Siloseason 2 begins streaming November 15 on Apple TV+, picking up right where season 1 left off in its adaptation ofHugh Howey’s series of sci-fi novels. The series introduces its central protagonist, Juliette (Rebecca Ferguson), as an engineer ready to question her community’s shut-in existence after the mysterious death of her boyfriend. Over the course of 10 episodes, she became Sheriff and went head-to-head with the government of the Silo, eventually being sent out to “clean” andshocking the citizens by not immediately dying once she was outside.
The events of theSiloseason 1 finalehave shaken her friends to the core, season 2, especially Knox (Shane McRae) and Shirley (Remmie Milner) in Mechanical. While they are still at odds with one another due to Knox turning Juliette into Judicial last season, they soon decide to work together to keep her memory alive. Even as the mayor and his cohorts move to restore order in the Silo, a rebellious spirit is emerging from the Down Deep and making its way through the ranks in Juliette’s name. Answers will be demanded soon enough, by both the audience watching and the residents of the Silo itself.
Silo Season 2 Review: Apple TV+’s Captivating Sci-Fi Pushes Its Expansive Story To A Boiling Point
Silo season 2 expands the world of the series in huge ways, with plenty of backstabbing and scheming to keep characters on their toes.
ScreenRantinterviewed McRae and Milner aboutthe events ofSiloseason 2and their excitement for fans to finally see what the creators have cooked up. The actors discussed their take on Shirley and Knox’s friendships with Juliette, their roles in the growing rebellion, and their thoughts on whether Juliette could have survived her cleaning trip.
Tensions & Flames Both Rise For Mechanical In Silo Season 2
“The livelihoods of all of these people are on [their] shoulders.”
Screen Rant: I know that Shirley feels like Knox betrayed Juliette in season 1. How does that affect tensions in Mechanical for season 2?
Remmie Milner: Shirley has a very ferocious start to the season because she cannot believe this betrayal, and she’s just ready to take matters into her own hands. It’s her best friend that’s left the Silo. She doesn’t know where she is, and she needs to get to the bottom of it, really. If Knox is not on her side, she’s going to go ahead and do it herself.
Screen Rant: Shane, I think Knox feels he had no choice, and he does also love Juliette. How is he going to carry on her legacy?
Shane McRae: I think it’s a really heartbreaking decision that he had to make, and he really felt like he had no choice. I think Knox above all feels this burden of being the leader of Mechanical and feels like the livelihoods of all of these people are on his shoulders. I think he’s haunted by it.
And then when he and Shirley, one of his best friends and a person who’s like family to him, are head-to-head and not agreeing on what he did… I think it’s sort of the engine that drives everything forward. As much as he feels like he did the right thing, or he didn’t have a choice, it haunts him. It haunts him, and it probably always will.
Screen Rant: Last season a character called Juliette the Last Flamekeeper, but now it seems sparks are lighting all around the Silo. Would each of you consider your characters Flamekeepers, and how much can you tell us about the growing rebellion?
Remmie Milner: I would love to consider Shirley as a Flamekeeper. Aren’t they brilliant? Completely outspoken, and just this super strong network that is kind of in the undercurrent of what is going on in the Silo, in terms of the rebellion.
It’s so hard to speak without giving stuff away. There’s so much in every single episode, and there’s 10 whole episodes.
Shane McRae: I think part of Knox’s journey is becoming a Flamekeeper. I don’t think he necessarily starts out that way. I think he believes that he can work within the system, and he’s grown up trying to do the right thing, trying to do the right thing… And what’s right is what’s been told and what he’s been taught. He sort of finds his inner flame at specific moments during the season until it’s a raging fire.
Specifically in the rebellion, I think there’s a journey to it. I think we start out with one intention, and there are specific moments that I can’t give away where everything flips, the characters become messier, and it all goes kind of crazy. And for Knox, when he and Shirley come out of that time — it’s so hard to talk in code without giving anything away — when they come through that fire, they’re changed, and they no longer even have to be secretive about keeping the flame. It’s all in the open, and that’s what part of what the rebellion is, right?
Shirley & Knox Keep Juliette’s Memory Alive – Whether They Believe She’s Around Or Not
“I just think, like no other, she would’ve gone out there and figured out something.”
Screen Rant: In season 1, we got glimpses of Juliette’s childhood and entry into Mechanical. How would you each say your relationships with her evolved over the years that we haven’t seen?
Remmie Milner: Shirley and Juliette have just gone from strength to strength, basically. They’re so close; they’re so tight. This is what makes the whole situation so heartbreaking. It’s like having a limb severed and not having any kind of clothes on that it’s just left open. What are you supposed to do with that energy? Even with her best friend out there somewhere, it’s like they still growing even more connected.
Shane McRae: I think Knox and Juliette have always butted heads. I think if Juliette was the original Flamekeeper and Knox was the guy who was a company man for a while, Knox’s journey is going from company man to his own flame.
But Knox has this deep love for Juliette and he understands her. There’s a moment where a character says to Knox, “I thought she drove you crazy.” And he says, “Well, she annoyed the living [blank] out of me, but I knew that I could trust her with my life.” I think that’s what it comes down to for Knox. Juliette was someone who was blood, almost, and he really believes that turning her in was something that she would’ve wanted as well. She would’ve chosen to do as well if she knew the stakes. I think his relationship with Juliet only comes into more clarity once she goes over the hill.
Remmie Milner: And that’s the same with Knox and Shirley, starting from such a conflicted point in the season to then actually realizing the only way to survive this is if we stick together. Trusting each other with your life says it all.
Screen Rant: Speaking of going over that hill, at the start of season 2, do each of your characters think Juliette could have survived? Why or why not?
Remmie Milner: I do think she could have survived because I know what this woman is like. She is so creative and so capable and always thinks outside the box. I just think, like no other, she would’ve gone out there and figured out something. And that’s what Shirley’s trying to figure out; what that something is.
But she’s also holding onto the hope, and she says it. She has her moments where she kind of questions other people how they think. But I think, for her, the thread of hope is solid.
Shane McRae: I think Knox is in conflict with himself. There’s a little part of him that wants to believe, but his major mechanical brain is thinking, “This is not realistic. I don’t actually think she could be alive.”
I don’t think that Knox does the things he does because he thinks she’s alive. I think he does the things he does because he thinks they’re right. But then the hope begins to grow, little by little. By the end, I don’t think he knows until he knows.
Screen Rant: The show is super popular and rightfully so. I imagine it will continue as long as they can make it continue. Should you each make it to a potential season 3, is there an aspect of your characters' lives you’d like to see explored?
Shane McRae: Oh, we can’t even answer this. There are so many and we know ideas about where things might go. So I think we should probably leave off with this: there’s a lot to explore, and there are a lot of possibilities.
Remmie Milner: I think the characters keep growing, and all the relationships keep shapeshifting as well.
Shane McRae: Yeah, they do. I will say that in the Down Deep, the spirit of camaraderie and community just grows and grows and grows. I think that’s one of the things that audiences will take away from it. I love the Down Deep, and I think Shirley and Knox are intricate to that community
Remmie Milner: Or as we’ve gone and named ourselves: Shirlox. We’re like these underground detectives.
Silo is the story of the last ten thousand people on Earth, their mile-deep home protecting them from the toxic and deadly world outside. However, no one knows when or why the silo was built and any who attempt to find out face fatal consequences. Rebecca Ferguson stars as Juliette, an engineer, who seeks answers about a loved one’s murder and tumbles onto a mystery that goes far deeper than she could have ever imagined, leading her to discover that if the lies don’t kill you, the truth will.
Check out our otherSiloseason 2 interviews here:
Siloseason 2 premieres November 15 on Apple TV+, with new episodes dropping every Friday.
Silo
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