Review: Silo season 2 hits a breaking point in Episode 204 “The Harmonium”

As a longtime fan of dystopian dramas, I must say that “The Harmonium” episode of Silo truly stood out for me. The intricate plot development and character progression were reminiscent of the captivating narratives found in classic works like 1984 or Brave New World.

In the fourth episode of Silo’s second season titled “The Harmonium,” we witness a significant shift of events. For several weeks, we’ve followed Juliette Nichols (Rebecca Ferguson), who sought refuge at Silo 17 and developed a bond with Solo (Steve Zahn), the lone survivor from his own silo, offering him a chance to aid her in acquiring materials for a suit to escape back home. Concurrently, tensions are escalating within Silo 18 as citizens clamor for explanations and Mayor Bernard Holland (Tim Robbins) enforces order with increasing severity. This leads to an unexpected move by Mayor Holland that places Knox (Shane McRae) and Shirley (Remmie Milner) in a precarious position.

It should surprise no one that “The Harmonium” is another great episode of Silo, even if it does bid farewell to one of my new favorite characters. Read on for our review, which contains SPOILERS.

Silo Episode 204 review: “The Harmonium”

Similar to Episode 3 titled “The Harmonium”, the narrative flow is evenly distributed between Juliette and the characters in Silo 18. The series has been excellently paced, making it enjoyable when characters step out of the limelight for an episode. Furthermore, the consecutive episodes featuring all main characters have kept the plot moving smoothly.

This episode is undeniably one of the most thrilling installments this season, with several compelling aspects. Firstly, Juliette and Solo build an improvised respirator to enable Juliette to dive into the submerged levels of the Silo in search of a firefighter suit that she can modify to venture outdoors again. The duo of Ferguson and Zahn is captivating on-screen; their interaction sparkles with chemistry, and both characters possess unique peculiarities that make them intriguing to follow. This time around, Zahn delivers an emotionally powerful performance, describing ancient circuses, providing Juliette with the idea for her respirator by playing a harmonium in a classroom, and ultimately experiencing a breakdown due to his prolonged separation from his vault.

In the Juliette section of the episode, the settings stand out notably. Typically, I don’t feel compelled to discuss the sets for Silo, as they blend so effortlessly that it’s almost hard to appreciate their quality. However, the dilapidated Silo 17 and Juliette’s harrowing underwater voyage are exceptionally well-crafted and captivating to witness.

Additionally, there are some intriguing aspects worth exploring here. Solo mentions that he once sat next to one of the children in a deserted classroom during his youth, which casts doubt on the chronology of the uprising at Silo 17. His reaction when Juliette inquires about it suggests there might be hidden truths at play. I sense some secrets lurking.

As Juliette takes a dip, quite a bit unfolds within Silo 18. The most significant event is the demise of Judge Meadows, portrayed by Tanya Moodie. Moodie has been delivering outstanding performances this season, so her departure left me feeling melancholic…yet she managed to make her final moments as impactful as possible.

Let’s examine why Mayor Holland (Tim Robbins) chose to set Shirley (Remmie Milner) and Knox (Shane McRae) up for poisoning, using this incident to implicate them from Mechanical. Throughout the season, Robert Sims (Common) has been expressing his regret over losing Holland’s trust, and both he and his wife Camille (Alexandria Riley) understand that Holland has been seeking advice from Judge Meadows rather than Sims. As a result, they devise a plan to instigate an impeachment motion against Meadows in order to stoke more chaos within the Silo and draw Holland back into Sims’ orbit.

Sims’ strategy manages to push Holland into action, leading him to orchestrate Meadows’ death as a means to rally the Silo against her presumed killers. This strategy also addresses a problem for Holland – Meadows had been insisting on an environment suit so she could go outside herself, but he had been misleading her about it due to his need for her cooperation. However, it seems he never intended to fulfill this request.

The key point is that Holland genuinely admired Meadows, and he’s astute enough to recognize that Sims had put him in a difficult position. In the final moments of the episode, Holland communicates this to Sims, suggesting that Sims may have difficulty exploiting Meadows’ demise for personal gain. Given Holland’s reluctance to cause Meadows harm, her death scene carries significant weight and has been one of the most impactful scenes of the season thus far. Robbins and Holland delivered powerfully emotional performances, and the intensity emanating from both actors made the scene incredibly engaging.

A notable moment featuring Judge Meadows is when she releases Lukas (Avi Nash), who was sentenced to 10 years in the mines, so he could plead his case for innocence. You might recall that Lukas assisted Juliette with an illicit hard drive during season 1, and as a consequence, was exiled to the mines. During their conversation, Meadows queries Lukas about his hypotheses regarding the “lights in the sky,” and he shares his theory that the Earth is round and rotates. This demonstrates how much information about the world he’s deduced merely by observing and theorizing. Meadows also enlightens him about the solar system, only to send him back to the mines once more. It’s a heart-wrenching sequence.

Regarding the Down Deepers, this incident marked a dramatic escalation, culminating tragically with Meadows’ demise. Knox and Shirley guide a team towards the higher levels, accompanied by Martha Walker (played by Harriet Walter) and Carla McLain (Clare Perkins). Their aim was to discuss with Meadows about constructing suits for outdoor exploration. Meadows agreed, but had plans to manipulate things politically in the future…however, the inhabitants of the upper levels were wary of those from below. They warned they would push them off the colossal staircase within the Silo.

This incident results in one of the more tense moments during the episode as McLain hurls assorted balls down the stairs to indicate to their associates below to turn off the power for the entire Silo until their requests are granted. The scene on the staircase is skillfully executed and gives a hint of what’s to come, since “The Harmonium” concludes with Knox and Shirley escaping from the upper levels and Sims stirring up rioters to pursue them. Tensions are escalating on Silo!

Silo bullet points

• Before dying, Meadows reveals that a letter from Salvador Quinn was on the hard drive that Juliette had discovered, written in code. She says he was the head of IT during the last rebellion, over 140 years ago. That seems to have been part of the reason she quit as Holland’s shadow, but she doesn’t tell him what it said before she dies.
• Knox and Shirley start the episode by looking at a wall deep under the Silo, which has a bunch of names written on it. Knox thinks these are the people from Mechanical who died in the Rebellion, which he realizes was not some big world-ending event, but simply the last time Mechanical rose up against the people in the upper levels. This aligns with what Meadows and Holland said in their final conversation.
• The most chilling thing is that the wall has scrawled stages of the rebellion on it: blaming Mechanical, causing a food shortage, and stoking division. Silo has riffed on the idea of predictable human nature a few times when it comes to how IT keeps control of the people in its Silo, such as when Solo told Juliette in Episode 203 about how the rebellion started in Silo 17. I’m curious to see how events will line up with or contradict what’s written on the wall.
• Another important development is that Sheriff Billings (Chinaza Uche) heads down to the lower levels, hoping to keep the peace and find the man who was responsible for throwing the firebomb at the deputy station in the previous episode. I’m looking forward to seeing more of him in the next episodes.

Verdict

Silo” has been setting the stage ablaze with its recent performances, and there seems to be no end in sight to its success. The latest episode, “The Harmonium,” stands out as one of the best from the season yet, boasting intense and captivating scenes, as well as quiet moments that keep viewers on the edge of their seats. What truly makes this series shine is exceptional writing and top-notch performances by its talented cast. The fact that heavyweights like Rebecca Ferguson and Tim Robbins lead the show only adds to its appeal, but each actor delivers a stellar performance. I can hardly wait to see where “Silo” takes us next.

Episode grade: A-

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2024-12-06 16:41