Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for ‘Silo’ Season 2 Episode 6, “Barricades.”

Summary

Knox and Shirley’s kiss in “Barricades” highlights their bond forged under extreme circumstances.

The actors tell Collider they faced physically demanding stunts in the episode, embodying the challenges of leading a rebellion.

The evolution of Knox and Shirley’s relationship reflects their personal growth intertwined with the pressure of authority.

Having hit the halfway point of the season, it’s no secret to see that Silo Season 2 is well on its way to unraveling one of the biggest sci-fi mysteries on TV since Lost. With just five more episodes to go this season and a slew of questions piling up, things are getting intense week over week as the stakes continue to rise for the residents of Silo 18. Following very heated tension between Mechanical and Judicial, the mysteries Rebecca Ferguson’s Juliette is uncovering in Silo 17 and a rebellion brewing in the Down Deep, Knox and Shirley — played strikingly by Shane McRae and Remmie Milner, respectively — are stepping up as unexpected leaders. In an exclusive interview with Collider, the pair shed light on the evolving dynamic between their characters and the deeper challenges they face.
As seen in this week’s sixth episode, “Barricades,” Knox and Shirley’s contributions become even more critical as the Down Deep faces pressure from Judicial and dwindling resources. As food supplies are poisoned and the community is starved into submission, the pair step up as protectors of the oppressed. While their efforts inspire others in the Down Deep, they uncover the poisoned supplies and work to shield their community from the Raiders’ oppressive tactics, demonstrating some seriously high-level resourcefulness.
With the stress of events naturally pulling them closer, it’s also a moment that finds the two romantically charged at a turning point that suggests their bond transcends the immediate crisis and fuels their shared determination to protect their community.
Why Did Knox and Shirley Kiss in Episode 6’s “Barricades”?

“It was one of the most fun things to work on.”

Their kiss, as McRae describes exclusively with Collider, emerges most naturally from rather reflective moments amid the chaos of rebellion and survival. As an instant that deepens their connection beyond the confines of the Deep Down, the actor admits it’s all about the build-up for Knox and Shirley that really says it all — but it was also “one of the most fun things” to work on. “We’re in this intense battle, and throughout running down the stairs and jumping off the bridge, Knox and Shirley have these wonderfully quiet moments. Even on the way up where she says, ‘Would you go out?’ And he says, ‘I would,’ and reveals, ‘I would look for the distance,’ and reveal that to her. [But] then they have the moment in the closet where Knox says, ‘I wanted to ask nicely, and now we’re going to die for it,’ and Shirley says, ‘You’re actually doing okay,’” he laughs.
McRae goes on to praise the writers of Silo, saying it is one of the most “beautifully written things” he’s read this season. “I’m just amazed at the writers. To be able to take, in six episodes, these two people who have a great history but are in total conflict, and six episodes later, are sharing a kiss and this beautiful… I mean, they’ve been through trauma… they’ve lost a friend. They’re different people in Episode 6 than they are at the beginning.”

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For those wondering if it’s just the heat of a moment, Milner emphasizes that the kiss is much more than a fleeting act of passion. Instead, it’s a testament to their bond forged under extreme circumstances and the life they’ve found themselves in. While Shirley is “fiercely loyal and fearless,” she is driven by a need to uncover the truth and protect those she cares about, especially in Juliette’s absence. “Her best friend, her family has left the silo and could be out there wandering around, and Shirley cannot let that just sit and be. She has to find out the truth of that situation,” she says. “Now that Juliette has symbolized there is maybe something beyond, there are other people who want to come on board with that. So, it’s rallying up the troops to try and find these answers and the justice of this information that we’ve been misfed.”
‘Silo’ Season 2’s “Barricades” Was Physically Demanding Stuntwork

“I remember somebody saying, ‘Oh, man. You look really exhausted…’ I was like, ‘None of that was acting!’”

The kiss doesn’t just symbolize a shift in their relationship, but it also underscores how their personal growth is intertwined with the challenges of leading a rebellion. While Episode 6 found the two opening up to a new layer of vulnerability, it also had the actors physically testing their limits with some rather grueling stunts, including a sequence that had McRae and Milner suspended in harnesses for hours on end. McRae appreciated the acknowledgment of their efforts with Collider, joking about the toll it took: “Thank you for noticing! We were tired,” he laughs while describing one of the toughest challenges they faced this season. “The harness was two days just swinging. There’s a moment they’re on Shirley and I from above, and I remember somebody saying, ‘Oh, man. You look really exhausted. Great job in that.’ And I was like, ‘None of that was acting!’ I couldn’t get off the ground after that. It was like 10 hours in a harness, just dropping.”
Milner echoed her co-star’s sentiments, detailing the repetition and precision required to get the shots from multiple angles for the sequence. “Over and over from all different angles,” she explains of the moment. Despite the challenging nature of the stunts, the actress goes on to share a silver lining: “I mean, we were so physically fit. It was great.”
But while the stunts were in a class of their own, Knox’s physical exhaustion in Silo Season 2 delicately mirrors the emotional weight his character carries as he grapples with the pressures of authority and the consequences of his decisions. “I think that is the major conflict that [Knox] has throughout the season. I think that he really believes in duty, and he really holds the burden, he feels like the livelihood and well-being of the Down Deep is on him, so he’s willing to sacrifice his friends, his family, and Juliette for the good of the community,” he says. “But there’s a price to pay for that, and I think that he’s dealing with that throughout the season.”
Milner adds this is what she loves most about the two. “There’s no ego, so they have this driving force of what they believe in, and then Shirley might be really thorough about something, and then Knox comes in and says, ‘Actually, this,’ and she listens and responds and acts. It’s just building blocks,” she says. “That probably stems from the way they’ve grown up in Mechanical and how they work, constantly being practical, not having the time to be free about things. It’s just straight to the point.”
For more on this episode, watch the spoiler-filled interview above. New episodes of Silo Season 2 stream Fridays on Apple TV+ in the U.S.
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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.

Release Date

May 5, 2023

Creator

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

Seasons

2

Studio

Story By

Hugh Howey

Showrunner

Graham Yost

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