Silo: Who George Wilkins Is & What Happened To Him

Ferdinand Kingsley plays George Wilkins in Silo season 1, and although his presence is heavily reduced after that, he continues to have a very specific role in the dystopian sci-fi saga. The sheer size of the Silo cast means it can be difficult for every character to make a lasting impression. However, although Kingsley only ever appeared in five episodes, his influence on the fate of Silo 18 and the show’s larger story can’t be ignored.

George’s connection to Juliette Nichols (Rebecca Ferguson), is perhaps the most notable factor in his introduction to Apple TV+’s Silo. As an adaptation of Hugh Howey’s novels, Kingsley’s character has made the leap from the pages of Silo‘s source material. George’s compelling arc is one of many reasons why Silo quickly became one of the best shows on Apple TV+ when it began in 2023. His short time on the show shouldn’t be interpreted as him playing a minor role in his enclosed society – in fact, the opposite is true.

George Wilkins’ Role In Silo 18 & Relationship With Juliette Explained

Kingsley’s Silo character was so curious that it caused his death

Wilkins once ran a stall in the Mids that would repair certain items for the residents of Silo 18. This line of work contributed to his strong interest in Relics – items from the Before Times, that are largely viewed as a crime to possess. His life in the Mids and secret research into humanity’s pre-Silo life eventually resulted in an ancient hard drive coming into his possession. Although it initially seemed empty, George worked with Allison Becker (Rashida Jones) to recover various files that included doctored videos of previous cleanings, and also Silo blueprints.

Having learned all that he could from his position in the Mids, George transferred to Mechanical to secretly continue his investigation. The Silo blueprints showed a hidden tunnel at the bottom of Silo 18, which influenced this transfer. He met Juliette while working in Mechanical, and although he initially intended to use her for her knowledge of the Down Deep, the pair entered a genuine (but unsanctioned) romantic relationship. He told her pretty much everything he had discovered, and they discussed it in the relative safety of Juliette’s cavern.

George Wilkins Died In Silo Season 1

He took his own life to hide what he’d learned about some of Silo 18’s secrets

Judicial ultimately found out about George digging around for answers, and he was arrested. George knew that he would be tortured by his captors so they could find out what he knew, including what he had done with the hard drive. To prevent this from happening, he made the drastic decision to take his own life by jumping from the stairs while being escorted to the Upper Levels. Before doing so, he recorded a message to Juliette on a video camera that he had found and repaired, then uploaded it to the hard drive.

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Silo Season 2: What Lukas Kyle Found On The Hard Drive For Bernard

Lukas Kyle is given an interesting task to complete in Silo season 2, episode 5, “Descent,” and his endeavors result in an intriguing reveal.

George made sure to jump from the stairs in plain view of a hidden security camera, in part, to send a message to anyone watching that their secrets were in the throes of being uncovered. At the time, no one but those running the Silo were supposed to know about the cameras, so this was a massive revelation to those watching on the monitors. The hard drive was left in Juliette’s possession, and when she was promoted to sheriff, she used her new position to investigate George’s death and also to continue his risky but vital research.

What Silo Season 2 Has Revealed About George Wilkins

Lukas Kyle hears the name spoken by a mysterious voice in “The Safeguard”

George Wilkins has haunted the narrative since his death. His physical exit from the show hasn’t prevented his name from popping up every now and then. Not only does this support how important he is to the future of Silo 18, but also how unknowingly instrumental he was in the fomenting of a rebellion. One of the most pivotal and significant instances of George being mentioned by name comes at the end of Silo season 2, episode 9, “The Safeguard,” when Lukas Kyle (Avi Nash) also follows the blueprints to the bottom of Silo 18.

When Lukas reaches the tunnel marked on the map recovered by George and Allison, he is met by the sound of a digital voice that identifies Nash’s character by name. It goes to explain that Lukas Kyle is the fourth person to reach that point, with the previous three being former Silo 18 head of IT Salvador Quinn, Meadows (Tanya Moodie) and George Wilkins. However, the voice also states that it “did not speak with Wilkins.”

The moment implies that Kingsley’s Silo character simply did not have the clearance to activate the voice, nor the pedigree to even be acknowledged. So, George likely just walked down the tunnel and left again with more questions than he ever had before. Both Quinn and Meadows were senior figures when they made the journey, even though they did so over 100 years apart from each other, which also reveals a lot about how deeply entrenched Silo‘s hierarchical structure is.

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In a dystopian future, men and women reside in a vast underground silo governed by strict regulations, believed to shield them from the hazardous world above. The series delves into the complex social order within the silo and the mysteries surrounding their subterranean existence.

Release Date

May 5, 2023

Cast

Rebecca Ferguson
, Common
, Tim Robbins
, Harriet Walter
, Christian Ochoa Lavernia
, Avi Nash
, Billy Postlethwaite
, Chinaza Uche
, Iain Glen
, Remmie Milner
, David Oyelowo
, Rick Gomez
, Ferdinand Kingsley
, Shane McRae
, Chipo Chung
, Caitlin Zoz
, Matt Gomez Hidaka
, Angela Yeoh
, Olatunji Ayofe
, Khairika Sinani
, Will Patton
, Akie Kotabe

Character(s)

Juliette Nichols
, Robert Sims
, Bernard Holland
, Martha Walker
, Amundsen
, Lukas Kyle
, Hank
, Paul Billings
, Dr. Pete Nichols
, Shirley
, Sheriff Holston
, Patrick Kennedy
, George Wilkins
, Knox
, Sandy
, Kathleen Billings
, Cooper
, Deputy Molly Karins
, Teddy
, Raider Jean
, Deputy Marnes
, Diego

Seasons

2

Story By

Hugh Howey

Showrunner

Graham Yost

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