The Real Purpose Of Cleaning In Silo Explained

Warning! This article contains spoilers for Silo season 3. "The cleaning" is an essential driver of many stories in Silo, but the show has only subtly hinted at its true purpose and origins. Based on the trilogy by Hugh Howey, Silo has become one of Apple TV+'s masterpiece sci-fi shows, with each season adding new revelations and shocks about its dystopian world. One of the biggest surprises came in the first two episodes. Silo season 1 introduced Holston and Allison as its main characters, then killed them off before audiences could learn more about them. After finding a video where the outside world seems habitable, Allison believes they were lied to, prompting her to step out of Silo 18 willingly. Unfortunately, moments after Allison left in Silo season 1, she fell to the ground and died. Holston met a similar fate when he followed his wife, Allison, outside, hoping she was right about the outside world. Toward Silo season 1's ending, Juliette, too, was sent out of Silo 18 after Bernard set her up to die. However, Juliette's departure changed how the people of Silo 18 perceived the outside world when she not only refused to follow the cleaning rule but also walked past the hill surrounding the Silo. Juliette's defiance played a crucial role in portraying why the cleaning rule was implemented and how breaking it could lead to dire consequences. Cleaning Is A Punishment In Silo People Are Sent Outside To Clean For Two Major Reasons Courtesy of Apple TV+ As Silo's seasons 1 and 2 have established, people are sent to clean for two primary reasons. Citizens of the Silo who break major laws are exiled to the outside world and expected to clean the exterior sensor that broadcasts the reality of the outside world on a screen inside the Silo. Even the people who willingly say they want to leave the Silo are offered a suit and directed to leave the underground bunker. Holston and Allison fall into the latter category, as both decide to leave the Silo voluntarily. Beyond punishment, consistent cleaning of the sensor also ensures citizens in the silo clearly see how dangerous the outside world is. The projection on the screen reminds them that the world outside is a toxic wasteland, where humanity's survival is close to impossible. On the flip side, if a Silo's sensor has not been cleaned in a long time, it can also be taken as a good sign by the Silo's authorities because it only suggests that the citizens are compliant and loyal, conforming to the rules enforced on them. The idea that the wasteland is deadly is a misnomer, though. The citizens of Silo 18, even those in power, truly believe that the outside is toxic. However, Silo season 3's finale revealed that Silo 1 is actually killing people who leave, using drones to drop a compound on them. It takes effect so quickly that it's as if the people died from the outside atmosphere. How Cleaning Became A Ritual In Silo The VR Projection From The Helmet Convinces People To Clean Many Silo residents like Allison are dead set on breaking the cleaning rule before they leave. Since the rule cannot be enforced once a resident leaves the Silo, the ones who leave are free to break it. However, despite their determination to defy the rule, Silo season 1 characters like Allison end up following it. Silo season 1's ending explains why by showing that the outside world is desolate. Those who leave the Silo see a fake projection of a lush, vibrant world through the VR sets on their helmets. Since Silo's citizens know little about the advancement of technology, they are convinced that what they are seeing is real. Therefore, they clean the sensor's lens, hoping to show the citizens inside the Silo that they were lied to about the outside world. The ritual continues as every person who leaves the Silo cleans the lens because of the fake projection from the VR helmet. Juliette, too, is initially fooled by the projection from her VR helmet and is almost convinced the outside world is safe. However, she gradually notices similarities between the projection and the video she had found on Wilkins' hard drive relic. She realizes that a bird in the sky seems to fly in the exact same pattern as the one in the video from the hard drive. This convinces her that her helmet's projection cannot be real. As a result, she refuses to clean, showing that she sees right through the lies and is willing to take a stand against them. The only person in the know who's sentenced to clean is Bernard, who agreed to be sentenced to clean in Silo season 3, episode 9, "Farewell." As the Head of IT, he has known all along that the green landscape is a VR and the outside is a barren, uninhabitable wasteland. Rather than going out in a suit, he chooses to go out in his normal clothes, and he doesn't clean. Instead, he dies with the sun on his face. That said, he still believes he's dying from a toxic atmosphere. Is Juliette The Only Person To Survive After Being Sent To Clean? Only One Other Character From A Different Silo Has Survived Credit: Rekha Garton/©Apple TV/Courtesy Everett Collection Since Bernard's handbook, The Order, says nothing about what to do if a citizen survives outside the Silo, Juliette seems to be the only person who has defied the cleaning rule and survived after leaving Silo 18. All the cleaners of that silo have faced the consequences, not realizing they were being murdered. On the other hand, thousands of Silo 17 citizens went outside and celebrated, only for Silo 1 to kill them with firearms and the compound. There's no reason to believe the oppressive silo would let anyone survive. That being said, in Silo season 2, Steven Zahn's Solo tells Juliette that a man named Ron Tucker from his Silo also defied the cleaning rule before surviving long enough to walk beyond the camera's field of view. Since his whereabouts remain unknown, we'll have to wait to find out the truth. Hopefully, we will get clarity in Silo's final season about what really happened to Tucker. Silo 9/10 In a dystopian future, men and women reside in a vast underground silo governed by strict regulations, believed to shield them from the hazardous world above. The series delves into the complex social order within the silo and the mysteries surrounding their subterranean existence. Cast Rebecca Ferguson, Common, Tim Robbins, Harriet Walter, Christian Ochoa Lavernia, Avi Nash, Billy Postlethwaite, Chinaza Uche, Iain Glen, Remmie Milner, David Oyelowo, Rick Gomez, Ferdinand Kingsley, Shane McRae, Chipo Chung, Caitlin Zoz, Matt Gomez Hidaka, Angela Yeoh, Olatunji Ayofe, Khairika Sinani, Will Patton, Akie Kotabe Showrunner Graham Yost Directors Morten Tyldum, David Semel, Michael Dinner, Aric Avelino Seasons 4 Streaming Service(s) AppleTV+