Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for the Silo Season 2 finale.Now that Silo Season 2 has aired its electrifying finale, it’s safe to call this masterful accomplishment one of the best series the streaming world has to offer. Arguably the most cerebral of Apple TV+’s sci-fi dramas, Silo‘s sophomore outing builds upon the foundation laid by its debut season by splitting the action between protagonist Juliette Nichols (Rebecca Ferguson) exploring the grim dangers of a different silo, and the precarious uprising brewing in her home. Silo is a character study first and foremost, and expanding the scope of its dystopic world allows new faces to emerge and supporting figures to receive more screen time.
But even though Silo expertly paces its nuanced narrative threads across 10 episodes, Season 2 still has numerous metaphorical plates to juggle. By necessity, some characters command center stage more than others. Still, the presence of Dr. Pete Nichols (Iain Glen), Juliette’s father, takes a back seat to the rest of the season’s moving parts — until the finale, that is, when Pete goes out in a blaze of glory, guaranteeing the rebellion’s triumph over Mayor Bernard Holland (Tim Robbins). Although Glen’s performance brings warmth and grief-filled compassion to the role, Pete’s sacrifice would have been better served if Silo had devoted more time to exploring his unique contributions, their wider implications, and future ramifications — especially now that Juliette has returned to a silo that lacks her last living family member.
‘Silo’ Season 2 Doesn’t Utilize Pete Nichols’ Potential
Pete has always been a quietly integral supporting character within Silo‘s cryptic worldbuilding. For one, Juliette’s estranged relationship with her father informs her adult self’s independent temperament. Her reconciliation with Pete during the latter half of Season 1 acts as a healing balm for her past losses and the perpetual isolation that plagues her life, especially since Pete’s adoration for his daughter never wavered. Individually, Pete offers a razor-sharp look into how deeply and nefariously the silo manipulates its citizens.
As this silo’s only obstetrician, Pete knows which families the Up Top’s leadership have allowed to have children and which would-be parents are being cruelly strung along with false hope. Unlike Sheriff Paul Billings (Chinaza Uche), a man operating with idealism and loyalty, Pete knows firsthand how exploitative the Pact can be. The Founders’ so-called rules force Pete, a doctor, to either lie to his patients or risk his family’s livelihood. For decades, he reluctantly chooses silent complicity. This glimpse into Pete’s world demonstrates how Medical is just as corrupt as Judicial, a division ruled by power-obsessed individuals.
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Season 2 intermittently shows Pete’s evolution from guilt, anger, and directionless wandering into active resistance and an implied determination to make amends. Between the discerning, character-driven writing and Glen’s empathetic performance, these emotional segments are some of the season’s highlights. Given Pete’s ultimate sacrifice, however, the effects of his limited presence don’t ripple throughout the season with as much strength as they should, given the untapped potential Pete’s position offers.
Pete hasn’t been corrupted by the silo’s influence, but indirectly inflicting harm upon his patients has tainted his selfless physician’s instincts. Instead of helping vulnerable people in need, he obeys the “law” and receives nothing in return for sacrificing his ethics — and losing his entire family — to the silo. When Pete finally rejects Bernard in Juliette’s name, his defiance carries a different brand of personal weight than the rest of the rebellion, who know oppression well but are new to the hidden truths — and who know Juliette as a friend or a coworker, not as a daughter.
‘Silo’ Season 2 Emphasizing Pete’s Perspective Would Have Made His Death More Heartbreaking
For such a merciless series, Pete and Judge Meadows (Tanya Moodie) are Silo‘s only significant deaths to date. And for such an important event as the rebellion losing their figurehead’s father, Pete receiving less screen time compared to his fellow characters feels like a missed opportunity. This strikes especially true in the wake of Apple TV+ renewing Silo for two more seasons, as Pete’s death will undoubtedly affect Juliette. Before Bernard sent her to clean in Season 1, Juliette and her father overcame the misunderstandings and mistakes that caused their emotional rift. Their reunion meant Juliette no longer felt as abandoned as she once did.
She desperately fights to return home because she wants to protect her loved ones, and few deaths could uproot her stability and wound her heart worse than her father’s — especially since Bernard’s actions effectively rob Juliette of the chance to further repair her relationship with Pete. (If Bernard survived that incinerator, their very tentative truce might fall apart.) Certainly, Pete’s death is an act of protection and hope, but these powerful scenes exist within a truncated character arc that falls shy of its potential.
Silo is available to stream on Apple TV+ in the U.S.
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Silo
- Release Date
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May 5, 2023
- Showrunner
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Graham Yost
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