Silo Season 2 Episode 3 - Solo

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 highlights the danger that is awaiting the Silo as we see more and more what happened to the other Silo. There are a few reveals and confirmations in this episode.

Trivia and interesting facts

• There's 50 silos with the nearest being 15, 16 and 18, to the current 17 that Jules is in.
• When everybody left, the dust started to blow away again. The poison went away for a bit but then it came back and they they died.
• Ron Tucker, the cleaner who didnt clean in Silo17. He wrote "Lies" in dirt on the lens, then went out of view. This instigated the rebellion in Silo17.
• Russell head of IT in Silo17, had Solo be his shadow.
• The server room that Solo is in, is called "The Vault"
• In the event of a failed cleaning, prepare for war and graffiti. You're supposed to crack down on graffiti, particularly anything that supports a rebellion, or anything that purposefully glorified the person who failed to clean. 
• Most of the cameras below 120 have been knocked out.
• Meadows and Bernard know that Jules is in Silo 17.
• The Order says to blame mechanical and unite the rest of the Silo against them.
• Juliette says the birds was what tipped her off to the recording being fake.
• motion detector lights, make sense in the vault which is more high tech, but not in the garden or elsewhere in the silo.
• the name of the character who kills Kennedy and Cooper is named "smalls," I wonder if this is in reference to "You're killing me, Smalls" in the movie "Sandlot."
  

Themes and plot lines from this episode

Judge Meadows spends a lot of time focusing on Juliette and wanting to go out, whether she was framed or not. 

Advice from Judge Meadows, the next time you make an arrest for graffiti, make sure they're from the mids or up-top (not mechanical or down below), because Juliette is singular, no one had done what she has done before and now it requires thinking outside of the box. Release the man from Mechanical.

Characters of Interest this episode

Jules Nichols - Originally from Silo18, she is currently in Silo17. She spends most of this episode trying to figure out how to get back to Silo17. She seems to be bonding with Solo.
Solo - has been through major trauma as well as been isolated for (decades?). He was the shadow of Russell in Silo18, the head of IT.
Bernard Holland - He is head of IT and has been acting Mayor since the suspicious death of the former Mayor Jahns. He tries his best to draw Judge Meadows in and comes up with a plan and promises to let her out of the Silo to go over the hill while the cameras are off. He does show some more of his dark side as he instigates a rebellion, so that he may crush it.
Judge Meadows - Alcoholic, revealed this episode to be the previous shadow of Bernard Holland. Views herself as a powerless "wizard of oz" who wants out of her situation. She seems to know A LOT about the Sllo, even about "the order" and what Bernard knows from a technical standpoint. Seems to have good insight on how to lead the Silo and keep order, even thinking "outside the box" in order to do so.
Robert Sims - Has power, is the right hand man of Bernard but is not viewed competent enough to be the Shadow for Bernard, a role he clearly covets. He does the dirty work and convinces Kennedy to throw a flamebomb so that he may later be shot.
Dr. Pete Nichols - Jules's father continues to be the caring father figure type as a physician caring for the newborn. He is being watched by IT just in case... In this episode he disobeys order and removes birth control from a young couple trying to conceive.
Patrick Kennedy - captured, throws a molotov cocktail and is murdered in a set up by Judicial.
Terry Cooper - murdered as part of the molotov cocktail incident. He was previously the shadow of Jules in engineering.
Reginald Smalls - retired raider here for the sole purpose of murdering Kennedy.
Knox - strange leader in mechanical, will he and Shirley lead the revolution?
Sheriff Paul Billings - a person with "the syndrome" is another figurehead, similar to Judge Meadows. He knows the Pact forwards and backwards and is keenly aware of everything not adding up. Especially as his powers have been stripped from him as the Deputies answer to IT now. He confesses to Judge Meadows that he has the syndrome and that he has doubts that Jules had said she wanted to go outside.

The Syndrome Revisited

The theory on the syndrome, from the show, is that it is not a blood disorder or a vitamin deficiency, but a natural human reaction to an unnatural situation. Human beings are not meant to live underground. None of us have walked a straight line for more than 200 feet. 

The syndrome was first discussed my write up of Season 1 Episode 7 (The Flamekeepers).

Unanswered questions

• Who is the wheelchair guy that can make weapons and what is the second request?
• The display showing the illusionary perfect world died as Jules walked a certain distance but Bernard was still able to see what she saw. How come? The assumption was the wifi signal was too weak.
• How long has Silo17 been dead?
• Did someone cut the rope from Episode 1? If so, it likely wasn't Solo, he could barely walk across the platform. Who was it?
• Dr. Nichols will likely be caught, since he is being watched so closely. What purpose does this serve for the plot?
  
• Who is part of the ring of people that hacks the Silo's security network?
• Who is helping Jules escape by turning off the cameras at key opportune moments?
• What is the syndrome?