Warning! This article contains spoilers for Silo season 2 and Hugh Howey’s Silo books.
Many story beats from Silo season 2 drift significantly away from the original books, paving the way for the show to adopt many original elements. After Silo season 1 ends its run by roughly covering the first half of Hugh Howey’s Wool, season 2 picks up where its predecessor leaves and covers the remaining chapters of the first book in the original trilogy. With this, Silo‘s seasons 1 and 2 adapt most arcs from the first Silo book, Wool, leaving the second, Shift, and the third one, Dust, for seasons 3 and 4.
While covering most aspects of the first book, Silo‘s seasons 1 and 2 do not shy away from introducing many of their own original ingredients. From featuring characters like Judge Meadows and Camille Sims to bringing new twists and turns to Juliette’s story, the Apple TV+ sci-fi show makes many provisions to ensure that it adds more depth to the books’ lore. While some of these additions feel unnecessary, others effectively enrich the show’s world and enhance its character development.
10
Juliette And Lukas Get Romantically Involved In The Silo Books
The Two Stay In Touch Even After Juliette Leaves Silo 18
Silo season 1 hinted at some potential romantic developments between Juliette and Lukas. However, after Lukas gets sent to the mines and Juliette leaves Silo 18, the show leaves no scope for them to continue where they left. Throughout Silo season 2, Lukas and Juliette do not get to talk to each other at all because, while Juliette is busy finding ways to return to Silo 18, Lukas focuses on cracking Salvador Quinn’s letter for Bernard.
Silo’s creator, Graham Yost, revealed (via TVLine) that Juliette and Lukas’ relationship had to be paced differently in the show because of how much they focused on George Wilkins and Juliette’s relationship in season 1. Since they could not have Juliette “jumping emotionally into another relationship that fast” and wanted to show how no one in Silo 18 knew she was alive, they significantly changed Juliette and Lukas’ story.
In the books, however, the two characters never grow apart. Unlike their television counterparts, Juliette and Lukas stay in touch even after Juliette leaves. Lukas not only helps Juliette understand what is happening in Silo 18 but also gradually falls for her. Even when Juliette finally returns to Silo 18 towards the end of the first Silo book, Wool, she finds peace in knowing that Lukas is still around. The show might pursue this story beat in future seasons.
9
Lukas Is Bernard’s First Choice To Be His Shadow In Wool
Bernard Never Sends Lukas To The Mines In The Books
Towards Silo season 1’s ending, Bernard feels betrayed by Lukas after he learns that Juliette approached him for help. Out of sheer anger, he sentences him to work in the mines for 10 years. Owing to the harsh conditions at the mines, most silo citizens barely survive more than a few years while working there. Lukas, however, gets lucky when Judge Meadows informs Bernard about how intelligent he is.
Silo is based on Hugh Howey’s book trilogy of the same name, but the series’ primary character beats and overarching mysteries are notably different.
After trying to convince Meadows to become his shadow, Bernard finally turns to Lukas after she dies, hoping he will help him find the truth behind Quinn’s letter. In the source material, Bernard and Lukas do not have a fallout. The Head of IT does not initially learn about Lukas’ ties with Juliette and even makes him his shadow without hesitation soon after Juliette leaves Silo 18. Lukas remains Bernard’s first and only choice to be his shadow, with no other competitors for the role.
8
Salvador Quinn Is An Original Character In The Apple TV+ Show
The Books Never Mention His Name
One of the most intriguing characters in Silo season 2 is Salvador Quinn. The show never reveals his face but mentions him on multiple occasions. His name first appears on a copy of the Pact in Silo season 1, raising many questions about who he is and how he connects to Silo 18’s past.
Many aspects of Quinn’s story remain a mystery, but Silo season 2’s final episodes confirm that he, too, learned about the Safeguard and the Algorithm before he died.
Silo season 2 delves deeper into his backstory by revealing that he was Silo 18’s mayor when the last rebellion happened. Many citizens of the underground structure also villainize him, and even his family members attempt to dissociate themselves from him. However, Bernard sets out to find the truth about his cryptic letter when Meadows hints that his message is the reason why she stepped back from her role as Bernard’s shadow and spent the rest of her years consuming alcohol in her apartment.
Many aspects of Quinn’s story remain a mystery, but Silo season 2’s final episodes confirm that he, too, learned about the Safeguard and the Algorithm before he died. Like Meadows, he, too, eventually lost faith in the silo system and wrote a cryptic letter to express his anger and frustration towards the founders. In the books, however, Salvador Quinn does not exist.
7
Judge Meadows Is Not A Character In The Hugh Howey Novels
The Entire Judicial Is Barely Mentioned In The Books
Silo season 1 effectively misguides viewers by making them believe that the Judicial consists of the silo’s leading figures. However, the closer the season gets to its finale, the more it becomes evident that the IT is responsible for pulling all the strings in the underground structure. Juliette, too, learns the hard way that people like Meadows, who seem to be at the top, are merely adopting an illusion of power.
Meadows’ story adds new depth to Silo season 2’s storyline and even makes Bernard seem more human.
The second installment of the Apple TV+ show delves deeper into Meadows’ story, highlighting how she craves freedom and knows a lot more about the founder’s purpose than Bernard. The show even hints that she was Bernard’s romantic interest before she lost all faith in the silo system and distanced herself from the city’s politics. Meadows’ story adds new depth to Silo season 2’s storyline and even makes Bernard seem more human. Owing to this, it is surprising that she is not even a character in the books, and even the Judicial is barely mentioned in the original stories.
6
Knox Dies Before Juliette Returns In The Books
His Death Is One Of The Most Tragic Events In The Original Story
Knox and Shirley are portrayed as two of the leading figures of the Mechanical’s rebellion in Silo season 2. They use their engineering and strategic prowess to fight back against Bernard and the IT, even after Bernard resorts to extreme methods to take them down. In the show, Knox remains alive before Silo season 2’s credits start rolling and lives long enough to see Juliette return home. In the books, however, Knox is not so fortunate and dies before he can see Juliette again.
5
Walker Never Becomes Bernard’s Snitch In The Original Trilogy
The Show Brings An Intriguing Twist To Walker’s Story
Silo season 2 briefly antagonizes Martha Walker by showing how she falls for Bernard’s trap and allows him to manipulate her. When Bernard threatens her that he will harm her former partner, Carla, if she does not comply with him, Walker surrenders and snitches on the Mechanical. However, the show redeems her when she secretly tells Knox about Bernard’s plans and helps the Mechanical set up a trap for Bernard and his team of raiders. None of these events happen in the original books, even though Martha and Walker are revealed to be a former couple in the source as well.
4
The Show Has Changed The Silos’ Timeline
Apple TV+’s Silo Seems Ahead Of The Books In Time
Moments before Meadows dies in Bernard’s arms in Silo season 2, he makes her wear a VR headset to give her a glimpse of what the outside world looked like in the before-times. As Bernard guides her through the VR experiences, he says, “Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve, 2018,” which confirms the world was fine in 2018 and far from being an apocalyptic wasteland. With this detail, one can fairly assess that the world-ending event that forced humans to live in silos happened after 2018.
| Name of Silo book | Parts |
| Wool |
|
| Shift |
|
| Dust | Serves as a singular book. |
Since Bernard mentions the founders created the silos 352 years before the present timeline, the present year in the show should be beyond 2370. In the books, the silos’ construction begins in 2059 before being completed in 2052. Meanwhile, the present timeline, which follows Juliette’s story, unfolds somewhere around 2345 in the Hugh Howey novels. This highlights that the construction of the silos is set further in the future in the books, but the show’s present timeline is ahead of the source material’s.
3
Bernard Willingly Dies After Learning The Truth About Silo 18
Bernard Has Other Plans In The Show
In both Hugh Howey’s Wool and Apple TV+’s Silo season 2, Bernard gives in towards the end after learning about the Safeguard and the true motives of the founders. However, while the show’s version of the character tries to go outside to experience a few minutes of freedom, the one in the book attempts to die by suicide. Towards the ending moments of Hugh Howey’s Wool, Juliette rushes to Silo 18, believing that Lukas is being sent out to clean. When she arrives at Silo 18’s airlock, she finds a man sitting there, ready to be burnt by the detoxifying flames in the chamber.
Tim Robbins’ Silo character has a tumultuous arc in the season 2 finale, and his fate will have a direct and important impact on Silo 18’s future.
Believing that the man is Lukas, Juliette attempts to save him by putting on a heat blanket over herself and him. However, the man pushes her away, making her realize he is Bernard. With this, Bernard burns to death while Juliette sustains some major injuries. In the show, however, Bernard stops Juliette from entering the airlock and has no intention of dying in the chamber. To his dismay, they get trapped in the room, forcing them to duck down as the flames engulf everything around them.
2
The Books’ Algorithm Is A Simple Program
The Show Hints It Might Have Elements Of AI
Apple TV+’s Silo never explicitly mentions the term “the Algorithm.” However, viewers may notice that when Lukas interacts with the voice in the tunnel in Silo season 2 episode 9’s ending, the voice is referred to as “the Algorithm.” The same voice welcomes Lukas to the vault in a previous episode, warns Bernard when the Mechanical launches a rocket to the upper levels, and eventually chooses Camille over Robert in Silo season 2’s finale. All these developments surrounding the Algorithm suggest it is a complex AI designed by the founders to ensure order in the silos.
Silo season 2 adapts the second half of Hugh Howey’s first Silo book, Wool.
In the books, it is revealed that only the residents of one of the 50 silos will eventually get the green flag to repopulate the world. All the other silos will be terminated. The decision of which silo gets to live will be determined by a relatively simple program called the Algorithm. After considering various parameters, the Algorithm will call the shots on who will get to live or die. Although the Algorithm seems to have a similar role in the series, its inner workings seem more complex and grounded in AI.
1
The Legacy Does Not Have A Digital Database In The Books
The Show’s Portrayal Of The Legacy Is More Expansive & Realistic
In the original Silo books, the Legacy only comprises a series of Encyclopedias that one can use to acquire knowledge about before-times and other aspects of the world outside. Instead of only featuring physical books as a part of the Legacy, Silo season 2 shows how it also includes a massive database of digital resources. This makes sense since Silo is set in the future, and physical books can only store a limited amount of information. While some book changes in the Apple TV+ show are questionable, this is one change that enhances it and makes it seem more realistic.
