The Silo book series by Hugh Howey has taken the science fiction community by storm, becoming one of the most-watched Apple TV shows of the summer. The first season of Silo just ended and has left many of us with burning questions about the season finale.
We are here to answer the most asked questions about the Silo TV show that are on everyone’s mind! We will dive into episode 10 and explain some of the more confusing parts as well as unanswered questions about THAT ending. However, if you cannot wait for the next season and the story’s continuation, you should pick up the Silo book series at your nearest bookstore, and get yourself some answers before season 2!
Updated July 28th 2024
It’s been almost a year since the first season of Silo has been released on Apple TV, and it took the world by storm. We’ve updated this article to provide more in-depth answers to the Silo season 1 ending as well as include the confirmed release date of Silo season 2 and the storyline of the first few episodes.
~ Spoilers Ahead! ~
What Happens At The End Of Silo Season 1?
The first season of Silo ends with Juliette seeing that her lover, George, was actually not killed by Judicial and he in fact took his own life. This is the deal she made with Bernard before she is sent to clean; to learn exactly what happened to George, and he shows her the reality.
What Happened With The Tape In Silo Season 1?
Before Juliette is sent out to clean, she talks to her mentor Martha Walker and requests from her that Supply send good and more durable heat tape than what is used in IT. This is because the heat tape used in IT is of lower quality and starts to break down in mere minutes after being exposed to the poisonous outside air.
The better quality heat tape that is used in Juliette’s suit allows her to survive much longer in the outside air and she is able to go further than anyone who’s been sent out to clean has ever gotten.
This is why she is able to see that the beautiful, full-of-life world is, in fact, an illusion. The helmet which shows the fake world is set to only work up to the only tree that can be seen on the screens. No one has ever gotten past that tree, so the mirage ends there and Juliette is able to see the real world, and most importantly, the other silos.
The season ends with a wide shot of the desolate world and Juliette standing at the edge of her silo’s location. She is surrounded by a desolate world and we can see multiple other silos in the distance, similar to her own.
The second season of the Silo TV show should be an exciting one to watch as there is so much to uncover and learn about the world of the silo, the other silos (and people therein) and what happens to Juliette and her story.
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Will There Be Season 2 Of The Silo?
Apple TV has announced, during SDCC 2024 that Silo season 2 will be released on November 15th, 2024! This is a major news announcement after 5 months of waiting post the wrapping up of filming of Silo season 2 which was completed in March of 2024.
Additionally, a new cast member has been added to the show: Steve Zahn. Steve Zahn will be playing Solo in Silo season 2. If you want a deeper story about Solo, we’ve written a detailed overview of the character, however, it contains spoilers, so beware.
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Silo Season 2 Update And Beyond
From what we definitely know so far, there are two confirmed seasons of the Silo TV show by Apple TV. However, there are technically three books. So it is most likely safe to assume that there will be at least three seasons to the TV show.
It is possible that the creators might want to extend the third season and split it into two seasons as there are a lot of mysteries to uncover and information to go over, about what happens to Juliette in the new silo to which she gains access, the characters she meets while there, her adventures there and how she is able to come back to her original silo.
Seasons 3-4 Will Be Filmed Back-To-Back
This is something that has been confirmed in another interview. Rebecca Ferguson said that they are looking to film seasons 3 and 4 back-to-back. Meaning that, as surmised above, there will be 4 seasons of Silo where the last book will be split into two seasons.
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What Will Silo Season 2 Be About?
The TV show has been following the books pretty closely up to now. Considering that the author of the original book, Hugh Howey, serves as an executive producer on the show, it is not surprising that the story follows the book very closely. Howey, along with series creator Graham Yost, appear to be going to great lengths regarding the preservation of the original story.
If we follow the timeline of the books, the first book and the season finale of the show ended with Juliette going outside. In a surprise twist, she is able to survive much longer outside than all of the previous characters we’ve seen who went out to “clean”. This has to do with the heat tape, which we will explain further in the article.
In the Silo book series, despite the fact that Juliette is able to survive longer than others outside of the silo, she soon begins to suffocate. She desperately needs to get back inside to survive, but the silo’s doors are closed. She manages to find another silo, not far from hers, and is able to get inside to safety.
We expect that Silo Season 2 will continue with the book’s story and will be about how Juliette is able to survive, how she gets into a different silo than her own, her discovery that there are in fact other silos that exist, and her adventures in the new silo where she is able to find shelter.
Additionally, Silo season 2 will be scarier and have two different storylines being shown at the same time. This has been confirmed in an interview with Graham Yost, a showrunner of the Silo tv series.
Season 2 Follows The Book’s Story
Additionally, Rebecca Ferguson confirmed in a recent interview, that she spent a lot of time in water. This is a direct reference to the silo she ends up in in the second book, which is half submerged in water. Her character has to do a lot of swimming and diving in order to achieve her goals. Therefore, we can safely say that the tv show is following the book very closely and that the events of the book will be what happens in the TV show.
What Is The Syndrome In The Silo Series?
The syndrome in the Silo TV Show is an additional aspect added by the show. This is not something that exists in the books. However, from what we currently understand, the syndrome is a neurological condition that causes shaking of the hands, impaired movement, and a full shutdown of the nervous system if it progresses to its further stages.
There is a poster shot in the TV show (pictured above) which describes the symptoms of the syndrome;
- Involuntary twitching, which is the first sign
- Shaking of the extremities
- Flashes of pain and muscle spasms
- Balance & movement is severely impaired
- If untreated infection will spread to the brain, resulting in reduced cognitive functions
- And finally, a shutdown of the entire nervous system
There are a few theories as to what causes the syndrome in the Silo. Some believe it is an effect of the isolation in the microcosmos which is the silo. Others think it is brought on by a deficiency and lack of vitamin D. There are also theories that say the syndrome is caused by the constant recycling of matter and even of people who die in the Silo. Maybe we will get a clearer answer in future seasons.
Which Silo Is Juliette In?
Speaking of multiple silos and stories which still need to be uncovered, we never learned which silo Juliette is in the TV show. From the final shot of the season finale, we were able to see that there are, potentially, dozens of silos out there.
However, for the keen observer and rewatcher of the show, you might have noticed that the head of IT and current mayor, Bernard Holland, carries a peculiar key with him at all times.
This key has the number 18 on it. Based on the books, Juliette is in silo number 18. Therefore, there are at least 18 silos that we know of which exist in the world of the TV show as well.
How Many Silos Are There In Total?
By the end of the first season, we only learn that there are multiple silos that exist in the outside world. If you read the books, by the end of them you learn that are a total of 50 silos. Although, not all of those silos contain living people in them.
Multiple silos were constructed in order to ensure the survival of the human race. Putting everyone together in the same silo is too dangerous; if it falls, everyone will die. Due to that fact, there were 50 silos in total constructed to spread the survival chances of the species.
What Happened To The Earth In Silo?
During the first season of Silo, the characters, as the viewers themselves, are often confused by what is actually happening, or has happened, to the outside world. The screens in the silo, which show the outside world, only show a gray and desolate landscape, which visibly has no life.
When Juliette goes out to clean, in her helmet, we can see that the world is beautiful, green, and full of life. Yet, this is a ruse created by the IT department to force people to clean. Everyone who is sent out to clean sees that the world is beautiful and cleans the camera in an attempt to show the “reality”.
However, the actual reality is exactly what we see on the screens; the outside world is in fact dead.
What happened to the earth in the silo TV show is an atomic war… Atomic bombs were dropped on the world, and certain people who were aware of the coming conflict built the silos in order to ensure that the human race would survive. Per the story, the outside is actually dangerous and will kill you if you stay out there too long without proper protection. The air is poisonous and there is nothing that can be seen which survived the atomic war around the silos.