For those wondering if it’s just the heat of a moment, Milner emphasizes that the kiss is much more than a fleeting act of passion. Instead, it’s a testament to their bond forged under extreme circumstances and the life they’ve found themselves in. While Shirley is “fiercely loyal and fearless,” she is driven by a need to uncover the truth and protect those she cares about, especially in Juliette’s absence. “Her best friend, her family has left the silo and could be out there wandering around, and Shirley cannot let that just sit and be. She has to find out the truth of that situation,” she says. “Now that Juliette has symbolized there is maybe something beyond, there are other people who want to come on board with that. So, it’s rallying up the troops to try and find these answers and the justice of this information that we’ve been misfed.”

‘Silo’ Season 2’s “Barricades” Was Physically Demanding Stuntwork

“I remember somebody saying, ‘Oh, man. You look really exhausted…’ I was like, ‘None of that was acting!’”

The kiss doesn’t just symbolize a shift in their relationship, but it also underscores how their personal growth is intertwined with the challenges of leading a rebellion. While Episode 6 found the two opening up to a new layer of vulnerability, it also had the actors physically testing their limits with some rather grueling stunts, including a sequence that had McRae and Milner suspended in harnesses for hours on end. McRae appreciated the acknowledgment of their efforts with Collider, joking about the toll it took: “Thank you for noticing! We were tired,” he laughs while describing one of the toughest challenges they faced this season. “The harness was two days just swinging. There’s a moment they’re on Shirley and I from above, and I remember somebody saying, ‘Oh, man. You look really exhausted. Great job in that.’ And I was like, ‘None of that was acting!’ I couldn’t get off the ground after that. It was like 10 hours in a harness, just dropping.”

Milner echoed her co-star’s sentiments, detailing the repetition and precision required to get the shots from multiple angles for the sequence. “Over and over from all different angles,” she explains of the moment. Despite the challenging nature of the stunts, the actress goes on to share a silver lining: “I mean, we were so physically fit. It was great.”

But while the stunts were in a class of their own, Knox’s physical exhaustion in Silo Season 2 delicately mirrors the emotional weight his character carries as he grapples with the pressures of authority and the consequences of his decisions. “I think that is the major conflict that [Knox] has throughout the season. I think that he really believes in duty, and he really holds the burden, he feels like the livelihood and well-being of the Down Deep is on him, so he’s willing to sacrifice his friends, his family, and Juliette for the good of the community,” he says. “But there’s a price to pay for that, and I think that he’s dealing with that throughout the season.”

Milner adds this is what she loves most about the two. “There’s no ego, so they have this driving force of what they believe in, and then Shirley might be really thorough about something, and then Knox comes in and says, ‘Actually, this,’ and she listens and responds and acts. It’s just building blocks,” she says. “That probably stems from the way they’ve grown up in Mechanical and how they work, constantly being practical, not having the time to be free about things. It’s just straight to the point.”

For more on this episode, watch the spoiler-filled interview above. New episodes of Silo Season 2 stream Fridays on Apple TV+ in the U.S.