Sumith Prasad
The fifth episode of the second season of Apple TV+’s science fiction series ‘Silo,’ titled ‘Descent,’ follows the aftermath of Judge Meadows’ murder. Bernard Holland and Robert Sims’ efforts to kill the brewing rebellion by turning the upper levels of the silo against the leaders of the lower levels give birth to a chaotic manhunt to capture Knox, Shirley, Walker, and Carla. Meanwhile, Paul Billings sets out to unravel the mystery behind Juliette Nichols’ departure from the establishment after finding Patrick Kennedy, who is believed to be dead. While preparing for her return journey, Juliette learns ambiguous details concerning her new friend, Solo! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Bernard and Billings Delve Deeper Into the Mysteries of Their Silo
‘Descent’ begins with Bernard appointing Robert Sims as the successor of Judge Meadows. Since the latter has turned against the former by initiating protests against the head of the Judicial, the mayor does not trust the man enough to accept him as a shadow. However, Sims is an integral and essential part of the silo’s leadership, which makes him an irreplaceable figure and forces Bernard to give him a new role. As he swears in as a judge, Rick Amundsen becomes the head of security, who is in charge of capturing Knox, Shirley, Walker, and Carla. The mayor personally oversees the efforts to catch the four rebels, but his attention is not solely focused on this endeavor.
Bernard brings Lukas Kyle from the mines to his office and gives the former IT department employee an assignment. The mayor wants the systems analyst to recover the files on the hard disk Juliette had before she left the silo. In return for his assistance, Bernard promises the young man to save him from the mines. Lukas finds several maps of the silo, which do not align with their understanding of the establishment’s layout. The antagonist and his new associate observe that the lowest level of the silo has extensions starting from the place, which indicates that the several silos within the region are possibly interconnected.
Lukas further adds that he has recovered a letter written by Salvador Quinn from the hard drive. Since the same was written using codes, he fails to read it. It is significant to note that Judge Meadows mentions this letter right before she dies. Meanwhile, Paul Billings and Hank discover that Patrick Kennedy, the instigator of the explosion in the third episode of the second season, is actually alive. The fugitive informs the official that there is a lot to know about the mysteries of the silo and Juliette’s discoveries concerning the same. It does not take long for the officer to realize that the explanations of the leadership about life in and out of the silo are not completely true.
Knox, Shirley, Walker, and Carla Fight for Their Lives
After Bernard and Sims proclaim them as the murderers of Judge Meadows, Knox, Shirley, Walker, and Carla try their best to escape from the people and raiders who are after them. They initially plan to disappear with the help of a porter named Calvin, only for him to betray them for the bounty placed on the heads of Knox and Shirley. They continue running away from their pursuers but eventually get separated. Since Walker is an unfamiliar figure in the upper levels, Carla asks her to take advantage of the situation and escape without her. She hesitates to proceed without her ex-wife, but the latter, as the head of supplies, is an easily recognizable figure.
Carla eventually gets arrested by the raiders, which raises questions concerning her fate. Bernard needs to make a statement using his authority to gain popular support, and if she is the only fugitive he can capture, there may not be any display of mercy. Knox and Shirley try their best to end up at the mechanical level but are confronted by a group of upper-level residents. Camille, Sims’ wife, saves them from the crowd and allows them to escape. She knows that Bernard will gain unlimited support and authority if the leaders of the brewing rebellion get prosecuted. She does not want the same to happen, especially since her husband has turned against the mayor.
Bernard learns about Camille’s intervention and pressurizes Amundsen to capture the rest of the fugitives. Knox and Shirley return to Calvin but strap him up this time to steal his supplies. Using adequate ropes, they fly downwards to the mechanical level, where their peers protect them. Knox gets shot during this escape attempt, but the injury is not fatal since the bullet hits one of his thighs. As they escape to the depths of the lower levels, the war between the two parts of the silo becomes increasingly plausible.
Juliette Faces a Terrible Setback Before She Can Return Home
In the other silo, Juliette continues her search for supplies that are essential for her return journey. Even though she finds a suit, she needs a helmet to depart from the place. As her preparations progress, Solo introduces himself as Cole Myers. He also grows worried about his IT level submerging underwater in a year. The sole resident of the establishment asks his new friend’s help to avoid such a tragedy. However, Juliette does not have any time to help him. She must return to her “home” to stop a rebellion from materializing. If Solo has months, she only has days to save her friends and family from dying.
Juliette’s search for a helmet takes her to a chamber in the silo. She encounters a memorandum about a helmet that went missing under the watch of Trina “Tiny” Samuel. The engineer inspects the latter’s apartment and finds her photograph with her boyfriend, “Solo,” who does not resemble her friend in any manner. Juliette then confronts Solo and asks him why he lied to her. He goes out of control and claims that he hasn’t lied. Upon seeing his violent reaction, she stops asking questions and goes through the chambers in the establishment.
In one of the rooms, Juliette finds the missing helmet. However, before she can leave the silo, her condition becomes worse. An injury on her arm is severely infected, only for her to lose consciousness. Juliette may need to regain her health to safely embark on another dangerous journey. However, as she exposes Solo’s lies one by one, it remains to be seen whether he will continue to help or support her.
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