Warning: This article contains spoilers for Apple TV+'s Silo.In all of its gripping revelations and mysteries, Silo's episode 7 drops many intriguing details about a forgotten group of people known as the Flamekeepers. Set in an underground bunker, Apple TV+'s Silo presents a puzzle-box narrative brimming with many gripping metaphors and subtexts to the real world. While the show's overarching storyline and corresponding mysteries unfold at a snail's pace, each episode has its underlying story arcs, including everything from edge-of-the-seat police procedurals to thrilling conspiracies.
Silo episode 7's story serves as a side quest for Juliette, who must race against time and find a way to Gloria, a patient at the Silo's mental health facility. After learning that Gloria ed the forbidden Georgia travel guide to George Wilkins' mother, Juliette realizes she may have answers to some of the biggest mysteries surrounding the Silo's past. When Juliette finally manages to have a brief conversation with Gloria, she learns a lot more about the Silo than she had initially anticipated and also becomes aware of the forgotten legend of the Flamekeepers.
The Meaning & History Of Silo's Flamekeepers Explained
Although Gloria initially refuses to trust Juliette, she starts opening up to her after she shows her the Georgia tour guide. As a result, Gloria recalls how an organized group called the Flamekeepers led the Silo's last rebellion, which took place nearly 140 years ago. She says they were "the people who fought back" and kept things like the Georgia tour guide to preserve the world's shrouded history. However, after realizing how the Flamekeepers were disrupting order in the Silo by bringing its naive citizens to the light, the city's higher authorities started "erasing" them.
As Gloria recalls, the Silo's leaders also mixed something in the water to gradually fade the citizens' memories and make them forget about the rebellion and the Flamekeepers. George Wilkins' mother was among the last few Flamekeepers after most were either killed or constantly drugged like Gloria. Realizing her potential, Gloria ed on the Georgie travel guide to her, hoping that she would preserve it for the future generation. Unfortunately, as Gloria's story in Silo episode 7 reveals, she, too, was eventually silenced.
Gloria also recalls how Juliette's mother, Hanna Nichols, had all the traits of a Flamekeeper. Unlike most regular citizens of the Silo, Hanna did not suppress her curiosity. Defying the Silo's rules, she was also working on a magnifying device with George Wilkins' mother, Anne. While Gloria does not delve into the details of what they were doing with the device, they could be creating a type of microscope to study infections and other prevalent Silo illnesses like the Syndrome or trying to find a cure for Hanna's son's condition. Sadly, as Gloria recalls, the Silo's authoritarian leaders put out her flame and got her out of their way like the other Flamekeepers.
Why The Flamekeepers Were Kept On Birth Control
Gloria also discloses that they were kept on birth control because the Silo hoped to breed out the Flamekeepers. Contrary to the belief that birth control was the Silo's way of controlling the population to sustain its limited resources, Gloria's revelation suggests that they went to great lengths to oppress the Silo's naive citizens and stop them from starting another rebellion. Gloria also seems to fear Juliette's father, Peter, and explains how he was helping the Silo's authorities with their malicious birth control endeavors.
When Juliette confronts Peter towards the end of Silo episode 7, he claims that the Silo kept him in the dark about what they were making him do, and he was only following orders. Since Peter seemingly stopped obeying the Silo's commands after Allison's departure, he is likely telling the truth. However, Juliette still seems to hold him able for his actions because he never bothered doubting the motives of the Silo's authorities.
Why Juliette Is The Silo's Last Flamekeeper
After realizing Juliette is just like Hanna, Gloria tells her that she is the Silo's last Flamekeeper. She acknowledges this because she understands that the Silo's leaders killed every other voice that took a stand against them and that the city's fate now rests on Juliette's shoulders. If Juliette exposes the Silo's secrets and evil schemes before they take her down, she will emerge victorious and spark a new rebellion as the last Flamekeeper. However, if she fails, the fire of revolution started by the Flamekeepers that came before her will eventually die down, and the people of Silo will forever to doomed.
New episodes of Silo release Fridays on Apple TV+.