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OK, deep breaths. That was a lot to unpack.

The Silo Season 2 finale had multiple threads to follow, most of which led to more questions than answers. So let's unpack what answers we do have, and speculate on what might be coming in Season 3.

From the fate of Juliette (Rebecca Ferguson) and Bernard (Tim Robbins) to that weird pre-apocalypse flashback, we've broken down the finale below.

SEE ALSO: 'Silo' Season 2, episode 9: What is the safeguard? What happens at the end of Silo Season 2?

Multiple cliffhangers, plus an unexpected flashback!

Like the second season as a whole, the finale jumps between key characters like Juliette, Bernard, Lukas (Avi Nash), Shirley (Remmie Milner), Knox (Shane McRae), and Sims (Common). As rioters finally reach the top of the silo, hellbent on getting answers from Bernard, they see Juliette reappear on the camera outside and warn them not to come out. But as she runs down the stairs towards the airlock she's met by Bernard, coming the other way with a gun. The two of them discuss how to save the silo from the ominous safeguard procedure (more on that below), before they find themselves trapped between the airlock doors as fire engulfs them.

Elsewhere, Sims visits the vault after confronting Lukas. The same robotic voice that spoke to Lukas in the tunnel addresses Sims, agreeing with his statement that he "wants to save the silo" before telling him and his son to leave the vault. "Camille can stay," the voice says, referring to Sims' wife (Alexandria Riley).

Finally, we have a flashback in which two people meet for a date in a bar, before the days of the silo. It eventually becomes clear that the man is a Congressman and the woman is a journalist, trying to get answers from him about a possible "radiological attack on the Unites States." Eventually he leaves, but not before giving her a gift he picked up on a whim from a nearby store: what appears to be the same duck-shaped Pez dispenser that appears as a "relic" in Silo Season 1. Intriguing!

Credit: Apple TV+ So what is the safeguard procedure?

It was a major question in Season 2, episode 9, and in the finale we finally get the answer. When Juliette encounters Bernard leaving the silo, their conversation makes it clear that the safeguard is a way for someone outside the silo to pump in poison.

"There's no point what you're trying to do: Save them. It's out of your hands, it was never in your hands, in my hands, in anyone's hands," says Bernard.

"Because of the poison they can pump in?" responds Juliette.

"You know about that?"

"I know about that. But I don't know who'd do it, and I don't know why."

"I know the who. But I don't know why and I don't fucking care."

Presumably the "who" is the owner of the voice that threatens Lukas with the safeguard in episode 9. But who exactly that owner is — whether some kind of sentient AI or ultimate Head of IT — will be a question for Season 3.

What will happen to Sims and his family?

The voice in the vault that responds to Robert Sims claims to want to save the silo, too — but how do we know if it's telling the truth? On the one hand, you could argue that it surely wouldn't even engage with Sims if it didn't want to save the silo. On the other, we know that Juliette has a plan in place for stopping the safeguard. Maybe the poison takes time to pump in? Perhaps the owner of the voice is aware of this, and is planning to use Sims' family to stop Juliette from getting in the way of its plans?

One thing that does seem likely, though, is that the owner of the voice intends to work with Camille Sims, rather than her husband. Maybe, based on its observations of the silo, it thinks she's the more capable family member?

Credit: Apple TV+ Will Juliette and Bernard survive the fire?

Juliette and Bernard aren't in a great spot at the end of Season 2, and that's putting it mildly. As the airlock doors closes Bernard throws himself to the ground, and when the fire starts pouring into the cramped chamber Juliette does the same. But is there any way either of them can have survived that?

Well, maybe. Let's not forget that Juliette is actually wearing a fire suit. Although she's not as quick to duck down as Bernard, that should offer her some protection.

If either of them is going to die, Bernard seems the most likely. He drops to the floor quickly, but that may not be enough to save him — especially now that he's no longer the show's main villain.

What's the deal with that flashback?

From all the clues we're given, it seems fairly obvious that the flashback at the end of Season 2 is meant to take us back to the silo's origin. The Congressman is from Georgia, for starters, and it's heavily implied that this is where the silos are located (the travel book relic from Season 1 references Georgia, for instance, and the skyline beyond the silo resembles that of Atlanta).

The scene we witness also implies that the threat of war is looming, or possibly already here. The Congressman has to pass a radiation checker before he enters the bar, there's talk of a dirty bomb and a threat from Iran, and there's the journalist's mention of a possible "radiological attack". The silos may be already under construction at this point, for all we know. Perhaps the Congressman even has knowledge of the project.

So, will we see these people again? Will Season 3 be peppered with flashbacks that tell the silos' origin story? At this point it's impossible to say, but it certainly seems possible. Maybe the journalist will end up being one of silo 18's first occupants — the Pez dispenser certainly hints at this — and maybe, just maybe, the Congressman will be revealed as one of the fabled founders.

How to watch: Silo is streaming now on Apple TV+.

Lumon is back to their lying ways in the Severance Season 2 premiere — but would we expect anything less from the world's shadiest company?

SEE ALSO: 'Severance' Season 2 may already be the best show of the year: Review

In Season 2, episode 1, Mark (Adam Scott) returns to the Severed Floor following the Innies' daring Season 1 escape. But in a shocking turn of events, Lumon doesn't have any plans to punish Mark and his fellow Macrodata Refiners. Instead, new floor manager Mr. Milchick (Tramell Tillman) claims that the Innies' worries about mistreatment resonated with the outside world, leading Lumon to reflect upon its wrongdoings (aka torture). Now, Milchick claims, Mark and his fellow Innies have become the face of "severance reform." He's even got a newspaper to prove it!

Something's fishy about this. Credit: Screenshot: AppleTV+

The heavily redacted newspaper, titled The Kier Chronicle, features a front-page story about the Innies blowing the whistle on their mistreatment, along with two side stories about the "Baird Creek Bandit" and new Lumon recycling technology.

The key article here remains the whistle-blowing story, which is full of juicy tidbits, including mentions of new Innie privileges like "top-of-the-line recreational facilities, sexual liberation, improved snacks, and the possibility for field..." The text cuts off here, but I'm guessing it goes on to say "field trips." These seem fairly consistent with the promises Milchick makes to Mark, Helly (Britt Lower), Irving (John Turturro), and Dylan (Zach Cherry) later in the episode, although he doesn't mention "sexual liberation" to them outright.

SEE ALSO: 12 burning questions we have after the 'Severance' Season 2 trailer

Interestingly, the article also name drops Mark's brother-in-law, Dr. Ricken Hale (Michael Chernus), cited as author of The You You Are and These Values Nine: How I Let Kier In. The former book was key to the Innies' revolt in Season 1, but the latter book hasn't been mentioned yet. It's likely a Lumon fabrication, one meant to make Mark believe that Ricken — whose work he respects — is a dedicated follower of Kier Eagan. If Mark trusts Ricken, and Ricken likes Kier, then surely Mark should trust Kier and Lumon, right?

The many, many redactions and Ricken mention aren't The Kier Chronicle's only red flags. In fact, the title of biggest red flag falls to the front page image of Mark, Helly, Irving, and Dylan being celebrated in a ticker tape parade.

Right off the bat, it's obvious that photo has been doctored. The image of the Innies is taken from their group photo from Helly's very first day, which everyone kept on their desk.

Compare with the newspaper, and this is a match! Credit: Screenshot: AppleTV+

The Innie photo has been pasted onto an image that isn't even from this century. It's actually a photo from a ticker tape parade from Dwight D. Eisenhower's 1960 visit to Rio de Janeiro. See for yourself:

Dwight D. Eisenhower, notably NOT a Lumon employee. Credit: Universal History Archive / UIG via Getty images

The faking of the photo and the whole newspaper is continued proof of how Lumon manipulates the Innies and what little information they have of the outside world. And since that photo is a fake, it's clear there never actually was a celebration for the Innies, which means their message didn't spread as far as Lumon would have Mark believe. So why would Lumon lie about that and severance reform in the first place? Why ply Innie Mark with better perks in the hopes of getting him to remain at Lumon, when the company could theoretically just fire his Outie and replace him in MDR?

Given all this effort to keep Mark at Lumon, perhaps the key to MDR's "mysterious and important" work isn't having just any severed worker perform it. Maybe the true key is having Mark himself carry it out. After all, episode 1 ends with ominous flashes between Mark's macrodata refining and shots of Gemma/Ms. Casey (Dichen Lachman). Could Lumon be exploiting Outie Mark and Gemma's relationship for the sake of their latest sinister project?

Severance Season 2 is now streaming on AppleTV+, with new episodes every Friday.

After three long years, Severance is finally back with its second season, and things are just as mysterious and confusing as ever.

The good news? After a disorientating start, where it seems Mark (Adam Scott) has had his team replaced, he finally reunites with Dylan (Zach Cherry), Irving (John Turturro), and Helly (Britt Lower). The bad news? Helly decides to lie to them about what she saw on the outside at the end of Season 1.

SEE ALSO: 'Severance' Season 2 may already be the best show of the year: Review What happens with Helly in Severance Season 2, episode 1?

We know from Season 1's final episode who Helly really is on the outside of the severed floor: She's actually Helena Eagan, a direct descendant of Lumen founder/CEO Kier Eagan and the daughter of the current Lumon CEO. While on the outside she takes to the stage to give a speech, telling the confused audience that the innies are "prisoners," declaring, "They torture us down there!" before being tackled by security.

In the first episode of the second season, however, Helly has a different story for her friends. Instead of telling them who she is on the outside, she tells them that when she woke up, she was in an apartment by herself.

"I was watching some nature show on TV, wearing sweatpants and a T-shirt," says Helly. "Then I went outside and found a guy; he looked like a gardener. Told him everything. I think he kind of thought it was bullshit, but he said that his brother was a cop and that he would tell him everything. I don't know. Sorry, guys. I really tried."

Why does Helly lie to the others about what she saw?

There are really only three possible explanations as to why Helly might be lying to the others. The first, and maybe most likely, is that she's ashamed. Her outie isn't just an employee at Lumon — she's literally one of the higher-ups. To some extent, she's responsible for what the innies go through on the severed floor. Perhaps Helly lies because she doesn't want her friends to think badly of her?

The second option is that she's lying because Lumon has some kind of leverage over her. Maybe they're forcing her to tell a certain story, and have threatened her with something bad happening if she doesn't.

The third and most out-there option is that she's not really innie Helly at all. Maybe, just maybe, the Helly who rejoins Mark and the others is her outie counterpart, Helena, in disguise as her innie in order to gain information about what the others know.

Severance Season 2 is streaming now on Apple TV+, with a new episode every week.