The Janitor's Boy

### **IMDb**

**The Janitor's Boy** is the fifth episode of the Apple TV+ series *Silo*. Written by Graham Yost and directed by David Semel, the episode aired on May 26, 2023.

## Synopsis

*Sims appoints Billings as chief deputy to keep tabs on Juliette, whose efforts to solve two murders lead to a showdown.*

## Plot

Juliette Nichols looks through the file left by Holston Becker in her apartment when a Porter knocks at the door. He delivers a message from Robert Sims informing her of a suspected homicide, and the victim is Deputy Sam Marnes. In Marnes' apartment, Sims and Paul Billings look over Marnes' body, who died by having his skull caved in by the butt of his own shotgun. Sims tells Juliette that Billings is her new chief deputy as Bernard Holland arrives hoping they have control of the situation. When the mortuary team arrives, Juliette asks for a minute alone with the body, and takes a list of citizens from Marnes' pocket.

In the Mayor's office, Bernard, Juliette, Sims, and Billings discuss the situation. In an effort to avoid talk of murder spreading through the Silo, they decide to run with the story that Marnes and Ruth Jahns were in love and that they would be buried together. Although technically an unsanctioned relationship, Bernard believes that considering their age it won't be an issue and talk of forbidden love is better than talk of homicide. Bernard also plans to announce a race up the Silo, with the winner to be awarded the Jahns trophy. Sims and Billings are dismissed, but Bernard asks Juliette to stay. He knows that Juliette does not like Billings being appointed as Chief Deputy without her input, but tells her that the subtext of The Pact basically says that the Sheriff Department has to bow to Judicial.

Jahns and Marnes are given a funeral, buried in the soil of the gardens so their bodies can serve as fertiliser for the crops that sustain the Silo. Bernard and Juliette speak at the gathering, reminding the residents of the Silo that both of them dedicated their lives to the Silo and they should be remembered and celebrated for it. In the Sheriff's office, Juliette meets with Deputy Hank who warns her that people in the Silo are scared, and while he knows she can do anything she sets her mind to he also knows no one can do it alone.

Sandy confronts Juliette in her office and wants her to find out who really killed Marnes, and not go along with whatever story Judicial concocts because Judge Meadows wants to maintain order rather than expose the truth of the situation. Juliette and Billings begin an investigation into Marnes' death, using the list of citizens she found on his body. They question Charles Martin first, who claims to have been in the hospital at the time and Juliette, seeing his hand was shaking from the syndrome, knows he wouldn't have been able to best Marnes. Sending Billings to go have lunch with his family, Juliette goes to see Patrick Kennedy alone. He is not in his apartment so she breaks in, finding evidence that he was behind the murders of Jahns and Marnes; namely a box of rat poison and a drawing of Jahns that Marnes had in his apartment.

Billings visits Sims in Judicial rather than go home. Billings learns that Douglas Trumbull is being considered for be Sims' Shadow. Juliette finds Kennedy and takes him into an unofficial protective custody. Billings admits to visiting Judicial because he wanted to know what their investigation was like, and knows that they have access to information that the Sheriff Department does not. Billings reveres the Pact, so anything that is not explicitly sanctioned in it, such as unofficial informants, makes him uneasy. However, he tells Juliette that Judicial is looking at Ralf Melby, a low-level gambler and thief. Juliette issues an arrest warrant for Kennedy, hoping to flush out Judicial because they want her wasting her time looking at Melby to undermine her. With the Silo engrossed in the race to the top, Juliette encounters Trumbull outside Kennedy's apartment; except it is not Kennedy's apartment since he moved last year after the death of his wife and Judicial planted evidence in the wrong home.

A chase ensues, leading down onto the stairs just as the footrace is coming up. Juliette and Trumbull clash and he throws her over the rail and attempts to kill her. Juliette fights back, breaking his finger, but has to be rescued by other residents of the Silo while Trumbull gets away. Later, Trumbull follows Sims to a nondescript janitor's closet, where Sims dresses him down for his failures. But nonetheless, he offers Trumbull to be his Shadow and when he accepts, ready to serve the Silo, Sims pushes him over the railing to his death.

Juliette and Billings meet with Judge Meadows and Sim, recounting Trumbull's attempts to frame Kennedy and then the fact that he took his own life shortly after. Meadows doesn't really believe it, but accepts the story to quell rumours and conspiracy theories about the deaths. Juliette and Billings have a discussion about their mutual trust of each other, and Sandy informs Juliette that she requested reassignment to the station on Level 105 because she has had enough of Up Top and feels like she is being watched.

Juliette meets with Bernard, who is planning to hold a Forgiveness Holiday and needs her deputies to be prepared for it. He also tells her that he was wrong about her, and pledges to support her as long as he is Mayor. Juliette requests two days off to return to the Deep Down and collect belongings and say proper goodbyes. Juliette meets Lukas Kyle in the Cafeteria, and finds that he is charting the lights in the sky from the outside camera feeds. They have no idea what they are, but he has been studying them long enough to realise there is a rotating pattern as if they were moving in a large circle.

Juliette goes to see Martha Walker, who is worried about her. However, she has made headway on the Relic that Juliette left her, recognising it as a kind of camera due to the lens. Martha tells Juliette that there are two mysteries in the Pact that confound her; no mechanisation of the way to go up and down the Silo such as lifts or pulleys, and no magnification over a certain level. Juliette goes to George Wilkins' hidden camp and retrieves the Relic he left for her.

## Cast

### Main Cast

* Rebecca Ferguson as Juliette Nichols
* Common as Robert Sims
* Harriet Walter as Martha Walker
* Chinaza Uche as Paul Billings
* Avi Nash as Lukas Kyle
* Rick Gomez as Patrick Kennedy
And
* Tim Robbins as Bernard Holland

### Guest Starring

* Chipo Chung as Sandy
* Billy Postlethwaite as Deputy Hank
* Henry Garrett as Douglas Trumbull

### Co-Starring

* Andrew P. Stephen as Charles Martin
* Roderick Hill as Neighbor
* Damian Schedler Cruz as Up Top Porter
* Jasmine Imboden as Spectator

## Appearances

**By type**

Characters

* Paul Billings (First appearance)
* Franky Brown (Mentioned only)
* Shirley Campbell (Mentioned only)
* Richard Elliot (First mentioned)
* Wayne Gantry (First mentioned)
* Hank
* Bernard Holland
* Ruth Jahns
* Johnson (First mentioned)
* Molly Karins (Mentioned only)
* Doris Kennedy (Mentioned only)
* Patrick Kennedy
* Lukas Kyle
* Sam Marnes
* Tommy Marshall
* Charles Martin (First appearance)
* Meadows (First appearance)
* Ralf Melby (First mentioned)
* Juliette Nichols
* Patel (First mentioned)
* Sandy
* Robert Sims
* Douglas Trumbull
* Martha Walker
* George Wilkins (Mentioned only)

Events

* Race to the Top

Locations

	+ Farm
	+ Judicial Offices
		- Robert Sims' Office
	+ Level 1
		- Level 1 Cafeteria
		- Level 1 Sheriff Station
			* Holding 3
				+ Airlock
			* Sheriff's Office
	+ Level 8
	+ Level 9
		- Sam Marnes' Apartment
	+ Level 20
		- Janitorial Closet
	+ Level 22
		- Patrick and Doris Kennedy's Apartment
	+ Level 29 (First mentioned)
	+ Level 31 (First mentioned)
	+ Level 45 (First mentioned)
	+ Level 47
	+ Level 52 (First mentioned)
	+ Level 62
		- Hospital
	+ Level 63 (First mentioned)
	+ Level 72
	+ Level 105 (First mentioned)
		- Level 105 Sheriff Station (First mentioned)
	+ Level 125 (First mentioned)
	+ Level 144
	+ Mayor's Office
	+ Mechanical Cafeteria (Mentioned only)
	+ Stairwell

Organizations and titles

* Judicial
* Maintenance
* Paper
* Porter
* Sheriff Department
* The Founders

Miscellanea

* Heat tape
* Jahns trophy
* Magnifier (First mentioned)
* Relic
	+ Hard drive (Mentioned only)
	+ PEZ dispenser
	+ Video recorder
* Shadow
* Syndrome (First appearance)
* The Pact

## Behind the scenes

* Tanya Moodie is not credited for her appearance as Judge Meadows in this episode.