Silo Season 3 Episode 1 Recap: Who Are You?

Created by Graham Yost and based on the ‘Silo’ trilogy of novels by Hugh Howey, AppleTV’s ‘Silo‘ steps into its third season after a heated final clash between Juliette and Bernard. Shifting away from that conflict, though, this new entry in the sci-fi dystopian saga blends the past with the present. As Juliette struggles to make sense of an unfamiliar reality, where everyone seems to be toying with her psyche, the show also gives us a look into how the world was centuries ago. It has already been teased that the US response to a bomb drop may have started a chain of events ending with thousands of people living underground. The first episode of the season, titled ‘Who Are You?’, expands on this suggestion, showing a world that is as paranoid of itself today as it was before. SPOILERS AHEAD.

Juliette Lives, But Has Been Struck With Amnesia

‘Silo’ season 3 episode 1, titled ‘Who Are You?’, begins by jumping ahead in time from the chaotic finale of season 2. Juliette seems to have miraculously survived the fire that she was trapped in, and now, reinstated as the sheriff, she struggles to fit in. That is not the only problem here, though, as we slowly come to realize that she has forgotten almost all of her memories from the past few months, including the secret of the silos, or even the fact that there is more than one. With this amnesia comes a complete loss of the Juliette we have come to know and admire over time, as now, she feels too nervous to be even around people for too long. Camille has emerged as her private advisor and confidante, and though she keeps things relatively stable, one cannot help but suspect that she is a reason why Juliette’s mindscape has changed so drastically.

The scene then shifts back to what is technically several hundred years in the past, but is eerily reminiscent of the Washington, D.C., we are familiar with. Charlotte Keene, an elite of the US Air Force, scuttles through the wide streets and into The Willard Intercontinental, paranoid of anyone even looking in her direction for too long. After turning around and switching rides multiple times to deflect any potential followers, she finds herself very close to the White House. As it turns out, she’s here to meet her brother, Daniel Keene, who viewers might recognize as the congressman seen in the season 2 finale. This scene takes place the morning after that exchange, with Charlotte also pushing Daniel to participate in the Iran counter-attack committee, which is headed by Senator Paula Thurman.

Bernard’s Twisted Final Moments Cast Doubts on the New Leadership

Back in the present, Juliette suddenly gets flashes of memories from the fateful day of her clash with Bernard. While the details remain foggy, she cannot help but feel that she’s forgotten something precious, something she was meant to do after coming back. Much of her ability to remember rests in knowing what truly happened to Bernard, but here we are met with two contradictory narratives. Robert, who has been spying on Juliette through secret cameras, decides to openly emerge and give her a proper rundown of what happened with Bernard. He reveals that, when the fire broke out, Juliette’s specially fitted suit protected her, while Bernard succumbed to the heat and poison and was incinerated in the Deep Down. Though still unsatisfied, Juliette has to accept this as the truth.

When Robert returns to Camille, however, she ominously asks him if he stuck to the script, and a quick snippet reveals that Bernard actually survived the fire and was choked to death by Robert himself. With the truth now sufficiently buried, all they have to do is to maintain a convincing cover, and the trick seems to be working, for now. Back in the past, Daniel gets a rare chance to talk to Thurman, who is accompanied by her daughter and political strategist, Anna. Daniel’s elevator pitch to join the Iran team is simple: he plans to leverage Charlotte’s position as a valuable pilot to make his way into the committee, and it works. However, behind closed doors, Thurman seems more interested in Charlotte than her brother, and we soon learn why.

That night, Anna tells Daniel that a series of aerial strikes against Iran is already underway, and Charlotte is one of the pilots. As we follow her perspective inside the cockpit, however, things soon take a turn for the inexplicable. After a strange, cloud-like formation shrouds the jets and disrupts all comms, the crafts themselves begin to leak a gooey substance, and before long, everyone, including Charlotte, goes down. The scene then jumps back to the present, showcasing an equally important moment. It’s the first council session since Juliette’s return, and while she’s given a warrior’s welcome, things have changed in the past few months. With the miners being forced to work in a very tight bit of space, the risk of clashes is at an all-time high.

Juliette Makes a Leap of Faith As We Inch Closer to the Truth

Harwood, head of the mining department, is also unhappy about the newly promoted Orla Kent, as he believes that the silo is not letting competent people up top. By comparison, Knox seems to have accepted the fact that Juliette doesn’t remember him or their exploits. As he gives his reports and desperately tries to jog her memory without triggering Camille, he draws nothing but a blank. This is especially hurtful for Shirley, once Juliette’s best friend, who is not even remembered anymore, much less approached with the same warmth. It turns out that the search for the missing rebels, Kennedy and Lucas, is still underway, but with so much time passed, the chances of capturing them are at an all-time low.

That night, at the council celebratory dinner, Juliette tries to talk to Shirley, acknowledging that they were once friends, but also failing to reignite any of her past self. However, that shell seems to be cracking bit by bit, as a poster left behind by rebels sends a new wave of fragmented memories to her consciousness. The poster, which claims that they know about the outside is a lie, reminds Juliette of the cleaning ritual, and how she realized what the world outside truly looks like. Meanwhile, in the past, Daniel learns that Charlotte is the lone survivor of the crash, but has too traumatic a brain injury to remember anything or anyone. The parallels to Juliette aren’t a coincidence, and highlight once again that there is intelligent design behind her current predicament.

Eventually, Juliette figures out that she entered the silo with a crowbar, which means that she made contact with supplies somewhere in her journey. Just as she begins to theorize that she may have stepped into another silo, Camille suppresses that thought with an AI-generated video of Juliette seemingly finding a shed full of resources while she was outside. Though Juliette doesn’t protest this explanation, a part of her isn’t convinced. She’s not the only one looking for answers, though, as that night, her chef, Tony, hands her a dish with a hidden message inside. If she wishes to know the truth, she must return this plate with the bowl facing downwards, before heading towards the marketplace. With no one to trust but a head full of questions, Juliette does exactly that, making her first independent decision since recovery.

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