The finale of Silo Season 2 sees a return for Juliette, but not exactly a return to form for the show. After a lackluster sophomore season with only a glimmer of hope in the penultimate episode, the season’s ending was disappointing. In fact, there was nothing particularly unique about the second season apart from the opening episode, which did something out of context by allowing a slow-burn character moment for Juliette.
The rebellion is here, but with Juliette’s struggle, we don’t know what the future holds for her or the silo in particular. Or, if it does hold something, will it actually be interesting enough to come back for a third round? Assuming that this is one of Apple TV+’s more popular shows, a Season 3 of Silo is almost a certainty. However, the way this season did not delve into anything political about the entire structure or the way it is being run did take away from its more emotionally resonant moments.
Anyway, in the following article, we will take a look at the final three episodes of Silo Season 2 (i.e., Episodes 8, 9 & 10), particularly the finale, and what that strange and vague ending means. If you still haven’t seen the show, please make sure you come back because this is going to be loaded with spoilers.
Silo (Season 2) Episode 8 “The Book of Quinn” Recap:
Why does Lukas Kyle Kyle track Salvador Quinn’s descendants?
Episode 8 begins with Shirley writing Cooper’s name on the wall in the deep down. This wall is like a remembrance wall, filled with the names of all who died during the last rebellion. Later, at the cafeteria, when she meets Billings, she suggests he join their forces because if he continues to work systematically the way the pact has been advising them, the truth will always prevail, and justice will never be served.
This is a direct reference to how the system, the ‘pact,’ is made by those abusing power to control the vulnerable, and people like Bernard Holland are just playing with the Silo residents and will continue abusing them. Meanwhile, Billings and his wife get into a confrontation when Kathleen learns about a picture from the before time. Even though the picture is a red-level relic (which Billings found in Juliette’s room and never submitted to the judicial), Billings hesitantly shows his wife the picture, which is of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Kyle, now using his Mayor’s shadow authority, has been digging deeper into decoding Salvador Quinn’s message, which leads him to Judge Meadow’s apartment. There, he uncovers more clues by going through her books, eventually finding an old copy of the pact belonging to Quinn. It turns out that his descendants have kept it safe and passed it down since the rebellion 140 years ago. Kyle tracks down the descendant, discovering that Terrance Pennbrook and his family have been trying to cover up their mistakes, believing that Quinn’s actions had tarnished their lives.
What does Sims warn Lukas Kyle Kyle about?
Kyle, stuck in a loop with Quinn’s puzzling message, meets Holland and learns that Quinn’s decision to allow the rebellions to wipe history and burn the books was, in fact, a heroic act. This was the only reason the Silo has remained in place and at peace for 140 years. Salvador Quinn believed that erasing all information about the rebellions would help maintain peace within the Silo walls, preventing anyone from being inspired to resist. He also added a memory-erasing drug to the water supply, ensuring that no one would remember the “before time.” However, this action caused the Mechanicals to suffer, as they were always blamed for any chaos or even the smallest uprisings.
Kyle, conflicted, returns to Pennbrook and explains to them, correcting their belief that Quinn was a hero who practically saved Silo. Since Meadows had visited them before for the same reason, they believe Kyle’s word this time. Meanwhile, Kyle is able to translate Quinn’s message, which states, “If you’ve gotten this far, you already know the game is rigged.”
However, before he can meet Holland, Kyle is confronted by Sims, who tells him that Holland is not the friend Kyle believes him to be, and that sooner or later, after using him, Holland will definitely throw him back into the mines. (We also see Camille trying to manipulate Rick digging into what the Mayor’s new shadow has been up to. Soon, Sims arranges a secret meeting with Rick, who shares Kyle’s movements. This leads Sims to grab Quinn’s pact and issue a fair warning to him.)
Silo (Season 2) Episode 8 “The Book of Quinn” Ending Explained:
Who is the mole in Mechanical?
In the meantime, Martha, hoping to save her ex-wife Carla from seclusion, becomes the next target of Holland’s plans. Unfortunately, to save Carla, Martha must become Holland’s eyes and ears, keeping him updated on the Mechanicals’ plans. She is also forced to keep her camera on at all times so Holland can track her movements. He warns her that if she tries to outsmart him, he can take actions against Carla that could cause issues far graver than her current health conditions.
Meanwhile, Amundsen and the raiders catch Teddy and a group of rebels at gunpoint. Shirley suspects this could only happen because of a snitch within the Mechanical, but never in her wildest dreams can she imagine Martha to be the traitor, especially since the entire Mechanical view her as their fearless warrior.
Are there any survivors in Silo no. 18?
The story moves to Silo No. 18, where Juliette is dumbfounded and shocked to discover that Solo is missing. An axe lies nearby, and a trail of blood winds around the staircase. To her horror, Juliette starts experiencing symptoms Solo had previously warned her about: due to a lack of proper decompression after being underwater, she feels uneasy, with ringing in her ears and shooting pain on her leg. She tries to treat the pain by submerging herself back into the water as deeply as she can, clutching the edges of a rope she found.
Once she recovers, Juliette follows the trail of blood, only to discover that Solo has been killed. As she tries to understand the scene, a voice from the shadows claims to have killed Solo and threatens to kill Juliette if she doesn’t leave. Juliette reacts and shouts for them to just take what Solo has, but the shadow shoots her with an arrow, wounding her in the chest. Juliette retreats to the supply room, bandages herself using antibiotics, and gears up with a makeshift shield.
She then moves several levels up, only to find a body lying on the ground. However, when she tries to approach the body, she is attacked again. Struggling to escape her attackers, Juliette rips off one of their helmets, revealing the face of a young girl. The episode ends just as Juliette begins to fathom what is happening, with two more strangers—a girl and a boy—aiming a bow and arrow at her.
Silo (Season 2) Episode 9 “The Safeguard” Recap:
Episode 9 takes us back to the moment Juliette entered Silo No. 18, providing a much-needed explanation of the events that concluded the previous episode. It turns out that Solo was not the only person alive in this Silo. Five more people (including a boy and a young nursing mother with an infant, a teenaged girl and young boy) have created a makeshift survival haven for themselves, hiding far from Solo without his knowledge and even referring to him as the “Killer.”
The episode depicts moments when these survivors discover that Juliette has entered their silo, potentially posing a threat to them. The group devises a plan to eliminate Juliette; however, her persistence makes them feel increasingly threatened. Upon seeing Solo, they further plot to kill him in order to access the vault and secure food.
We see how the events of the previous episode unfolded, and how the group caught Solo off guard while overlooking water pressure when Juliette was underwater. The group which is led by Rick and Audrey, somehow manages to pin down Juliette and order her to find the right codes to enter the vault or else they will kill Solo if she tries to outsmart them. One of the members of the group named Eater tags along with Juliette as Audrey blames the young girl for the death of her parents. Juliette and Eater (who later shares her name as Hope) look around different levels only to go back to the room where Juliette tried to work on the makeshift breathing tool to be underwater.
How did Solo become the IT shadow?
While looking around, Hope relies on Juliette and even asks to go outside with her in exchange for helping her find the code. Looking at the dead corpses right outside the Vault’s entrance, Hope recognizes Chase and Tess (Audrey’s father and Rick’s mother). We learn that these young kids lost their parents a long time ago, especially Hope, whose mother was only a child during the rebellion wars. Back when the group was running out of food, Chase and Tess had tried to open the Vault but were killed by Solo, leading the rest of the kids to hold grudges against Eater, who was adopted by Audrey’s parents.
Juliette also learns that Chase and Tess had tried to break the code but failed, prompting her to revisit the chalk room (where she had figured out a way to breathe underwater). Using the numbers written on the chalkboard, Juliette tries to decipher the code and uses two of them, but she fails, leaving her with only one attempt left for the day before the keypad locks for 24 hours. It is during this time that Juliette realizes the truth about Solo’s identity while connecting the dots from Eater’s stories about the past. It turns out that Solo was not just an assistant to the IT head, Russell Conroy, but was, in fact, his son.
Juliette then goes back to Rick and Audrey and tries to convince them to let her speak to Solo. Juliette gently persuades Solo, whose real name is Jimmy, to share the trauma he has been carrying all this time. Initially hesitant, Jimmy eventually reveals that he was only 12 years old when the rebellion began, and he stayed inside the Vault under his father’s orders not to let anyone enter. However, the silo’s sheriff shot his father right outside the Vault door. When Juliette coaxes him to share the Vault’s code—because the group also had a small baby to feed—Jimmy finally leads them to the Vault, unveiling the legacy we witnessed in a previous episode when Lukas Kyle was introduced to the Vault by Holland.
In the meantime, we see Juliette discovering a spare suit that had been hidden by the IT shadow in case of emergencies. Jimmy returns Juliette’s suit and even thanks her in his own way after realizing that she stayed back to save his life.
Silo (Season 2) Episode 9 “The Safeguard” Ending Explained:
Which side do Paul Billings and Robert Sims finally pick?
Back in Silo 17, Paul and his wife finally pick a side and help Knox and Shirley in defying the Judicial’s abuses of power. However, Shirley suggests that instead of using Paul as the direct point of contact due to the publicity surrounding his opposition to Bernard, they should choose Camille Sims as an ally. Paul, however, opts for Robert Sims and secretly shares a picture of the mountain, letting him decide what to do next.
Meanwhile, we see the Sims family deciding together to side with the rebellion for the sake of their child. As the mechanical team opposes Bernard and may soon take him down, the duty of the protecting the Silo will most likely fall upon Robert Sims to seize all the power and use it for a good cause. On the other hand, Knox confides in Martha about seeking Paul’s help to rescue Carla. During their conversation, Holland continues to spy on them through Martha’s camera. Later, Knox accuses Teddy’s mother of being the mole, leading Holland to believe that his manipulation tactics with Martha are still effective.
Is it the algorithm in control of everything in the Silo?
All this time, we see Lukas Kyle struggling to break Quinn’s code. After extensive research and digging through all available resources, he finally realizes that he must hide Quinn’s copy of the document. So, he takes the book and asks his mother to hide it in a place where no one will ever find it. He then manages to get through the barricade and catches Shirley’s attention by mentioning Juliette and George Wilkins. In exchange for information about Juliette being alive, he convinces Shirley to take him down to the Silo’s lowest level, which used to be Juliette and George’s safe space.
Lukas then shares with Shirley that Juliette could possibly still be alive despite the camera on her helmet being turned off. He doesn’t tell Shirley about Juliette being in another Silo but, looking around the area, he suggests that the water levels at the bottom of the Silo are not high enough to drown in. He theorizes that this is a lie designed to prevent people from discovering a hidden tunnel. Shirley leaves Lukas to fend for himself on his quest to go further down.
After climbing down the path, he finds his hunch to be true and makes his way through the tunnel. However, while exploring the deep, dark passage, an automated voice scares him. The voice, which instantly recognizes him, comes from behind a giant iron-locked door and demands to know his purpose. Lukas explains that he followed Salvador Quinn’s instructions. The voice reveals that before him, only three others had made it this far—Quinn, Meadow, and George Wilkins (with whom the voice could never interact).
Episode 9 ends with the voice warning Lukas not to speak of this conversation with anyone, or the safeguard will be triggered. Lukas confirms that he understands the terms and conditions of the role of an IT shadow.
Silo (Season 2 Finale) Episode 10 “Into The Fire” Recap:
The Season 2 finale, i.e., Episode 10, opens with Shirley letting Dr. Nichols know that there’s a high probability Juliette is alive. However, more pressing matters are at play when Knox announces that they are not playing by the rules anymore and that it’s time for the rebellion to take full swing as they ready themselves for war. Meanwhile, in Silo 18, Juliette is gearing up to leave as soon as she has everything she wants with her. Jimmy, who has opened the gates of his humble abode to the other survivors of the Silo, reminisces about the time he spent with his parents. This leads him to stumble upon the “Safeguard procedure,” which makes him want to rush back to Juliette before she can leave.
Back in Silo 17, Knox, Shirley, Martha, Billings, and the others are in Martha’s workshop, discussing a possible plan they have made about attacking IT, completely unaware that Holland is keeping a close eye and ear on everything happening in mechanical. Knox explains that they will be attacking the barricade and then creating a massive explosion that will essentially blow up the generator, cutting off electricity for the entire Silo.
Lukas Kyle, who is now aware of something truly horrible, comes back up from the down-deep. Kyle uncovered two pivotal truths: the existence of 51 silos and the underground network of tunnels connecting them. However, his discovery was met with a chilling warning from the Algorithm, which activated the Safeguard Procedure to keep him from revealing the secrets.
Bernard, believing the plan is in action, orders Amundsen to deploy raiders to the generator room, unaware of the rebels’ true intentions. During the chaos, Lukas is captured. Knox, Shirley, and others put up a brave fight against Bernard’s forces but are eventually overpowered and detained in makeshift holding cells in the cafeteria.
Meanwhile, Bernard appears relieved after checking his keychain—an object believed to signal the Algorithm’s judgment on Silo 18. As long as it doesn’t flash, Bernard assumes his silo remains under control.
Elsewhere, Camille directs Robert to locate Bernard and obtain the vault key, as it’s the safest refuge. Lukas, however, remains tight-lipped about his findings, frustrating Shirley and the others. Walker, seeking to manipulate Bernard further, volunteers to confront him in person, setting the stage for the next phase of the rebellion.
Who dies in Silo Season 2 Finale?
Walker’s meeting with Bernard is a calculated distraction. While Bernard gloats about thwarting the rebels’ plans to rig the generator, Dr. Nichols and Hank prepare a hidden set of explosives on the 90th level. When the bomb’s timer mechanism malfunctions, Dr. Nichols decides to stay behind and manually detonate it, sacrificing himself for the cause. Before parting, he entrusts his watch to Hank with a message for Juliette: “She’s perfect.”
The delayed explosion rattles Bernard, disrupting his operations. Deputy Molly takes advantage of the chaos to free the imprisoned rebels, reuniting them with Walker and Hank. The explosion’s damage isolates the generator room, cutting off Bernard’s reinforcements and leaving him vulnerable. Lukas confronts Bernard, revealing critical information that causes the latter to lose all hope. Bernard names Robert as his shadow, handing him the keychain and vault code, a move necessitated by the Algorithm’s protocols.
Back in Silo 17, Jimmy reflects on his past and retrieves his father’s protective suit. Juliette learns about the Safeguard Procedure from Jimmy, who explains that it’s a protocol designed to exterminate silo residents during uprisings or breaches. Jimmy recalls how his parents once disabled the procedure, enabling some survivors to escape. He and Juliette theorize that the Safeguard is triggered not by the outside environment but by internal mechanisms designed to maintain control.
While searching for the procedure’s trigger on level 14, they hear the explosion from Silo 18. Realizing time is running out, Juliette prioritizes returning to Silo 18, but her plan faces a setback when Solo’s father’s suit is found damaged. After a brief confrontation with Audrey, Jimmy tests the suit underwater to ensure its integrity. His selfless gesture solidifies his bond with Juliette, who bids farewell to the group, vowing to return once Silo 18 is safe.
As Bernard dons his suit and heads to the airlock, Kennedy rallies a crowd intent on breaching the silo doors to see the outside world. Knox, Shirley, and others attempt to stop the mob, but they are overwhelmed. Meanwhile, Robert confronts Lukas about his cryptic warnings, but Lukas maintains his silence, hinting that the Safeguard Procedure has already been activated. Lukas advises Robert to take his family to the vault, where they can survive while the rest of the silo perishes.
Unbeknownst to them, Juliette back to Silo 18 just in time to halt the crowd. She first cleans, unlike the last time, and then flashes the message writer on a cloth that it is not safe for the residents to go outside as the toxic air will kill them in seconds.
Are Juliette and Bernard dead?
Juliette enters Silo 18 as Bernard prepares to exit through the airlock. They discuss the Safeguard Procedure, with Juliette determined to uncover the truth behind it. Bernard resigned to his fate, insists on leaving, even as Juliette tries to stop him. In a tragic twist, both are trapped in the airlock as it activates its purging system, engulfing them in flames. Are they dead? We don’t know and it’s likely they aren’t.
Silo (Season 2 Finale) Episode 10 “Into the Fire” Ending, Explained:
Who are the people we see in the flashback sequence?
Before the season ends, the makers, for the first time, shift the direction of the show to a flashback that moves out of the Silo system.
The epilogue, shifts to a flashback set in Washington, DC, during the 2030s or 2040s. We see a congressman (Ashley Zukerman) meeting up with a woman (played by Jessica Henick) for a date. However, he soon realizes that the woman is not there for a date, but to get more out of him as she is a journalist looking for a story. The two of them discuss a radioactive dirty bomb that was blamed on Iran. The conversation is pretty vague but we can sense hints of political manipulation and the origins of the silo system.
Unable to have a real connection with the journalist, the congressman decides to leave the conversation, but before he does leave the restaurant, he gifts her a PEZ dispenser, a relic later seen in Season 1. Hinting that the woman would eventually become a resident of Silo 18 since the relic was later found by George Wilkins and later by Juliette.
