‘Silo’ Recap: ‘Hanna’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Rebecca Ferguson as Juliette in Episode Eight of ‘Silo’ – ‘Hanna’. (Photo Courtesy of Apple.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Eight of ‘Silo’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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Over the course of the past few weeks, we’ve talked at length about the sheer brilliance of the Apple TV+ series, Silo. For this dystopian story about a harrowing future for mankind, one where what remains of us due to a cataclysmic event, exists deep underground and is ruled by an autocratic/authoritarian government, has offered up some fascinating insight on who and what we would become under that kind of rule and how it would rob us of a great deal of what makes humanity great. Not to mention, this setting and this grand exploration into such matters, has also provided us with equally as fascinating insight on the unbreakable nature of the human spirit and what fighting back against such a regime might look like.
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But while it is safe to say we have enjoyed these lessons and everything they provide us with, those lessons have to come to an end. After all, there is a fight brewing in the Silo. Since Juliette’s free-thinking ways do not align with the power-hungry Sims in the slightest and having an immovable object hit an unstoppable force was always the inevitability in this story, and that moment finally arrived in this week’s episode. For ‘Hanna’ picked up shortly after the last episode, with Juliette reeling from the fact that Judicial was watching her every move and the every move of the people that lived in the Silo and well, since there was little she could do about that in the moment, and since she was thankfully not caught by Sims directly… she decided to go about her business and that led to a spark.

For a return to the office, meant a return to chaos. For Judicial was there, ripping the place to shreds to try and find unsanctioned relics, when in fact, this was a search for the hard drive that Sims desperately wanted in his hands and well… that moment… combined with what Juliette had experienced in the past with Judicial (more on that in a moment) prompted her to take a stand. So… she marched downstairs and arrested Sims for making an illegal seizure that did not follow the rules of The Pact in the slightest, and in doing so… shocked the Silo from top to bottom. But going that route, empowered Juliette like never before. To the point where she felt the need to investigate Sims and the knowledge he possessed and that… brings us back to Juliette’s past, since she grabbed her mother’s file from Sims’ office to finally try and understand what happened to her family and well, what we learned was devastating. Since they spied on the family and tried to turn mother and father against one another. All to maintain control and to keep Hanna Nichols second guessing her life, her future, everything. And well… that fear and that psychological destruction led to her end.

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Common as Sims Episode Eight of ‘Silo’ – ‘Hanna’. (Photo Courtesy of Apple.)

But it also… led to reconciliation between Juliette and her father. Since now the truth was known and the reality of the Silo was in front of them, and well… that helped the spark become a flame, especially since it informed her of the truth about her mother and reaffirmed the reality that control, and fear, matters most in this godforsaken place. That meant… someone had to take a stand and that someone was Juliette. For she had the hard drive, and she knew Martha could crack the code… so she put it upon herself to fight the system using the truth, and sadly… that push went south quick. Because the arrest of Sims brought unrest and worry to the Silo, to the point where checkpoints were going up at various levels to ensure safety and to ensure that no one was taking advantage of the chaos, and those checkpoints included personal property inspections.
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Which worried Juliette deeply since Judicial was on a rampage at this point, but thankfully… Bernard stepped in while checking in on the Silo, and got Juliette through, and with his keen sense… he knew that she needed to talk and was dealing with trouble and since he was the only ally, she seemingly had at this point, she was eager to open up to him. Only to discover… that Bernard was in fact, the mastermind she was trying to stop. In fact, he only befriended her to manipulate her and get his way and well… just like that… Juliette was in a tough place and the fight was nearly stopped. And had it not been for an unfortunate surprise on Billings’ part, wherein the Syndrome kicked in… Juliette would have been sent out to clean. But she did escape in the boldest manner possible, one that does indeed have us worried about what physical price she might pay for her freedom.

In the end however, this was just… a brilliant story when all is said and done. Simply because… we now know who has been pulling the strings and bringing about death and fear in the Silo. Why exactly, Bernard only hinted at. But with the fight underway and with Juliette eager to spread truth, it is only a matter of time before we finally learn the motivations of Bernard and likely all there is to know about the Silo and why oppression and fear are the way of life in this place, and who knows… perhaps we will also learn the truth about why mankind is down in this sorrowful pit and more importantly, perhaps humanity will finally fight back and seize control of its destiny to end this misery. And of course, the only way to know… is to continue what is promising to be an epic finale to this first leg of the journey, and truly, it will be amazing to see what surprises await us as the fight for humanity’s future intensifies. Until next time.   

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