Silo showrunner teases season 2’s dramatic opening episode, from a cameo twist to Rebecca Ferguson’s Juliette’s survival mission

Silo season 2 kicks off with a bang – and judging by our own Silo season 2 reviewit only gets better from there. But what else would you expect from one of the many best apple tv shows?

The first episode picks up immediately after the events of Silo Season 1 and follows Rebecca Ferguson’s Juliette as she explores the world outside her silo, having “stepped outside”. Soon enough, she stumbles upon a mountain of skeletons, needing to push through these bodies to reach the door to another silo – which we soon learn is called ‘Silo 17’.

It’s a haunting opening to the second season and one that showrunner Graham Yost reveals was a lot of thought. As he tells GamesRadar+ in an interview, how to start the next chapter after Season 1’s stunning ending was a key question facing the creative team.

He explains: “The first thing was how do we start the second season? We knew we needed to get to Juliette quickly but we also thought it would be fun to create a mystery of where all these bodies were in the bowl of Silo 17 What happened?

As Yost says, Episode 1 features flashback scenes that reveal some of this new Silo’s backstory, with Band of Brothers star Ross McCall appearing as the sheriff—which has been heavily teased in promotional material ahead of the show’s release.

The casting of McCall in this flashback role was crucial in ensuring that the opening episode made an impact, as Yost reveals that he hopes to play with the audience’s expectations here: “I managed to get Ross McCall to play the role of the sheriff, we’ve known each other for a long time And I said, ‘Ross, I want somebody that people can look at and say, oh, that guy, and then he’s dead, you know’.

Rebecca Ferguson as Juliette in Silo Season 2

(Image credit: Apple TV+)

Outside of the flashback scenes, episode 1 sees Juliette exploring the silo, which she believes is abandoned until she meets mysterious newcomer Soloplayed by an amazing Steve Zahn.

With the majority of the silo underwater or destroyed, Juliette is tasked with reaching the point of origin of a sound that catches her attention, which we eventually learn is coming from Solo.

This episode could easily be described as a survival story then, as Yost adds, “It’s a survival episode and it’s fun to see someone just trying to survive. It’s not just about getting food or water, she hears this sound and wants know what that means, part of her character is that she just can’t let a mystery lie.

“She wonders and also hopes that another person is there, in the face of that longing for company. Not wanting to be alone drives her.”

Tim Robbins as Bernard Holland in Silo Season 2

(Image credit: Apple TV+)

If you’re wondering where the other characters from Season 1 are, after this opening episode we’re really returning to the show’s original silo, with this season splitting the story across both silos.

Over at the original silo, things aren’t looking too good, as the residents are shocked that Juliette “went over the hill”, meaning she didn’t die immediately upon exiting, which is the usual procedure.

Mayor Bernard Holland then has to take desperate measures in an attempt to stop a rebellion from breaking out, repeatedly claiming that his actions are “for the good of the silos”. But does he really believe it or is it just about trying to maintain his power?

Actor Tim Robbins, who returns as the antagonist, believes the answer is complex: “I believe his mind, his intentions are guided by a knowledge that he has, that no one else in the silo has, which is a huge burden that he has to carry and a very lonely place to be. He has one person he can talk to about it, but that person doesn’t want to talk to him, so he’s in a very unenviable position of isolation.”

Robbins goes on to believe that Holland’s position here reflects the situations leaders in the real world find themselves in: “I see this happening all the time with power. Some people in power, who have some information, feel that they do things to it greater good, when what they are actually doing is rationalizing their own ability to stay in power.”

Regular as Robert Sims in Silo Season 2

(Image credit: Apple TV+)

Adding to Holland’s struggles this season is the fact that his former right-hand man Sims (played by an incredible Common) begins to question the mayor and begins to wonder if his instructions really benefit the silo. We see Sim’s wife Camille (Alexandria Riley) really starting to encourage him to push back against Holland, asking him to open his eyes to what’s really going on.

As Common tells GamesRadar+, it’s this evolving relationship that helps unlock a new side of Sims: “It’s really telling of him as a person and rounding him out as a human being. You see the moments he doubts and he takes off the leather jacket, which is him questioning things, and sometimes getting that direction from his wife.

Common continues to emphasize the pivotal role Camille plays in The Sims’ Season 2 arc: “It’s just saying that nobody does it all by themselves. I mean, even the greatest leaders still have somebody they bounce ideas off of. I love that our amazing writers have written this character to have so much depth to him and you see those aspects of his life.”

Silo Season 2 begins on Apple TV+ on November 15, with a new episode released every week. Don’t miss a beat with ours Silo season 2 release schedule.