Warning: spoilers for Silo Season 2 are in play. If you haven’t caught up on the first two episodes just yet, you’ve been warned.
The 2024 TV schedule has had good news for fans of the Apple TV+ drama Silo, as the mysterious series has gotten underway with Season 2. As we previously celebrated the return with a rundown of the Silo cast’s reactions to the Season 1 finale, the end of that episode introduced the world to Steve Zahn’s enigmatic Solo, and his brief appearance in the Season 2 premiere has left us with a lot of questions.
One of the first being, at least in my mind, how the iconic comedic actor was cast in a role that continues his recent streak of refreshingly dark material. And as I was able to ask Silo creator/showrunner Graham Yost himself about the thought process that led to that fantastic choice, I couldn’t agree more with the points that were made.
Silo's Reasons For Casting Steve Zahn Is As Awesome As You'd Think
You’re probably asking your screen, “Hey Mike, why are we talking about Steve Zahn from Episode 1 after Episode 2 has aired?” Well, that’s a good question – and the answer is because next week’s third episode, “Solo,” is about to return us to the usual shifting perspectives that toggle between Juliette’s (Rebecca Ferguson) quest in Silo 17 and the brewing rebellion that Bernard (Tim Robbins) was seen preparing for in Episode 2 - “Order.”
Character-wise, Steve Zahn’s Solo looks like he’s going to become very important to the future of humanity. The man’s acting chops have positioned him to crush yet again; which is fantastic after both Mr. Zahn’s chilling turn on The Righteous Gemstones Season 3 and his prosthetic-enhancedWhite Lotus season. So when I asked Graham Yost why he was the person for this performing job, he told CinemaBlend the following:
I mean, he's just an amazing performer. And then he's also just a great guy and he and Rebecca just hit it off immediately.
- Graham Yost, CinemaBlend
It’s starting to sound like Rebecca Ferguson’s “endless pit” of Tom Cruise stories has started to rub off on her. At least, that’s what I’m thinking after Mr. Yost’s praise for Steve Zahn and his on-set chemistry with his Silo scene partner. Trust me, the next episode is going to dig even deeper into why the Zahn/Ferguson magic works, as the Justified creator will drops some hints towards later on in this discussion.
But what was it about Steve Zahn’s short but effective introduction in “The Engineer” that made his casting a subject of discussion? Well, take a look at this small peek at the scene which closes Silo’s Season 2 premiere, and see for yourself:
Is that Solo a charmer, or what? The extended context of that moment made for a hell of capper to “The Engineer,” as it begins the process of questioning the world of Silo all over again.
But now that we’re about to start jumping between the stories of Silo 17 and Silo 18, the question of who Steve Zahn’s character is and how he factors into the overall story is about to become crucial to what happens next. And with that comes queries about how Juliette’s new friend is going to warm to her, a process that draws a fun parallel between the first two seasons of an intended four-season story.
How Solo And Juliette’s Burgeoning Friendship Is Going To Progress In Silo Season 2
Knowing what we do about Juliette Nichols, Silo’s protagonist is a person of few words and limited patience. That sort of behavior helps when you’re working in Engineering, and we even get to see the origins of that persona in “The Engineer,” which shows us how young Juliette first met her spiritual mother Martha Walker (Harriet Walter).
So naturally you wouldn’t want to put that sort of introverted character against someone craving companionship. At least, that’s what you’d do if you were actively trying to avoid an intriguing story, which is why Graham Yost’s explanation of how Solo both fits and rejects his harsh introduction seems to set up this thematic path:
He just latches onto Juliette. I mean, he doesn't want her to touch him. Yeah, afraid of that. But he does want to engage with her and she's not a talkative person. You get mad, and she's down fixing something in Silo 18. If someone was talking too much, it's like, ‘Get someone else. I just wanna do the job.’ So we thought that would be fun.
- Graham Yost, CinemaBlend, October 2024
That fear of touch is one place that Steve Zahn’s secluded character would overlap with his would-be friend. It’s also an aspect that reminded me of speaking with Rebecca Ferguson for the previous season, which saw the Mission: Impossible actor fleshing out Juliette’s Silo Season 1 role as follows:
[Juliette] can manage tools and machinery, but when it comes to managing tools to human psyche, [it’s a] little bit more tricky for her when she’s an introvert, and she doesn’t really like people touching her, being too close to her. … And she realizes that [on] the way forward she does sometimes hurt people, and pisses them off.
- Rebecca Ferguson, CinemaBlend, May 2023
A mismatched team that just might save the world. That’s something that feels ripe for Steve Zahn’s skill sets as an actor, even if Silo uses them for a more dramatic purpose. Applying what we’ve learned here, I think I have a good idea on what Silo could be doing with Solo’s character. Not to mention, I think we’ve actually seen another clue to his mysterious backstory, thanks to further comments made by showrunner Graham Yost.
What I Think Solo’s Role In Silo’s Overall Story Might Become
Going back to the story of “Order” for a moment, we see Bernard’s skills as a leader put to the test. Trying to prepare for the revolution that The Pact seems to have predicted in its text, that ties into the opening flashback we saw in “The Engineer,” which featured Silo 17 launching into open rebellion. As we’ve seen in Silo’s season premiere and Solo’s confinement in that vault he calls home, that struggle ended in disaster.
However, that pre-titles history lesson potentially becomes a bit clearer when reading Graham Yost’s continued remarks on why Steve Zahn was cast. I’ve been saving this final point for last, as it ties deeply into what I think we’ll be learning in Silo’s upcoming episodes:
Without getting into Spoilerland, we know he was a lot younger when he went into that vault than he is now. And I'll just say that there's a mystery about his character, and part of it is in his behavior, that he has had no human contact in a long time, 35 years … and you'll see in the subsequent episodes what happens with his character, both good and bad. Everything he does, he has his reasons, and that was fun to write to.
- Graham Yost, CinemaBlend, October 2024
I think that previous era of history we saw at the top of Silo Season 2 is not only the overthrow of Silo 17’s government, it’s also Solo’s origin story. And if my hypothesis is correct, young Tim the torchbearer could be the child that grew up through years of isolation…to become the man we now know as Solo.
Who better to potentially stop a rebellion in Silo 18 than someone who’s lived through that sort of clash? And with two Silos connecting through living history, what better way to learn more about how the whole system was crafted, and to what purpose? I know that’s a lot of questions, but I also have to admit we’re only asking them for two reasons: Silo’s fantastically crafted story, and Steve Zahn’s winning performance that seems primed to only get better.
We’ll be able to judge for ourselves next week, when Silo Episode 3 - “Solo” - premieres on Friday, November 29. To keep up with the twists to come, you’ll need to keep that Apple TV+ subscription active and ready to go!
