Whose corpses were outside Solo's vault in Silo? Details revealed

Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers for Silo Season 2 Episode 9.

In Silo Season 2 Episode 9 titled "The Safeguard," the show finally reveals the long-standing secret behind the two bodies found outside the vault of Silo 17. If you recall Episode 3, those two people were Tess and Chase, the parents of the show's young characters, Rick and Audrey.

Their heartbreaking story starts to unravel, and we find out they were part of the big rebellion. It turns out that Solo, or Jimmy Conroy as he used to be called, played a huge part in what happened to them. He did some tough things because he was trying to keep the resources in the vault safe.

This reveal doesn't just tell us more about Solo's dark past, it also makes things more intense for Juliette Nichols. She now has to deal with the tension in Silo 17, and it's like a pressure cooker ready to blow.

Who were the corpses outside Solo’s vault?

Tess and Chase, two of the lucky adults to make it through the rebellion in Silo 17, had left their bodies outside the vault. They'd found comfort with each other in the middle of all the madness and even started a little family. Audrey's dad, Chase, and Rick's mom, Tess, also looked out for Benny, who was just a kid trying to get by in Silo 17.

They had to go to extreme lengths because food was getting scarce and decided to break into Solo's vault, where all the important supplies were kept. They had no choice, really — there were hungry kids counting on them.

Near the vault, there was a message on the wall:

“We will get in sooner or later.”

It showed how much they were willing to risk for everyone's sake. However, they didn't know that Solo was ready to do whatever it took to protect what his dad had told him to. When they tried to get in, they realized how serious he was.

Why did Solo kill Tess and Chase?

Solo, or Jimmy Conroy as he was known back then, had barely turned 12 when all hell broke loose in Silo 17. His dad, Russell Conroy, was big in the IT department there, and he stuck Jimmy in a safe room before things go sideways. Jimmy's job was to keep an eye on the stuff inside, which was probably important.

Now, Tess and Chase come along, and they're in a real pickle. They need food, so they figure out the safe room's secret code while Jimmy's catching some Z's. They go in and shoot him. Jimmy, however, is a tough kid. He survives, gets them back, and locks them in the vault, cutting off the air.

It's tragic, but Jimmy had to do it to keep his word to his dad. He opens up to Juliette, telling her about all that happened. Watching his dad pass away during the chaos messed him up badly and, being the vault's guardian all his life, he's been carrying a heavy burden. His way of being and how he connects with folks is shaped by what he went through as a kid.

How does this impact Juliette’s journey in Silo Season 2?

When Juliette showed up in Silo 17, she could feel the tension thickening like a heavy fog between her and the young survivors, especially Solo. The more she dug into things, the more she realized there was a lot of baggage everyone was carrying around, especially when she found out who Tess and Chase really were and what had gone down with Solo's past.

It was like she was unraveling a tightly wound ball of yarn, and every thread she pulled revealed a new twist to the story of their lives in the silo. While she was busy trying to get her hands on some gear for her plan, Juliette started to understand Solo better.

It hit her that his history was a mess of pain and regret, especially when it came to his dad. He'd failed to save him, and that was a weight that was dragging him down. He opened up about it, talking about his failure like it was something he couldn't ever escape from:

“Jimmy was a coward.”

This self-image keeps pushing him on his journey, and you can see it in the way he sticks to the promise he made when he was just a kid.

Even though Solo is a closed book, the moments he shares with Juliette show that they're starting to connect, especially when she decides to stand by him after finding out all the hidden secrets about the vault.