Who is Solo in Silo season 2? Steve Zahn character explained

For anyone who might have somehow missed that jaw-dropping ending to season 1, the finale episode saw Rebecca Ferguson's Juliette Nichols step outside the silo only to discover that it's just one of dozens.

Season 2 sees her finally head into another silo, as she stumbles across Solo – who immediately threatens to kill her. But there's so much more to Solo than meets the eye.

Read on for everything you need to know about Solo and actor Steve Zahn. Alternatively, check out our review for season 2!

Who is Solo in Silo season 2?

Warning: This section contains spoilers for Hugh Howey's Wool trilogy – so potential spoilers for Silo season 2 and beyond.

The final scenes of season 2 episode 1 show Juliette realising she's not alone in the new silo as she hears the sound of the song Moon River, sung by Audrey Hepburn, playing in the distance.

Heading towards it, she finds a vault and attempts to open it, only for Solo to peer out of a slit in the vault door.

He says: "Hey! Good you heard the music. I love that song. So, one thing – you tried to open the door. I get it, you see a closed door, what's on the other side? I understand. The thing is, you do that again, and I'm gonna kill you."

Menacing! But there's so much more to Solo. Speaking to RadioTimes.com recently, actor Zahn said: "Solo is a good name for the guy. He's been through a lot, and his world stopped at a certain point.

"The things we learn from other people: how we communicate, how we express ourselves, how we show emotion, how we function in society, those things were gone for him. They don't exist. And so he had to develop as a human being with books and pictures and things.

"So it's a really fascinating character to dive into and then to play opposite this other person [Ferguson as Juliette] who's so different, but they both want something from each other and need something from each other, in that process, it becomes really interesting relationship."

So, how did Solo get to this point? While the show could very well deviate from the novels, we do find out Solo's true identity in the books. This is your last spoiler warning for content from Hugh Howey's trilogy, which will likely be used for the show in future!

Towards the end of the first arc, Wool, Juliette encounters a man called Solo who explains that the silo they're in is Silo 17 and he's the last survivor of an uprising decades ago. He also shows Juliette how to communicate with other silos, including her own one – Silo 18. From there, Juliette is able to communicate with Lukas (played by Avi Nash in the show) – and the story moves away from Solo.

The next arc, Shift, goes back in time to show when, how and why the silos were built in the first place – but this story is interspersed with events from the future, in Silo 17 and Silo 18. Among other shocking twists, it's revealed that Silo 1 has the power to terminate entire silos full of people – particularly when a rebellion is successful.

This is what happened when the uprising happened in Silo 17 with just one survivor – a boy named Jimmy Parker, who would rename himself Solo.

So, while the show may deviate from the events in the books, the novels place Solo as a crucial character who allows Juliette to communicate between silos and who helps the truth to be revealed about Silo 1.

Who is Solo actor Steve Zahn?

Zahn has had varied roles across film and TV, from his early credits in movies like Reality Bites, That Thing You Do!, You've Got Mail, and the Stuart Little film series.

He also appeared alongside Drew Barrymore in the film Riding in Cars with Boys, as well as playing investigative journalist Adam Penenberg in Shattered Glass, before taking on the role of Frank Heffley, the father of Greg Heffley, in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film series.

Zahn is also recognisable for his TV roles, from Davis McClary in HBO's Treme to Mark Mossbacher in The White Lotus season 1.

Silo season 2 will begin on Apple TV+ on 15th November. Season 1 is available to stream now – you can sign up to Apple TV+ here. Hugh Howey's Wool Trilogy is available to buy now.

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