Sumith Prasad
The seventh episode of the second season of Apple TV+’s science fiction series ‘Silo,’ titled ‘The Dive,’ revolves around Juliette Nichols’ efforts to fulfill Solo’s demand to make her return journey to her home silo possible. She puts her life on the line to repair a pump to ensure that her new friend will not die drowning. Bernard Holland and Lukas Kyle remain committed to decrypting the code written by Salvador Quinn, which makes the former lead the latter to a special chamber. Knox and Shirley continue to fight for the truth. They are joined by Sheriff Paul Billings, who asks all sorts of questions the mayor doesn’t want him to ask! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Bernard Holland Introduces Lukas Kyle to the Legacy
‘The Dive’ begins with Bernard Holland taking Lukas Kyle to the Legacy, a secret chamber within the silo that can only be accessed by the two of them. The mayor reveals to his new shadow that the place is home to countless relics that are sources of invaluable knowledge about their world. The library within the chamber contains several books and documents that can provide the tech expert with the information he needs to solve Salvador Quinn’s code. Bernard believes that Quinn, decades ago, had hidden a severe problem that concerns their silo within the code, which explains the mayor’s obsession with it.
It doesn’t take Lukas a long time to connect the dots and figure out that this “problem” is far more significant and consequential than the brewing rebellion in the establishment. Bernard confirms his shadow’s assumption and leaves him in the chamber to solve the piece. Lukas delves into the intricacies of Quinn’s message using the resources available to him. After failing to crack the same multiple times, he becomes innovative. He starts to wonder whether the hidden message is composed of numbers rather than alphabets. This line of thinking helps him decrypt the code into a series of numbers.
Lukas then matches the numbers with the books stored in the Legacy chamber, only to find no leads. He takes the matter to Bernard and shares his assumption: Quinn wrote the message based on a book that is out in the silo rather than using one stored in the Legacy section, which is accessible only to two people. His best guess is that the former head of the IT department wanted someone to crack the code. These developments lead Bernard to Judge Meadows’ copy of ‘The Wizard of Oz.’ The mayor gives the book to Lukas and asks him to use the same to uncover Quinn’s hidden message.
Knox and Shirley Put Pressure on Bernard
While Bernard’s attention remains on the code, Knox and Shirley set out to turn the residents of the silo against the mayor. They spread writings that demand the truth behind Juliette’s departure from the silo and the IT department’s secrets. Even though Bernard dismisses the existence of any such secrets, doubts start to grow in the minds of his fellow residents. He realizes that he needs to eliminate the threat of the two leaders of the mechanical section, which takes him to Carla McLain, who is locked up in judicial seclusion. When the arrested woman demands to know what happened to her allies, he walks away from the prison cell.
Meanwhile, Bernard’s relationship with Robert Sims worsens. The new head of the Judicial decides against cooperating with the mayor since the latter does not choose the former as his shadow. Sims cannot tolerate Bernard’s inability to value his sacrifices and loyalty, which have existed for over a decade. While they argue against each other, Sheriff Paul Billings joins Knox and Shirley to pursue the truth behind the series of ambiguous happenings that occur in their silo. He tries to find out who poisoned the food supplies delivered to the lower levels, only for his investigation to point fingers at high-ranking officials.
As Billings makes progress in his investigation, Martha “Walk” Walker grows tired of waiting to learn about the whereabouts of her ex-wife, Carla. She even activates a camera, possibly to record a message to the prisoner. Unfortunately, the reactivation makes her appear on Bernard’s radar. He remembers that she is his prisoner’s former partner, indicating that he may use or threaten her to uncover her and Carla’s secrets.
Solo Vanishes into Thin Air Upon Raising Concerns
After Juliette’s recovery from the infected wound, Solo tries to convince her to repair the pump within his silo. He fears that the water level will soon rise and drown him. Despite his concern, Juliette continues to prioritize returning to her home. She tells him that she will repair the pump after going back to her silo to save her family and friends. The engineer remains hell-bent on saving the lives of thousands first before saving Solo. However, he is not ready to make a compromise and eventually succeeds in convincing her to dive underwater to operate the pump.
Juliette and Solo find the essential supplies needed for the former’s underwater journey. With several ropes securing her from a tragedy, she dives to the lower levels and finds the pump. She operates the same according to the plan, fulfilling Solo’s demand. Unfortunately, she loses a rope needed to return to the surface, which threatens her life. Still, she manages to save herself. However, she doesn’t find Solo anywhere after coming out of the water. She calls for him, but all she finds is traces of blood where her friend was standing before she dived underwater.
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