Warning: Major spoilers ahead for Silo season 3 episode 4.
The final scenes of Silo season 3 episode 4 have proven completely game-changing, with a major departure from the books and a huge surprise for fans.
With Juliette (Rebecca Ferguson) spending the episode on the run after escaping Camille’s (Alexandria Riley) clutches, she stumbles across someone she never thought she’d ever seen again: former mayor Bernard (Tim Robbins).
But didn’t Bernard die in the fiery airlock at the end of season 2? We certainly thought so. The books from author Hugh Howey certainly said so. But clearly he’s survived – and it seems the show is about to change things up in a big way.
Speaking exclusively to Radio Times about his return in a surreptitious interview before the season launch, Robbins explained: “What season 3 offered me was a way to play a different Bernard who has been physically altered in such a significant way, but also morally and mentally and spiritually altered in a profound way.
“Everything he thought was the truth turned out to be a lie, and now he is on a mission to rectify his sins from the past and make things better for himself and for others – and to make amends to the culture that he has betrayed. What a beautiful challenge as an actor to be given that opportunity.”
The actor added: “The great thing about this character is he’s full of secrets. He possesses information that no one else possesses. It’s something that gives him power, but it’s also something that tortures him.”
As for how exactly those changes will manifest? Only time will tell – but clearly Bernard is going to have a big role to play.
Showrunner Graham Yost recently opened up to Radio Times about making big changes from Howey’s books in seasons 3 and 4.
“The heaviest lifting we had to do was in this season, and then to an extent, in the final season,” he explained.
“The first two seasons were the first book. The first half of the first book gets Juliette sent out to clean, and the second half is her in Silo 17 and the rebellion in 18. And so we followed that roughly. We did a bunch of switcheroos and stuff, but basically that.
“In Shift, the second book, Juliette doesn’t appear until the final page, and I said, ‘Hugh, we’re not doing that.’ And he’s like, ‘Cool. I wanna see what you do.’
“He was totally on board with [it]. We had to figure out what to do, and we found out there’s this theme of controlling memory. Let’s have that in the origin story, and let’s also have that in Juliette’s story, and that gave us a way to go and a different challenge for Juliette.”
Silo season 3 continues weekly on Apple TV – sign up to Apple TV now.
Add Silo to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.
Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
