Notice! This article contains spoilers for Silo season 2.Silo season 2’s opening episodes make it hard not to believe that Bernard might not actually be a villain. After initially maintaining some ambiguity surrounding Bernard’s true motives, Silo the first season established him as the show’s main antagonist. It revealed that although the citizens of the Silo believed they were governed by the Judiciary, the head of IT, Bernard, was pulling all the strings behind the scenes. Even in the final moments of Silo In season 1, Bernard called the shots and was responsible for Juliette’s departure from Silo 18.
From the start of the program, he showed zero tolerance towards defying Silo 18’s rules and ensured that anyone who went against him and Silo’s laws was punished. However, Silo the first season revealed nothing about why Bernard behaved the way he did. Silo Season 2 Episodes 1 and 2 finally shed some light on what’s going on in the outside world, revealing the real reason why Bernard has been so ruthless in his enforcement of the order.
Bernard doesn’t look so bad after Silo season 2 episodes 1 and 2
His actions are questionable, but driven by a solid purpose
Silo Episode 1 of Season 2 features a flashback to its opening moments, highlighting what happened in another Silo after a rebellion began. This shows that even though the rebels in the new Silo eventually overpowered the conformists, they all died after defying the Silo’s rules. In episode 2 of season 2, Bernard catches a glimpse of the entrance to the neighboring Silo through Juliette’s helmet camera as she enters it. He is horrified to see how the path leading to the Silo’s entrance is marked by several dead bodies, reminding him of what could happen in Silo 18.
While it is wrong that many people from Silo 18 lost their lives due to their inability to be transparent with their people, Bernard only wants to protect them from catastrophic consequences.
These first moments of Silo season two highlights that although Bernard blatantly lied to his people and imposed unfair rules on them, your actions are motivated by good intentions. He understands that if he cannot maintain order and control in Silo 18, its citizens could suffer the same fate as those in neighboring Silo. While it is wrong that many people from Silo 18 lost their lives due to their inability to be transparent with their people, Bernard only wants to protect them from catastrophic consequences. This makes his motives ambiguous, but he is not morally bankrupt.
Bernard carries an unimaginable burden in Silo season two
Only he knows the truth about the consequences of a rebellion
After watching Juliette enter another Silo in episode 2 of the second season of the Apple TV+ sci-fi show, Bernard flips through her manual, “The Order,“to look for answers about what he should do next. To his horror, the book says: “In case of a failed cleanup, prepare for war.“ The quote from the book serves as a reminder to him that if he doesn’t suppress the growing rebellion in Silo 18, a war will break out and potentially kill everyone. The line of dead bodies outside the neighboring Silo also shows what exactly could happen to the citizens of Silo 18 if he didn’t take immediate action.
These developments of Silo the first episodes of season 2 highlight that Bernard carries the burden of knowing a little too much about the harsh reality of the world in which they live. Although he also doesn’t seem to know everything, he understands that defying the rules written by the silos’ creators could lead to anarchy, death, and the complete destruction of their carefully controlled society. A part of him probably wants to seek freedom like Juliette and other rebellions. However, he seems to know a lot about how powerful the superiors are in his dystopian world.
Bernard’s moral ambiguity confirms that there are greater evil forces at play
Bernard appears to be just following someone else’s orders
Like most of the Silo’s naive citizens, Bernard also appears to be just another cog in the intricate machine that ensures humanity’s survival in the dystopian world. He knows little about the outside world and the events that led to its destruction, but he fears something terrible will happen if he dares to break the rules set by his superiors.
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Silo Season |
Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score |
Rotten Tomatoes audience score |
|
Season 1 |
88% |
67% |
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Season 2 |
96% |
62% |
While only time will tell who else ranks above Bernard in the Silos hierarchy, it’s hard not to view Bernard through a more empathetic lens later on. Silo episodes 1 and 2 of season 2. He’s nowhere near as heroic as Juliette, but his actions suggest that he himself is trapped in the oppressive system of Silos.