Warning: This article contains spoilers for episode 9 of Silo season 2.
The latest episode of Silo, now in its second season, introduces a captivating element: a bird painting found in Solo’s vault. This seemingly innocuous detail may indeed foreshadow significant future plot developments. From the outset, Apple TV+’s Silo has skillfully woven intentional narratives and intricately planned story arcs. Thus, when Juliette gazes at this bird painting, one cannot help but consider its deeper implications for the series moving forward.
As Silo continues to explore the rich themes established in Hugh Howey’s original works, the narrative remains tantalizingly open to creative interpretation. The show has yet to delve deeply into the source material, leaving room for speculation regarding the directions it may take as the story progresses. The subtle visual cues, such as the aforementioned painting, coupled with the foundational elements from the books, provide a springboard for predicting the series’ trajectory.
Decoding the Bird Painting in Solo’s Vault
A Glimpse into the Outside World
Upon entering Solo’s vault, Juliette is drawn to a painting of birds that appears to transcend mere decoration. An analysis reveals that this artwork may actually depict the outside world rather than just avian subjects. Observant viewers can discern a large tree on the painting’s right side that closely resembles a tree visible from Silo 18 through its viewing display.
On the left side of the painting, a cliff top adorned with another tree is visible. It seems likely that the artist employed trigonometric principles to illustrate spatial relationships in the external world. Having spent years watching individuals exit Silo 17, Solo could have deduced these proportions to create a more accurate representation of the outside environment.
Additionally, the painting includes three human-like figures with adjacent measurements, portraying how they would appear from a distance. This detail, along with various equations scribbled on Solo’s vault walls, suggests that his artistic endeavor was also a means to understand his surroundings better.
The Significance of the Bird Painting in Silo 17 Vault
A Legacy from the Founders?
Interestingly, despite the barren landscape surrounding the silos, green dominates the painting. This raises questions about whether it accurately reflects reality or serves as a visualization of the augmented reality that cleaners perceive through their helmets. If created by the founders, this painting might have been intentionally placed in the vault during the construction of the silo.
In an earlier episode, when Juliette escapes from Silo 18, Bernard anticipates her demise after crossing a specific boundary near the cliff. Historical context amplifies the gravity of this scene, as previous inhabitants, Holston and Allison, met tragic fates at nearly the same location. This lends credence to the theory that a point marked “D”in the painting indicates a deadly zone, likely where the cleaners face lethal consequences due to inadequate suit sealing. Notably, this aligns with plots established in Howey’s novels.
Warning: Major spoilers from the Silo books ahead.
Possible Connections Between the Painting and the Silo Books
Foreshadowing the Show’s Conclusion?
In episode 9, Solo reveals that the individuals from Silo 17 who left post-rebellion initially survived. However, he notes that a dust-laden wind soon followed, leading to their demise. This context could elucidate Juliette’s discovery of bodies trailing down the cliff, reinforcing the treacherous environment beyond the silos.
Moreover, the third book, Dust, unveils that the founders consciously infected the air surrounding the silos with harmful nanobots every time cleaners ventured outside, reinforcing compliance among the residents. This notion further implicates that the “D”marked in the painting symbolizes a lethal release zone for these nanobots, confirming its dual significance as both an identifier and a cautionary symbol.
Armed with insights from the painting, Juliette may later leverage this knowledge to aid her compatriots in Silo 18.
The narrative in Dust also discloses that the silo system functioned as an experiment initiated after the founders unleashed nuclear weapons to reset a world ravaged by a crisis sparked by nanobot misuse. This drastic action highlights the lengths to which the founders went to preserve humanity.
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Name of Silo Book |
Parts |
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Wool |
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Shift |
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Dust |
Serves as a singular book. |
Fast forward 500 years post-catastrophe, the world was to be repopulated from a selected silo, potentially governed by the Algorithm depicted in the series, ultimately leading to the establishment of a sanctuary known as the “Seed.”The birds illustrated in the season 2 painting symbolize the geographic location of the “Seed,”suggesting that beyond the silos, life has revitalized, allowing avians to thrive.
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