Warning! This article contains spoilers for Silo season 2’s episode 9.
After hinting at the existence of a tunnel under Silo 18, Silo season 2’s episode 9 finally confirms it exists. The show also drops many subtle clues surrounding where it goes and what would happen if someone tried to access it. However, since no explicit details surrounding the tunnel and its function have been revealed, it is hard not to theorize its significance in the Apple TV+ sci-fi show‘s overarching storyline.
According to the Silo show’s lore, George Wilkins was among the first few regular citizens in the underground structure to learn about the tunnel. He passed his knowledge about them to Juliette but nothing came out of that since Juliette eventually ended up leaving Silo 18. After gradually building up to its crescendo, Silo season 2 has finally disclosed the tunnel’s entrance, revealing some shocking details about its narrative implications in the show’s future.
How Lukas Kyle Finds The Tunnel Under Silo 17
He Learns About Them From Salvador Quinn’s Letter
Bernard and Lukas first notice tunnel-like structures heading out of Silo 18 when they find a map of their silo in George Wilkins’ hard drive relic. However, they struggle to understand what the tunnels are and where they go in the outside world. Even towards the end of Silo season 1, Juliette mentions the tunnels to Bernard after learning about them from George Wilkins, but the Head of IT seems to know nothing about them.
In Silo season 2, Lukas gets recruited as Bernard’s new shadow and sets out on a journey to decode Salvador Quinn’s letter. These are the lines he uncovers from Quinn’s message:
If you’ve gotten this far you already know the game is rigged.
We think we’re the chosen ones, but we’re only one of many.
The founders didn’t build a single silo.
They built fifty.
And they created the safeguard…
If you don’t believe me go to the very bottom of the silo.
Find the tunnel! You will get confirmation there.
Although Lukas Kyle is intrigued by every sentence in the message, the last line catches his attention because it presents proof that there is more to the silos than most people seem to know. Since Bernard hired Lukas to decode the letter and even gave him the resources to do the job, Lukas looks for him after reading the last two lines. However, when he is told that Bernard is not willing to meet anyone for quite some time, he grows impatient and heads to the bottom of the silo to find answers.
Does The Tunnel Under 18 Lead To Other Silos?
It Seems To Connect To A Larger Network Between All Silos
Custom Image by Milica Djordjevic
Little seems to be known about what lies beyond the tunnel, but given how the map reveals that it connects Silo 18 to something in the outside world, it would be safe to assume that it joins into the other silos. Since all silos seem to have similar designs, it is hard not to believe that all of them, including Silo 17, have underground tunnels that merge into an interconnected system. If this is true, the tunnels could allow people from one silo to travel to another without being exposed to the deadly conditions of the outside world.
What The Tunnel Means For The Future Of Silo
Season 2 Reveals It Is Silo 18’s Best Kept Secret
Custom Image by Yeider Chacon
When Lukas Kyle approaches the tunnel in Silo season 2‘s episode 9, a robotic voice, referred to as the Algorithm in the subtitles, calls out his name. After grabbing Lukas’s attention, the AI voice asks him why he has visited the tunnel. Lukas responds that he is under Salvador Quinn’s orders and flashes his blue shadow card. The voice then reveals three other people — Salvador Quinn, Judge Meadows, and George Wilkins — have visited the tunnel before him. Wilkins did not get to talk to the voice because it only responds to people with authority in the silo.
RelatedSilo season 2 introduces a plot device called the Algorithm, raising many questions about what it is and what its purpose is in the show’s story.
Before revealing anything to Lukas in Silo season 2’s episode 9, the Algorithm warns him that if he talks to anyone about what he is about to learn, it will trigger the safeguard. Given how the AI refers to “the safeguard” as a threat, it seems like a safety measure it has been designed to take if the people in a silo learn too much about the outside world. This seems to spell trouble for Silo 18 since its people are already starting to protest against Bernard and the IT. If things get too chaotic in Silo 18, the AI might implement “the safeguard” and destroy the underground city.
