Why Silo Season 2 should've explored Dr. Pete Nichols' character in depth

There's no doubt that Silo has managed to become one of the most celebrated shows on Apple TV. With the second season of Silo now having come to a celebrated end, audiences are looking forward to the third installment, which has been confirmed. However, now might just be the time to glance over a few of the shortcomings of Silo season two, even though they are indeed fewer in number.

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For a show which is so character-driven, and balances character backstory and narrative exposition exceptionally well, it is a bit disappointing that the makers of Silo didn't give a bit more room to the otherwise brilliant character of Dr. Pete Nichols, played by Iain Glen.

Dr. Pete Nichols is introduced as the only obstetrician inside the vault. He is a member of Medical and, for years, has been privy to the lies and the manipulation handed over to him from the Up Top Leadership.

His initial relationship with his daughter Juliette Nichols was strained as a result. Although the father and daughter eventually reconcile their differences, his death and the paucity of screentime allotted to him seem like a lost opportunity. Here's everything that we know.

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What makes Dr. Pete Nichols from Silo season two a character worth exploring?

Pete always served as a discreetly important supporting figure in Silo's opaque worldbuilding. For starters, Juliette's alienated connection with her father shapes her older self's independent nature.

Her reunification with Pete in the latter part of Season 1 serves as a soothing salve for her prior losses and the constant solitude that plagues her life, especially because Pete's love for his daughter has never faltered. Individually, Pete provides a razor-sharp view of how thoroughly and maliciously the Silo manipulates its inhabitants.

For decades, Dr. Nichols has grudgingly chosen silent cooperation with the powers inside the vault. This view inside his world illustrates how Medical, like Judicial, is a corrupt section run by power-hungry individuals. Season two alternately depicts Pete's transition from remorse, wrath, and aimless wandering to active resistance and an implicit intention to make apologies.

These poignant scenes are among the season's finest, thanks to Glen's empathic acting and the sensitive, character-driven writing. Given Pete's final sacrifice, the consequences of his restricted presence do not reverberate throughout the season with the force they should, given the untapped potential Pete's position provides.

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Rebecca Ferguson opens up about Silo season 2

Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Wrap in November last year, Rebecca Ferguson opened up about her experience of filming the Apple TV+ show's second season and the exciting opportunity of once again collaborating with Steve Zahn, who played Solo. She commented:

"I believe that the whole story of the three books would have to be told over four seasons, and then it’s down to people loving the show and all we do is the best we can to get it out there and hope that people want more.”

She further added:

"I knew he (Zahn) was going to do something that was so f–king unpredictable, and that would put me selfishly in a scenario where the person I’m acting with will make every scene interesting. He doesn’t look at the whole picture. Steve looks at this moment. That’s how he works, and I’m very similar to that. What is it in this moment between you and me that is going to make this interesting? And then we just play.”

Silo is available on Apple TV+.