Recap of Season 2, Episode 4 of Silo – ‘The Harmonium’
Episode 4 begins with Nichols’ urgent need to find firefighter suits, a critical step in her plan to return to her Silo. With Solo’s trepidatious help, they search for a way to help her breathe underwater. Though Nichols initially dismisses Solo as a distraction, as he’s talking literature and relics, he proves invaluable when he demonstrates the mechanics of a harmonium, inspiring a solution: using a bellow to push air through a pipe while she dives.
Meanwhile, back in the Silo, Knox and Shirley uncover an ominous pattern in past revolutions, suggesting Mechanical is always scapegoated. This revelation fuels their determination to break the cycle. Simultaneously, tensions rise between Sims and Bernard, with Sims leveraging Meadows’ vulnerability to rally support for her impeachment.
Returning to Nichols, she takes an increasingly nervous Solo, who fears he’s not locked his door – his sole duty – and wants to go back, but is pushed on by Nichols to help. She descends into the water, and after a struggle makes it there and back. Solo immediately rushes back once she is safe again to check on the security door. He did indeed lock it, but after two failed password attempts he freaks out again, as the third will lock him out forever. Fortunately for Solo he gets it on the third time, and Nichols, thankful but concerned, tries to assuage Solo. Solo at last seems to calm down again.
In the prime Silo, Billings is trying to investigate the uprising in Mechanical, which caused the death of one of Cooper. They cannot find Cooper’s body, and are instead told Judicial has absconded with the body.
Tanya Moodie in “Silo,” now streaming on Apple TV+
Bernard again meets with Meadows, presenting a sumptuous looking meal, as they talk and connect again before Meadows asks for the suit. Bernard’s look tells Meadows all she needs to know as she realizes she’s been poisoned. Meadows in a panic asks about the hard drive Juliette had in her possession, saying there was a coded message from the IT head from 140 years ago. Bernard said he destroyed it, and also explains his reasoning for killing Meadows. Saying he did it for the silo. Showing at least a little compassion, he allows her to look at the wonders of the outdoor worlds through a relic just before she dies.
Harriet Walter and Clare Perkins in “Silo,” now streaming on Apple TV+
Right around the same time four members of Mechanical, Martha, Clara, Knox, and Shirley, are granted an audience with Meadows, and begin to make they way to the top to meet Meadows. They face resistance along the way from angry residents. By the time they reach the top the two allowed in to see Meadows, Knox and Shirley, find her murdered, and they realize they are being setup. They rush down the stairs given a head start by Simms, who then announces to the already agitated audience at the top that Mechanical killed Meadows, which unleashes a mob after them that seems like it will surely catch up with the four fleeing members of Mechanical in the next episode.
Thoughts on Silo’s Season 3, Episode 4: ‘The Harmonium’
Rebecca Ferguson in “Silo,” now streaming on Apple TV+
“The Harmonium” really feels like the episode where everything hits the proverbial fan. Nichols and Solo’s connection, though fragile, proves strong enough to help her, which suggests she’ll be able to escape. While the prime Silo itself is descending increasingly into what seems like pre-planned chaos, as Bernard’s by the book guidance is leading the Silo into revolt. I’d written about how Meadows continued to chide Bernard as a by-the-book, again literally, IT head, but I don’t think I even imagined he would take it as far as he did in this episode.
This begs some questions including 1) Since Sims is suspcious of Bernard himself, will he use what he knows to make Bernard choose him as his shadow? 2) Will the opening in Judicial create a power vaccuum, or will Bernard fill both roles? 3) Will Mechanical be able to escape the descending mob? 4) Is there somehow a copy of the hard drive data that Bernard destroyed, as it seems too big a mystery to tease without any ultimate reveal.
I have no answers for any of these; however, more than perhaps any episode since the 1st of Season 2 I was sad I couldn’t immediately click “next”, instead knowing I had to wait till Friday when the episode – titled Descent – airs. Either way I feel it’ll be perhaps too late for Nichols arrival to quell the coming storm, as the bodies are already stacking up. The question seems to be just how far will the cycle of revolts go, and will Mechanical or Bernard ultimately win the day.
