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Warning: There are spoilers ahead from Silo season 2, episodes 1-8.
Silo is one of Apple TV+'s best science-fiction series, with the characters being one of the show's greatest strengths. While the story begins with Holston Becker (David Oyelowo) and Allison Becker (Rashida Jones), it quickly becomes clear that they are only the entry point to a much larger story. Even though she is not introduced until the end of the first episode, it is the engineer Juliette Nichols (Rebecca Ferguson) who leads Silo's cast of characters.
With many pivotal and likable characters killed in the earliest episodes, this paves the way for characters with initially smaller roles to become more prominent in the story. Silo season 1's game-changing ending also opens the door for a wider range of characters to receive focus after Juliette goes outside, and is exposed to more of Silo's world. Of the many characters to choose from, the best are those who are well-developed, complex, and entertaining to watch.
10 Lukas Kyle
Played by Avi Nash
Avi Nash's Lukas Kyle is an analyst in Silo 18's IT department who has a deep curiosity about the outside world. Every night, he goes to the cafeteria and studies the display of the outside. He specifically focuses on the lights in the skies, which he does not know are called stars. Lukas and Juliette cross paths in season 1, and he becomes an ally to her. Aiding her gets him sent to Silo's mines, but season 2 sees his fortune change when Bernard Holland (Tim Robbins) makes Lukas his shadow.
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Lukas is a consistent source of curiosity, with his questions and discoveries paving the way for some of the show's most important revelations so far. He is one of the most intelligent characters, yet he is not arrogant, and does not believe his intellect makes him superior. Lukas is likable and important to unraveling Silo's greatest mysteries. He has not reached his full potential yet due to being absent from the early episodes in Silo seasons 1 and 2. His potential has also been hindered by his fear of becoming fully rebellious, but this will likely change in the future.
9 Camille Sims
Played By Alexandria Riley
Camille Sims (Alexandria Riley) is the wife of Robert Sims (Common), the formidable former chief of Judicial security. While she is a loving wife and mother, she is also a former Judicial raider and current IT employee who has ambitious plans for herself and her husband. Her husband is primarily concerned with doing what he believes will keep order in the Silo and what needs to be done to keep his family safe. Camille, on the other hand, is willing to let chaos happen if it is advantageous to her plans.
One of the best instances of this is when Camille helps the Mechanical characters escape as they are being pursued and framed for the death of Judge Mary Meadows (Tanya Moodie). Camille does not trust Bernard and wants to undermine him because he refuses to make her husband his shadow, and she wants her husband to take Bernard's place. Even though helping Mechanical is not something Sims approves of, Camille does it anyway. She quickly becomes a compelling character after having little screen time in season 1.
8 Dr. Pete Nichols
Played by Iain Glen
Dr. Pete Nichols (Iain Glen) is Juliette's father. While Dr. Nichols' wife and daughter were always curious and rebellious, he has played by the rules of Silo 18. This includes giving certain pregnant women false hope by making them believe that their birth control implants are removed even when they remain intact. When Juliette reenters her father's life, and after she is sent outside to clean, he refuses to continue being obedient for the sake of obedience.
Juliette's mother and brother passed away when she was a teenager.
This begins by helping Juliette meet with Gloria Hildebrandt (Sophie Thompson) in season 1. It continues into season 2 when Dr. Nichols removes a birth control implant when he is instructed not to do so, as he does not want to continue giving the hopeful mothers false hope. He then descends to the Mechanical level where he can use his medical skills to help the community that Juliette called home. Dr. Nichols has had a satisfying arc, even though he does not receive as much consistent focus as many other characters.
7 Judge Mary Meadows
Played by Tanya Moodie
In season 1, Judge Meadows initially seems to be the most powerful individual in Silo 18 and potentially the villain behind the web of death and conspiracy that Juliette seeks to untangle. Judge Meadows is later revealed to be little more than a figurehead, while Bernard is the one who holds the most power in Silo 18. Season 2 makes Judge Meadows more intriguing when she becomes fixated on leaving Silo 18 for good and agrees to help Bernard if he will make her desire come true.
Judge Meadows owns relics and knows information about the outside world, giving her a unique level of knowledge, curiosity, and appreciation. She understands the need for order and deception, and knows how to keep the masses at bay with bureaucracy, but she still wants her own freedom. Her relationship with Bernard is nuanced, as the two characters care for and respect each other, but their motivations cannot coexist. Judge Meadows becomes one of Silo's best-developed characters until the plot necessitates that she be killed, making her unable to reach the heights of other characters.
6 Solo
Played by Steve Zahn
Solo (Steve Zahn) is the most important new character introduced in Silo season 2. He resides in Silo 17's vault and, for a while, he seems to be this Silo's only survivor. Given these circumstances, Juliette has no choice but to work with him so she can get what she needs to return to Silo 18 and save her friends and family before they make the fatal mistake of going outside. Solo is resourceful and intelligent, with encyclopedic knowledge of certain topics.
Juliette gradually realizes that he is concealing the truth about his identity.
At the same time, he is childish, deeply paranoid, and Juliette gradually realizes that he is concealing the truth about his identity. This makes Solo a complex and unpredictable character, which makes him fascinating to watch. However, Solo is not ranked as high as some other Silo characters because of his later introduction in the series, and he does not have the luxury of being more developed over the course of two seasons.
5 Robert Sims
Played by Common
From his first scene, it is clear that Sims is an imposing figure, and someone whose mere presence is feared due to his reputation. Sims is willing to murder, deceive, and spy on others without their consent, all while believing that these actions are justified for the good of Silo 18 and for the good of his family. Sims' love for his wife and son elevates his character, as these feelings humanize him, shape his motivations, and can make him vulnerable.
Sims is an antagonist for Juliette and her allies, but he is also locked in his own conflict with Bernard. By finding a new head of security and making Sims the replacement for Judge Meadows' position, Bernard tries to sideline Sims. This has placed Sims in a unique spot, as he tries to reconcile with being pushed aside by the man he gave his loyalty to, and must figure out what his next move is going to be. Sims is an interesting and effective character, even though he is more straightforward than Bernard.
4 Paul Billings
Played by Chinaza Uche
When Paul Billings (Chinaza Uche) is appointed as the Deputy Sheriff, it is clear that he has the position because the authorities believe he can be easily controlled. Billings has a reverence for Silo's Pact, which he knows by heart, and is determined to follow the law. Between this and his largely mild-mannered personality, the authorities believe that he will be easy to manipulate, making him an ideal figurehead to become Sheriff once Juliette is sent outside to clean.
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It is refreshing to see that Billings is severely underestimated, with his need for justice transcending the blind loyalty that is expected from him. One of the best moments of Silo season 2 is Bernard assuming that Billings is still on his side, only to realize that he has lost him. By investigating the truth and doing what he believes is right instead of what he is told to do, Billings is no longer plagued by the tremors caused by Silo's Syndrome illness, and he is finishing the work that Holston and Juliette started.
3 Bernard Holland
Played by Tim Robbins
There is delightful irony in seeing Robbins, who played prisoner Andy Dufresne in The Shawshank Redemption, essentially playing the warden in Silo. Bernard is in the unique position of knowing more than anyone in Silo 18 about the history of their home and of human civilization. Meanwhile, he is hellbent on concealing this information and believes murder, torture, blackmail, and deception are acceptable if these means can protect the lives of Silo 18's citizens.
Juliette, Meadows, Sims, and other intelligent and highly capable characters are outplayed by Bernard because he has already thought many steps ahead of them, making him a truly formidable antagonist. Bernard is masterful at identifying what a person cares about most and then using that against them. Unwilling to let this same strategy be used against him, Bernard kills Meadows, as even though he cares for her, he refuses to let her be a liability to him. Bernard is Silo's best unlikable character and is only eclipsed by two individuals who are more likable.
2 Martha Walker
Played by Harriet Walter
Martha Walker (Harriet Walter) is the heart and soul of the Mechanical level. She is respected and loved by everyone down there, with many turning to her to help solve problems and for advice. Walker is brilliant at fixing things, but she is consumed by regret after her marriage to Carla McLain (Clare Perkins) breaks up, and Walker spends the next twenty-five years in her workshop. As crotchety as Carla can be, she is also deeply loving and compassionate, as evidenced by the way she helped look after Juliette when she came to Mechanical.
Harriet Walter also stars in the hit Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso.
If not for Walker getting the courage to leave her workshop for the first time in twenty-five years to get Silo's heat tape, Juliette would not have survived when she was sent outside to clean. Walker has continued to shine in Juliette's absence and has been instrumental in Mechanical's ongoing rebellion. In addition to Walker's bravery, Walter portrays the character's heartbreak well, especially when Walker is blackmailed into helping Bernard in a desperate attempt to save Carla. Walker is a wonderful character and is only surpassed by one individual.
1 Juliette Nichols
Played by Rebecca Ferguson
Silo is Rebecca Ferguson's best TV show performance and Juliette is the face of the show. Whether it is fixing the generator or figuring out what happened to George Wilkins (Ferdinand Kingsley), Juliette is undeterred by challenges, and is determined to solve problems with a hands-on approach. She can come off as brusque and impatient, but her heart is always in the right place, and she is willing to take risks that few others are willing to take.
When she learns that Holston has named her his replacement to be Sheriff, she is thrust into a position she never imagined. She tries to use it to her advantage, all while facing unimaginable danger and being forced to confront the childhood trauma she ran away from years ago. Juliette is a reluctant hero who rises to the occasion when others are unable to do so. Ferguson's performance and the writing make Juliette the most captivating character to watch in Silo.
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In a dystopian future, men and women reside in a vast underground silo governed by strict regulations, believed to shield them from the hazardous world above. The series delves into the complex social order within the silo and the mysteries surrounding their subterranean existence.
Release Date May 5, 2023
Seasons 2
Story By Hugh Howey
Directors Morten Tyldum , David Semel
Showrunner Graham Yost
English (US) ·