Juliette's dedication to understanding George's plight and the truth about his death has finally come full circle in season two's penultimate episode. Lukas, who had been named Bernard's Shadow, has been given the role of striving to uncover dangerous hidden secrets left behind by Salvador Quinn and their ancestors. In the final moments of "The Safeguard," Lukas finally brings one of Silo's earliest storylines to a head when Lukas discovers the down deep tunnel below Mechanical that introduces a wall and mysterious voice. As the episode comes to an end, this is the first hint that season two is actually going somewhere.
Juliette's storyline for most of the season has been fairly dull and stunted. Her isolation has not done much, but in "The Safeguard," it finally amounts to something. Juliette's one-on-one with Solo, who is truly revealed to be Jimmy Conroy, the Head of IT's son, is frustrating at best in most of their interactions, as the fun behind the mystery dies out fairly soon.
Finally, Silo shows that other people have existed in this underground bunker as well, and while that does add a few layers to the overall plot, even going back in time to show that they had been watching Juliette for some time does nothing to undo Juliette's bland season up until this point. The stakes have been low and the action has been lower, as Juliette's storyline has brought about barely any answers. Still, giving Juliette other characters to interact with is a refreshing change of pace for a storyline so disconnected from the rest of the events of the show.
These new characters force Silo to move forward with revealing Jimmy's true origins and tease a bit more about what really happened after the rebellion. Still, it is not enough to really allow the audience to become invested in these people. The biggest moment of the episode for this group follows Juliette, Jimmy, and the rest of the new characters into the IT vault, showing the history of what the world had been like.
This is the moment where "The Safeguard" finally feels like Juliette's storyline is moving forward, especially with the revelation of Juliette's original suit and the additional suit that already existed within this Silo. But, given how isolated Juliette has been in season two, she, unfortunately, has not felt like the show's central character, even if the events in her home Silo were inspired by her walking out of sight. Instead, "The Safeguard" makes the argument that Lukas has been season two's main character, as his story is the only one that actually pushes the narrative of the season forward regarding understanding the truth of the Silo's history and its secrets.
Silo is filled with constant supporting characters, and the mystery of Juliette's departure still hangs above many of them. But, for as much as the residents of Mechanical want to rise up or as much as Paul Billings and Robert Sims may be ready to fight against the system they have always worked for, it is the journey Lukas takes that actually allows season two to feel like every episode is not a repeat of itself. Mechanical strives for a rebellion that never quite gets going. Bernard stands determined to prevent progress in an uncertain motivation that questions if his reasoning is due to the desire for power or want to protect the residents. Paul Billings mostly remains firmly in the middle, choosing to rely on The Pact rather than on anything a person has to say. Robert and Camille Sims discuss the importance of power.
Lukas' plot line has been all about finding out more information, and it may have been slow-moving. But, this was the main plot thread that resulted in a major moment of plot development, in comparison to every other storyline and every other character who has struggled to get out of limbo since Juliette walked outside. With the preparation for the season two finale, "The Safeguard," begins to line up the pieces to potentially get answers, or maybe even reunions due to Juliette getting her hands on a suit, that could help Silo move forward as it works toward the already renewed third and fourth seasons.
With only one episode left in the season, Silo may not be able to save its pacing problems, but it has the opportunity to finally give answers and bring the entire main cast of characters back together in preparation for whatever season three brings.