The cast of Silo season 2 teases the episodes and reveals what the characters believe about Juliette after that cliffhanger ending. In the Silo season 1 ending, Juliette Nichols (Rebecca Ferguson) agrees to be sent to clean, something that is essentially a death sentence, in exchange for finding out what really happened to a friend. Because she is protected from the toxic air, Juliette can survive outside the silo, but the friends and enemies she left behind don't know that for certain.

In an interview with Screen Rant's Tatiana Hullender, ahead of the debut of Silo season 2 on Apple TV+ on November 15, cast Tim Robbins, Common, Harriet Walter, Remmie Milner, Shane McRae, and Clare Perkins were asked whether they believed Juliette was still alive. Robbins, who plays the villainous Bernard Holland, answered first and said his character is different from the others:

I have knowledge about it that no one else does, so I know she's alive for now. I'm not sure how long that's going to last.

Common, who plays head of security Robert Sims, said that his character believes what he's been told about Juliette. Still, the Oscar and Emmy winner hinted that Juliette's situation could be the beginning of a change for Sims:

I don't know for sure, but the question is in my mind, which is a great beginning for Sims in this season because I've been a true distributor of order; keeping things in order and following the Pact. I believe what I've been told, so for me to have a question or even think that just a little flicker of something is a great place for me to start in this season.

Milner plays Shirley in the Silo cast, and she explains that the recurring character believes that Juliette survived but still has moments of doubt, stating:

I do think she could have survived because I know what this woman is like. She is so creative and so capable and always thinks outside the box. I just think, like no other, she would've gone out there and figured out something. And that's what Shirley's trying to figure out; what that something is. But she's also holding onto the hope, and she says it. She has her moments where she kind of questions other people how they think. But I think, for her, the thread of hope is solid.

McRae, who played Juliette's fellow worker Knox, echoed that feeling of uncertain hope and previewed how Knox would feel conflicted in thinking about Juliette's situation during the episodes:

I think Knox is in conflict with himself. There's a little part of him that wants to believe, but his major mechanical brain is thinking, "This is not realistic. I don't actually think she could be alive." I don't think that Knox does the things he does because he thinks she's alive. I think he does the things he does because he thinks they're right. But then the hope begins to grow, little by little. By the end, I don't think he knows until he knows.

As for five-time Emmy nominee Walter, who plays Juliette's close friend Martha, she explains how Martha is looking ahead during Silo season 2 and already trying to find someone who might be like Juliette. Clare Perkins, who plays Martha's ex-wife Carla, shares a seemingly pragmatic view:

Walter: I think Martha is keen to spot the people who might carry Juliet’s legacy forward because she doesn’t know for sure at all that [she's alive]. She actually suspects Juliette must have run out of good air and that her life is finite, but she feels that her spirit lives on.

It’s not religious, but it’s the same idea behind having an iconic figure who you keep alive in some way, spiritual or otherwise, to give courage and incentive to other people. I think she really does feel that in Shirley and Knox and other people she feels have caught the Juliette spirit. She’s relying on that to carry people forward because we’re both nearly out of it, in of our age group. The future’s in their hands, and whether Juliette’s alive or not, the vital component is the curiosity and the courage to find out more.

Perkins: Yeah, I don’t think Carla’s a dreamer. I think she would like to have hope, but she’s of a certain age. Every single person that’s gone out there, they’ve watched die. She saw her go over the hill, but they’ve seen nothing else. I don’t think she would allow herself to think that she was alive, even though in the back of her mind, it’s like that’s probably one of the tiny things that sparks the revolutionary ion.

Something has happened that has never happened before at a time when people are seeking answers; they’re being blocked from those answers, and those answers are being denied. Something has changed, but I don’t think she’s thinking that Juliette’s alive. In that respect, she’s keeping her alive. The idea of Juliette is alive in her because something different has happened. If you think that they’ve been down there for generations and that has never happened before, she’s alive in that way. She’s alive as an idea of change.

What The Latest Comments Mean For Silo Season 2

Juliette Leaves A Big Shadow Behind

It is clear what season 1's cliffhanger means for Juliette. She's survived, discovering that there are seemingly countless other silos around her. Her next steps seem clear too; in the trailer for Silo season 2, Juliette comes by a character played by White Lotus season 1 star Steve Zahn, who threatens her. It is less clear, as Bernard disingenuously holds Juliette up as a hero, what her absence means for those she left behind. That leaves a lot of potential for executive producer Graham Yost and the writing team to explore.

The remarks from the show's cast shed light on the fact that each character deals with that absence in their own way. But it is possible that, as the Hugh Howey adaptation gains momentum in its second installment, the truth will come out about what Juliette said and what she survived. Bernard knows the truth, as Robbins says, and it's a danger if it's known that Juliette was able to live outside and potentially return to friends like Martha. There's a dramatic tension in what the audience knows versus what most characters know.

Our Take On Silo Season 2's Developments

The ing Cast Steps Up

Considering the narrative split between Juliette's own journey and the group that she's longer with, Silo season 2 may well be poised to spend a little more time on the ing characters and how they feel about the situation. It sounds like Sims, in particular, may be right on the cusp of a personal transformation. This can help make the show an even more well-rounded ensemble and deepen the overall story by keeping several plot threads fully fleshed-out.