The first season of Silo was special. Created by Graham Yost and based on the books by Hugh Howey, the Apple TV+ show found just the right balance of social issues and cool sci-fi mystery, all unfolding on awesome sets, with large-scale set pieces and fun action to boot. Everything pointed to a second season that would continue on that path. Alas, with season two having now come to a close, we have to say—it was a letdown. Ten episodes filled with repetitious time-wasting which, thankfully, led to a satisfying finale with a terrifically tantalizing final tease.
Most of Silo season two felt like it was the same two stories over and over again. In the mysterious other silo, Juliette (Rebecca Ferguson) just kept going back and forth with Solo (Steve Zahn) about a bunch of different things. And in the main silo, the down-deepers—led by Mechanical—were getting increasingly frustrated with the up-toppers, led by the head of IT, Bernard (Tim Robbins), leading to the threat and ultimately mounting of a revolt.
Week to week one storyline would be a little more interesting than the other, almost like a see-saw where things went up and down but really didn’t go anywhere. That slowly began to change in the final few episodes, leading to the finale when Mechanical worked out a very cool plan to try and take over the silo and when Juliette—finally and blissfully—made it back to her silo. Throughout the whole season, the audience continued to learn cool tidbits about the world. How many silos there were, where the relics are held, who knows what, etc. All things we wanted to know. But we rarely got to see any crucial characters learn or share that knowledge, which was frustrating. That was poised to change with Juliette’s return, except the finale ended before she could meet back up with everyone else. Which is fine. We can wait.
Most excitingly, though, Juliette’s long-awaited return was not the end of the season. The end of the season was a flashback that raised all sorts of issues and questions in a way that made us remember why we were watching Silo in the first place.
The final season two scene takes place in a much more modern-day Washington DC, as a young congressman named Donald (Ashley Zukerman, best known for the Fear Street movies) heads into a bar to meet a journalist named Helen (Jessica Henwick from Game of Thrones and Iron Fist). Now, right off the bat, considering society is still functioning, we’re on our toes about why we’re going back in time. How does it tie into Silo?
As the two talk/flirt we learn a few things. We learn something major happened. A September 11, Pearl Harbor-type event that doesn’t need to be named to be acknowledged. We know the military did something impressive to save people in New Orleans. There are problems with Iran. For some reason, people don’t use the term “date” anymore. We also learn that before joining congress Donald was in the military and has a master’s degree in engineering. Seems like an important educational focus to have if you wanted to, I don’t know, build 50 massive silos.
Soon, Donald realizes this isn’t the blind date he thought it was and we get the biggest piece of info. Helen wants to talk to him about something more serious. Mainly, whether or not retaliation against Iran is coming and whether an inciting “radiological weapon attack” happened at all. (This instantly made us think of the big reveal of Fallout season one where we learn… something I don’t want to spoil here if you haven’t seen it, but it seems like this link between corrupt governments and saving society underground is important. Is that where Silo is going? I digress.)
Donald decides to leave before things go any further and gives Helen a gift. Just something he picked up at a local store. It’s a Pez dispenser of a rubber duck. Presumably, the same one that now lives in the silo we’ve been following for two seasons. (Oh, and the magazine Donald is carrying has a photo of someone in a hazmat suit like Doc Brown in Back to the Future. A nice touch.)
Okay, so, there’s a lot to digest, and here’s what we know. This is indeed a flashback to some of the first baby steps in the origins of the silos, which is the main focus of the second book in Hugh Howey’s series. The bulk of that book is the story of the creation of the silos and Donald is a key player in that. And, since we now know both Zukerman and Henwick will be series regulars on season three of Silo, we can safely assume that’s where the next season is going. Plus, assuming this is the same Pez dispenser now owned by Mr. Sims’ (Common) son, Helen or her family makes it into that silo. Why did she keep it? Maybe it reminded her of the global change spearheaded by the man who gave it to her. Like we said, a lot to digest.
Seeing how and why the silos were created in tandem with the revelations at the end of season two (mainly the “Safeguard” stuff and omniscient voices coming from the tunnel) feels like a perfect fit for season three. Juliette is back and wants to find out more about who created the silos and why. And we, the audience, will be one step ahead of her as we see it happening in flashback.
All of which is very exciting. Almost enough, frankly, to let us forgive the largely disappointing second season and get excited for what the third, and then fourth and final, seasons of Silo will hold. Do you agree? Let us know below.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.