Why Bernard Called Juliette a Hero During His Speech in Silo Season 2

Notice! This article contains spoilers for Silo season 2, episode 2.Bernard calls Juliette a hero when addressing her during his speech in Silo episode 2 of season 2, raising many questions about his true intentions. Different Silo Season 2 Episode 1, which primarily focuses on Juliette’s journey outside of Silo 18, Episode 2 focuses on the events inside the central Silo. Therefore, it does not feature Rebecca Ferguson’s Juliette and highlights how Bernard tries to lessen the damage caused by his departure.

In the opening moments of the episode, Bernard flips through his manual: “The Order,“to look for the protocols he must implement to prevent a rebellion in Silo 18. To his surprise, the manual says:”In case of a failed cleanup, prepare for war.” Since the manual does not mention anything about a citizen surviving in the outside world and climbing the hill, Bernard is left to his own devices. However, instead of panicking, he formulates a well-thought-out plan to ensure that a rebellion does not break out. in Silo.

Bernard called Juliette a “hero” to control the narrative in Silo season 2

Bernard knows exactly what his people want to hear

As many people in Silo 18 saw Juliette defy the cleanliness rule and climb the hill, Bernard realizes he cannot convince them that what they saw was unreal. Therefore, when he addresses the incident in a speech, he claims that Juliette survived outside longer than anyone else in her Silo because they intentionally sealed her suit with a new type of heat tape. Portraying her as a hero, he says that she agreed to put the new heat tape on her suit and sacrificed her life to help them understand how they could eventually leave the Silo and survive in the outside world.

After Juliette leaves, Bernard understands that her acts of defiance against the authorities and her surprising survival outside the Silo convinced many that she was a hero. He knows that if he tried to antagonize her, his people would hate him even more, which would further encourage them to start a rebellion. Bernard also realizes that if people find out the truth about how Juliette survived out there, people would turn against him for lying about the heat tape. Therefore, he creates a narrative that not only sheds a positive light on Juliette’s action but also keeps the citizens in submission.

Why Bernard Planted Hecklers During His Juliette Speech

He wanted to control the narrative by only addressing the questions he could answer

Many people rebel against Bernard as he gives his speech in Silo episode 2 of season 2, and two men even question him. A man even claims that Juliette is still alive, expressing the belief of many other citizens. However, Bernard calmly answers the questions and even assures the people that, as much as he wants Juliette to still be alive, it is not possible for her to have survived the harsh conditions of the outside world. With the answers collected, Bernard manages to suppress the growing rebellion and convince his people that he has their best interests in mind.

Interestingly, however, Meadows later praises him for not only giving a convincing speech, but also for planting questions in the crowd. Bernardo confirms that he, in fact, hired busybodies to ensure he had complete control over the situation. If not for the questioners, other citizens might have caught him off guard with questions to which he had no answers or authority to answer. By ensuring he was only asked what he could answer, he convinced his staff that he knew what he was talking about and, in turn, gained their trust, albeit temporarily.

Will Bernard’s Juliette plan work?

His plan appears to have delayed the rebellion, but not extinguished it.

Bernard’s speech appears to significantly suppress the growing rebellion, but does not extinguish it. This is proven when he notices something similar”J.L.” graffiti in many parts of the Silo. As the episode reveals, “J.L.“means”Juliet Lives,“ highlighting the voice of the rebellious people who trust that Juliette was on the right path before leaving the Silo. While some rebels are certain that Juliette is alive despite having left Silo 18, others believe that she lives on through the hope and inspiration she sparked by defying the tyranny of the Silo leaders.

Near the final moments of the episode, Bernard also agrees that he only delayed the inevitable rebellion by lying to his people. After realizing the “J.L.” graffiti, he realizes that he must do something and find a worthy shadow before it is too late. Only time will tell if Bernard will emerge victorious or if Juliette’s supporters will be able to overthrow his government in Silo future episodes of season 2.