Silo (2023–…): Season 1, Episode 5 - The Janitor's Boy - full transcript

Why did you wanna hide this?

- Who is it?
- Porter.

Two secs.

Thanks.

I'm guessing he had his skull crushed in
with the butt of his own shotgun.

It couldn't have been easy.

Marnes was made of iron,
anger and spite.

Who are you?

- This is Paul Billings. He's your...
- Oh.

That's the guy you wanted to be sheriff.

He's your new Chief Deputy.



The old one's not even cold.

Well, Marnes was right.
Someone really wanted him dead.

Do we have control of this?

- His door was open. A neighbor found him.
- Can we keep a lid on it?

We could try.

If we don't, we're fucked.

This could've all been avoided
if our new sheriff had posted someone

- to watch Marnes tonight.
- Your new sheriff offered, and he said no.

- So I heard. You should've ignored him.
- Oh, you heard, huh?

Yeah. I stopped by
and saw him and his bloody nose.

- Who gave him a bloody nose?
- One of his many fans.

It's the mortuary team.

All right... let's go to my office.

My new office.



Can you tell them to give me a minute?

One minute.

Hey, uh, you can go in.

I'm only gonna be mayor for a few months,

so I'm gonna try to drink as much
of Mayor Jahns's liquor as I can.

Hmm.

So...

What do we do?

Just keeping pumping the official line.

Two older people walked the Silo,
it was too much for them.

- See your doctor...
- No, we bury them together.

Sorry, what?

One funeral. One grave.
Conservation of resources.

Times like this, people don't
give a shit about conservation.

But...

- we could say they were in love.
- Were they?

The way they nagged
at each other, I always wondered.

Mmm. Doesn't matter, though.

I don't know if there's anything
in the Pact about a double funeral.

- Paul?
- For a married couple, but, um...

- The mayor can make an exception.
- Why would the mayor do that?

So it becomes the story, Rob.

A couple of old servants of the Silo,
enjoying a late bloom of love,

looking to spend
their golden years together,

only to have their lives
cut tragically short.

If they were in a relationship,
it was unsanctioned.

At their age, who gives a fuck?

And if people do care, it's even better.
Gets people talking about forbidden love.

Anything but murder.

We need a distraction.

It's a good idea, Sheriff.

For a distraction, the judge suggested
we offer a Forgiveness Holiday.

- It's good for morale.
- It's good for Judicial.

Now, let's push
the story that they were in love.

Then I am going to announce
a Race to the Top.

Say Mayor Jahns loved a good footrace.

Award the Jahns trophy to the victor.

People love an excuse
to drink beer and yell.

Jahns hated those races.

She always thought
they would get out of hand.

Hmm.

I'll let you two go. Get some sleep.

Sheriff, would you stay a minute?

You know, you're the reason
I stopped by to see Marnes last night.

I said we should make Paul sheriff now.

Marnes said to wait.

Not because he thought you'd succeed.

He figured you'd realize
you were in over your head

and slink back down
to Greasetown on your own.

All right. All right, that's enough.
Give it a rest, Rob.

You don't like it.

I'm installing Billings as Chief Deputy
without your say-so.

Have you read the Pact?

Yeah, some of it.

Start with the section on your department.

It doesn't explicitly say
that a sheriff should kiss Judicial's ass,

but it's pretty much
the subtext on every page.

Um...

This morning, I ran a program

to create a data set
of Silo residents under the age of 46.

A number I arrived at
by taking 40 and adding 6.

Forty being the amount of years
that Ruth Jahns served as mayor,

and six being the age
of basic societal awareness,

giving a total...

of 5,496 Silo residents

out of the current population of 10,112,

for whom Ruth Jahns
was the only mayor they ever knew.

Mm-hmm.

Mayor Jahns was a trusted
and beloved leader

because she knew
the residents of the Silo,

and they knew her.

Thankfully, I am but an interim mayor

until someone can be elected

to fill Ruth Jahns's very large shoes.

Um, and not her literal shoes
because she...

Actually, her feet were rather small.

Hmm.

Uh, Sheriff.

Would you like to say a few words
about Deputy Marnes?

Um...

I honestly don't know
what to say about Marnes.

He and I didn't exactly, um, hit it off.

He, uh, he didn't want me as, um, sheriff.

I think he shared that
with a lot of people, I guess.

I didn't want the job at first.

But then I was told that if
the mayor asks you to serve,

you-you serve.

And here I am,
speaking at Marnes's burial,

in front of people
who knew him better than I did.

Sad people.

I'm not... I'm not sad.

I, um... I mean, it's...
it's sad that he died, of course.

But his...
His life, their lives, they, um...

they're worth celebrating.

They dedicated their lives to the Silo,
like we all do every day.

Like everyone does,
from the Up Top to the Down Deep.

Hear us, oh, Founders.

Ruth Jahns and Samuel Marnes
served your Silo with their spirit,

and now will serve with their flesh.

Death into life.

Circle without end.

Hank?

- Jules.
- Hey.

- Hey.
- What are you doing here?

Oh, I, uh... I got an invite to the burial.

Really? I didn't see you there.

Yeah. Um, funerals aren't really my thing.

Yeah, they're not really anyone's thing.

I'll pay my respects heading back down.

Walk said that, uh,

you found somebody
to help with the George stuff?

Yeah, we buried him today.

- Marnes?
- Mmm.

Shit.

Hey. Are, um...
those supposed to be for me?

- Oh, yeah.
- Yeah?

Look, you can't send a guy up 144 levels
with a tin of hush puppies

- and not expect him to eat a couple.
- There's one left.

- I'm a big guy.
- Mmm.

- How are you?
- Good. Yeah, I'm okay.

Walk sent you, didn't she?

Yeah, and Shirley.

Yeah. 'Cause they're worried about me?

Jules,
everybody's worried about everything.

On the way up,
I said hey to my cousin on 72,

and he asked if, um,
it's safe for his kids to go to school.

- It's a dangerous time in the Silo and...
- And you're wondering if I can do this.

No, that's not what I'm saying.

- It's what it sounds like.
- Hey, would you listen to me?

I know you can do anything
you put your mind to.

But I also know
that none of us can do any of this alone.

Now, look, I've never won
Deputy of the Year or nothing,

but if you need anything,

I'm just a tin of hush puppies away.

Deputy.

Sheriff.

- Hey, Hank.
- Yeah?

I don't like you.

- I got that.
- You're not qualified to be sheriff.

Can't disagree. Anything else?

Holston Becker was
the best sheriff this Silo's ever seen.

Marnes told me that something happened
between you two,

and that's why Holston went out to clean.

Hmm. Well, Marnes was wrong.

You took this job to find out
who killed George Wilkins.

When Wilkins died,
the Down Deep deputy sent a message.

Said an engineer named Nichols
claimed Wilkins was murdered.

Now the first thing you do when you
get up here is ask for Wilkins' file.

Here's the deal.
Everything in this office goes through me.

Yeah, you wanna get anything done,

whether it's find out who killed Wilkins
or get a new pencil,

you're gonna do what I want.

What's that?

Find out who killed Marnes.

Right. That's my job, so...

I don't mean just going along
with whatever patsy Judicial serves up.

- I mean, find out who really did it.
- Why would Judicial serve up a patsy?

Because Judge Meadows
doesn't give a shit about the truth.

No, the only thing she cares about
is maintaining order.

And when a mayor
and a deputy get murdered,

things could get disorderly fast.

No, they're gonna wanna find
the nearest warm body to pin it on.

Expect you to go along with it,

so you can keep the shiny badge
and the nice apartment.

But that would be a mistake on your part,

because they also wanna get you out
and Billings in.

Isn't that what you want?

Honestly, I may want you
to find out who killed Marnes,

but Marnes, he wouldn't give a shit.

He just wouldn't want
Judicial sending some poor bastard

out to clean that doesn't deserve it.

I'll be back after lunch.

Where are you going?

I'm gonna try and figure out
who killed Marnes.

Well, you should take
Deputy Billings with you.

He knows the Pact, and you don't.

If you get this wrong,
even if you get who did it,

Judicial will throw it out.

Let's go.

Hey.

You Charles Martin?

What if I am?

You rob a string of apartments
15 years ago?

I did my time.

We just wanna know
where you were last night.

- You asking if I killed Marnes?
- Didn't say anything about...

Don't tell me he died naturally.

If Marnes just had a heart attack,
then life really sucks.

But it wasn't me.

I've been down on 62, getting tests.

Okay.

Thank you.

Even if he wasn't in the hospital,

I'm sure he wouldn't have
been a match for Marnes.

You saw his hand? He's got the Syndrome.

Where next?

- What?
- Where... Where do you live?

- A couple levels down.
- Okay. Why don't you go home for lunch?

I'm sure your wife and your daughter
would love to see you.

It's only 11:00.

I know. It's just...

it's been a lot, and, um, I need a moment.

I'm gonna grab a sandwich, read the Pact.
I hear great things about it.

I'll be back in the office by 1:00.

I stopped by and saw him
and his bloody nose.

Who gave him a bloody nose?

One of his many fans.

Patrick, we all knew she was headed
for the farm the minute she met you.

Patrick Kennedy, it's the sheriff.
Can you open up?

Who are you looking for?

Patrick Kennedy.

He's not here.

"...serious violations,

both of which
will be initially investigated

by the Department of the Sheriff, being
reported to Judicial within one hour."

Read the part about accountability.

- Yes?
- It's Paul Billings.

Come in, Paul.

Paul, you know Doug Trumbull.

- Of course.
- Doug's a candidate to be my shadow.

We'll get to the rest of this later.

Doug Trumbull? Your shadow?

I only said he's a candidate.

He asked if he could be considered.
I didn't have the heart to say no.

Besides, it's always good
to have an excuse to read the Pact.

Our new sheriff okay with you coming back
to Judicial your first day on the job?

She thinks I went home for lunch.

What can I do for you?

- Hey, Kennedy.
- Hey, what are you doing here?

Maintenance said
this is where I'd find you.

Mmm.
I was sad to hear about Deputy Marnes.

I'm kidding. I was fucking giddy.

Yesterday you said there were two reasons
why we were stupid

for wanting to talk to your wife.

First was, she's dead.
Uh, what's the second one?

You know what, I'm a little confused.
Are you arresting me?

- Nope.
- Then what are you doing?

I'm putting you somewhere safe.

- Hey, Sandy.
- Hi.

- How's it going?
- Slowly.

As much as I revere that thing,
if I can't sleep,

- I read a couple pages and I'm out.
- Mmm.

- How was lunch?
- Can I sit?

I didn't go home. I went to Judicial.

Oh, wow. Reporting to Sims already?

I didn't know
I'd fucked up that badly yet.

I know it's gonna take a lot
to earn your trust,

and this might not be the best first step.

But I wanted to see
how their investigation was going.

Judicial has its own investigation?

They get level rep reports first.

And they get reports from people
who don't officially exist.

Right, listeners.

Not what we call them, but yeah.

- What do you call them?
- Friends of the Silo.

Hmm.

None of what they say
is admissible in court.

But...

They can provide suggestions.

- Wow, you look in pain just saying that.
- It's not in the Pact, so I don't like it.

Hmm. Who are the friends suggesting?

Ralf Melby.

He works down in Paper, first shift.

He could've made it to the Mids
to poison their water,

he could've made it up last night
to get Marnes.

"Gambler, thief, two minor assaults."
Why... Why now?

Have to ask him.

Hey, Sandy,
can you get me an arrest warrant?

- For who?
- Patrick Kennedy.

- What? No. Ralf Melby.
- Kennedy first.

And then can you call me
on the radio once you have it?

- Where are you going?
- You got messages. Um. Hey.

Hey.

Nichols, can you just stop?

- Hey.
- I don't have time for messages...

I don't have any fucking messages.
I just... I need to know what's going on.

Billings went to his friends in Judicial
and came back with a name. Ralf Melby.

They want me to waste my time
arresting Melby

while they get their patsy.

- Patrick Kennedy.
- Yeah.

That's gonna make me look incompetent,

they'll send me back to Mechanical,
and Billings gets the badge.

You sure they're setting up Kennedy?

I know a search is gonna turn up
rat poison

and a drawing from Marnes's wall.

How do you know that?

If he's their patsy,
you requesting an arrest warrant

means Judicial's gonna send a goon
to get him right away.

That's why I'm going.

Seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.

All the best to competitors.

Judicial. Open up.

Looking for Patrick Kennedy?

Yeah, it took a while for Housing
to find out his wife died last year.

They moved him to a single, like,
six months ago

and moved an older couple in here.

Maybe that's why Judicial's database
still has this down as his place.

I don't know.

I only know this 'cause Marnes and I
came here yesterday.

I guess everyone makes mistakes, right?

Yours was planting evidence
in the wrong apartment.

Hey!

Watch it!

Go! Get out...

- What are you doing? Asshole.
- Hey! What the fuck?

Mommy, look.

- There's someone up there.
- Watch out!

Somebody help her!

Hey, somebody help her!

Go.

I think I know who it was
you were chasing.

Doug Trumbull, Judicial Security.
I'll get an arrest warrant.

I wish you waited for me to come with you.

Well, I was just gonna
check out Kennedy's apartment.

I didn't think someone was gonna try
and throw me over the rail.

Hey, what apartment number
did you have for Kennedy?

2215, why?

I think maybe Kennedy didn't have
anything to do with this.

Douglas. What are you doing here?

- I followed you once.
- Ah, that shows initiative.

Skill.

And a very troubling insubordination.

I'm sorry.

Do you have any idea
what's behind this door?

- No, sir.
- Good.

If I choose you to shadow me,
you will know.

What happened to your hand?

- You have the note?
- Yeah.

Good. I think there's still a way
to make this work.

- How?
- Let me figure that out.

This is my favorite time.

So quiet, so still.

Now, Douglas, that door I came out of,

first time I saw it,
my father showed it to me.

He was a janitor.

People looked down on him. On our family.

We all know the philosophy of the Pact.

Everyone contributes
to the survival of the Silo.

But a janitor's still a janitor.

And I was just a janitor's boy.

My mother treated my father
like he was nothing,

and he said nothing in return.

When I was 14, I got into a conflict
with one of my classmates.

Richard Elliot. Ah, he tormented me.

My father found out,

and I was terrified he was gonna try to do
something about it and only make it worse.

But he didn't.

Part of me was disappointed.

Then one day, I get to school

and Richard Elliot's crying.

Seems his father's been reassigned
to a job on 125, and they have to move.

Just like that, my problem went away.

I was wondering if...

if maybe my dad
had something to do with it.

But he was just a janitor. Right?

Then, one morning, he says to me,

"Any more problems with that bully?"

I just looked at him.
It was something in the way he said it.

I just looked at him and asked, "How?"

He said he wanted to show me something.
He took me to that door.

He said if I wanted to shadow him,

I would have to make a decision
that would change my life forever.

If I went through that door,

I could never tell anyone
what was on the other side.

Not my friends, not my family,
not my wife.

They might think that I was nothing
more than a bookkeeper, or a clerk,

or a janitor.

But I would know the truth.

That the people behind that door

do the most important work of the Silo.

Work that keeps 10,000 people alive.

You fucked up, Doug.

Twice. Very badly.

- You fucked up with George Wilkins...
- You know what happened?

...and you fucked up with Patrick Kennedy.

But I've fucked up worse. Many times.

We're human beings doing the best we can.

What I'm looking for in a shadow
is drive and dedication.

I've made my decision.

Douglas Trumbull, do you, of clear mind
and conscience, pledge to be my shadow?

Yes.

Are you willing to do anything to serve
and protect the people of the Silo?

Yes.

Are you willing
to give everything you have

to serve and protect
the people of the Silo?

Yes.

Good.

No!

Douglas Trumbull
killed Mayor Jahns and Deputy Marnes,

and he wanted to frame Patrick Kennedy
for the murders.

His intent wasn't only to, uh,
frame Kennedy,

but to kill him
and make it look like suicide.

So when I confronted Trumbull

about planting evidence in an apartment
no longer occupied by Kennedy, he ran.

Last night,
knowing his arrest was inevitable,

Trumbull took his own life.

There's a... There's a note in there
that we, uh, found in his pocket.

We think he was gonna plant it on Kennedy.
Strangely, it kinda works for him too.

We, um, we don't know...

Why.

You don't know why
a seven-year employee of Judicial

would want to murder the mayor and Marnes.

Well, no, but we...

I didn't work closely with Trumbull,
but I saw no sign of it.

Mr. Sims, did you see any indication?

I mean, Marnes was deputy in the Mids back
in the day when Trumbull was growing up.

Maybe... Maybe they had some
rough encounters back then.

I don't know. We're gonna look into it.

Don't spend any more time on him.

We have the killer of Mayor Jahns
and Deputy Marnes, and...

...he's dead.

This should quell the rumors
and conspiracy theories.

Indeed.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

I'll take the rat poison to the farms,
you take the rest to the office?

Yep.

You already knew that the drawing
and the rat poison

were in the apartment before we looked.

- Mm-hmm.
- When did you go in?

When you were talking
to your Judicial friends.

- How'd you get in?
- I learned some things in Mechanical.

You clearly
didn't read the section of the Pact

- about illegal search and seizure.
- No, I did.

Why didn't you tell me
what you were doing?

- 'Cause I didn't trust you.
- Do you now?

Yeah. Sure. As much as you trust me.

So you don't worry what happened
to me tomorrow, I've been reassigned.

- What?
- To the station on 105.

Why?

I requested it.

'Cause of me?

No, I've got family down there.

Wait, so when...
when you said if I wanted your help,

I had to find out who killed Marnes.

Yeah, I'm sorry. I didn't think
you'd be able to do that, really.

Any chance you'd change your mind?

No, I've had enough of the Up Top.

You know, there are a few things
I'll miss, but...

...I won't miss the feeling
I'm being watched.

By who?

I don't know by who.

Or how.

Hey. You know, when I got here, you said
you didn't know what Down Deepers ate.

You got family on 105?

That's lower Mids, not Down Deep.

- Right.
- Our kind don't eat babies.

Mm-hmm.

You did a good thing.

I mean, Patrick Kennedy's an awful
human being but he didn't deserve to die.

- Not for something he didn't do.
- I'm just happy that I didn't...

Don't make a big deal out of it.
I still don't like you.

Sheriff.

Can I pour you a drink?

I'm going through Mayor Jahns's collection
pretty fast.

- No, I'm good. Thanks.
- You sure?

- Yeah.
- Have a seat.

Now, as much as I hate to give Sims
the satisfaction,

I think he may have been right.

The Race to the Top was a good tonic,

but what we really need
is a Forgiveness Holiday.

People go a little wild when we have one,

so I'm gonna need you
and your deputies everywhere.

Okay.

That's not the only thing
I wanted to discuss.

I wanted to say that I was wrong
about you.

I didn't see why Holston would want you
to be sheriff, but now I think I do.

So, for as long as I'm mayor,

which I sincerely hope won't be
for more than a few months,

I wanna help you in any way I can.

Is there anything you need now?

- Two days off.
- You've been sheriff for a minute?

I need to get back down to Mechanical.

I didn't think I'd last
so, I didn't pack much, so...

We have porters that can do that.

I'd like to say goodbyes
and stuff, you know?

All right. We'll see you in a couple days.

Thanks.

Hey.

Hey.

What are you working on?

You wanna come see?

So, when it's clear at night,
there are these lights in the sky.

Hmm. What are they?

I have no idea.

But I've been watching them long enough
to see these patterns.

They repeat, like they're, uh,
like they're traveling in this big circle.

Here.

Here.

You see it?

I see a "W".

- Never noticed that before.
- Yeah, well, now you have.

I'll just add it to the list of
things we don't know anything about.

Did you know there are lights
in the sky at night?

How do you mean?

Well, the display in the Up Top cafeteria
is better than ours.

- What a surprise.
- There are lights in the night sky.

Yeah, what are they?

I thought maybe you'd know.

You know, Hank ate all
but one of the hush puppies you sent.

Hmm? I kinda thought he'd eat 'em all.

He's a big guy.

How old is this?

What day is it?

So, how's it going in that fancy new job
of yours up there?

- Fine.
- Fine? Really?

- Mm-hmm.
- You know, Tommy Marshall

was working on a ventilation fan
at the foot of the stairs.

This missed his head by an inch.

People saw you hanging from the rails.

Jules, you don't think that kind of story
gets around? What the fuck is going on?

- I can't tell you.
- You can't tell me...

No, I can't.

Goddamn it.
This isn't supposed to be the deal.

We're supposed to go about our business,
keeping the Silo humming,

and they're not supposed to do things
like murder people.

Bodies start falling,
people start asking questions.

Pretty soon, asking questions turns
into demanding answers,

- and if folks don't like the answers...
- Hey, hey, hey.

You're talking about rebellion?
I'm right here. I'm sheriff.

Ridiculous.

Anyway, did you find
that hard drive you were looking for?

No, not yet. Holston hid a file on George,

but there was nothing in it
that I didn't already know.

Did you make headway
with the thing I left you?

Yes, I did.

So, I recognized the type of lens

from those cameras they use
to make pictures for ID's.

But those are very simple.
This... This is not simple.

Take a look.

This help you?

No. You got anything more powerful?

Like the thing your mother made?
Lining up two lenses?

Yeah, like we used on the rabbit.

Yeah, and Judicial destroyed it.
Do you know why Judicial destroyed it?

- No.
- Have you read the Pact?

No, and you're, like,
the tenth person to ask me that.

Well, this is the real reason
why I wanted you to come down.

For me, there are two big mysteries
about the Pact.

One.

They stipulate that we can't mechanize
the way we go up and down in the Silo.

- Mm-hmm. Yeah.
- No lifts, no pulleys.

Two.
No magnification beyond a certain power.

So, a relic like this is gonna get you
more than a slap on the wrist.

Something with wiring this small,

the effect is gonna be
a lot more dramatic.

And from what you're not telling me,
seems to me there's a long list of people

who've died recently
under questionable circumstances.

What's to stop you being
the next one on the list?

I'll be careful.

Put the badge in an envelope,
give it to a porter.

I need to find out what happened.

Two days ago, Bernard wanted nothing
more than to send me out to clean

for snagging two boxes
of shitty heat tape.

I solve two murders, and he can't wait
to work with me. They trust me, Walk.

I need to open up an investigation

that allows me to look into
what happened to George.

And how are you gonna do that
without tipping them off?

I gotta use the right bait.