Silo (Season 1) Episodes 1, 2 & 3 Recap & Ending, Explained: Apple TV+ is making everyone’s head turn with its mind-boggling content. Their latest addition, Silo, is a 10-part adaptation of Hugh Howey’s first book from the best-selling trilogy – Wool series. The series has phenomenal world-building, and guess what? The world resides entirely underground. The plot is based on a futuristic confinement with multiple levels. The Silo is an autonomous structure built to create a protective shield from the toxic, uninhabitable world outside.
The story is thrilling, but with each episode, the plot thickens, revealing more about this world and how the people function inside. Drawing resemblances to Bong Joon-ho‘s Snowpiercer (2013) and the political subtext aken to Frank Herbert’s Dune, the series delves into casteism, internal politics, and cutthroat approaches among the people in power. Silo’s creator, Graham Yost, has meticulously assembled a great ensemble cast, including the incredibly talented Rebecca Ferguson, Rashida Jones, Tim Robbins, and David Oyelowo, to name a few.
Set in a dystopian world filled with ruins and a toxic future, a large community resides inside a giant underground structure called Silo with hundreds of levels. The people live their lives full of regulations supposedly meant to protect them from the outside world. The protagonists dig deep into the real story of Silo and the people responsible to control thousands of innocent lives.
*Spoiler Alert*
Silo (Season 1) Episodes 1, 2 & 3 Recap:
Episode 1 – Freedom Day
Episode 1 of Silo (Season 1) begins with Holstan (David Oyelowo) scribbling a note and preparing himself for the day – which changes everything. The camera then pans to reveal an enormous base known as the Silo, where thousands have sought refuge in the face of an impending apocalypse. The Silo’s design appears tailored to sustain life in this post-apocalyptic world, with countless levels resembling a sprawling staircase.
Within its walls, the inhabitants are segregated based on social class and assigned to specific levels. Struggling to comprehend their purpose within the Silo, the people adhere rigorously to a set of rules, uncertain of the truth about their existence. While they remain unaware of the best time to go outside, one thing remains clear: that time is not now.
As the story unfolds, we learn that Holstan holds the position of Sheriff within the Silo and is on his way to Holding 3. He looks outside through the window, locks the door behind him, and deliberately tosses the key out. He tells his colleague, Deputy Marnes (Will Patton), that he wishes to go outside. The scene then transitions to a flashback, taking us back to Holstan’s previous life alongside his partner, Allison.
We are soon introduced to the lives of Allison (Rashida Jones) and Holston as they aim to conceive a child. Determined to expand their family, they find themselves on their third attempt. Following clearance from the division doctor (Iain Glen), who removes Allison’s birth control implant; they are granted a one-year window to fulfill their dream. Despite her age of 38 and the lingering uncertainties that cloud her mind, Allison maintains a hopeful perspective, believing that fate may yet be on their side.
While enjoying a meal at the community dining hall, Gloria approaches Allison. Holston is not too fond of Gloria (Sophie Thompson) and doubts that she can manipulate others into doing what she wants. Meanwhile, we see an automated time screen at their place that prominently displays the remaining days for conception.
Allison works as a reporter, and her boss, Bernard, in the IT department (Tim Robbins), wants her to follow the rules. Allison is breaking the rules and asking questions regarding the rebels from the before times. One of the basic rules of Silo is not to ask such questions. When she shares the episode with her husband, Holston doesn’t like how his wife deals with such things. He explains to her that it is his job to keep the Silo doors shut so that nothing from the outside gets inside.
In the following scene, we find Allison meeting Gloria in private. As they sit in the safe space at Gloria’s place, she runs the tap of her kitchen sink to ensure their conversations remain unheard by anyone from the Judicial. Gloria believes that Allison often wonders many things, including why she can’t conceive. Gloria then explains that there might be a conspiracy theory behind this, leaving Allison overwhelmed, and she decides to leave.
Allison then meets George Wilkins (Ferdinand Kingsley), a repair guy. He is a big fan of her work and has even printed out her latest post online, knowing those in power would inevitably take it down. George prefers to maintain a low profile to avoid drawing the attention of the Judicial. After their encounter, he reveals to Allison that he has stumbled upon an old hard drive that could be over 140 years old.
In Silo, anything from before time is considered a relic, most of which have been destroyed. However, Allison and George dig deep into the contents of the hard drive after much contemplation. While the people of Silo are occupied in the celebrations of Freedom Day with the Mayor (Geraldine James) and other influential Judicial members, Allison and George make a shocking discovery on the drive as they find Silo blueprints.
Allison is taken aback by this finding, realizing the drive is a potential relic. She instructs George to destroy it, fully aware that possessing such forbidden items could have severe consequences for them in this regulated world of Silo.
Allison then leaves and heads back to Gloria’s place to understand better what is happening within the confines of the great Silo. The scene shifts back and forth as Allison visits Gloria and George, gradually solving the mystery surrounding Silo. Meanwhile, she lies to Holston about being preoccupied with work, inadvertently sacrificing precious moments they could spend trying to conceive.
On one of her visits to George, just before departing, Allison draws attention to a file containing a shocking revelation. It exposes a truth deliberately concealed by the authorities of Silo. Inside the file is a video capturing the actions of a cleaner named Jane, who was sent outside to clean. As Jane completes her task and turns around, the footage reveals the astonishing sight of birds flying. This finding shocks both George and Allison, as it signifies a paradigm shift in their understanding of the world within Silo.
Upon returning to her place, when Holston inquires about her well-being, Allison assures him that she will be fine, subtly avoiding revealing any details of her ongoing investigations.
In the meantime, their window of opportunity for conceiving a baby ends. The following day, as Holston waits for Allison at the doctor’s clinic, she fails to appear. Filled with worry, Holston visits her at her workplace only to discover that she is already home. Holston then rushes back home to find his wife anxiously waiting for him.
Allison quickly gets up and runs the tap, creating a private space to share everything she has recently discovered. Realizing that her husband would need proof, she shows him the birth control implant she had removed using a knife. Shocked and alarmed, Holston realizes that his wife has cut herself open. He then immediately rushes to seek medical assistance for her.
While seeking help, Holston discovers Allison at the cafeteria, where she is exposing the truth to everyone present. She reveals the web of deceit spun by the Judicial, who have kept them all blindfolded with lies. However, nobody pays attention to her words, making Allison believe she has gone crazy.
To Holston’s horror, Allison demands to go outside, disregarding the consequences. Uttering the phrase “I wish to go outside” is considered a grave offense within the confines of Silo, and with that, the authorities handcuff Allison’s wrists and take her away.
As the Judicial prepare for Allison’s departure from Silo, Gloria and George are also taken in for further questioning. Meanwhile, Holston starts to think that his wife’s condition is deterred due to the stress of their unsuccessful attempts at conceiving. However, despite the challenges, Allison remains determined to uncover the actual truth. She firmly believes there is far more to the story of Silo than the authorities have led them to believe.
Allison is securely strapped and prepared for the long-awaited exit. The Mayor enters the scene, ready to deliver the monologue accompanying every convict who dares to go outside. Once released from the confines of the Silo, Allison has to clean the exterior walls of the Silo. However, this assignment comes with the grim understanding that she will be permanently banished from the grounds upon completion.
Holston takes a deep breath with a heavy heart and begins reciting his oath, emphasizing that Silo’s walls are safe and the outside is not. As the final moments before departure approach, Allison turns to Holston, expressing her love for him as her last words. Allison takes her first steps outside while Holston, filled with mixed emotions, presses the button to open the main gate, ushering her into the unknown world beyond the Silo.
Upon climbing the colossal stairs and finally emerging outside, Allison cleans the window using the cloth provided. Once she completes her task, she begins to walk away from the Silo structure but collapses under the shade of nearby trees. Within the Silo, the people assume she is dead, but is she?
The episode then jumps in time, two years into the present, where we see a grief-stricken Holston. Devastated by the loss of his wife, he wrestles with the weight of his sorrow. Meanwhile, following his transfer to a mechanical position, George’s unexpected death raises suspicions. However, Juliette Nichols (Rebecca Ferguson), an engineer within the department, strongly believes that George’s death was not a suicide but rather a murder.
Episode 2 – Holston’s Pick
Episode 2 begins with everyone gathered in the dining area. Holston is preparing for his departure from the Silo. He apologizes to everyone for all the fuss. Once out, he climbs up the long stairs to the outside world. As Holston reaches the surface, he cleans the camera lens and continues. However, before moving further, he chokes and collapses on the ground beside his wife’s lifeless body.
Meanwhile, Julitte, watching everything from the window with the others inside the Silo, becomes furious and calls Holston a liar. She storms off and heads down to her engineering unit. Fueled by rage, she throws one of her tools, hitting the bustling pipe that streams fresh water.
On the other hand, after the Sheriff’s departure, the Mayor and the deputy in charge are figuring out who will take the next position of the Sheriff. There have been 97 sheriffs, and rebellions are taking over the streets. The lack of law and order in Silo also doesn’t look well for the future. Sims (Common) shows up and start handling things discretely.
In the present time, we also learn that George has died earlier, and Juliette is convinced someone murdered him. We also know he wanted to show Juliette something before his death, including a letter and a Pez dispenser. His untimely death connects to the last few moments when Holston meets Juliette for the first time. Till this time, what we know is that George fell from 100 feet at 3 am, and there are no key witnesses.
In Silo, committing suicide is a crime, and Juliette tells Holston that George would never do so. She also tells him that he left a note for her and didn’t want the sheriff to rat her out to the Judicial. Holston agrees and tells her that he found it somewhere else. Juliette then shows him the letter George had left for her that mentions, “Remember where you last saw this?” She then leads Holston to a secret area hidden down the tunnel. They grab a torch and follow the stairs, leading them to a big open space.
Juliette shows Holston the giant digging machine the founders had hidden because there is no way to take it out after it was used to build the Silo. However, they had taken the necessary materials from it and left the wreckage hidden away from the Silo people. All of this shocks Holston as he is unaware of the world that has been well hidden from him and the people. The duo then reaches the campsite where George often used to settle while he worked on his investigation to find out the truth.
Juliette takes out a hidden box that holds all sorts of relics from the world before and shares that George used to sell or trade relics in his spare time. However, Juliette notices a string piece that leads them to suspended steel. The string is attached to a bag that has more relics inside. There is also an instruction on recovering deleted files written by Allison. They also find a computer drive, but Holston tells Juliette not to be too curious.
We then go back to the present time in Deputy Marnes’ office, where he has a letter from Holston. Holston wishes Juliette Nichols to take over his position and pass along his badge of honor. Meanwhile, Juliette has been anxiously awaiting a sign, as promised by Holston, to uncover the truth about Silo and her friend George’s untimely death. Taking matters into her own hands, she returns to the dark open space and drops a bundle of rope down to the suspended steel beam, intending to go down. However, things turn for the worse when she accidentally trips, and the episode concludes with Juliette desperately clinging to the rope.
Episode 3 – Machines
After failing to go down the water beneath the suspended steel beam, a depressed Juliette returns back to her boarding. Unable to fight the constant memories of her time with George, she resorts to chugging a whole bottle of alcohol down her throat. When she wakes up, she finds her friend beside her, who claims to have slept there when she smelled her vomit in the hallway. Both of them hear the alarms beeping, telling them that they are late to fix the generator.
Juliette runs towards it, angrily punching Cooper (her shadow/prodigy) in the face as he is trying to help her do her job. Knox (Shane McRae), who is in charge of the engineering department, tells her to get her shit together. Juliette brings up the topic of the generator being unable to take the load of the Silo anymore. Knox tells her that it’s impossible to replace or repair it completely without shutting the power off the entire Silo for at least an hour.
Meanwhile, Deputy Marnes and Mayor Ruth are on their way to meet Juliette in order to understand why Sheriff Holston had asked her to replace him. On their way there, they take a detour and meet Bernard. They want to understand his vote for the next Sheriff as Ruth doesn’t want the Judicial’s pick to be taken seriously. She enquires about Juliette, but Bernard is not impressed by her even being a pick at all. He tells them that she is a thief who stole tapes from the IT department and Ruth can’t be serious to even consider her.
Their next visit is the mid-level, the level where all the newborn babies are kept for observation. Ruth is there to visit Dr. Pete Nichols, who happens to be Juliette’s father. She tells him that Juliette is being considered for a new position, and they are eager to know why she prefers living in the deep down instead of with her father, who has a better standing in the Silo. Dr. Pete tells them how Juliette has always liked machines and, in order to get over her loss, found solace in fixing things. He also tells them that since he only gets one day off, he hasn’t visited her in quite some time, as it takes a long time to go down the mechanical level.
Meanwhile, Juliette gets mad at Martha (Harriet Walter) when she talks about not being able to go down the water because she is scared. Martha, who has been a kind listener to her visits to the workshop, tries to calm her down, but she leaves anyway, fuming with disappointment at her failure. On the other hand, Ruth and Marnes, who are eating at the cafeteria, are approached by Sims, who tries to push Ruth into taking Judicial’s pick for the sheriff.
Ruth and Marnes finally reach the down-below level where Juliette is presently engaged in trying to fix the generator, which has changed its bearing. Since Ruth has time, she makes a brief visit to the workshop. She wants to know what her old friend, Martha thinks about Juliette.
So, when the time comes, Ruth proposes the idea of Juliette being the next sheriff because both Ruth and Holston believe in her. Juliette declines her offer by saying that she needs to be at the mechanical level in order to fix the generator if and when problems like these arise. Ruth gives her Holston’s badge and leaves.
However, promptly after seeing some engravings on the badge, Juliette changes her mind and accepts the job on one condition. She asks the mayor to allow her to shut down the generator for a while so that she can fix it permanently and stop worrying about it when she takes up her new job. A public service announcement declaring an eight-hour power outage is made. People are supposed to gather in the safe zone areas or stay inside; anyone not complying would be jailed.
The mechanical department sits down to discuss fixing the generator when the fact that doing it is extremely risky comes up. They will shut down the entire machine to find the fault, but since it is run by steam, they only have around 30 minutes before everything starts heating up. On the other hand, we see Deputy running basic checks about the citizens while drawing a portrait of Ruth.
Ruth, who is unable to sleep, comes up to him, and the two of them finally confess their feelings for each other. She also tells him that she believes in Jules for some reason and wishes someone like her to take over when she retires. Marnes and Ruth then share a kiss.
Silo (Season 1) Episode 3 Ending, Explained:
Is the mechanical department able to fix the generator?
Back at the generator, Knox and the others figure out that they have even lesser time to fix it, which makes Jules hand over the responsibilities of making changes to the blade to Cooper and rush down to manually cool off the steam that can blow the entire thing down.
In what has to be one of the most exciting scenes of Silo thus far, we see Jules taking up a hose to spray water on the other end of the steam section in spite of her fear of water.
The others try to mend the broken blade as Cooper hangs up there, waiting for it to get fixed. Knox realizes that the pressure is reaching its heights, and the entire thing can blow up any minute. However, their resilience and unison works, and they are able to bring it back to life in the nick of time.
What did the inscription on the badge say?
As Jules bids goodbye to everyone, she pays a visit to Martha and apologizes for her behavior. Martha forgives her and tells her how she once met George and made sure that he took good care of Jules. There is a clear mother-daughter vibe that we can feel between the two. Before she leaves, Jules hands a relic (something that looks like a camera) to Martha as a present.
This sequence is punctuated with Jules leaving the down-below level. We briefly see and hear her encounter with Holston, where he tells her that he will send a signal if he finds some truth in his investigation.
We see Jules heading out to take up her new responsibilities as the word “truth” is seen inscribed on the badge that Holston left for her.
What happens to Ruth?
The ending of episode 3 of Silo finds Marnes and Ruth returning as they meet Bernard on their water break. Ruth sips from Marnes’ bottle as Bernard warns them again of their decision to put Jules in the Sheriff’s position.
Back at Ruth’s office, we see them signing the official letter appointing Jules as the new sheriff. Feeling a little uneasy, Martha heads to the bathroom and collapses, making Marnes break the door.
We see Ruth lying on the floor, covered in blood, struggling to breathe. It’s a possible case of poisoning, but since she did not eat what Simms had to offer as dessert, it possibly has to do with the water that she drinks from Marnes’ bottle.
Is Marnes involved in Ruth’s death? Is someone trying to frame Marnes for it? This and more in Silo (Season 1) episode 4.
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