Warning! Spoilers ahead! I have not read the book series this show is based on, so this is a highly speculative review and summary.
This week's episode was probably the best since the first two as the pace picks up. Quite a bit of information and nuance is given to us as we learn more about the mysteries of the Silo. Only 4 episodes remain and things are revealed with focus on the relic. There is more character development as well and the show has another jaw dropping cliffhanger at the end.
After personally planting evidence of her own in Douglas Trumbell's apartment , Jules convinces Judicial to open a relics investigation which works out well with Forgiveness day as anyone turning in a relic on this day can do so without penalty. Although several characters on the show report that there is a always a debt to be paid when it comes to possessing forbidden knowledge, the premise is that a public holiday such as this encourages people to come forward and raises morale.
We are given more insight into the workings of the Silo government with a pretty big demarcation of knowledge and sharing between Judicial and the Sheriff's office as Jules's search for database information comes up with nothing while Judicial has a detailed list of information. The strange part of this is the amount of details including full description, conjecture of how it was used and each time and place it was found. These are strangely all things we'd expect to see in the non-existent police file.
We also learn more about Judicial and their seemingly all reaching power but also its limitations. Even Robert Sims does not know much about this artifact having to use the database to begin with and later discovering it belonged to George Wilkins. Nonetheless, my favorite supporting character, previous IT Director Barnes defends and saves Jules from a bunch of judicial trouble and allows the story to advance.
As Jules and Billings continue their investigation we learn more about George Wilkins through his ex-girlfriend, Regina Jackson. She does not paint a pretty picture of him at all, making him out to be quite the user and having her pursue relics in his stead. The show makes it clear that relic dealers and those involved are dealt with harshly if not through death than through suffering. Patrick Kennedy and Regina Jackson, now cat lady, estranged from her family lose "everything" in terms of their personal relationships and one if not both are visited by dark figures in the night who ask about everything pertaining to relics with threats to their loved ones. We also learn that Billings has the ever feared "syndrome," which would prevent him from holding his position according to the PACT.
Out of nowhere another clue is given about Walk in a picture when she had presumably found love? Not much is mentioned so far about LGBTQ+ in the Silo and it would be interesting to see if there is a take on this and if these relationships are "sanctioned." Surely in a society hellbent on controlling population growth this would be allowed...?
Jules and Walk communicate via radio, the last time this occurred late at night someone (Deputy Marnes) attacked shortly after...
As the show ends, we finally learn the answer to the cryptic note with a cliffhanger of a reveal! As the flowers are shown to be a possible deterrent from spy camera technology employed by... yet another yet to be introduced entity and character? The surveillance technology is much more advanced than even the video camera that Walk possesses. The picture in picture with multiple feeds and high text resolution displays would place it at least 20 years ahead of the 1980s technology they otherwise have. It is unclear Sims's connection to this entity via his phantom "Janitor door" organization. I suspect the phantom organization to be external to the Silo itself and limits the information that Sims is privy to receive. And if this phantom organization is indeed external to the Silo and is charged with keeping continual active surveillance with immediate involvement as warranted, it would be a very expensive operation to run. Will Jules be visited before the night ends?
The true relic, the episodes presumed namesake is revealed as a children's travel book and in a way it gives us further insight into George Wilkins.
Still, some mysteries remain...
- Are the whispering 'Friends of the Silo' actual people or just a way to explain all the immediate knowledge learned from the surveillance cameras? Either way it creates a culture of fear that keeps people in line and serves the ends nonetheless.
- Is the "Janitor Door"organization the same as the "phantom organization" that runs all the cameras or is it a sub-organization or something completely independent
- Why exactly did Walk stay in her workshop all this time, is it because of her work or because she was also visited by a dark figure?Is there a more sinister reason why they choose who they choose to approve to have children? Genetics remains a key to the mystery.
- The Syndrome -- what is it exactly? is it a by-product of selective breeding? Why must someone abandon a post with the syndrome, does it eventually cause the person to go mad?
And a lingering question remains which is the overarching mystery of the show and what George Wilkins posits to Jules: What if everything you've been told by the people you love was in fact just one big lie?
I will leave you with this: There is also a facebook group that is the official fan group which author Hugh Howey frequents as well.
Here is the review of last week's episode.
Review of other episodes:
Episode 1 and 2 - Freedom's Day and Holston's Pick
Episode 3 - Machines
Episode 4 - Truth
Episode 5 - The Janitor's Boy
Episode 6 - The Relic
Episode 7 - The Flamekeepers
Episode 8 - Hanna
Episode 9 - The Getaway
Episode 10 - Outside