has climbed up on the list of my favorite Silo characters along with Paul Billings. 
• •Compliments to the production design for focusing on the differences between Silo 18 and 17's vaults. The former is almost clinical and new-looking, while Solo's home, so to speak, feels lived-in.
• • Do you think Martha Walker ever changes up her hairstyle? 
• • On a scale of one to 10, how big of a mistake is Paul making by trusting Robert to come through for them?