‘Silo’ Recap: ‘Machines’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Three of ‘Silo.’ To revisit the Series Premiere, click here.
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When we last settled in to discuss the wondrous new Apple TV+ series, Silo, we talked at length about how the show… did a phenomenal job of exploring what our world would look like, if the foolish and supremely ignorant, won the day and were able to control every aspect of human life. For life in the Silo features no freedom of any kind, it is but a caste system between the haves and the have nots and everyone is locked into a role and a future that is devoid of creativity and knowledge for that matter as well. Since no one knows why humanity is locked beneath the world in a giant Silo, nor does anyone understand anything outside of their daily duties and their structured life, and to try and do so… happens to be a costly decision.
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All of which left us wondering… what then what do these people live for outside of three hot meals and whatever motions they go through? For we are creatures that need purpose and direction and something to pay tribute to and honor and well, it just so happens that the next episode of this fascinating story took the time to explore just that. For ‘Machines’ wasted little time in informing the audience that something the people of the Silo value very much… are those that died. For they were a life lived, in a place where people are close, and their experiences are shared. So, honoring the dead and their final wishes are critical for others and that prompted Mayor Jahns and Deputy Marnes to do right by Holston and head into the depths of the Silo, to offer Juliette, Holston’s old job.

A move that prompted resistance of course. Since Bernard had much to say about having an engineer step into the role of Sheriff, and of course, the dear mayor wanted to make sure this was the right call and did her due diligence on Juliette. Even going so far as to speak with Juliette’s father and eventually, Martha about the kind of person that was about to be entrusted with the safety of the Silo. But of course, the most impressive resistance came from Juliette herself. Who wanted to stay amongst the machines and the generator and keep everything running as smoothly as possible. Which also brought forth a better understanding of what else people cherish in this cold and concrete world, specifically… life… period.

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Because clearly, the people of the Silo harbor some understanding of the delicacy of their situation and how quickly things could change and preserving their existence was just as important as going through the motions here, and well, the need to keep everyone safe… combined with the fact that she was Holston’s pick, and another surprise we will get to in a moment, prompted Juliette to reserve course and offer to take the job. With a caveat of course. Wherein she could work with her team to fix the generator properly before heading up to the Sheriff’s office, since the quick fixes were no longer working. Which would allow for her to saves lives and preserve the sanctity of the Silo and that… allowed for us to get an idea of Juliette’s conviction and her dedication to what’s right in this world, since she went the extra mile to ensure safety and that… should make her a great Sheriff. 
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Which is a wonderful thing since darkness happens to be brewing in this place. Because despite there being a value of life and a celebration of how people lived, and their wishes in this desolate place… not everyone holds to that mentality. Since we saw the mayor, suffer, and die under very suspicious circumstances, and that is definitely of concern… as are some of the roadblocks ahead of Juliette. Since Bernard has made it clear what he thinks of her and her decision to take on this role, and of course… Judicial seems to have some ideas in mind of what they want from the role. Not to mention, Juliette has an agenda of her own. Since the back of Holston’s badge, which was given to her as part of his last requests… happened to have the signal she was waiting for, courtesy of the word ‘TRUTH’ being carved into the metal. And clearly… uncovering that in every way imaginable is paramount to her.

All of which… brought us back to the central theme of this story. In that, conformity and a lack of direction only bring forth trouble. Since clearly, people have their own idea of what they want out of this place and that will indeed bring forth great conflict down the line. But while we wait to see how Juliette settles into the job and chases truth, we can celebrate a fascinating episode. One that explored the inner workings of the Silo and showed us how humankind finds a way to create meaning and value when life has none, all while setting up further pursuit of the mystery revolving around who killed Juliette’s love and quite frankly… who is working against her in the Silo and truly… it will be interesting to see what surprises and revelations await us regarding those mysteries and the mysteries of the Silo as this brilliant series continues along. Until next time.

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