Silo: What happened in season one, episode two - 'Holston’s Pick'
Read a full recap of what happened in Silo season one, episode two
Last updated 9 hours ago
We're recapping the whole of Silo season one, as season three continues to be released weekly on Apple TV. In season one, episode one we were introduced to Sheriff Holston Becker and his wife Allison, who goes out to clean, leaving the Sheriff with many unanswered questions.
In episode two we get to see Holston, two years later, 'go out to clean' to be with his beloved wife, but not before seeing some flashbacks through Juliette's experiences, explaining how an engineer from Mechanical and the Sheriff knew each other. Read on for a full recap of season one, episode two.
READ MORE: Silo phrases explained - All the key terms you need to know
Episode two – ‘Holston’s Pick’
The episode starts with Holston preparing to clean (which is essentially Silo-speak for the death penalty), with the mayor reading him his rights. The crowds, including Juliette, Knox, Shirley and Hank gather in the cafeteria to watch the Sheriff clean.
As he walks outside, he looks around and can see a blue sky, green grass and trees, before he turns around and cleans the camera so everyone in the Silo can see. Once he’s finished cleaning he turns back to the body of his wife, and walks towards her, he struggles to breathe, still seeing the blue sky and green grass around him. Sadly, he falls to the floor and takes off his helmet, crawling towards the body of his wife.
After a fight breaks out in the cafeteria Juliette returns to the generator where she takes out her anger on a water pipe that springs a leak.
Up Top, the Deputy Sheriff (Sam Marnes – played by Will Patton) finds an envelope addressed to him, along with the Sheriff’s badge. Clerical assistant Sandy tells Deputy Marnes that people are beginning to get homemade weapons from recycling because “people are scared”.
READ MORE: A recap of what's happened so far in Silo season three
Deputy Marnes visits the mayor to talk to her about who will be taking over as Sheriff. She’s concerned that with no clear person to take on the role, Judicial will try to get one of them to be the next sheriff. The mayor then reveals she’s been reading through 97 ledgers which document the births, deaths and consumptions over the years, but there’s no mention of a sheriff going to clean.
In a flashback, George and Juliette are in an unsanctioned relationship. He tells Juliette he has something to tell her at her place, but when she returns home after work at midnight he’s nowhere to be seen. However, she does find a little bag with a pez and a note.
The following day she finds out that George has died, and goes to Hank (Deputy Sheriff in the Down Deep) to tell him that she suspects he was murdered. The next day Sheriff Becker and Deputy Marnes arrive at Mechanical to look at the body and find out what’s going on. Holston and Juliette then go to inspect George’s body. Later the pair go to the cafeteria where Holston suspects the pair were in an unsanctioned relationship, where she opens up about what he left for her. After showing him the pez and only part of the note that she was left, which says: ‘Remember where you last saw this’.
The pair go into a hidden tunnel and find what Juliette believes is the machine that dug the Silo, along with a little camp that George had set up. The pair then follow a piece of string where they find a bag with the hard drive, along with paper with Allison’s handwriting on it.
In the present day, Juliette reveals the bottom half of the note that George had left her, which says: ‘I found what I was looking for’, relating to a ‘door’ he saw on the Silo blueprints.
The mayor and Deputy Marnes meet again to talk about who should be the next sheriff, with the Deputy revealing that Holston did actually leave details of who he wanted to succeed him. The note said it should be Juliette, and she should be given his badge.
How to watch Silo
Both seasons one and two of Silo are now available to watch in full on Apple TV. Season three episodes are being released weekly.
What happened in Silo season one?
Make sure you check out our episode by episode guide for a full recap of Silo.
What do these Silo terms mean?
Going out to clean
Going out to clean in Silo its basically a death penalty. Residents of the Silo who go out to clean don't come back alive. They are sent out for two reasons, either because they break the law or they ask to go out voluntarily.
When they are outside, they clean the lens on a camera that displays on the screens in the cafeterias. Over time the lens gets covered in dust and debris from the toxic wasteland the residents of the Silo can see.
SPOILER! (Juliette is the only person so far to come back alive)
Up Top
The Silo consists of 144 levels, and they are connected by a single spiral staircase, there are no lifts. It is split into three main sections. Up Top is where the primary government offices, the Sheriff's station, and the surface airlock are situated.
The Mids
Below Up Top is The Mids, where many of the residents live along with the schools, and The Farm that grows food for the population. It also houses the Mids Medical, where Juliette's dad, a doctor, oversaw the nursery.
Down Deep
At the bottom of the Silo is the Down Deep. The people who live down there and keep the generator going rarely go up to The Mids or Up Top. There are many Deputy stations throughout the Silo, but the Down Deep Deputy Station is where Deputy Hank Murphy is charge. He is good friends with Juliette and Knox who work on the generator.
The Mines
Being sent to the mines is seen as a punishment for those who break the law. Iron ore was mined from The Mines, which are dirty and full of rats. Lukas Kyle is banished to The Mines for not reporting Juliette's relic.
The Digger Void
The area around the digger that was used to build the Silo is called The Digger Void. In the Digger Void is a camp made by George, where he hides a few relics, later Bernard is found hiding there, after many believed he had died.
Shadow
Someone's shadow is like their deputy, they are expected to learn from their mentor. In one of the early episodes Juliette gets a shadow called Terry Cooper. Juliette was previously Knox's Shadow, when she first transferred from The Mids.
The Algorithm
A select few from the Silo ever encounter The Algorithm, a voice that speaks to certain people about the Silo in a bright room with stepped walls. Although the subtitles call this voice The Algorithm it isn't referred to by the characters as such, and many don't know of its existence.
The Farm and 'going to the farm'
The Farm refers to the many farms in the Silo, where they grow crops and have animals such as pigs and chickens for the 10,000-strong population.
However, there's a slightly grim feature of The Farm, when members of the population die they can be buried in The Farm, so that their body's nutrients helps to feed the crops.
Before Times
Before the Silo was built was the Before Times - set in the near future (2040s). Not much is known about the Before Times in the first two seasons, with the third season beginning to explore why the Silo was created.
Judicial
Similar to the Sheriff, Judicial help to keep law and order in the Silo, they are responsible for enforcing The Pact and confiscating any relics.
Relic
Something from before the Rebellion. It's illegal to be in possession of a relic and knowing that someone has one and not reporting them can also be a punishable offence.
The Pact
The Pact is a book that the rules of the Silo are set out in. Several characters refer to The Pact throughout the series and how they must follow the rules.
The Rebellion
140 years before Silo is set there was a Rebellion when the residents of the Silo stormed the upper levels wanting to open the door to the surface and poison the entire Silo with air from outside. The Rebels burnt all the books, computer drives and anything from the Before Times.
Safeguard
A hidden pipe system which can flood the Silo with toxic gas. Use of it is designed to end the entire Silo's existence, but it isn't controlled by Silo 18, instead it is controlled by the overseers of Silo 1.