Review: Silo, “The Drive” | Season 3, Episode 6

Based on two seasons of proof, the second half of a Silo season is always better than the first—and so far, season three is trending in that direction. With Juliette’s memories intact now, it feels like the story is finally picking up where season two left off. There are children in Silo 17—plus good old Jimmy/Solo—and if Juliette doesn’t help soon, they will die.

Now, the Silo 17 characters have been absent long enough from the show that none of them really feel essential; I’m eager to see Jimmy again, because he brought out a sweet side of Juliette and could stir up the Silo 18 dynamics in a fun way, but I’m struggling to even picture the kids right now without pulling up some images. That said, a mission to Silo 17 isn’t just compelling for the “we must protect the children!” angle; it’s compelling because it means more regular cross-Silo communication, which is a thrilling possibility in this deeply insular world. It also, of course, all ties back to locating the Safeguard pipe connected to Judicial. Cutting off that potential Silo-killer and wresting control back from Silo 1—something no Silo has ever accomplished, as far as we’re aware—is still the larger narrative drive of this season.

“The Drive” features much less abstraction and mystery and memory-related nonsense than most episodes of this season, and that alone puts it in the higher tier, even if it doesn’t quite match the giddy heights of last week. It just feels good to be watching actual stuff happen, rather than endless teases of future stuff, and to see basically everyone in the cast involved—to see Lukas and Patrick Kennedy reacting to big reveals and plotting to save the Silo right alongside Shirley and Knox. In fact, those two pairs become the main candidates to travel to Silo 17 in this episode, with the unconventional pair winning out over the logical one.