The epic journey comes to an end in Snowpiercer season 4. AMC, the home of The Walking Dead franchise, Interview with the Vampire, Orphan Black: Echoes and Monsieur Spade, picked up the first seasons of the sci-fi epic and ordered a fourth and final season to allow the journey to play out for fans.

Snowpiercer, the story of a perpetually moving train circling the earth with the last remaining humans onboard is based on a graphic novel series from Jacques Lob and Jean-Marc Rochette, as well as a movie from Parasite director Bong Joon Ho. 

The series originally aired on TNT. The network ordered a fourth and final season, but parent company Warner Bros. Discovery shocked fans with the decision not to release the already produced final season in a cost-cutting movie. Fortunately, unlike the Batgirl movie that was shelved at WBD and will never have a chance to be seen, Snowpiercer's producers were able to shop around for a new home and AMC was quick to offer one. 

The first three seasons will be available on AMC Plus in June, ahead of the final season's July premiere. 

Here's everything we know about Snowpiercer season 4. 

Snowpiercer season 4 at San Diego Comic-Con

What to Watch was at San Diego Comic-Con 2024 when executive producer Christoph Scwrewe noted that Snowpiercer, "a show about survival...survives," referencing the show's abrupt cancellation and resurrection. 

Showrunner Paul Zbyszewski noted that in wrapping up the show, the goal was to reveal what the future holds for the passengers. "Season 4 is the future," he said. 

How to watch Snowpiercer season 4 

Snowpiercer season 4 premiered Sunday, July 21. The series is available to stream on on AMC and AMC Plus. 

Snowpiercer season 4 is available in the UK via ITVX on Sunday February 23. ITVX will have all four seasons available to watch (the first three seasons can also be viewed on Netflix in the UK).

Snowpiercer season 4 is available on AMC and AMC Plus. AMC is usually included with a standard cable subscription. If you don't have cable, you can watch AMC through live TV streaming services like YouTube TV, Fubo and Sling TV.

AMC Plus is a standalone service that can be accessed as an add-on channel on Prime Video, Apple TV Plus or Roku. The streaming service additionally allows you to watch content on your computer or mobile device. 

Snowpiercer season 4 episode guide

Snowpiercer season 4 episode 1: "Snakes in the Garden"
"Nine months after Snowpiercer and Big Alice parted ways, Till (Mickey Sumner) and Ben (Iddo Goldberg) encounter unforeseen enemies when Melanie (Jennifer Connelly) sends them off the train on a reconnaissance mission. Meanwhile, the residents of New Eden face uncertain times and unknown adversaries, compelling them to further confront the complexities of their new reality."

Snowpiercer season 4 episode 2: "The Sting of Survival"
"Milius and his Animal Squad storm the train; Melanie realises something is wrong and shuts the vault doors to the engine; when Ben's life is threatened, Melanie surrenders the engine."

Snowpiercer season 4 episode 3: "Life Source"
"Layton demands to use Big Alice to rescue Liana; Ruth, now mayor of New Eden, refuses because it's the town's power supply; Layton makes Javi jury-rig a solution, giving them three weeks of electricity."

Snowpiercer season 4 episode 4: "North Star"
"Big Alice catches up to Snowpiercer; Milius radios them, inviting Layton over; sensing a trap, Layton and Josie sneak onto Snowpiercer; Nima is worried Layton will be gassed and attempts to disarm the Greenhouse Car."

Snowpiercer season 4 episode 5: "The Engineer"
"Layton hears the deal: Liana for Big Alice; he agrees and the trains dock at the silo; while Layton, Ben, Till, Ruth, and Alex stew in a holding room, Josie is taken to Headwood; Milius introduces his partner in crime: Wilford."

Snowpiercer season 4 episode 6: "Bell the Cat"
"Nima needs more samples for his experiments, so Milius sends Wilford and the soldiers to collect; privately, Milius tells Wolf to kill Wilford; Layton wakes up on an abandoned floor and is approached by humans with toxic gas scars."

Snowpiercer season 4 episode 7: "A Moth to a Flame"
"Layton learns who was responsible for the experiments on Josie and Liana, before also finding out who froze the world; Big Alice approaches New Eden but can't cross the boobytrapped bridge."

Snowpiercer season 4 episode 8: "By Weeping Cross"
"Big Alice pulls into New Eden; Layton, Josie, and Liana sit stranded in the middle of nowhere, freezing to death, when a masked soldier appears; Alex finds herself in danger."

Snowpiercer season 4 episode 9: "Dominant Traits"
"Alex sabotages the track switch computer and, with Layton's help, escapes to town hall; Till gets the drop on Ace and uses his sniper rifle to save Layton and Alex from Rat; Melanie reveals the identity of Alex's biological father."

Snowpiercer season 4 episode 10: "Last Stop"
"Nima heads for Snowpiercer; Layton and the Tailies fight their way uptrain when Ruth is captured; Nima tries to cut a deal and runs to the rocket control room to initiate the launch sequence."

Snowpiercer season 4 premise

Here's what AMC says about the premise of Snowpiercer season 4: 

"Set more than seven years after the world has become a frozen wasteland, Snowpiercer centers on the remnants of humanity who inhabit a perpetually moving train, with 1,001 cars, that circles the globe. Class warfare, social injustice and the politics of survival play out in this riveting television adaptation based on the graphic novel series by Jacques Lob and Jean-Marc Rochette, and the film from Oscar-winner Bong Joon Ho (Parasite).

"The action-packed finale of season three left a split of the train with Melanie Cavill (Jennifer Connelly) leading the Eternal Engine and those passengers who chose to stay aboard Snowpiercer for relative safety, and Andre Layton (Daveed Diggs) leading the others on Big Alice who chose to adventure to the unknown, outside world of New Eden."

Snowpiercer season 4 cast

Here are the main members of the Snowpiercer cast that are returning for season 4:

• Jennifer Connelly (A Beautiful Mind) as Melanie Cavill
• Daveed Diggs (Hamilton) as Andre Layton
• Sean Bean (Game of Thrones) as Joseph
• Rowan Blanchard (Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World) as Alexandra
• Alison Wright (The Accountant) as Ruth
• Mickey Sumner (Frances Ha) as Bess
• Iddo Goldberg (Peaky Blinders) as Bennett
• Katie McGuinness (Roots) as Josie
• Lena Hall (Becks) as Miss Audrey
• Sam Otto (The State) as John
• Chelsea Harris (Designated Survivor) as Sykes
• Mike O'Malley (Meet Dave) as Sam
• Roberto Urbina (Che: Part One) as Javier
• Sheila Vand (A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night) as Zarah

Joining the cast in season 4 are Clark Gregg (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The Avengers, Thor) and Tony Award-winner Michael Aronov (The Drop, The Americans, Operation Finale).

Snowpiercer season 4 trailer

Take a look at the Snowpiercer season 4 trailer below:

NOTE: This post contains spoilers for Snowpiercer season 3 episode 10, "The Original Sinners."

Snowpiercer has always been a train of two halves and the thought of another war is nothing new to the passengers. This cyclical battle between ideologies means could just go through the motions, but thankfully the Snowpiercer finale has some surprises up its sleeve. 

Melanie’s (Jennifer Connelly) big return last week was an emotional affair that quickly descended into chaos when the returning engineer revealed that Layton (Daveed Diggs) hasn’t been to New Eden, nor does he know if the track is safe enough or even if there is a habitable warm spot. Matters are complicated further as Wilford (Sean Bean) has escaped his swish library prison and people are being forced to choose between visionaries. Melanie’s reasoning to spill the details (or lack of) was to give power back to the passengers, however, the chance that many will be killed in this battle is high. 

Layton addresses the Tailies with honesty and contrition. He apologizes for using "dirty politics" in conjuring this big hopeful lie, but insists it isn’t foolhardy to want to continue this journey as planned. The clock is ticking as the point where they need to turn toward the Horn of Africa isn’t too far away and Melanie has control of the engine. 

The "original sinners" of the episode title are Melanie and Layton, who both openly admit their part in all of this. This is far from the first time the pair have disagreed, but now they have an agent of chaos stirring up trouble. Wilford has set up his base in the Night Car with his loyal followers and two people who were in the wrong place. Miss Audrey (Lena Hall) has finally turned a corner and resembles the woman we first met and Oz (Sam Otto) has realized that a life with LJ (Annalise Basso) is always going to be filled with conflicts and scheming. Oz bolts as soon as he is given a chance, but Audrey knows she has to play a longer game to secure her freedom. 

With Melanie controlling the engine and Layton staking a claim to the food supply, with Wilford operating in the middle between the two, they are at an impasse. Layton has the manpower, but the Brakemen led by Roche (Mike O’Malley) don’t seem particularly thrilled to be forced to face off against their friends. While Wilford's crew is smaller, he does have some formidable faces. One surprise return — seriously, no one ever dies on this show — is Breachworker Bojan “Boki” Boscovic (Aleks Paunovic), who was presumed dead when the aquarium was destroyed in the second season finale. He replaces Icy Bob (Andre Ticoteux) as Wilford’s augmented bodyguard.

Wilford is unpredictable and his agenda is always focused on how it will benefit him, so it's surprising Melanie thought she could negotiate terms. "It still comes down to fear," is Wilford’s assessment of the situation, but Melanie knows having the Great Engineer in her pocket might cause Layton to back down. When Melanie does talk to Layton it becomes clear neither of them will budge, as they "both got enough ego to believe we can save everyone." Is there a compromise that can lead to both figureheads having a chance to prove they are right?

Getting rid of Wilford is the only way the train can thrive, but at one point it does seem like Melanie might make a deal with him so she can take control of the train. However, the plan that is set in motion is clearly a trap when baby Lyanna comes into play to make Layton back down because Melanie would never put another person through the pain of separation from their child. 

It's a nifty idea as Wilford is blinded by his own importance to see the warning signs coming before they trap him in a no-win situation by separating him from his supporters. Rather than kill him they offer him Melanie’s suspension survival. He climbs into the maintenance vehicle with very little protest and it all feels a little too easy. Apparently, he is up for the challenge and they send him on his merry way. It is tough to get rid of an antagonist like Wilford and no doubt he will be back to mess things up. 

Wilford’s exit gives the leading duo the chance to physically split the train in two offering the passengers Layton’s trip into the unknown or staying with Melanie on a vehicle that is starting to fail. Okay, neither is particularly great but at least they are united in letting everyone have a say. 

After last week’s happy reunion between Alex (Rowan Blanchard) and her mom, it is time for an emotional farewell. It's these character-driven scenes where Snowpiercer is at the top of its game. Plus, Big Alice does need engineers — my one quibble is we don’t get to hear or see why Javi decides to go with the New Eden group other than they need another engineer. 

The lines are divided how you might expect with Ruth (Alison Wright) choosing New Eden. Till (Mickey Sumner) also picks Layton, but at the last minute runs to Audrey and life on Snowpiercer in another satisfactory arc. Romance wins as Josie (Katie McGuinness) kisses Layton and no longer spouts the contrived BS from last week. 

Okay, not all pairings end happily-ever-after. It appears that LJ has maybe choked to death on her father’s false eye in a freak accident — though I expect she will be back. 

Hope takes hold in the final sequence when Big Alice makes its way across an extremely rickety bridge and they don’t plummet to their deaths. It is a dicey ride but they make it to the hot spot and the sun shines on the relieved faces of Big Alice’s passengers. 

But that isn’t quite the final sequence. We are given a glimpse into what the future might hold and war is still on the menu. A title card tells us it is three months later and those on Snowpiecer see some sort of missile explosion on the horizon. Who is behind this attack? After an action-packed season, this train is not grinding to a halt. 

Snowpiercer season 3 full steam ahead. Debuting in 2020, the TV adaptation of Bong Joon-ho's 2013 post-apocalyptic film of the same name is back with new episodes and a hope for a new future.

Sam Linsky and Adrienne O’Riain, co-heads of scripted original programming for TBS, TNT and truTV said: "Snowpiercer has been an incredibly successful series for us that continues to capture the imagination of viewers, grow audience and maintain strong ratings."

In addition to news of a third season, they have confirmed that Snowpiercer has already been renewed for a fourth, adding: “All of our seasons embark on an emotional, unexpected ride and the well-plotted storylines will continue to evolve and remain relevant to audiences. We’re excited to keep the train running into Season Four."

Here's what you need to know...

When is the next Snowpiercer season 3 episode?

Snowpiercer season 3 will continue with a brand new episode Monday, March 28, at 9 pm ET/PT on TNT in the US. UK viewers will be able to watch the latest episodes on Tuesday, March 29 on Netflix.

Snowpiercer season 3 plot

Following on from the events of Snowpiercer season 2, which ended on a high note, the official plot for season 3 reads: "Season three picks up with Layton and his inner circle commanding a small pirate train in search of Melanie and a possible warm location to restart civilization, aided by a newfound survivor. Back on Snowpiercer, Mr. Wilford is consolidating power, foiled only by secret allies of Layton’s hidden on the train, committed to the cause."

Here are the synopses for each season 3 episode thus far, and links to What to Watch's episode recaps:

Snowpiercer season 3 episode 1, "The Tortoise and the Hare":

"While Wilford emphasizes his rule aboard his icy train, Layton's pirate train continues its dangerous quest for warm spots, and comes across something entirely unexpected." Read What to Watch's in-depth recap of Snowpiercer season 3 episode 1 right here.

Snowpiercer season 3 episode 2, "The Last to Go":

"Layton goes on the hunt, as Wilford works to boost morale; the resistance discovers a threat that could undermine everything they've worked for." Read What to Watch's in-depth recap of Snowpiercer season 3 episode 2 right here.

Snowpiercer season 3 episode 3, "The First Blow":

"It's a game of cat and mouse as both Layton and Wilford vie for the upper hand." Read What to Watch's in-depth recap of Snowpiercer season 3 episode 3 right here.

Snowpiercer season 3 episode 4, "Bound by One Track":

"Alex finally deals with her parental figures as a track obstruction uncovers a painful past." Read What to Watch's in-depth recap of Snowpiercer season 3 episode 4 right here.

Snowpiercer season 3 episode 5, "A New Life":

"A series of terrorist attacks threatens to derail Layton and Zarah's big day." Read What to Watch's in-depth recap of Snowpiercer season 3 episode 5 right here.

Snowpiercer season 3 episode 6, "Born to Bleed":

"As the bomber is revealed, Layton comes to terms with his past decisions before making an irreversible call." Read What to Watch's in-depth recap of Snowpiercer season 3 episode 6 right here.

Snowpiercer season 3 episode 7, "Ouroboros":

"Layton realizes some dreams are out of reach as the rest of the train deals with Layton's status change. Wilford makes a staggering discovery." Read What to Watch's in-depth recap of Snowpiercer season 3 episode 7 right here.

Snowpiercer season 3 episode 8, "Setting Itself Right":

"As the train detours from New Eden, an environmental catastrophe threatens everyone onboard." Read What to Watch's in-depth recap of Snowpiercer season 3 episode 8 right here.

Snowpiercer season 3 episode 9, "A Beacon for Us All":

"Reunited with old friends, the train throws a party. Alliances are tested as the truth is finally revealed." Read What to Watch's in-depth recap of Snowpiercer season 3 episode 9 right here.

Snowpiercer season 3 episode 10, "The Original Sinners":

"It all comes to a head as old adversaries clash, with New Eden hanging in the balance."

Snowpiercer season 3 cast

Everyone who survived the intense first two seasons of Snowpiercer is expected to return once again. Here's a list of the key characters we're expecting to see:

• Jennifer Connelly as Melanie Cavill
• Daveed Diggs as Andre Layton
• Sean Bean as Joseph Wilford
• Rowan Blanchard as Alexandra Cavill
• Alison Wright as Ruth Wardell
• Mickey Sumner as Bess Till
• Iddo Goldberg as Bennett Knox
• Katie McGuinness as Josie Wellstead
• Lena Hall as Miss Audrey
• Steven Ogg as Pike

Is there a trailer?

Yes, the trailer for Snowpiercer season 3 is finally here, and it's looking to be as dramatic as ever as we catch up with Andre Layton, who's desperately trying to find Melanie aboard a new pirate train, very different from the one they're used to.

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NOTE: This post contains spoilers for Snowpiercer season 3 episode 9, "A Beacon for Us All."

For one brief moment, the majority of Snowpiercer’s passengers are content and united thanks to a shared vision of a hopeful future in a world beyond this locomotive. 

Layton’s (Daveed Diggs) faith was returned at the end of last week’s episode and the overall mood on board the train is rather jovial. Their detour through poisonous volcanic gasses to find the long-lost Melanie Cavill (Jennifer Connelly) has paid off and the episode kicks off with a daring rescue mission. However, the leading figures who have wrestled control from Wilford (Sean Bean) will soon regret how much they shared with Melanie about where they are headed.

Before the engineer becomes the ultimate party pooper we see how Melanie survived using a supply of suspension drugs in lieu of food in a maintenance vehicle not meant to be used for habitation. It has been more than six months since Wilford left her to die and part of the reason she is still alive is through sheer determination. "I’m super stubborn," Melanie jokes to Alex (Rowan Blanchard) during the emotional mother-daughter reunion. Both actresses portray the enormity of this moment and it's safe to say they aren’t the only teary ones. 

"I kept you alive in my head," Alex tells her mother of the imagined conversations that got her through tough times. It never felt like Melanie was truly gone as a viewer and it was more of a case of "if" not "when" she would make her return. There is a danger that waiting until the penultimate episode could make it anticlimactic, but her choice toward the end of "A Beacon for Us All" ensures this is far from the case.

It has been so long since Melanie was part of this group (remember she was off doing solo research before Wilford abandoned her) it's easy to forget how fraught some of her relationships are — not to mention the shifts in dynamics since she left. 

Ruth (Alison Wright) was Melanie’s best friend until the original lie about Wilford being on the train was proved to be false. Ruth was still cut deep by this betrayal when it came time for the research field trip. But this is all water under the bridge and Ruth is instead focusing on the next stage in their lives. 

As the head of hospitality, Ruth organizes a final hurrah to coincide with the last time the train will pass the pyramids, which are still standing strong. This event is for everyone, although I am not sure how far the remaining 246 bottles of champagne will stretch. Unfortunately, while Ruth plans this bash, Melanie begins to look at the data they have gathered to support the Horn of Africa/New Eden habitable environment theory. What she sees does not match the unparalleled enthusiasm everyone else is experiencing.

If one person can understand deceiving the entire train it's Melanie. After she has apologized for the time she put Layton in the drawers (not that she knows the after-effects of the suspension drugs), she brings up the great lie he has now constructed. Referring to this as a kind of empathy, she is quick to note that keeping the passengers in the dark takes away their power. Later she remarks that everyone is seeing positive results in the data because they want to believe. "Positive thinking’s great, just not if it replaces critical thinking," is her sober assessment of the situation. The cracks are beginning to form.

For someone who has been solo for more than six months, she isn’t too overwhelmed by the steady stream of people she plays catch up with. Beau Ben (Iddo Goldberg) is giddy she is back and tells Layton he shouldn’t waste time telling Josie (Katie McGuinness) how he really feels. Unfortunately, while the rest of the train is getting loved up, Josie still holds Layton at an arm’s length. Her reasoning is he will have too much on his plate in building a new world to be sidetracked by romance. This feels like a flimsy excuse to keep them apart for contrived drama's sake.

Elsewhere, Till (Mickey Sumner) and Miss Audrey (Lena Hall) are embracing a new phase of their relationship. There is a concern at first what Till is feeling is a residual effect of Audrey’s therapy. Audrey notes she has never felt it like this before and there is a sweet giddiness to the early stage of this romance. There is an element of questioning how quickly Audrey switched from being a Wilford defender to a version of her former self, but the last few episodes are also a reminder that Audrey wasn’t always a villain. 

One character who is unlikely to change is LJ (Annalise Basso), as she will always put her priorities first. Oz (Sam Otto) was more than aware of LJ’s selfish and sadistic streak when he married her, so it's hard to feel too bad for him when she pulls a knife on him. She doesn’t follow through but Oz knows the threat is not an empty one. 

He tells Roche (Mike O’Malley) his wife is working with the other Wilford acolytes. She is part of the poison delivery system that leads to the deaths of the Brakemen who are meant to be guarding the great engineer, by offering them a cigar, the perfect delivery system for this toxin.

Earlier in the episode, Wilford and Melanie have a frank conversation about the holes in Layton’s plan. They are in agreement on the shaky data, but Melanie plays into Wilford’s hand when she publicly announces (mid-party) that Layton has never been to New Eden. Suddenly the train is split down the center again when it comes to two different ideologies. Zarah’s (Sheila Vand) theory about Wilford wanting Melanie back so she can cause chaos has come to pass. 

With one more episode of the season, it is more fraught than ever. 

NOTE: This post contains spoilers for Snowpiercer season 3 episode 8, "Setting Itself Right."

For once it isn’t the freezing temperatures that pose a danger to the passengers of Snowpiercer, as a last-minute deviation to their travel plans has the train approaching a hazardous gas; when it rains it pours on Snowpiercer. This gives Layton an immediate problem to solve as he tries to distract himself from the revelation that shook his faith in the validity of New Eden last week. 

Asha (Archie Panjabi) confirms the Dragon’s Blood tree was an image stuck on her locker from a calendar, meaning Layton's so-called vision was simply a flashbulb memory. "Putting off your own crisis for a collective one," is Zarah’s (Sheila Vand) perceptive observation about his choices. Layton isn’t the only one grappling with his past actions and "Setting Itself Right" offers revelatory moments for several passengers.

One person who isn’t reflecting on their misdeeds is Wilford (Sean Bean), who appears to have got over whatever brief guilty feelings he was experiencing. Keeping up with Wilfor'd post-death nap mood swings is causing whiplash. When Miss Audrey (Lena Hall) visited he came across as a shell of his former self, in the following episode he showed compassion to Alex (Rowan Blanchard) and now he is back to taunting everyone within his sights. Perhaps this is simply the drugs wearing off and his arrogance is edging to the surface. 

Signs that someone has been using the tracks (other than them) are why Wilford thinks Melanie (Jennifer Connelly) is still alive. They opt to take a detour to the spot where they think this small vehicle is. Problems arise when Asha’s equipment registers dangerous levels of hazardous materials in the air and the giant orange cloud that sits on the horizon points to volcanic activity as the source. 

Wilford is immediately placed under suspicion as he is the reason they changed their travel plans, but Alex points out this section has previously been free from noxious gases. Plus, Wilford is quick to remind them that the train was built to withstand this kind of situation so they can travel through the hazy cloud safely. It all seems a little too neat for those who are used to his tricks and manipulations. Plus, Snowpiercer isn’t a new train and certain filters might not withstand the harmful substance. 

Everyone is ordered to shelter in place during this toxic journey other than essential staff, which sees Javi (Roberto Urbina) and Sykes (Chelsea Harris) switch out dog therapy — so Javi can get over his debilitating fear — to check each carriage is effectively protected. Of course, there is a breach and the basic protective gear is not enough. Javi has to resuscitate Sykes after she becomes overwhelmed. He has a breakthrough as the imagined sound of a dog snarling is pushed aside to save his friend. 

Javi isn't the only person experiencing dealing with the trauman of survival in this altered world. Asha might finally feel like she is part of the Snowpiercer community — after Ruth (Alison Wright) encouraged her to take a job in the agriculture section — but memories of her family push remorse to the surface too. She admits that after the marauders hit them hard in the nuclear reactor she poisoned everyone else in a bid to protect her nephew from the dangerous remaining people, but he died from cancer anyway. "Once you chose survival at any cost, there's no going back," is the guilt-ridden lesson she took from this. 

Asha happens to be a filtration expert (handy in a moment like this!) and she joins Layton in the compartment that's compromised in bulky protective suits. Unfortunately, the hole they have to climb into is too small to accommodate the size of this gear. Asha opts to remove her helmet to fix the problem, knocking Layton out with a crowbar so he can't stop her. When he tries to pull her back up after she has fulfilled the necessary task to save the train she is too weak from the gas. Instead, she asks him to describe New Eden. Layton hesitates at first, but he plays along and delivers an evocative vision of what it looks, feels and smells like. 

"Asha, you did it,” he says when she dies — retribution for all my grumbling that Snowpiercer avoids killing main characters. Yes, Asha was new but it still felt like there was a story to be told here. Instead, her arc has mostly fueled Layton’s path, as she renewed his faith in the place he doesn’t know exists.

After Asha's death, Ruth says the "have to keep going." Having not even grieved Pike (Steven Ogg) yet, Ruth is not allowing herself to mourn, rather choosing control. As we saw from Till (Mickey Sumner) last week, however, there is only so much one person can keep in before emotions bubble to the surface. 

Till’s renewed friendship with Audrey taps into the shame she is holding within. "Your past may be rotten but your core is not," Audrey tells her while getting to the root of her desire to drink alcohol to excess. 

It's easy to forget that Till was a Brakeman before the revolution who enacted the strict rules and punishments. She is not that person anymore, but she hasn’t effectively confronted what she did. Through Audrey’s therapeutic methods she does face and acknowledges her past while also reflecting on the role she now plays. This is a fruitful dynamic and the series should give Audrey equal consideration as her villainous choices have been fueled by Wilford’s coercive grip — a grip that has lost a lot of its power.

Of course, Wilford still wants to dominate this train. Zarah thinks Wilford wants Melanie to come back as it will throw the precarious environment into chaos. The maintenance vehicle spotted on the horizon proves we won’t have to wait too long to find out if this prediction is accurate.

NOTE: This post contains spoilers for Snowpiercer season 3 episode 7, "Ouroboros."

Dream sequences are a TV staple utilized to push the story forward while allowing the characters to experience a different version of their day-to-day existence. The Twilight Zone was fond of this narrative framework, while contemporary series like The Sopranos, Mad Men and Buffy the Vampire Slayer have all placed their protagonist in a sleeping (or unconscious) adventure to help make sense of their journey.

Snowpiercer is taking this route with Andre Layton (Daveed Diggs) when he falls into a coma after his battle with Pike (Steven Ogg) in last week’s episode. The last thing that flashed before his eyes were his vision of New Eden, which is what Layton's dream is about.

The opening scene shows Layton disorientated in the sickbay, but it's immediately clear something is awry. Sunlight streams in and there is no one to be found. The skull symbol that flashed before his eyes before he passed out is on the door and then someone pulls a bag over his head. Any doubt this isn’t real then is confirmed the moment Wilford (Sean Bean) shows up dressed like a supporting character from Indiana Jones to rescue Layton. What follows is an adventure through the familiar corridors of Snowpiercer but under a different climate.

All the familiar faces are present, with everyone playing a heightened version of their regular persona. Till (Mickey Sumner) plays a helpful librarian who gives Layton the advice he will need to get back to where he came from and Zarah (Sheila Vand) is the cartographer meant to help him get to his destination. 

“You’re not dreaming, you're dying,” is Till’s no-nonsense motivation to Layton to get his act together; the real version of Till also plays an important role in pulling him back. 

It's curious Wilford is trying to assist his rival, but this speaks to the changes in Wilford in the real world and is perhaps something Layton has unconscious knowledge of — or perhaps he hopes this recent experience might impact the Great Engineer for the better. 

Layton’s mission is to make it to the Tail Boss (Kandyse McClure) so he can get home Though this figure is not someone we have seen before, she has the letter Zarah wrote to their unborn child. Layton clocks this is the adult version of Lyanna. Obviously, none of this is actually happening but his brain processing the guilt of killing Pike coupled with the lie he has told the entire train. When he fails to to break the cycle of his dream he wakes up back in the radiation bunker where he first met Asha (Archie Panjabi).

This coma is not Layton's only recent near-death experience. When he told Till about the Dragon’s Blood tree vision she put it down to his medical state. Well, it turns out she was pretty close to the mark. The big dream reveal is the image he saw that proved life has found a way was an image taped to the inside of a locker in Asha's bunker, which he happened to see before passing out. 

"I made it up," is his devastating dream state revelation and this confidence-crushing truth is reflected in the episode title. “Ouroboros” is an ancient symbol of a serpent (or dragon) eating its own tail. Much like Layton’s failure to break the cycle, this creature cannot prevent the infinite repetition of death and destruction. "I can’t lead this train if all I have is a lie," is Layton's concern at the end of the episode. However, this serpent is often paired with the Tree of Life symbol; perhaps there is still a reason for optimism.

While elements of Layton’s unconscious crisis are a fun deviation — both in how the train looks and characters we know — there are elements that drag in his dreamscape. Everything occurring onboard the real Snowpiercer is far more fruitful, whether it's Miss Audrey (Lena Hall) helping Till, Zarah and Josie (Katie McGuinness) bonding or Wilford proving he might not be as monstrous as he once was.

Josie and Zarah have always been positioned as rivals because of their respective romances with Layton. Love triangles have a habit of turning women against each other, but Snowpiercer avoiding the overly done jealousy route is a welcome development. Instead, Zarah invites Josie into the inner sanctum and explains her relationship with Layton is as co-parents, which leaves a guilt-free path for the other couple to reignite that flame. 

Elsewhere, a former friendship is repaired that elevates the episode. Yes, Audrey has conveniently switched from fury at Wilford for showing what she perceived to be a weakness to assisting Till in her moment of emotional crisis. While I did raise my eyebrow at the speed at which she complied, it does also demonstrate the version of Miss Audrey we met in season 1 is still lurking beneath the surface. All it took was Till’s rare tears to pull her out. Sumner is excellent at playing the stoic version of this character and is equally impactful when she sobs uncontrollably after finding out about Layton’s condition.

It seems like a lifetime ago that Miss Audrey would use the isolation chamber in the Night Car to help people deal with PTSD, grief and the daily grind of living in this environment. Till asks her to wield this unique skill set once more to remind Layton of "what he’s fighting for." Miss Audrey proves she still has what it takes. Could this be the start of her redemption arc? 

Audrey’s relationship with Wilford is toxic, but one person who brings out the best in him is Alex (Rowan Blanchard). After the young engineer gets Wilford the maps and materials he requested, he explains how he tried to track the "pirate" train during their six-month secret mission. 

Pointing out a signal does not belong to the breakaway locomotive, Wilford speculates this could be Melanie (Jennifer Connelly). The fact he is sharing this information points to the way his recent experience has changed him. It is impossible to trust this man and yet he is giving Alex the person he took away. Perhaps, there is still hope for the future after all. 

NOTE: This post contains spoilers for Snowpiercer season 3 episode 6.

Before Wilford (Sean Bean) made his grand return, Snowpiercer had a long history of leadership disagreements. The Tailies bonded in their horrifying living conditions but were far from united when it came to organizing the uprising, shown by Layton (Daveed Diggs) and Pike (Steven Ogg) often being on different sides of the argument, partly stemming from Pike’s lack of trust. 

Layton retaking control of the train has magnified every little gripe Pike already had against his Tailie comrade, which culminated in an assassination attempt last week. Now, Layton is on the hunt for the person who tried to kill him and the end result is a tense and emotional installment of the post-apocalyptic drama.

The brief moment Layton took to bask in his newborn baby's glow is over and the search for the bombmaker gets underway. Till (Mickey Sumner) quickly recognizes the type of bomb as one Tailies previously used, which narrows down the list of suspects. Layton initially assumes it is someone connected to Wilford as “it takes a special kind of psycho” to enact a plan like this during the birth of his child. He has no qualms about welcoming Pike into the safe confines of the Big Alice engine room because a Tailie could never do this, but the audience knows the opposite is true. 

“I trust you,” Zarah (Sheila Vand) tells Pike when she implores him to hold baby Lyanna. His reaction to them opting for the naming tree over the nearest city Tailie tradition is a clue to his mood. However, it isn’t until Till confirms it was someone who knew about the bomb-making cookbook that Layton realizes the man holding his daughter is who tried to murder him. “He’s here,” Layton calmly tells Till on the phone before chaos kicks in.

The chase is on, with the train’s tight corridors making for a claustrophobic and exhilarating sequence. Pike has the upper hand because he knows every carriage like the back of his hand. It also doesn’t help that Layton has a concussion from the bomb blast. Pike gets away, but this assassination attempt is not going to sit well with the Tailies who have fought alongside both men. Wilford preaching an empty version of loyalty a few weeks ago has nothing on the bond cemented in the back of the train.

“Do you think any of us still Tailies?” Miles (Jaylin Fletcher) asks his adopted mother Josie (Katie McGuinness) about the section of Snowpiercer that no longer houses a community. It has been a while since we saw the young engineer (his hair has grown a lot!) and the teenager doesn’t necessarily have the same connection as the people preaching “once a Tailie, always a Tailie.” The way Josie sees it is if you can remember that way of life then you are still bound to that community. Layton might be the de facto leader but at his core, he is still linked to the methods they adopted to survive. 

This inspires Miles to suggest a conflict resolution practice of the past to solving this rift. Old Ivan, who died in season 1 but was a respected Tailie voice, used to sit the quarreling parties down in a curtained-off section to hash out terms so they could move on from whatever the grievance is. It all sounds very civilized and far more upfront than a sneaky bomb. However, if they cannot come to an agreement then a fight to the death is the last resort. 

Considering how stubborn Pike is, the outcome seems pretty set in stone from the get go. While Josie believes this can end with no bloodshed, Pike is not willing to compromise. He has already turned down a leadership role and is not someone who cares about sleeping in a fancy abode. Desperate times call for Layton offering things like becoming godfather to his daughter, but all Pike wants is for them to “call the knives” and end this in violent fashion. 

Why is Pike doing this? First of all, he is fed up with being Layton’s “errand boy” and losing good people like Strong Boy for this cause. Six months without Layton on the train is enough to twist Pike’s bitter feelings to the point of no return. His contempt swells when Layton brings Ruth up, as he doesn’t want this corrupted. 

One person who sums up the issues going on between the two men is newcomer Asha (Archie Panjabi). “Many dynamics,” is the reason she gives Pike for her subterranean hiding place; the Snowpiercer politics are overwhelming for someone who has spent the last few years alone. Pike was already suspicious of the New Eden plan and Asha’s fondness for the dark confirms something is being withheld. When Pike reveals he knows Layton is lying about New Eden it becomes clear he will have to call for the knives, which effectively signs Pike’s death warrant. 

It is a fairly even battle but only one of these men is the Snowpiercer lead. In the scuffle, Layton stabs Pike through the heart and the Tailies (and Ruth) say an emotional goodbye to the fallen man (Snowpiercer breaks its habit of avoidance on killing regular cast members).

Layton isn’t in great shape either but has to stay with the body (also tradition) after everyone else leaves. The last time he was having a medical crisis he saw an image of a Dragon’s Blood Tree and this happens again, but mixed in with those images are flashes of the past and an ominous skull symbol. Is this a warning about their destination? 

"Born to Bleed" is a packed episode that makes other strides including Roche (Mike O’Malley) putting some of his rage issues aside for his teenage daughter (who has found a friend in Alex). It isn’t all happy reunions though, as Miss Audrey (Lena Hall) is sickened by the weakened Wilford in his post-suspension state. Wilford suggests maybe Layton is right and she almost throws up at this betrayal. 

Asha was right when she said “too many dynamics,” but the death of Pike removes one antagonist from the train and propels Snowpiercer forward.  

This post contains spoilers for Snowpiercer season 3 episode 4. Read our Snowpiercer season 3 episode 3 review here.  

Passengers aboard Snowpiercer have gone through several leadership changes since the series began. From Melanie (Jennifer Connelly) pretending Wilford (Sean Bean) was on board to the eventual return of the great engineer last season to Layton (Daveed Diggs) taking over in last week's episode. The plan to wrestle control back from the megalomaniac may not have been a bloodbath, but the casualties of his regime do not go unnoticed or forgotten. 

Personal grievances aren’t the only bump in the road — or rather, track — as the path to the Horn of Africa throws up painful memories for Alex (Rowan Blanchard), while the return of a familiar face is both welcome and a distraction.

Snowpiercer has been full steam ahead in season 3, which hasn’t left much time to spend peeling back the effects of trauma. The six-month time jump between seasons was beneficial in terms of overall plotting, yet it also means we haven’t seen elements like Alex’s integration into the team after she ditched Wilford for her mother’s cause. 

Alex’s role in the first three episodes was to depict an element of uncertainty both in herself and the mission at hand, but being back on Snowpiercer stirs up old feelings. This, coupled with the long-ago discarded Big Alice cars blocking the track, gives the teenager space to address losses both recent and past.

Last season when Melanie was on her solo expedition she conversed with Wilford, or at least a hallucinated version of her former mentor that filled in some of the storyline gaps. Now it is Melanie’s turn to be utilized as a companion for both her daughter and Wilford, as he sits in a cage. 

It is wonderful to see Connelly again, even if there is still no word on a permanent return. Unfortunately, the impact is significantly reduced because of the time spent with Wilford. Yes, there is a connection and it taps into last season’s “Many Miles From Snowpiercer,” but this should have been for Alex’s benefit alone.

“Bound by One Track” opens with Alex reading Melanie’s journals while wishing death on Wilford — hey, a girl can multitask. Even though she blames him for her mother’s death, Alex admits later on that misses her father figure. “He murdered you and I miss him. What is wrong with me?” is quite the gut punch; Blanchard's performance deftly conveys this conflict amid sobs. 

It isn’t only Melanie’s blood on Wilford's hands, as the cull on Big Alice previously mentioned shifts into focus when it is revealed that these carriages were dumped to cut population. Melanie isn’t the only person Alex confides in, as Ben (Iddo Goldberg) is part of the two-person team sent to disconnect the carriages blocking their path and she is compelled to share the dead body details before he sees the icy tomb for himself. “It’s my story. I just have to see it for myself,” is her response when Ben voices his concern about her mental state. 

She explains that Wilford devised a ranking system and deemed the people worth saving as “the essentials.” Alex was chosen but her best friend was left to perish in the cold, which is a memory she had pushed away until now. Joyful flashbacks of kids being kids are woven together with the dark cold space, which is an effective way of highlighting Alex’s trauma. The presence of Melanie (while Ben is elsewhere) deepens the impact of this loss while also showing why she is attached to Wilford in spite of everything he has done. This conversation with her mother also leads to the solution they are looking for, which is a rather predictable but satisfactory conclusion nevertheless.  

Back on Snowpiercer, several characters are trying to adjust to recent changes with varying results. Javi (Roberto Urbina) is still haunted by the dog that is no longer there and this nightmare is going to be hard to shake. Meanwhile, Roche (Mike O’Malley) struggles to deal with life outside of the drawers, while the death of his wife leads to a drastic plan. 

At first, it seemed Roche was looking to die. Instead, it is Wilford he wants to permanently put to sleep. “Why did you do that?” Wilford asks after Roche injects him in the heart and it is satisfying seeing him scared and confused — the way Bean delivers this line with such surprise is excellent. Layton arrives before it is too late and Wilford gets to live another day.

Another person experiencing an array of emotions is Asha (Archie Panjabi), who doesn’t mind being part of the “New Eden” lie but is struggling to deal with the horrors she experienced. Flashes of the past reveal violence (including her recent scuffle with Layton), so boozy shots and the flashing lights of the Night Car are a bad combination. Luckily, Bess Till (Mickey Sumner) is on hand to step in when the light-up hula hoops become too much. There may be a romantic spark here, which is a promising development. 

One couple that does take the next step is Ruth (Alison Wright) and Pike (Steven Ogg). Ruth is rejoining hospitality and on the night before her return to work she goes on a date with Pike. Pike has been hostile to Layton regarding his leadership, thinking Ruth would be a better candidate, and he cannot be convinced to take a position to reflect his involvement in the resistance. Power dynamics are fraught no matter who is at the top and Layton has several conflicts to address this week.

Zarah’s (Sheila Vand) medical procedure wasn’t as nefarious as the first episode made out and the gene therapy (similar to Josie’s) is something she consented to. It is an unexpected twist and one that causes the couple to revert to the issues that existed before they broke up the first time. Layton does come around to Zarah’s point by the end, but the vision of a happy family as he described the tree in his vision to her bump is short-lived. 

"Bound by One Track" is a reminder that the past cannot be completely forgotten even with the hope of a future outdoors. 

This post contains spoilers for Snowpiercer season 3 episode 3. Read our Snowpiercer season 3 episode 2 review here.  

Andre Layton (Daveed Diggs) isn’t messing around in his bid to take back control from Wilford (Sean Bean) and Snowpiercer isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. With another face off between the two men, there is a worry that it could become repetitive, but for now it is the viewer and the revolution that comes out on top.

Last week I noted my disappointment that the various dynamics and motivations on the “pirate” train had been left relatively unexplored. While this quibble still stands, the manner in which Layton bested Wilford here is satisfying. Not to mention the lie he told to gain support for his grand exploration plan is a can of worms that is going to explode when the truth comes out — and the truth always comes out. 

Beating Wilford is far from easy. A second scheme is devised when Josie’s (Katie McGuinness) initial leap is blocked by a harpoon, which almost leads to a derailment. Quick thinking is required and Ben (Iddo Goldberg) ditches two of their carriages to ensure they stay on the tracks. Any advantage has quickly disappeared and Wilford is still a formidable opponent. He is also using the pregnant Zarah (Sheila Vand) as a shield because he thinks Layton will refrain from striking if he thinks his unborn baby is at risk. 

There are many other factors at play, which include how effective the resistance is no matter the odds stacked against them. Ruth (Alison Wright) might be locked up, but she still leads from this restricted position. It helps that former Firsties like Stu Whiggins (Kristian Bruun) are susceptible to threats and the loyalty Wilford thinks he secured is as strong as a chocolate fireguard. Pike (Steven Ogg) wants to break Ruth out, but as always, the former head of hospitality takes the pragmatic approach to help the mission succeed. Ruth’s expertise ensures she knows exactly how to tell Layton their position now that Wilford has switched all the lights off, and everyone gets to experience a pretty fireworks show in the process.

An unshakable belief in his power is one reason why Wilford managed to snatch back control from Layton last season, but it's this arrogance that ultimately leads to his downfall. He preaches loyalty but everyone who stands by his side is there because he tortured them into submission. Though playing a villain now, let’s not forget what he did to Miss Audrey (Lena Hall) in order to reach this point of unwavering support. 

It is somewhat satisfying seeing Audrey tossed into working in third and banned from her beloved Night Car, and yet she shouldn’t be considered a lost cause even if she is an antagonist — hopefully, Snowpiercer won’t forget this either. She pokes at Bess (Mickey Sumner) when she points out that her jailer has no one, but romantic love is not all there is and Bess’ reaction to pulling Sam Roche (Mike O’Malley) out of the drawers speaks volumes.

Kevin (Tom Lipinski) is another victim of Wilford’s terrifying methods, becoming a monster as a result. He eagerly accepts his torturing assignment when he is instructed to round up the key coconspirators. Strong Boy (Kurt Ostlund) has been fighting for the Tailies since the pilot and a lot has changed since he held Bess hostage. Unlike those on Wilford’s side, Strong Boy’s loyalty doesn’t have strings or terror attached. Kevin destroys his fingers and even the threat of freezing his tongue cannot force him to give up the goods. Tragically it isn’t only his tongue he loses. His death is an upsetting conclusion for a character who has been a force since day one, however, it also speaks to Snowpiercer’s tendency to kill recurring players rather than the main cast. 

Taking back the train without shedding any blood is Layton’s goal, which he thinks he has achieved (well, other than the injuries inflicted on Wilford). Unfortunately, the Night Car is the scene of not one but two deaths. This is one stab wound Kevin isn’t coming back from when L.J. (Annalise Basso) switches sides after it becomes clear that Layton’s plan has worked. She was thrilled to be the face of the Loyalty Wedding but she is an opportunist and self-preservation triumphs, which is why she is so dangerous. “Long live the resistance!” is L.J.’s response — someone is itching to stay in charge of the Night Car. 

One person who is still an unknown entity is Asha (Archie Panjabi), who has been thrust into this battle after years in isolation. It is no wonder she retreats into her helmet when she feels threatened; her new celebrity status as a survivor from “New Eden” is likely going to spike Asha’s anxiety levels. She is now part of the lie Layton has spun to ensure the passengers vote for his plan to take them on a dangerous journey to the Horn of Africa. This stretch of track is the most dangerous (of course), but he is convinced this will pave the way for life off Snowpiercer. Ruth thinks the train “demands a lie” in order to run smoothly, but it is worrying that the already fragile ecosystem is being tested like this. 

The mood is mostly celebratory even if Wilford tries to get a rise out of Josie by calling her his monster before emphatically saying, “I am the train” from his new caged abode. You can’t count Wilford out, and now that Layton has been reunited with Zarah it gives the Great Engineer a wound to poke. His power has been stripped but it is going to take people like Javi (Roberto Urbina) time to break free of the mental bounds. To see him reunited with Ben is one of the most satisfying moments in an episode that successfully delivers action and hits emotional beats.  

This post contains spoilers for Snowpiercer season 3 episode 2. Read our Snowpiercer season 3 episode 1 review here.  

Faith covers an array of beliefs that go beyond religion, and in a post-apocalyptic world with very few options for survival, it can take on a more practical form. In Snowpiercer, Wilford (Sean Bean) wants to be seen as a living savior and preaches loyalty as a means to wield control. It is a cult of personality, but even his most ardent acolytes have been known to change their minds. “The Last to Go” demonstrates his ability to dish out prizes to those he deems worthy and how even in dire conditions Wilford can still throw a fancy bash in a bid to further his cause. 

Meanwhile, the newest passenger on the “pirate” train is getting used to being around people again, while also being thrust into this battle of wills between Layton (Daveed Diggs) and Wilford. 

Wilford has transformed Snowpiercer into a place of worship, with L.J. and Oz's wedding highlighting this further. It wasn’t so long ago L.J. (Annalise Basso) was on trial for murder, but even in this environment the rich can get away with anything. L.J.’s manipulation skills are more obvious than Wilford’s, but in hitching her wagon to the great engineer she has secured a place near the top. Oz (Sam Otto) is wise to both their games but is ultimately happy to play along because he is no longer doing work he thinks is beneath him. His proposal is genuine, as is his discontent when Wilford turns the ceremony into a self-serving spectacle. However, a mixture of flattery toward the “opportunistic boy in blue” and Wilford urging him to flex his “previous vicious streak” sweeten the deal.

“The Loyalty Wedding” goes ahead with both bride and groom leaning into the decadent ceremony. For L.J., this secures their position as a “power couple” and Wilford gets to double down on the “unbreakable pact with the train” rhetoric. Wilford is both playing daddy (he gives L.J. away) and minister in his role presiding over the service. Instead of God, he speechifies about the train and anyone would think the couple is marrying Snowpiercer and not each other.

With morale low, Wilford utilizes this union to dish out extra hot food and alcohol to the passengers knowing they will remember this “gift” whenever Layton dares show his face. This is going to be sooner rather than later, as the “pirate” train isn’t the only thing speeding along. I was surprised that both the rebels have made their return and Ruth (Alison Wright) gave herself up so quickly. 

The pacey plotting is a fascinating choice at this early stage in the third season; it is impossible to say how this will pay off. Although, the dynamic on the “pirate” train is so rich with so many competing motivations at play it would benefit the series to spend more time with this smaller group. Hopefully, this isn’t a missed opportunity.

On the "pirate" train, Asha’s (Archie Panjabi) arrival after being discovered in episode 1 offers an opportunity to depict someone who didn’t have the luxury of being on Snowpiercer. Her story is unsurprisingly harrowing — not only did she have to watch everyone around her die (including her nephew), but she has spent the last four years alone in the nuclear reactor. Asha clings to her radiation suit like it is a security blanket, which is a smart choice to show how little she has. Layton can’t expect her to follow his lead, even though he did rescue her, as we don’t know how she will respond to Wilford — especially as Asha is aware of the “great engineer.” 

Challenges beyond Wilford impact their choices as satellites are degrading, making navigation harder. One plan is to travel to one more potential warm spot for further tests as Ben (Iddo Goldberg) thinks this could hold the key to their ongoing survival. The issue is that his theories and reality don’t match up, and patience (and food supplies) is beginning to dwindle. Whereas he has faith that Melanie (Jennifer Connelly) is still alive and that science will prove his hypothesis, everyone else is taking a more pragmatic approach. 

“Another day, another near-death experience,” is the reaction Bess (Mickey Sumner) gives Layton when he confides in her about his Dragon’s Blood tree vision. She puts this specific image flashing before his starved oxygen and heat starved eyes as a mere coincidence rather than a sign that Ben is right. You see, this tree happens to only grow in the Gulf of Aden, which is the same location that Ben wants to travel to. No, Layton isn’t a tree expert, but it does help that the 10-car train contains the library and enough reference material to solve the species riddle. Layton also clears up the kiss moment with Josie (Katie McGuinness); turns out that awkwardness did result from the spontaneity. Layton mentions his delicate relationship situation but there is clearly unresolved tension even after this chat. We would benefit from more time on the “pirate” train.

Love can spring up in the coldest of environments, and it is Ruth’s rebellion that leads to some of the episode's best moments. She tries to get through to Javi (Roberto Urbina), but Wilford’s control over him is going to be hard to break. To help save Layton’s train she comes out of her freezing hiding hole. 

Wilford’s tactics don’t work on Ruth, whether he is reflecting on the savage punishments she dished out or giving her a taste of this medicine. He dangles her inability to stay loyal to him in front of her face but her strength comes from elsewhere. “You can’t ignore love. You can’t predict it either,” is her warning to him in the scene before he is about to stick her arm out of the port. However, she is saved by the arrival of the rebel faction.

This is another case of pulling back before consequences occur and is another near-death (or in this case near-amputation) moment Snowpiercer dishes out. Wright is exceptional in this scene, and while I don’t want to see this character lose her arm, this series does keep dodging high-stakes consequences.        

This post contains spoilers for Snowpiercer season 3 episode 1. Read our Snowpiercer Season 2 Episode 10 review here.  

Andre Layton (Daveed Diggs) has come a long way since the first season of Snowpiercer when he was tasked with solving a murder aboard the perpetual motion locomotive. Since then he has led a rebellion and come face-to-face with the presumed-dead Mr. Wilford (Sean Bean). In an audacious bid to explore the possibility that the globe is warming up, Layton led a small group of supporters to command a 10 car “pirate train,” and the second season ended with the splinter group free from Wilford’s megalomaniac clutches. The challenge in “The Tortoise and the Hare” is to update the audience regarding the fate of those on each train without getting bogged down; showrunner Graeme Manson is mostly successful in this endeavor.

Leaping forward six months means a lot of the early scenes are filled with exposition to fill the gaps, which includes the progress (or lack of) in collecting data to support the theory that they can rebuild civilization away from the train. Some of this dialogue is a little forced but necessary to set the scene. 

Conditions are squalid for almost every inhabitant aboard the 1,023 cars that now make up Snowpiercer, yet the rebel faction still lives on. Ruth’s (Alison Wright) steady evolution from Wilford acolyte and enforcer to rebellion figurehead has been incredibly satisfying and well-plotted. There is no wiping Ruth’s slate clean of all the awful things she did to the Tailies, but she has used her position and knowledge of the train to aid Layton’s cause. Now, Ruth is squirreled away in the belly of Snowpiercer leading the resistance.

Snowpiercer's network of spies remain, with the premiere reminding us how vast this locomotive is both during the opening sequence and when Ruth has to change hideouts. Wilford is wise to the underground activities but doesn’t know who is behind the subterfuge. However, there are those passengers who are willing to give up the conspirators. 

When Ruth’s refuge is compromised she is taken to the one place no one will think to look: the uninhabitable first-class section. The frozen carriages are in the exact state they were left in — Ruth is horrified about the mess beneath the layers of ice — and at minus 25 degrees, it is far too cold to survive. Ruth’s hiding space is equipped with a heater that brings the temperature up to a balmy minus 12 degrees. No one said a revolution was going to be easy, but Ruth has definitely drawn the short straw.

Punishments are dished out to those who took a hot bath treat in return for aiding the rebellion, which sees the offending parties enduring sewage being thrown at them. Wilford runs on a climate of rewards and fear, which sees former first-class passengers easily swayed to turn people in. Manson has tapped Orphan Black's Kristian Bruun to play one such snitch, Stu. The good thing about a train with this many passengers is the ability to add new characters — even if you might wonder why you have never seen them before. Hopefully this isn’t the last we will see of Stu.

Meanwhile, there is an additional character aboard the pirate train who happened to be asleep when the divide went down. Martin (Stephen Lobo) is another former first-class resident and he proves quickly that he is not to be trusted. Although, in his defense, he just wants to be reunited with his husband and twin sons. 

One crisis after another impacts the pirate train. Ben (Iddo Goldberg) heads out into the cold to collect another sample despite protests from Alex (Rowan Blanchard) and ends up falling through the ice into a hidden building. On top of this, technical issues are plentiful, which elevates Alex's self-doubt; her role in the rebellion is still on shaky ground, as well. It's not the ideal combo considering Miss Audrey (Lena Hall) has conspired to break free of her gilded cage in the library and uses this moment to whisper in Alex’s ear about the benefits of returning to Wilford. 

Ben is driven by Melanie’s (Jennifer Connelly) ghost, though it is safe to think she is still alive. Sure, conditions are pretty grim, but no physical body equals no death on TV. Not to mention Ben’s accident reveals there is at least one other survivor who hasn’t been aboard Snowpiercer. 

The rescue mission to save Ben sees Layton and Josie (Katie McGuinness) arguing about who should go. The stubborn streak runs and unresolved tension bubbles to the surface with a kiss followed by immediate awkwardness — suggesting romance is not something they have been engaging in. Layton is also plagued with visions of an unfrozen world and the mysterious flashes of nature are an additional twist in the packed premiere. 

There is a level of contrivance in getting them both off the train as it leaves space for Miss Audrey’s escape. Bess Till (Mickey Sumner) is a force to be reckoned with even when trapped, and she should never be underestimated. It is a tense sequence as the rescue mission hits some snags while Alex is tempted into switching sides. However, at no point does it seem like they are going to kill off Layton so it takes some of the high-stakes wind out of the events. 

One more event occurring with the pirate train is the discovery of a new person (Archie Panjabi). I look forward to hearing her survival story.

The action on the main train has some intriguing moments, including the reveal that Javi (Roberto Urbina) is still alive but being tormented by Wilford. Pregnant Zarah (Sheila Vand) thinks she is protected by her current medical condition, but she shouldn’t rule out how nefarious Wilford is — and his propensity for experiments on unwilling subjects.

“The Tortoise and the Hare” is a fast-paced return, but in showing both the pirate and main train it veers toward being overstuffed. One crisis quickly followed by another shows how close to the edge the pirate train is riding, but none of the regular characters ever feel in true danger. The group dynamics and unsettled atmosphere among the splinter group set up the conflict, and it is in these quieter moments that Snowpiercer is full steam ahead. 

TNT is celebrating the wrap of Season 3 production of Snowpiercer with an early announcement for Season 4. The series has, so far, expertly pushed its adaptation past the original source material while continuing to honor both Bong Joon-ho's film and La Transperceneige (the French novel on which both are based). Joon-ho has been continually involved in the series as an executive producer. 

“Snowpiercer has been an incredibly successful series for us that continues to capture the imagination of viewers, grow audience and maintain strong ratings,” said Sam Linsky and Adrienne O’Riain, co-heads of scripted original programming for TBS, TNT and truTV in a joint statement. “All of our seasons embark on an emotional, unexpected ride and the well-plotted storylines will continue to evolve and remain relevant to audiences. We’re excited to keep the train running into season four.”

When we last saw the group at the end of Snowpiercer Season 2, Andre Layton (Daveed Diggs) and a group of rogue Wilford (Sean Bean) defectors had pirated a portion of the train. Detaching from the Great Engine is risky business, but they'll do anything to find Melanie (Jeniffer Connelly).

Though she is assumed dead, the hunt for Melanie continues at the beginning of Season 3. Here's the synopsis from TNT: 

Season three picks up with Layton (Diggs) and his inner circle commanding a small pirate train in search of Melanie (Connelly) and a possible warm location to restart civilization, aided by a newfound survivor. Back on Snowpiercer, Mr. Wilford (Sean Bean) is consolidating power, foiled only by secret allies of Layton’s hidden on the train, committed to the cause.  

This post contains spoilers for Snowpiercer.

Committing terrible acts in order to survive is intrinsic to life on Snowpiercer and the two-part finale pushes those boundaries further. Layton (Daveed Diggs) asks Ruth (Alison Wright) if she is “willing to sacrifice everything” in order to wrestle control back from the man she used to worship, and this question is one faced by many. Alliances have shifted over the second season, which saw Big Alice mark its arrival with a hostile demand for products like high-end scotch, eggs, and morphine. The first new face the passengers of Snowpiercer see is familiar to some. Melanie’s (Jennifer Connelly) now 15-year-old daughter Alex (Rowan Blanchard) proves that after all this time apart she still carries herself with the same authority as her mother. The path to forgiveness has not been an easy one and even with this protracted time apart — when Melanie left for a solo mission in Episode 3 to save humanity — Alex has finally come to understand the sacrifice her mother made seven years prior. Snowpiercer is at its best when it digs into these elements and this is no clearer than with the teenager’s shift from anger to empathy — and all the messiness in-between.

Melanie’s transgressions are long and while this character should not be pardoned for the way she ran Snowpiercer, her choice to ditch Wilford (Sean Bean) was wise. Manipulation is a weapon he deploys without thought, from the physical harm he has done as a method to wield control to the little regard he has for the passengers’ survival. Alex’s subordination has been bubbling for the last few episodes, coming to a head at the exclusive dinner when she reveals the census is to determine the worth of each person on board. A mass cull took place on Big Alice when the self-proclaimed leader realized 200 passengers were a drain on the resources. While this Wilford is far more interested in interacting with the passengers than the Ed Harris portrayal in the 2013 film, the decision to keep the numbers down is something they share. The revolution that takes place in Bong Joon Ho’s movie is part of Wilford’s overall scheme (this is where the TV show differs) but the end result is still the same.

After years of molding Alex, Wilford’s expectations are she will fall in line. Even if she doesn’t obey his orders, the brig awaits but that threat doesn’t hold much sway. “Don’t worry, I’ve been there before,” she remarks before offering one final warning telling Ruth he is “coming for you,” Melanie asked her former friend if she would look out for Alex and this is a two-way street. Sewing seeds of doubt is just as potent as a promise and the head of hospitality has been seeing the world in a new light this season. Falling on the right side of history doesn’t excuse past crimes and Ruth hasn’t always been open to an equal world view. She can’t undo the pain she inflicted on the Tallies, but she can avoid repeating the cycle. Despite her reverence for Wilford, she turns down his cushy job offer and ends up slinging sewage with Layton as punishment. They used to be on opposing teams but now they are fighting (quite literally) side-by-side. 

Some alliances have always been there but Alex has taken time to fully disavow her father figure. The mocking of her relationship with Melanie (as well as the supposition she is dead) during the puppet show preview is cruelty for the sake of it. It is at this moment that Alex also realizes that LJ (Annalise Basso) might have positioned herself as BFF material, but she is more interested in sucking up to Wilford than looking out for her friend. The latter is underscored when LJ uses her knowledge of Melanie’s dishonest face and accurately judges Alex to be lying to Wilford about the engine room conversation. The similarities between mother and daughter go beyond the innate knowledge regarding the train. “After everything, you are so much more her than me,” Wilford spits at his surrogate daughter before revealing she is little more than a tool to use against Melanie. Underestimating his charge, Alex lashes out by using her hidden razor to slash his throat. This act of bloody defiance has been a long time coming and the build-up to this moment has been expertly laid out from that first shot of her with this weapon of choice in the second episode. Mother and daughter are similar but this is not a case of Alex becoming a carbon copy of Melanie and she has her own agency and point of view.

Despite spending very little screen time together, the writers and actors nailed the few scenes early on to establish the connection. There is no quick fix to what Alex perceives as her mother abandoning her — something Wilford uses against his former protégé — and Melanie only has a small window to undo years of negativity. Their emotional goodbye in “A Great Odyssey” packs a punch that sees the teenager lose her bravado and unmask her vulnerability. Growing up in this cold environment has not frozen her heart and she is still looking for comfort. It is also in Melanie’s absence that Alex learns about her mother’s newly formed partnership with Layton and the desire to create a better world beyond the lifesaving locomotive. Getting the coveted voiceover introduction slot in the finale, Alex sums up her arc: 

“I was 10 when the world became a train. Wilford said he was my family now — Daddy Dubs — and I would lead the train with him. Leaders were lonely, you couldn’t trust anyone. So I was the island of Alex and no one ever came ashore. Until we finally caught up to Melanie and I saw Snowpiercer and met her people. That’s when Dubs got weird.”

The TL;DR version of Alex’s story is succinct in its examination of how she went from Wilford’s pet engineer to a young woman willing to risk it all. Fissures formed early and even though she destroyed Melanie’s snow water sample, she was also impressed with how her mother ensured the trains couldn’t be disconnected. Melanie’s choice to head out into the wilderness didn’t confirm she was abandoning her daughter once more, but instead, revealed the first time she left wasn’t a selfish act. She is risking the most important relationship to save humanity and Alex will not renounce her mother at the behest of Wilford. The only time she plays along in the finale to his whims is to distract from the larger scheme that is underway. Wilford refuses to consider picking up Melanie and that is the last straw for his surrogate daughter. Denying the hope for the future is perhaps even more abhorrent to Alex than the thought of her mother being left behind.

Past and present collide in Alex’s voiceover and she comments that over the course of the season she has learned that “freedom has to be messy” and Layton’s leadership is predicated on listening to others. This is not the way of Wilford, but rather than drown out the screams of Wilford’s misdeeds with music, she is no longer turning a blind eye to his cruelty or an alternative vision for the future. “I saw women with power and I saw them keep my mother’s dream alive,” she says in reference to Ruth and Bess Till (Mickey Sumner) and her limited time with the crew leading the revolution. Josie (Katie McGuinness) is another name that belongs on this list as part of the splinter group who have gone to find Melanie out in the wilderness. What they find is disheartening regarding her survival but no physical body means no death. “You are my hope, Alex,” Melanie wrote in the note she knew would be found by her tenacious daughter. Like other dystopian teenager heroes before her (like Katniss Everdeen), vulnerability and strength are intertwined and the reason this archetype exists is it is incredibly effective. Blanchard’s performance sells this evolution and the spectrum of emotions that have led her to break the cycle she was born into. Pushing the story forward and changing up the dynamic is part of Snowpiercer's success in Season 2. The splinter group set-up is an enticing prospect for its return, particularly now Alex thawing in an environment free from Wilford.

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This post contains spoilers for the Snowpiercer Season 2 finale.
Check out our last review here. 

The Snowpiercer Season 2 finale comprised of two episodes. "The Show Must Go On" and "Into the White" played back-to-back unless you opted to view the penultimate episode on TNT's streaming app over the weekend. Hopefully you didn't, because the two benefit by playing next to one another — especially considering that the final episode itself is definitely the weaker of the two. 

"The Show Must Go On" mostly consists of Wilford (Sean Bean) playing with his food. The long-locked doors of car 272 are opened to reveal a carnival car of fantastic goodies. Carousels, cotton candy machines, and a very special puppet show await Alex (Rowan Blanchard), LJ (Annalise Basso), Ruth (Alison Wright), Till (Mickey Sumner), and young Winnie (Emma Oliver). But all of the come with the catches of a Wilford production. The puppet show is a dry-run of what will be shown to the majority of Snowpiercer that evening. It tells a tale of Melanie Cavill (Jeniffer Connelly) believing nonsense, getting herself killed, and her weak daughter sobbing over her loss. Needless to say, Alex is less than pleased by the display. LJ, on the other hand, thinks it's all good fun. The youngest Cavill won't have to see the play twice, though. She and a "random" selection of guests will be attending a special event with Wilford while the rest of Snowpiercer enjoy the festivities.

What Wilford's really planned is a test. He wants to know which of Andre Layton's (Daveed Diggs) supporters will play ball. Snowpiercer's newly re-seated dictator plans to do a census of the people on the train and cull half of the passengers. He intended to keep that one close to the vest, but Alex outs him for killing half of Big Alice's population after she's had enough. Melanie's daughter isn't the only one to take a stand at the dinner table, either. A year ago, Ruth Wardell would have given her life to accept the job of Mr. Wilford's head of hospitality. Now, she understands the cost of his perfect order. She declines his offer, and is sent to compost with Layton for her troubles. Alex is sent to the brig. 

Notably less happens in "Into the White," but there are still a couple strong moments. Andre and Ruth are able to break out of compost and quickly kickstart a plan to go back for Melanie. Javi's (Roberto Urbina) ensures that they're able to get the train on the right track to make the loop back, but their plan is quickly thwarted by Wilford. As punishment, Javi is beaten and then fed to Wilford's dog. The act is meant to illustrate that Wilford is spiraling without a care for the future of humanity, but it's the resistance that's forced to make rash decisions because of getting caught. When Wilford speeds the train past Melanie, they're forced to go to plan Z: decouple the aquarium and split the engine and the first ten cars off to return to the pickup point for a rendezvous. Plenty goes wrong here as well, but the gist is that they accomplish their plan. Unfortunately, there's no Melanie waiting for them at the outpost. She'd burned through her resources and knew she could power the center long enough to keep her data safe if she chose to sacrifice herself to the white. 

There's a lot to love about this finale, with Ruth and Alex sitting pretty high on that list of reasons. Revolutions are messy business, and it's nice to see Snowpiercer's former head of hospitality get her hands dirty. Yes, that includes when she tazes Kevin (Tom Lipinski) in the balls. Alex's growth this season cannot be understated, and it felt like her story hit its appropriate peak by the end of things. Disappointed we didn't get to see her lay out LJ just yet, but that's to come later I'm sure. As a random aside, Oz's surprise vocals were more than welcome amidst the heavy story. His girlfriend might be a lost cause, but I'm still rooting for the messy former cop.

It's the decision to "kill" Melanie that I struggle with most — though the decision to truly have Audrey under Wilford's spell is a close second. First and foremost, the character obviously isn't dead. I'm all for the show continuing this god allegory for her, but the second coming feels a little on the nose. The lack of a body or any kind of finality here meant her last message to Alex was short of any kind of proverbial punch. But let's say I'm wrong and Snowpiercer's creator really did sacrifice herself to the white — what an exhausting ending to an exceptional character. There's just no part of this story direction that's satisfying or interesting.

The loss of Javi also stings, but at least his death had a little bit of meaning. (To be clear, I'm not entirely sure the third engineer is actually dead, either. But then we get into the issue of lacking stakes.) He was the pinnacle of courage in his final moments despite being terrified. He went from opening the door in Season 1 to ensuring he held the line as long as possible in the Season 2 finale. Painful loss is a great tool so long as it's a narratively meaningful one. Javi's death gets full marks in that regard.

And that's where we end things. There are plenty of other plot points — like Josie returning to save the day now that she's unaffected by the cold and young Winnie being a fearless little boss — but I'd like to save you from a 3000 word recap if I can. We end things with the resistance split. Ben (Iddo Goldberg), Alex, Layton, Bess, Josie and an incapacitated Audrey are on Snowpiercer's engine, while everyone else in the world is on the train's skeleton being pulled by Big Alice. Who knows how long it will take them to recouple, or how long it will be till they stumble across a miraculously alive Melanie Cavill. 

The two episodes making up the Snowpiercer Season 2 finale certainly weren't created equal, but they definitely do their job as ends to a chapter. I'm not thrilled with everything I saw, but I am sufficiently hyped for whatever they intend to bring in Season 3. At the very least, we can be sure that all the fish are extinct now. 

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This post contains spoilers for Snowpiercer.
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What do you do when you have to choose between winning the war or saving the world? Layton and Wilford’s chess match comes to a head in tonight's Snowpiercer, but their different motivations will set them apart more than their respective strategies. Andre is still driven by his heart. And, as the last several episodes have made abundantly clear, there’s nothing Joseph Wilford knows how to manipulate better. As things between the two of them reach the inevitable climax, the rest of the train is just trying to stay alive. There’s a civil war brewing on Snowpiercer, and their leader’s about to lose control.

Despite the fact that Bess Till (Mickey Sumner) has her suspect — the Wilford-worshipping Pastor Logan (Bryan Terrell Clark) — in custody, the people of Snowpiercer refuse to hear that it was Wilford who facilitated the attack on the Breachmen. This includes Boscovic (Aleks Paunovic), the last of his fallen brothers and sisters. His loyalties might be questionable, but it’s hard to begrudge him for his fury. Everyone he loves is dead, and Till was all but throwing hands with them before they were murdered. In his mind, this is the Tail, and his grief is outweighing his logic.

Like Ruth Wardell (Alison Wright) before him, Bosc is forced to decide if he is loyal to Snowpiercer or loyal to Wilford. When the train's “gills” are forced to remain open, Bosc has to decide whether he’s willing to save the train or let it drown in its own snow overflow. He chooses the former — likely because the train dying would mean his own death as well — but it comes at the cost of his faith. Bosc knows that the only way the gills could have been forced open was through sabotage, and there’s only one man who could be behind it. Despite everything else that goes down, it’s nice to see Layton (Daveed Diggs) gain an ally. Bosc is a powerhouse, and Andre’s about to need all the help he can get.

While Bosc is able to remove the giant nail wedging the gills open, their interruption was enough to put Snowpiercer’s proverbial motherboard on the fritz. Not to be dramatic, but this means the entire train will die in about two hours if they don’t fix the issue. Thing is, there’s no “fixing” the part. It must be replaced, and there’s only one man on Earth who has the replacement.

In the moment of Andre’s decision, it’s made clear that his hubris matches that of Wilford (Sean Bean). His motives are better, and his intentions are true, but this guy genuinely believes he can sneak Joseph Wilford onto the train, have him fix it, and the word won’t get out that he’s the savior (of a problem he created). I’m not saying the guy had a choice, Andre was completely screwed in this moment, but his unfettered belief that he would win was pretty impressive.

What unfolds next is interesting for a myriad of reasons, but none so much as the fact that it proves that Snowpiercer cannot survive without Andre and Melanie Cavill (Jennifer Connelly) working in tandem. Wilford snidely notes that “there’s only one conductor of the orchestra” after he hops on the live speaker and deftly directs the people of Snowpiercer on how to save their collective lives. But that’s just not true. There are two, and the world cannot function without them. Melanie is the brains. She knows the train better than anyone — Wilford included — and she knows what choices have to be made in order to ensure humanity’s survival. Andre’s the heart. He’s the one that ensures their future is one worth fighting for.

Of course, that future is going on hold for the time being. It took some time, but we now know why Snowpiercer sped past Melanie when she reached their rendezvous point. With their loss and subsequent surrender, Layton is to report to Big Alice along with Rosche (Mike O’Malley). While both are ensured that they’ll be treated well, Rosche is immediately placed in the drawers with his family. Layton’s fate is currently unknown.

I’ve got to take a moment to heap some praise on Snowpiercer’s dad — Sam Rosche. He wasn’t the first to join the revolution, but once he did he was stalwart in his convictions. He has no interest in going back to the way things once were on when they were taking arms, and he’s willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that they don’t. Layton will be used as a token to show that Wilford can be merciful. Rosche and his family? They’re expendable, and they’ll rot in those drawers if someone doesn’t do something.

Things look pretty bad for the revolution right now. But, as we head into the season’s two-part finale, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love that things are so dire that we genuinely don’t know who’s going to be the catalyst to start setting things right. Will young Alex (Rowan Blanchard) and her Last Australian, Emilia (Georgina Haig) kick off a rebellion of their own? Was Miss Audrey’s (Lena Hall) betrayal a ruse to lull Wilford into a sense of comfort so she could take him down from the inside? We don’t know! That’s thrilling!

Less thrilling is the fact that you’re going to have to wait an extra week for the two-hour finale to air. The NCAA tournament is taking over next Monday, so the Season 2 finale won’t hit until March 29th.

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This post contains spoilers for Snowpiercer.
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What an episode for Ruth Wardell. As Snowpiercer continues to go to hell after Wilford successfully facilitated his plan against the Breachmen, Ruth is forced to reckon with the cruelty she inflicted on the tail and the things she was willing to do in the name of hero worship. The beginning of "Our Answer for Everything" has her questioning the way they've decided to do things and lamenting the order she once benefited from. But, when asked, she can't give an answer one way or the other as to whether or not she'd be willing to go back to taking people's arms and keeping a gulag in the back of the train. 

This week's episode is all about choosing sides. Ruth (Alison Wright) faces her choices on Snowpiercer, but things are just as hairy on Big Alice. Both Alex (Rowan Blanchard) and Miss Audrey (Lena Hall) have their loyalty questioned by Wilford (Sean Bean). Alex's test is yet to be seen, but Audrey finds herself in hot water after the screwdriver she brought along to switch the comms is fished out of her luggage by her nosy host. To prove herself, she is taken to the surprisingly still alive Kevin (Tom Lipinski) and told to fix him or else. "Fix him", in this case, means helping him find release in the same way she assists the people of Snowpiercer. But, for Wilford, it means reprogramming his broken toy back into the lapdog he once was.

Though Bess Till's (Mickey Sumner) side was chosen long ago, she'll face her own set of challenges as anarchy starts to take hold of the train. A fleeting reunion with her former partner, Oz (Sam Otto), gives her a lead that takes her to first class. It's there that she discovers that the attack on the Breachmen wasn't facilitated by the tail, but by Eugenia (Amanda Brugel) and the Pastor Logan (told y'all). Eugenia and her manicure are an easy enough takedown, but Pastor Logan proves to be a separate conversation. Till comes out on top, but just barely in time to stop the Wilford loyalist from offing himself by way of ice lung. The writers on Snowpiercer are really going that extra mile to prove just how far his followers will go to curry favor with their overlord. 

Despite Till making real headway on her case and managing to make it through the confrontation with a (mostly) alive suspect, the damage has been done. As they pass through the loop that will lead them back to Melanie (Jennifer Connelly) — should they actually turn around — lights spark in the windows of Snowpiercer. The red lights signify a support for James Wilford, and they seem to take up well over half of the train. It's a crushing blow to Andre (Daveed Diggs) and his cause. One that he certainly didn't need after nearly losing his arm in an attempt to save Pike (Steven Ogg) after he was taken hostage by second class Wilford sympathizers. 

It's not Andre who saves the day this time though. Instead, it's Ruth Wardell. Ruth is forced to recon with all the terrible things she's done in the past seven years. When she and Zarah (Sheila Vand) get locked in the clinic with some Tailies to avoid the mob, Winnie (Emma Oliver) screams in fear. When Lights (Miranda Edwards) points out that Ruth was responsible for the death of Winnie's mother, she doesn't deny the allegation. But she doesn't remember it either.

That lack of remembrance is what shakes things loose for the once callous head of hospitality. She doesn't doubt what she's done, but the fact that she can't remember the arms she took or the people whose lives she ruined is the push she needs to realize that the order they had before came at an unacceptable cost. Andre's words aren't enough to calm the mob ready for blood, but Ruth's pleas are. It's only a temporary cease fire, but it's enough to save two men and truly begin the path to redemption for her character.

As things become more black and white on Snowpiercer, the lines continue to blur on Big Alice. In the beginning of "Our Answer for Everything," Andre and Ben (Iddo Goldberg) are quick to believe that Audrey is lost to their cause and once again swayed by the allure of Wilford and his abuse. I found myself pretty indignant at how quickly they were ready to write her off, but things don't look good for the head of the Night Car. As she reprograms Kevin, she reminds him that he wasn't abused, he just didn't know love before he met Wilford. That Kevin is nothing without him. That he owes his leader everything. Could it all be Audrey playing the long game? Yeah. I'm definitely choosing to believe that's the case. But they did a damn good job making me doubt our girl! By the time it's all said and done, she has Kevin literally licking Wilford's shoe. 

The best sci-fi is not about space, lasers, robots, or aliens. I mean, science fiction heavily features those things, but it isn’t really about any of those genre trappings. Science fiction as a genre is not so much about predicting our futures or presenting coherent models for alternate realities as it is about exploring our own reality through metaphor and allegory. Sure, the mode of speculative fiction uses futurism as a means to explore challenging concepts, but it’s those concepts that define science fiction, not the tropes that make the surface dressing of the genre. That’s why the best science fiction has more on its mind than the obvious. Here are some of the best sci-fi movies to get stuck in the wrinkles of your brain.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Stanley Kubrick’s collaboration with renowned sci-fi author Arthur C. Clarke is lauded as one of cinema’s greatest achievements for good reason. 2001: A Space Odyssey is a surreal experience that was unlike anything that had preceded it, embracing a level of realism that science fiction films had thus far eschewed for pulpy adventure. But through the span of three acts examining humanity’s pre-history, its future, and its post-human evolution, the film raises a collage of questions about human existence. Are we gods unto ourselves with our ability to create computer intelligence? Are we primitives dabbling with forces beyond our comprehension in the vast reaches of space? These questions prove impossible to answer, only to be interpreted through an avant-garde deconstruction.

Alien (1979)

Ridley Scott’s Alien is a bleak, nasty film about how capitalism places profit toward violent ends over the lives of individuals who enable that profit. Following a crew of working-class shipping personnel contractually goaded into investigating a mysterious signal they have no stake in, Alien rather blatantly deconstructs the worker-employee relationship by subjecting the crew to violations of their bodily autonomy by a phallic creature that procreates through forcible impregnation and bloody destruction of its host. Sure, it’s a horror movie set in space, but the horror is grounded in a lot more than H.R. Giger’s brilliant monster design and Scott’s dark and grimy atmosphere. It doesn’t take much digging to see the philosophical perspective in his vicious little genre hybrid.

Blade Runner (1982)

Yes, Ridley Scott does deserve two spots on this list, as Blade Runner – and more specifically, The Final Cut – is a masterpiece exploring memetic identity and questioning what it means to be alive. In exploring the stratification of synthetic replicants as a slave class in contrast to the visually indistinguishable human race, this loose adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? posits the question of how we'd engage with artificial creations who live and breathe as we do. The obvious allegory is to how society treats racial and sexual others, which only becomes more complicated by the realization that our main character might not even be human himself. But does that change his humanity, or does it expose the arbitrary restrictions we place by empathizing with only what we consider “human”?

Jurassic Park (1993)

Jurassic Park is a popular film that spawned a franchise because of our innate fascination with the literal monsters that preceded us on Earth, but it can be easy to forget that the core conceit of the film is a question of scientific ethics. As Dr. Ian Malcolm bluntly states, “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.” 

Life is an inherently messy biological function. Humanity's hubris — that it is divorced enough from nature to bend it entirely to our will — is the core of Jurassic Park’s ethos. Whether it’s the greed of a disgruntled employee or the careless use of frog DNA that undercuts efforts to stymie reproduction, there will always be factors that derail plans for human control of forces they cannot collectively master.

Ghost in the Shell (1995)

Similar to Blade Runner, the animated classic Ghost in the Shell is interested in questions of identity, but it explores them less societally and more introspectively. As a cyborg whose parts are interchangeable and whose brain is irrevocably intertwined with machine enhancement, Motoko Kusanagi has to come face to face with the possibility that she might not even be alive, that her existence as a person with thoughts and feelings might just be an illusion given continuity by ones and zeroes. 

The film asks what it even means to be alive, and whether the next step in human evolution is to embrace the mechanical and leave the individual self behind with our biology. It’s a story that results in Motoko’s discovery of a new sense of self, crossing the boundary into post-human thought.

The Matrix (1999)

The Wachowskis created the ultimate "fight the system" movie with The Matrix — so successful that it was widely embraced by a majority of its audience. Its seemingly paranoid interpretation of the world as a place out to keep the individual down, for the sake of social control, is based on concerns over the erasure of minority identities. The more recent revelation that the Wachowskis are themselves transgender women only further cements this reading, so while the film was revolutionary in developing its special effects and visual style, it was also advocating a revolution of self-acceptance in the face of oppressive erasure. Somehow that feels more relevant now than it did even in 1999.

Snowpiercer (2013)

If there’s one thing that director Bong Joon-ho loves to deconstruct in his films, its class stratification. Snowpiercer is a blunt and brutal allegory for how the wealthy manipulate and develop systems with the explicit purpose of keeping the poor and powerless down — despite those poor having superior numbers.

Set on a train circumnavigating a post-apocalyptic world, where the poor literally eat the waste and scraps from the cars with the resources to make their own food, this film makes no bones about how social indoctrination and state-sanctioned violence are the mechanisms by which those at the head of the train hold on to their power. All as the engine of society chugs along in circles and our own personal hell freezes over.

The Martian (2015)

Few science fiction films are as explicitly hopeful for the future of humanity as Ridley Scott’s The Martian, although you might not think so from the initial premise. On a mission to Mars, a severe dust storm forces the crew to flee the planet, but not without suffering a casualty. Unfortunately, that casualty, played by Matt Damon, is not as dead as they’d assumed, and he is left alone on a planet with any natural supply of air, food, or water. Damon gives a charismatic performance, which is a feat for anyone acting in isolation. He's supported by a great ensemble cast (including Jessica Chastain, Jeff Daniels, and Sean Bean) that sells a humanist tale of rival nations banding together to save one man’s life. Ultimately, this is a film about the power of global cooperation and what can be achieved through a unified scientific vision.

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

It’s hard to think of a more complete package than Mad Max: Fury Road. Gorgeous post-apocalyptic aesthetic as delivered through some of the most iconic cinematography of the decade? Check. Hardcore action that rarely lets up? Check. Stirring feminist narrative about reclaiming a world destroyed by the death cult of toxic masculinity? Check, check, check. From Charlize Theron’s and Tom Hardy’s instantly iconic portrayals of Furiosa and Max to writer-director George Miller’s incredible ability to convey so much world-building and emotional nuance with so little dialogue, this really is one of the all-time greats.

Annihilation (2018)

Self-identity has been a common theme on this list, but Annihilation asks a more specific and perhaps more existentially horrifying question than the other entries. What if going through a personal change, a traumatic experience, no longer makes you you? This is literalized in the film by a localized “shimmer” where animal and plant life is transformed by an unknown alien presence, but the theme the film explores through the losses and tragedies of the women who explore The Shimmer ultimately arrives at the revelation that our traumas are interconnected, that we leave imprints on one another to the point where who we used to be is annihilated in the face of what we must become. There is an interweaving of tragic beauty in this realization, that we all hurt, but we are not alone in hurting. We become someone new through our pain, and that is terrifying. But it’s also human.

Chelsea Harris has been upped to series regular for the upcoming third season of TNT’s sci-fi thriller Snowpiercer. Deadline broke the news today in an exclusive. Harris currently plays the recurring character Sykes in the current season. Sykes is a covert operative and right-hand advisor to Sean Bean’s Mr. Wilford. 

Snowpiercer is based on the novel and 2013 film, Snowpiercer. The series stars Jennifer Connelly and Daveed Diggs and is set more than seven years after the world has become a frozen wasteland. The series follows humanity's remnants who inhabit a train that never stops moving with 1001 cars that circle the globe. 

The series is produced by Tomorrow Studios, along with CJ Entertainment, which also produced the movie. The series is executive produced by Tomorrow Studios’ Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements; showrunner Manson, who rewrote the first episode; director James Hawes; Matthew O’Connor; Derrickson and the movie’s producers Bong, Miky Lee, Tae-sung Jeong, Park Chan-wook, Lee Tae-hun and Dooho Choi. 

Snowpiercer isn’t Chelsea Harris’s only gig. She will appear next in Paramount Pictures’ Top Gun: Maverick, which is set to be released on July 2, 2021. Harris most recently landed a supporting role opposite Eliza Gonzalez, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in Michael Bay’s Ambulance for Netflix. Some of her past television credits include Designated Survivor, Station 19, Baby Daddy, Stalker, NCIS, and Grey’s Anatomy. 

Snowpiercer airs weekly on TNT and Netflix worldwide. The entire first season is available to stream on HBO Max. 

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This post contains spoilers for Snowpiercer.
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We get a much quieter, more intimate episode of Snowpiercer this week. Gone is Wilford and his war, and Andre and his revolution. All that’s left behind is Melanie Cavill alone in a remote climate station doing her best to save humanity. But that’s what she’s always done, right? On her worst and best days, one thing has always remained the same about Snowpiercer’s creator: her decisions are always based on the survival of the species as a whole, and not what’s best for her personally. It was the kind of “evil” that we hated but couldn’t quite begrudge in Season 1, no matter how many deplorable acts she committed. Now, in Season 2, we know what real evil looks like. 

Joseph Wilford (Sean Bean) haunts Melanie (Jennifer Connelly) as she boots up the climate station in what will ultimately be the first step in saving the world. His voice teases her as she realizes the sled she lost in transit will never be recovered, and hints at her cannibalistic future upon her realization that nearly all her rations are gone. Even Andre (Daveed Diggs) will join in later, reminding her that the starvation she feels is almost as bad as what she put the Tail through just months ago. She knows it all, of course. She knows what she did was monstrous. But, just like Snowpiercer’s viewers, Melanie Cavill has seen the fact of real evil.

But for the first ten days at the station, Melanie has a much bigger problem than the ghosts of her past. With her rations gone, she finds herself with enough food for about a week (including a pack of sweeties from Ben). When she arrives, she finds the three corpses of the family that once occupied. That is to say, she finds what’s left of them. She knows what faces her if she doesn’t find a new food source soon, but she’s not willing to take that leap.

Lucky for her, she won’t have to. In her hunger induced stupor, Melanie thinks she imagines someone eating the last bit of cracker she was rationing. But when she starts to hear scratching and scurrying, she starts to wonder if maybe she’s not going as crazy as Wilford’s apparition would have her believe. A rudimentary trap and a hunk of human meat later and her theory is proven: the station has a rat. As a matter of fact, it has many rats. Hidden between the walls of the building and the mountainside is a geothermal vent that has allowed a rat colony to flourish. This means that not only does Melanie have a food source for the remainder of her stay, she has proof that her theory is correct. The Earth is healing, nature is returning, etc. etc.

Despite a few major hurdles — including her satellite tower crashing into the station — Melanie ultimately manages to get everything she needs to from her data. They have a starting point, and a whole host of new hope surrounding the vent and the rats. But something’s amiss on Snowpiercer. We know that Wilford made his move on the remaining Jackboots, and thanks to “Many Miles From Snowpiercer” we know that it’s likely because they failed him, but we don’t know just how far things have devolved on the train. What we do know is that Melanie races to meet it just to see her daughter desperately trying to reach her. So, whatever went down, it ain’t great for the revolution of the future of humanity.

There’s value to the stillness in this week’s episode. By separating ourselves from the war for a brief moment, we’re able to get a real look at things like Wilford’s cruelty and Melanie’s regret. Each week we think we’ve seen the bottom of the benefactor’s depravity, but the writers have done a remarkable job parsing it out in truly jaw-dropping ways. Meanwhile, it’s hard to dispute that Snowpiercer has a god, she is a woman, and her name is Melanie Cavill.

This post contains spoilers for Snowpiercer.
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“Our people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray. Turning them away on the mountains. From mountain to hill they have gone. They have forgotten their fold.”

This week’s Snowpiercer hits hard. “Keep Hope Alive” doesn’t just explore the validity of little white lies when it comes to maintaining morale. It also gives us an intimate look at the toll that hope can take on those who are expected to provide it at any cost. The train just survived a war and immediately marched into a new one when it was boarded by Big Alice. Each class was promised something it hasn’t yet received — including the Tail — and everyone wants answers. Meanwhile, Layton’s just trying to keep things on the literal track long enough for Melanie to save humanity.

Each day, he learns more and more about why Melanie was the way she was when she ran the train. Then again, his morality may be different if he didn’t have Zarah hissing in his ear.

Zarah Ferami (Sheila Vand) has always been a difficult character. It’s a feat, given the fact that she’s surrounded by countless other unlikeable people. But most of those people, no matter how unlikeable, still make choices to help other folks when the chips are down. Zarah cares about Zarah, and that’s the end of the list. So, it’s no real surprise that when Terence (Shaun Toub) stands in the way of Pike’s (Steven Ogg) drug trade, she tells Layton it’s time to off the guy. Let’s not pretend for a moment that it was about Josie’s safety — we’re all smarter than that. It wasn’t enough that Zarah got her killed the first time, she also nearly killed her herself the second go around, and followed it up with a threat about what would happen if Josie (Katie McGuinness) got in the way of her safety.

Zarah is manipulating Layton (Daveed Diggs) the same way she’s manipulating Ruth (Alison Wright). The only difference is her manipulation of Ruth benefits more than just her.

Outside of Zarah, though, the women of Snowpiercer really are doing the most. With Wilford’s nefarious plans starting to unfold behind closed doors, everyone steps up to the plate. Josie is on Big Alice undergoing painful surgery without meds so she can spy for Layton. Miss Audrey (Lena Hall) heads back to the arms of her abuser to attempt to open up communication with Snowpiercer without his knowledge. Then she stays behind despite Wilford’s first major move in the war unfolding because she hasn’t completed her mission yet. Bess Till (Mickey Sumner) is the only one with her head still on the train as she fights to find out who assaulted Lights (Miranda Edward). Meanwhile Ruthie is finally getting the opportunity to step into her own.

Turns out, Ruth Wardell just needs to know that she’s needed. Wilford is great at making people feel that way — it’s a key to his manipulation tactics — so it’s no wonder she worshiped him the way that she did. Melanie (Jennifer Connelly) never would have lost her to begin with if she’d just let her in on the plan before the uprising began, and she could be a powerful tool to Layton if he’d just stop with his games. Hell, if it weren’t for Melanie asking her to look after Alex and Zarah’s fake praise, Ruth might have said yes when Wilford (Sean Bean) called her aboard when his plan was set in motion. But Melanie did, so Ruth didn’t, and three cheers for that.

While the world’s last remaining hope remains MIA off Snowpiercer, Wilford manages to make his first real move. He was due for one, to be honest. It was a refreshing switch to see Layton and the people of Snowpiercer win the first two rounds, but it was time for the megalomaniac to get a win. Josie does manage to get a warning to the train, but it’s the wrong one. Wilford wasn’t sending the Jackboots after the people of Snowpiercer. He was sending spies to murder the Jackboots. His success means that a significant force in the train’s defenses has been hobbled, but it seems short-sighted considering an entire revolution just went down.

Wilford’s win aside, Till is going to be big mad now that she’s back to square one. Then again, one has to question this Priest. I might have some biases against the clergy myself, but Pastor Logan (Bryan Terrell Clark) showing up exactly when Till needs him, allowing Wilford propaganda in his church, and already questioning if Layton is the right one to lead so early on makes ya wonder. Sure, he could just be a nice pastor man speaking his concerns. A big part of me hopes that Till gets someone to trust in all this before she snaps completely. But I don’t trust ‘em.

Pastor Logan does have one thing right though: Andre Layton is lost. He took over Snowpiercer to create a different tomorrow. He put himself in charge to make different choices from Melanie, and to make a more fair and equal train. An assassination spits in the fact of all of that and Pike, for all his flaws, is right to be mad as hell at his “leader.” When the war was raging on Snowpiercer, Andre was forced to make a difficult decision and decouple the cars that held the prisoners from Third and the Tail. Terence’s murder smacks different, and it’s critical that it be acknowledged in his narrative in the near future.

At least he has the women around him to keep the world running.

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“Good men and women don’t seem to stay good long doing this, do they?” Ruth (Alison Wright) observes when she says an emotionally charged farewell to Melanie (Jennifer Connelly) on Snowpiercer a couple of weeks ago. Tensions between the previously tight co-workers are still high after Melanie pretended Mr. Wilford (Sean Bean) was on board the train for the last seven years. Both women have done horrifying acts while dressed in the impeccable teal hospitality uniforms and the word “good” is hard to parse in this environment. As factions and loyalties shift, mortal enemies are now allies and Ruth has a lot to reckon with regarding her actions on the train. There is also a concern that the head of hospitality is a Wilford fanatic who will easily be swayed by the silver tongue antagonist and the battle for control continues in “Keep Hope Alive.” However, Ruth turns down the offer of a lifetime in the closing moments of this episode, which suggests she can be counted on.

Wright’s ability to serve steely determination runs parallel with brimming emotions that make her one of the most captivating performers in this wildly talented cast. She sells Ruth’s sincere belief in what Wilford stands for coupled with her growing concern about those in power. Hospitality might seem like it is about fine dining and pleasantries, but those who control the image of the train and the airwaves hold an important card in this delicate system. Anger clouds her judgment but when Melanie asks Ruth to look out for Alex (Rowan Blanchard) in her absence, her former friend’s teary assurance is a reminder of her humanity. Ruth isn’t just an automaton doing her master’s bidding.   

Hospitality is in charge of informing Snowpiercer’s passengers of the outside temperature and their location. They are the face of this operation, which has shifted a great deal since the first episode. When one of the passengers snarkily suggests that Melanie is getting an image rehabilitation thanks to the dangerous endeavor she has undertaken, it pulls one particular issue into focus. In the past, Ruth has put on her signature fur jacket and gone to the tail section to dish out punishment. When six guards were killed, she initially said the blood of six tallies should be shed before agreeing to freeze off someone’s arm as punishment. This sadistic act was originally going to be inflicted on a child, but Winnie’s (Emma Oliver) mother volunteered in her place. It isn’t easy to forget the deep acts of cruelty Ruth enforced while she wore her perfectly pressed suit, even if a bigger threat has entered the picture. Part of the reason fractures run deep aboard this train is because a lot of abhorrent acts took place in the name of Wilford.

Layton (Daveed Diggs) witnessed many of these moments and Ruth has bristled against his leadership, so it isn’t a stretch to see why he doesn’t trust her. “My advice, don’t lie to her. I regret that I did, and I’ll probably never make it right. But, for you, she’s a rare straight arrow if you can keep her,” Melanie tells her new co-conspirator before she leaves. Some matters are on a need-to-know basis, which Ruth considers a personal attack. Acting as a bridge, Zarah (Sheila Vand) joins the hospitality team to assuage Ruth’s fears. Giving her a sounding board offers an opportunity for a deeper insight beyond the “polished perfection” she asks her team to deliver. 

Taking away the apocalypse element, Snowpiercer is a workplace, and Ruth is irritated by her new boss not realizing how hard she works. Moments like this are highly relatable even if the rest of the scenario is an extreme departure. She snipes at how she is perceived — “People need to realize I wasn’t born yesterday” — before suggesting she has some self-awareness. “I know that people in power lie. Even I’ve done things in teal that I am ashamed of,” but she doesn’t go into specifics about her crimes in the name of Snowpiercer. Ruth can’t hide behind a crisp collar forever. In last week’s episode, Ruth defended herself against the notion that she will bend for Wilford, "Just because I admire Mr. Wilford, that doesn’t mean that I’m disloyal. I am loyal to the train.” She might be dedicated to the train but she hasn’t always seen the passengers as equals.   

There are echoes of Tilda Swinton’s Minister Mason in the 2013 movie adaptation from their choice of fur coat to passing on messages from Mr. Wilford to the rest of the train (Mason also partakes in an arm freezing punishment and is also from northern England). One major difference is that Ruth is unknowingly getting her instructions from Melanie posing as Wilford and Wright doesn’t lean into the eccentricities of Swinton’s cowardly antagonist. Similar to how Sean Bean’s Wilford is not replicating Ed Harris in Bong Joon Ho’s cult classic, Ruth is more grounded and recognizable.   

Giddy at the reappearance of Wilford, Ruth practically gets high off every wax seal and message sent back and forth. She craves order and the recent revolution is a nightmare come to life. Having a theme gives Ruth something to work toward, which in this case is selling hope in a world in which it is in short supply. But how can she sell something that might not be true? “Poise under pressure” is a pithy catchphrase she uses on Zarah, but she is forced to take her own advice when telling a white lie to keep morale up regarding Melanie’s status. Spinning this story is how they keep everything from figuratively derailing and Ruth’s calm tone is in contrast to her tense body — luckily, this is an audio-only broadcast.   

Giddy at the reappearance of Wilford, Ruth practically gets high off every wax seal and message sent back and forth. She craves order and the recent revolution is a nightmare come to life. Having a theme gives Ruth something to work toward, which in this case is selling hope in a world in which it is in short supply. But how can she sell something that might not be true? “Poise under pressure” is a pithy catchphrase she uses on Zarah, but she is forced to take her own advice when telling a white lie to keep morale up regarding Melanie’s status. Spinning this story is how they keep everything from figuratively derailing and Ruth’s calm tone is in contrast to her tense body — luckily, this is an audio-only broadcast.   

This is not the first time Alison Wright has portrayed a woman who has plaster a fake smile on her face to fool people. Playing Martha in The Americans was a tightrope walk, depicting a manipulated woman in love who still continued to do Philip’s (Matthew Rhys) KGB bidding even after he revealed his true identity. Her whole worldview was shattered when Philip removed his wig at the end of Season 3, but Martha was already in deep. The FBI secretary might not have inflicted physical harm on her co-workers, but Philip did kill her colleague to cover up the real culprit behind the bug in the pen. The guilt she feels almost consumes her before she is exfiltrated to the Soviet Union when her cover is blown. Critics singled out Wright, and lauded the FX spy series, however, not nearly enough Emmys were bestowed on this cast (see also, Keri Russell). Snowpiercer is a reminder of Wright’s strengths as a performer and while Ruth might appear black and white on the surface, the actress ensures the subtleties and nuances of a woman in her position shine through.

A strength of the second season is how much time is being spent with characters who could easily become caricatures. Ruth’s department is the face of Snowpiercer and her devotion to the man whose name is plastered in every carriage could easily hit fanatic levels. Instead, she is surprisingly pragmatic in the face of her idol (after initial giddiness). The biggest test occurs at the end of “Keep Hope Alive” when literal alarm bells are ringing and she turns down Wilford’s tempting offer to step across the border into Big Alice. Her former boss might be all smiles but we have seen what he does to people who falter. Of course, there is still time for Ruth to fall foul of his charm, and what makes her such a wild card is this refusal. She says no to Wilford and maybe Melanie was right about Ruth’s value to Layton — but first, she has to confront the shameful actions she committed in teal.  

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We’ve got a slower paced episode of Snowpiercer on our hands this week with “A Single Trade.” This show can’t go full tilt non-stop, so something that moves at a cooler clip was becoming overdue. It’s also a nice reminder that shows with solid writing teams can take their foot off the gas without delivering a boring episode. We finally get a glimpse at what has Ms. Audrey (Lena Hall) so terrified of Wilford (Sean Bean), and Zarah (Sheila Vand) takes up a new alliance because she can’t go a single on-screen episode without being a snake.

As the title implies, we start things off with a trade. Wilford will send his doctors over to treat their frostbitten patients in exchange for a night out on the “town” in Snowpiercer’s night car. Prepared to be betrayed, Andre (Daveed Diggs) meets with Audrey to get to the bottom of her recent spiral. While Bess’ (Mickey Sumner) struggles are all survivor’s guilt related, Audrey is reconciling with the return of her abuser. The details of said abuse come out incrementally throughout the episode, culminating in the confirmation that Wilford wants nothing more than the control of all living beings. But, before Audrey can deal with that, she has to deal with Andre.

There’s an unspoken cruelty to Andre’s request that the leader of the Night Car be his eyes and ears on Wilford. Sure, should she be able to get an in, it would grant Snowpiercer a huge leg up in their current cold war. But, on the other hand, he’s asking her to dance right back into the arms of the man who took everything from her. Josie (Katie McGuinness) once noted that Andre’s emotions are what make him a good leader, but those emotions have been all but gone this season (save for interactions with her). Sending Ms. Audrey in is the right move, but a little remorse from Snowpiercer’s leader might have been nice.

Despite Andre’s lack of sympathy, Audrey agrees. She doesn’t agree for “the cause”, or Layton, or for anyone else other than herself. That distinction might seem inconsequential to some, but it’s a relevant as we watch her head back into the arms of her abuser.

On Big Alice, Wilford prepares in his own way. Alex (Rowan Blanchard) knows that part of his excitement is due to the thrill of seeing his old flame. She teases her caregiver, joking about his old paramour. It’s a joke that he chuckles at when the two are in private, but the first cracks in Wilford’s treatment of Alex start to show when she makes the quip in front of his new head of hospitality. Wilford reprimands her before cheerfully going about his business — but it won’t be the first time we see the pleasant exterior fall. The icy disposition will return right before he and his crew board Snowpiercer when he reminds the three lucky souls that this is his night, and they are to play their parts accordingly.

Wilford isn’t alone in the idea to start moving pawns. Layton is after any connection he can get with Big Alice’s crew, whether it be Pike’s (Steven Ogg) pot trade, or some new connection between crewmates during their party to celebrate Melanie’s (Jennifer Connelly) first communication. Ultimately, Andre wins the night with both a connection between the two last Australians (Snowpiercer’s and Amelia — Big Alice’s seamstress), Audrey getting her “in”, and Melanie successfully sending the communication that they all feared would never come. Wilford gains a small step with LJ Folger (Annalise Basso) connecting with Alex, but he doesn’t know it yet. Besides, Alex is a smart girl. Perhaps she’ll realize she’s starting to form a bond with Snowpiercer’s resident sociopath before it’s too late. 

Outside of the ongoing war between the two trains, Miles (Jaylin Fletcher) finally gets to reconnect with Josie. After some complicated soul-searching, it's decided that they will send Josie to the other train to both get her frostbite cured and to act as boots on the ground in Wilford’s camp. Miles isn't given anything to do other than cry for his mom, but it’s nice to finally get a proof of life!

With all the subplots running on Snowpiercer, it’s easy for one like the Wilford Assaults to fall by the wayside. Mickey Sumner is getting some good material to chew on as Bess, and it’s an engaging narrative — there’s just no time for it to be center stage yet. It’s interesting, but it remains the weakest point of this season so far. All eyes are on Wilford's strange brand of evil, just not in the way that focuses on his deranged followers just yet.

While in the Night Car, we learn that Wilford coerced Audrey to slit her wrists in the same way we lost poor Kevin just episodes ago. His possessiveness knows no bounds, and once you’re in his grasp it’s nearly impossible to escape. Poor Alex will start to see that more and more as the cracks in his façade continue to splinter out. As for Audrey, it looks like her trade isn’t over just yet.

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"A Great Odyssey" signals two beginnings. The first is obvious — Melanie Cavill (Jennifer Connelly) is about to depart Snowpiercer in a hail mary attempt to save the remainder of humanity. The second is a little more nuanced but no less important — the game of chess between Andre Layton (Daveed Diggs) and Joseph Wilford (Sean Bean) really beings. Both make up two major parts of another pretty strong episode of Snowpiercer, but it feels like only one has the legs to remain engaging through Season 2's run.

Jennifer Connelly has proven herself a tremendous actress time and time again, but a story about her off on her own for a month gives me pause. Melanie is at her most interesting when she has people to play off of — something that's proven repeatedly in "The Great Odyssey" — so the idea of cutting to her trying to save humanity while Wilford wreaks havoc isn't as appealing as watching her continue to actively fight to heal the wounds she's caused on Snowpiercer. But a girl's been wrong before! 

Before she leaves, Melanie has an opportunity for more time with Alex (Rowan Blanchard). Wilford declares Big Alice as a "No Ben zone," so the head engineer's beau is forced to stay behind. Part of the reason Snowpiercer remains so engaging is the fact that little moves like this one continue to result in big things over and over again throughout the series. In this specific case, it means a telling conversation between Bennet (Iddo Goldberg) and Layton on Wilford's specific kind of jealousy and manipulation as well as some exceptional character-building moments between mother and daughter on Big Alice.

I gush about the performances in this series all the time, but the chemistry between Connelly and Blanchard has to be applauded. In three episodes the two have created a more believable bond than some mother/daughter duos build after seasons on-screen together. Young Alex Cavill has had to grow well beyond her years in a short period of time while also living under a tyrant. She doesn't know what to do with love or trust, and cracks in her relationship with Wilford already begin to show as he sees her budding devotion to her mother. Meanwhile, Melanie just got her daughter back and now finds herself forced to choose humanity over her family for a second time. When done wrong, that's a soapy mess. When done believably, you get the incredible representation of familial trauma that the series has built. 

As for Layton and Wilford's battle for dominance, oh boy. Get ready for a feast. The way Sean Bean's opulent malevolence plays off Daveed Diggs' conflicted man of the people is already incredible. Because of his hubris, we'll surely see Wilford underestimate Layton more often than the tables will turn. But don't take that to mean that Layton won't have his slip ups. Currently, Wilford has the only solution to saving the frost-bitten Josie (Katie MgGuinness). Don't think for a second that Andre won't make some silly choices in order to save the woman he loves. And don't forget that Zarah (Sheila Vand) doesn't have a single scruple, so we can definitely expect her to make some kind of shitty deal before all of this is said and done. 

The only areas that we're seeing Snowpiercer struggling in as of episode 3 are the stories that it's introduced but hasn't had time to flesh out just yet. We've had several Miles (Jaylin Fletcher) references, but Josie and Andre's surrogate son remains unseen in Season 2. Then there's Lights' (Miranda Edwards) mutilation by presumed Wilford devotees. It's an important part of the Season 2 narrative, but the series just hasn't had time to dig into it yet. Having a lot going on isn't necessarily a detriment, but this arc's beginning might have been treated the way it deserves to be if we introduced it a little later. 

Our parting acknowledgement for "The Great Odyssey" has to be for one Ruth Wardell (Alison Wright). She's a troubled character — one that teeters right on the edge of Wilford worship — but as we've spent more time with her we've learned that the character is more complicated than she seems to be at first glance. She's the only person who's treated Melanie with normal, human, reactions to her lies, which has been an important developmental tool for both characters. Her coldness toward her former best friend came to a head in a tearful farewell when she was asked to ensure Alex's safety should anything go awry at the station while Melanie tries to save humanity. The moment came after a reminder from Snowpiercer's head engineer that she could be Layton's greatest asset provided he never lies to her.

Ruth Wardell remains a curious wild card, and Season 2 has done a lot of work to ensure she remains both layered and engaging as her story unfolds. In the premiere, she told Layton that she wasn't on anyone's side but Snowpiercer's. Perhaps that's truer than we may have thought when she initially delivered the line. 

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During the first season of Snowpiercer, it appeared the TV adaptation had killed off the powerful inventor of this lifesaving train. At the end of the pilot, it is revealed that Melanie (Jennifer Connelly) was the elusive man behind the curtain, and details about her train coup are disclosed later. Pretending to be Mr. Wilford (Sean Bean) could only sustain for so long and before he made his dramatic return in the finale via supply train Big Alice, the cat was out of the bag regarding this deception. Revolution aboard Snowpiercer resulted in Layton (Daveed Diggs) returning power to all people — regardless of the carriage class — but Mr. Wilford’s surprise comeback has thrown a massive spanner in the already contentious works. 

Casting an antagonist of Wilford’s standing requires an actor who can deliver intimidation and charm in equal measure. In the 2013 adaptation of the French graphic novel Le Transperceneige, Ed Harris played the mad genius villain of Bong Joon Ho’s cult classic. In the movie, Wilford has orchestrated the uprising to cull the population and is playing God from the engine room. For long-term storytelling on a television show, it makes narrative sense to shift Wilford from the front of the locomotive to the back. He is still beloved, which adds to the already precarious leadership situation. Rather than wait until Season 2 premiered, TNT gave viewers a glimpse of the magnetic Wilford last summer in the first teaser trailer. We have got so used to showrunners keeping big plot developments secret that this choice to show Bean as Wilford six months ahead of time felt like a bold move. Instead, it plays into the strengths of this well-known actor’s stacked resumé and emphasized the havoc he would cause for Melanie and Layton.

After two episodes, Bean has exhibited both magnetism and an unflinching menace to those who have crossed his path or betrayed him. He has spilled blood without inflicting the wounds himself and his manipulation skills are as impressive as his personal suite on Big Alice. For Wilford, it is all about what he has given people and what he believes is his. “I want my train back, Melanie” he orders when reunited with his former protégé. Unfortunately for Wilford, it is no longer hers to surrender. Unlike Lord Eddard “Ned” Stark in Game of Thrones, Wilford is a man that craves power and will do anything to take back what he believes is his. Bean has played leaders (reluctant and willing) and countless villains across television and film, which makes him ideal for a character who is considered a savior and a monster. He rarely shifts his accent from the dulcet Yorkshire tones that gives his performance an everyman quality — even when he is wearing luxurious velvet suit jackets or a jacquard bathrobe.   

Languishing in the bathtub listening to David Bowie’s “Life on Mars” on vinyl while sampling the luxuries from Snowpiercer that he has been craving further highlights how Wilford isn’t a man of the people. His name is plastered over the vehicle as a reminder of who is in control and while Melanie has so far found a number of ways to challenge this power grab, he will stop at nothing to rule over this fractured society.

“Wilford, he doesn’t just want a castle, he wants a court. He needs to be revered,” Layton astutely observes while brainstorming with Melanie about how to approach the discovery that the Earth’s atmosphere is warming up. Layton and Melanie were on opposing sides in Season 1, but Wilford’s arrival has created an alliance between the former enemies. Melanie’s experience with her former boss is invaluable and she knows how he ticks — it is why she stole Snowpiercer in the first place. “You give him a stage, he’ll put on a show,” she warns and Wilford truly plays it up as the hero when he makes his return to a mostly cheering crowd. It isn’t just Ruth (Alison Wright) who is giddy to see the life-saving symbol in the flesh and “Smolder to Life” shows how dedicated some of the Snowpiercer inhabitants are. His three-piece pinstripe suit and fur dial up his larger-than-life persona and costume designer Caroline Cranstoun sets him apart from everyone using luxury items. (Although it is impossible to see him wearing fur and not momentarily picture Winterfell)  

Bess Till (Mickey Sumner) has been promoted to train detective and her first case is to investigate who attacked and mutilated Lights’ (Miranda Edwards) hand. Quickly deducing the assault was not random, Bess notices Wilford’s three-finger salute is mirrored by others on the train and determines that Lights has been branded — or rather her thumb and pinky finger were cut off to create a permanent three-finger salute. Flashing his trademark smile, Wilford has plenty of support among those fighting for equality. It is also notable that teen psychopath LJ Folger (Annalise Basso) is Team Wilford and we already know the lengths she will go to. 

At the moment Wilford has control over Melanie’s daughter Alex (Rowan Blanchard) after years of filling her head with stories — Melanie was trying to keep her away from this troubling influence. And while she has so far done everything he asked her to do, the more time she spends with her mother, the more Melanie can break the troubling bond. Ned Stark encouraged daughter Arya’s (Maisie Williams) sword-fighting endeavors and this feels like a more twisted version of fatherly advice. He trained Melanie and when she betrayed him, he took it upon himself to make Alex an improved model. She turns a blind eye (or rather drowns it out with music) when he does something awful and while she questions his strategy, Alex ultimately complies and becomes his weapon. Wilford doesn’t need to strike a blow when he has a squad to do it for him.  

Manipulation is his greatest weapon (along with fear) and while Melanie will not fall for the “I gave you everything” emotional blackmail. Not everyone can say no, and the fate of Kevin (Tom Lipinski) in the second episode emphasizes how much power Wilford has. This coupled with the extreme lengths he will go to in wielding control over his dedicated subjects is a recipe for horror. As soon as Kevin took a bite of the fried chicken (and admitted to doing so), his days were numbered. The offer of a warm bath seems like a benevolent act but anyone who has watched TV (or seen any number of Bean’s villainous performances) knows this will not be a soothing experience. Even if you haven’t guessed that Kevin’s time in hospitality is over, Alex’s exit makes this clear.

Stripping off and climbing into the bath with Kevin is another tool to aid compliance. By entering this watery space it gives the impression they are on the same level, but this is how the magnetic Wilford actively coerces Kevin into ending his life. Placing the knife in his hand, Wilford delivers this news like it is a glowing performance review telling him it has been an honor and that Kevin “served the mission well.” Kevin doesn’t immediately do as his boss wants him to do: he is scared and hesitates. “You’re free,” Wilford emphasizes before guiding the knife to the point where it should be. He doesn’t physically make the deadly cut, but nothing about this is Kevin’s choice. The horrifying tableau is made even more disturbing as his dog drinks the bloody bathwater.   

Rather than waiting for a big showdown between Wilford and Layton, Snowpiercer is moving full steam ahead by featuring this first meeting early on. The battle is far from over and while there is a long-running joke that Bean always gets killed on screen, Wilford has already proved he is a hard man to leave behind. The energy he brings as the ego-maniac has already cranked the post-apocalyptic series up a notch and temperatures are heating up on board this extended locomotive. 

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This post contains spoilers for Snowpiercer.
Check out our last review here.

Loads of huge surprises came into play in “Smolder to Life.” It’s an unusual move for a second episode of a season, but it’s certainly not one I’m mad at! Given the tempo of these first two episodes, it’s clear that this year’s chapter of the TNT drama won’t be holding anything back. In this episode alone we see everything from human mutilation to some soap-y back-from-the dead drama before we can even take the fact that the world might be coming back to life into consideration.

For those who feared that Melanie (Jennifer Connelly) was going to be trapped in Wilford’s grasp for a prolonged period—fret not! She gets back on her train much sooner than later in an exchange for Wilford’s (Sean Bean) favorite hospitality specialist, Kevin (Tom Lipinski). Much to Big Alice’s hospitality specialist’s chagrin, she has a much more pleasant time when she arrives home than he does.

When Kevin was in Snowpiercer’s care, they gave him buffalo wings as an exchange for information. Given Big Alice’s food situation, this is the first time he’s seen his favorite food staple from his hometown since the world ended. While gobbling them down, Kevin shares the following information: The big brute has special skin grafted onto him so he’s not as affected by the cold, and Big Alice has around 100 occupants. All largely harmless information—but he doesn’t need to share those two factors with Wilford when he gets back home. Wilford’s not angry at the intel. He’s angry that Kevin’s shown them that they’re hungry.

What unfolds in a response is the perfect illustration of how far Joseph Wilford is willing to go, as well as the worship his devotees have for him. Kevin feels completely safe when he returns. He strips down in plain sight of Wilford, and happily crawls into the waiting bath that’s offered to him after his long day. Discomfort starts to show when his boss strips down and joins him in the tub, but still he chitters along. Upon gently explaining what his subordinate has done, Wilford hands him a straight razor and waits. 

Kevin slits his wrist in the bathtub with no protest but to ask who will run hospitality when he’s gone.

The display here is one of absolute power. Wilford doesn’t just run Big Alice, he’s revered by his disciples. They worship to him to the point of suicide. Melanie knows this, and relays as much to Andre (Daveed Diggs)—but that doesn’t stop him from making a decision that could ultimately cost both of them (and all those in their charge) the train.

Upon realizing that CW7 is doing what they had ultimately hoped it would in a much tighter window, the two decide they must use Wilford and the resources he’s built on Big Alice in order to ensure the survival of humanity. (Maybe even one that exists off of Snowpiercer.) So, the two invite Wilford to hold a summit before the populace of both trains so Melanie can share her findings and they can hopefully get the train to see that Wilford stands against any kind of hope or unity.

While the Wilford play will end up being more of a long one, they are able to convince both sides of the population that Melanie’s theory is correct: there could very much be a world in the near future where they can deboard their respective trains and re-start life on Earth due to the changes they’re seeing in the atmosphere. Unfortunately, one complicated caveat includes the fact that Melanie will have to leave the train to boot up a research center. It’s a risky move for a million reasons, but everyone’s too excited at the chance of a new life to see them.

Everyone except for Mr. Wilford, that is. Having Melanie off-train does nothing but benefit this season’s villain. No one knows him better, and it seems likely that Andre will become hasty without her council. Then again, Wilford didn’t expect Andre to be a problem past the summit. He expected to have control of both trains before the night fell, but young Alex couldn’t go through with her assignment to kill Andre.

What, then, is to come of young Alexandra (Rowan Blanchard)? She’s currently Wilford’s strongest chess piece against Melanie, and she seems to be the only member of Big Alice who’s less under his spell and more just thankful he “saved” her. But will Wilford lash out? Will it be a sign of mercy to further his manipulation of Melanie’s daughter? Honestly, the quiet stress of what could happen there is infinitely more interesting than this weird “twist” that Josie (Katie McGuinness) survived Melanie’s torture.

There’s something so very soap-y about not only bringing the character back from the dead, but having Zarah (Sheila Vand) be the one to find her. Andre’s baby momma might not have ever had a redemption to begin with, but we certainly get a reminder that the Tail is right to despise her. What kind of sociopath tries to murder a comatose patient and then return to threaten them after they lose their nerve? Girl’s a mess and a half and her drama adds nothing to an already intense and interesting series. 

And that’s the gist of “Smolder to Life.” You could nearly write a whole verse of “We Didn’t Start the Fire” to this episode, and that’s before we touch on the minor plot points like LJ’s (Annalise Basso) plot to charm Mr. Wilford, or the tidbits that are too underdeveloped to explore yet like Lights’ (Miranda Edwards) assault from a likely Wilford worshipper. There are a ton of threads happening right now, and damn near all of them are compelling.

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Snowpiercer is arriving into our screens once again, as we follow the lives of those who inhabit the perpetually-moving train that has replaced civilization as we once knew it. It circles the globe with the only remaining survivors, as the world is now a frozen wasteland. Aboard this train, there's a massive class divide that causes power struggles, as those in the lower classes live in terrible conditions.

**The remainder of this post contains spoilers for Snowpiercer Season 1**

At the end of the first season, there's an uprising which sees Voice of the Train Melanie (Jennifer Connelly) handing over control of the train to Layton (Daveed Diggs) and the other rebels. But it turns out they had much bigger problems ahead. In dramatic scenes, another train named Big Alice docked behind Snowpiercer, revealing that the original architect of the train, Mr Wilford, is actually alive and Melanie had been lying this whole time. Now that Mr Wilford is back on the scene, he wastes no time in taking back control of Snowpiercer once more.

This has left fans on the edge of their seats wondering what the future holds for this ever-moving train, and the inhabitants of this strange frozen wasteland. If you need a full refresher, you can check out our Snowpiercer Season 1 recap.

When is 'Snowpiercer' Season 2 on TNT?

The second season of Snowpiercer will land on TNT on Monday 25th January with its first episode, "The Time of Two Engines". Following episodes will air on Thursdays. If you're interested in our first impressions, why not check out our first Snowpiercer season 2 review?

TNT is available on every major streaming platform, including FuboTV, Hulu With Live TV, Sling TV, and YouTube TV.

What is the plot of 'Snowpiercer' Season 2?

According to TNT, "In Season two, an entirely new power struggle emerges, causing a dangerous rift as people are divided between their loyalty to Layton and to Mr Wilford, who has a new train, new technology and a game plan that keeps everyone guessing. While Layton battles Wilford for the soul of Snowpiercer, Melanie leads the charge on a shocking new discovery that could change the fate of humanity. "

So, we'll get to learn a lot more about Mr Wilford (Sean Bean) in this series, and what the arrival of Big Alice means for the occupants of Snowpiercer. 

How to watch 'Snowpiercer' Season 2 anywhere in the world 

If you're not in your usual TNT viewing market and still want to watch Snowpiercer, a VPN might be just the thing you need. A VPN allows your network traffic to flow through a specific set of servers in a specific country. So if you want to watch TNT in the U.S., you can watch TNT in the U.S.

The only catch is you need to be able to trust your VPN provider, because all of your network traffic — encrypted and unencrypted alike — will be flowing through it. For that, we've long been fans of ExpressVPN.

Who stars in 'Snowpiercer' Season 2?

Many familiar faces from Season 1 will be returning, and Sean Bean will be promoted to series regular after his dramatic entrance during the Season 1 finale.

Here's who we're expecting to see throughout Season 2...

• Jennifer Connelly (Melanie Cavill)
• Daveed Diggs (Andre Layton)
• Sean Bean (Mr. Wilford)
• Steven Ogg (Pike)
• Rowan Blanchard (Alex Cavill)
• Alison Wright (Ruth Wardell)
• Mickey Sumner (Bess Till)

TNT's Snowpiercer — the series based on the 2013 Bong Joon Ho movie — has been renewed for a third season. WarnerMedia (which owns TNT) announced the renewal just days ahead of the Season 2 premiere, which is scheduled for 9 p.m. Eastern time on Monday, Jan. 25.

WarnerMedia also said that the May 2020 premiere garnered some 3.3 million total viewers on TNT and TBS, and that the show remains the No. 1 cable series of 2020. To date, Snowpiercer has reached 32 million viewers on TNT's linear and digital platforms. Also helping those numbers is that Season 1 is currently available without commercials on HBO Max, which is the streaming home for TNT content.

The series lives in the world of the film, in which the Earth has frozen and just a few thousand survivors continue to live on board a train powered by a perpetual-motion engine, run by a mysterious "Mr. Wilford." The people on board Snowpiercer are grouped in a number of classes, as tends to happen on trains. The underclass — known as tailies — stormed on board just as the train was departing and are all but left to fend for themselves as the train makes its revolutions around the frozen planet.

We'll skip any spoilers from the first season — you can read all of our Snowpiercer reviews here, including the first episode of Season 2 — but suffice to say that things have change significantly for everyone on board Snowpiercer, from the engine to the tail.

Snowpiercer stars Oscar winner Jennifer Connelly (A Beautiful Mind) and Tony winner Daveed Diggs (Hamilton), with Sean Bean (Game of Thrones) joining for Season 2. The series also stars Rowan Blanchard, Emmy nominee Alison Wright (The Americans), Mickey Sumner, Iddo Goldberg, Katie McGuinness, Tony Award winner and Grammy nominee Lena Hall, Annalise Basso, Sam Otto, Roberto Urbina, Sheila Vand, and Steven Ogg.

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Check out our Snowpiercer Season 1 reviews here.

Snowpiercer returns on January 25th with its Season 2 premier, “The Time of Two Engines.” At the end of last season, we saw the Tailies finally succeed in freeing themselves from the cruel caste system that Melanie Cavill (Jennifer Connelly) upheld after wresting the train from Mr. Wilford (Sean Bean). Her allegiance has now shifted to join Andre Layton (Daveed Diggs) and the rest of the train for a more united and democratic Snowpiercer. But, before we can find out if the train can truly survive a fairer system, we have to see if it can survive the return of Wilford himself.

No time passes between the two seasons. We ended right at the very end of the revolution, with Melanie stranded outside in an attempt to wrest her beloved Snowpiercer from Big Alice’s grasp, and that’s exactly where we pick things up again. Alexandra Cavill, revealed to be alive at the end of Season 1, blackmails the survivors of the revolution for fresh produce, morphine, and booze lest she allows them all to freeze to death while her mother remains unwitting to her survival outside. Wilford’s got his feet kicked up while he sends Melanie’s daughter to do his dirty work while she’s outside getting frostbite. Pretty rude.

We learn plenty about the two trains in “The Time of Two Engines,” but to keep this as spoiler free as possible let’s just say this: each train’s occupants can learn a lot from one another. Snowpiercer managed to maintain a kind of ecosystem that allows them to enjoy fresh meat and produce. Big Alice and her occupants were forced to get creative in their small space (and the tyranny of Wilford). They’ve got a kind of goo that can replicate skin without scars. Much to the glee of the Tailies — they also have weed.

With her daughter in his charge — and believing him to be her savior — Wilford believes he has Melanie in his grasp. He wants his train back, but she points out that it’s no longer hers to give. This admission feels like a big step for the character, even though we watched her allegiance switch long before her reunion with her abusive ex-boss. Wilford is the type of man who believes he can beat or blackmail what he wants out of anyone, so he continues to apply pressure to the real brains of his operation. We’ll watch him try to use Alex (Rowan Blanchard) to his advantage several times throughout Snowpiercer’s premier. But his problem remains the same as it’s always been: Melanie Cavill is smarter than him.

The Tailies’ former foe has always said that she’s survived as long as she has — and kept the train going as long as she did — because of her brains. Season 2 saw an opportunity to showcase that right out the gate, and it took it. Connelly’s performance has always been believable, but I'm always here for any series that takes the opportunity to show rather than simply tell. Her actions will ensure the survival of Snowpiercer. It’s occupants, on the other hand, may be a separate question.

The young Alex Cavill is proving to be an interesting player in her own right. She’s furious at her mother, and still believes Wilford to be what he wants her to. But we’re already started to see small cracks in his façade. While Alex’s wrath at Melanie is well-earned, you can also see that there’s a part of her who believes her mom did everything she could to get to her. It’s the very beginning of the season and we’re already seeing small moments of mercy from Wilford’s cold protégé. The fact that she got to see Melanie best him right out the gate probably doesn’t hurt either.

Snowpiercer faces its own problems while Melanie deals with familial drama back on Big Alice, though they do play second fiddle to her and Wilford's story in this first episode. Andre is stuck in a complicated position. He just fought a war for democracy, but is there time for that while they're fighting for their lives? We'll see Snowpiercer's new leader make some regrettable decisions in "The Time of Two Engines," but they're the kind that will result in more character depth rather than those that can be chalked up to bad writing. 

Ruth Wardell (Alison Wright) remains the most curious of wild cards as we shift into this new season. At the end of Season 1, she's distinctly anti-Melanie, furious that she's been lied to, and firmly on the side of first class. When Big Alice docked with Snowpiercer, her elation was nearly palpable. However, it seems Ms. Wardell might be remembering the kind of man Mr. Wilford really was now that the chance of seeing him again has sunk in. When faced with a choice, she insists to Andre that she's on the side of Snowpiercer (as an entity) and has no further allegiances elsewhere. I'm not saying the lady's trustworthy, but this new layer is an interesting development. 

Snowpiercer will air Thursdays on TNT. 

Season 2 of Snowpiercer is approaching quickly! To prepare, TNT has released a new trailer for the upcoming ride. Civil War is brewing on the train, with Mr. Wilford's presence splitting the existing factions even further. Blind loyalty runs rampant while Andre Layton (Daveed Diggs) and Melanie Cavill (Jennifer Connelly) try to keep the last hope of humanity chugging along.  

Here's the official synopsis for Season 2 of Snowpiercer: 

At the end of season one, the survivors of the revolution are trying to pick up the pieces and maintain a fragile peace amongst the now merged classes with Layton (Daveed Diggs) emerging as the train’s leader. Discovering Mr. Wilford (Sean Bean) is alive and headed their way on a rival train, Melanie (Jennifer Connelly) risks going outside to prevent him from invading Snowpiercer. While she’s out there, it’s revealed that Alexandra (Rowan Blanchard), Melanie’s daughter, who she thought had died, is alive and has become Wilford’s dedicated protegee. In season two, an entirely new power struggle emerges, causing a dangerous rift as people are divided between their loyalty to Layton and to Mr. Wilford, who has a new train, new technology and a game plan that keeps everyone guessing. While Layton battles Wilford for the soul of Snowpiercer, Melanie leads the charge on a shocking new discovery that could change the fate of humanity.

The Season 2 poster's pretty expected, though not aesthetically offensive. Andre Layton, Melanie Cavill, and Mr. Wilford will duke it out throughout the season over control of the train and humanity as we know it. Though, hopefully we see Cavill and Layton remain on the same side after their war in Season 1. Their dynamic is too interesting to sacrifice. Besides, Wilford's currently got Melanie's long lost kid as a hostage, so it seems in her favor to take him down. 

This post contains spoilers for Snowpiercer Season 1. 

Starting a new society after a man-made environmental disaster that wiped out most of the world’s population is no easy task. Instead of a post-apocalypse utopia, the Snowpiercer passengers of the 1,001-car train inhabit a class system that favors the rich while everyone else suffers — seven of the carriages (with people onboard) were sacrificed in Season 1 bringing the total down to 994. Based on the 1982 French graphic novel Le Transperceneige and subsequent Bong Joon Ho 2013 movie adaptation (Bong serves as executive producer), the TNT series is about to enter its second season after a bombshell cliffhanger revealed these passengers are not the only survivors.

Revolution is central to the events of Season 1, which kicked off with a murder investigation and an introduction to former homicide detective Andre Layton (Daveed Diggs). A non-ticketed passenger, his expertise was sought after another unexplained gruesome death aboard the luxury train. In an attempt to maintain order within the delicate and undemocratic ecosystem, the enigmatic Snowpiercer visionary Mr. Wilford took a gamble by plucking Layton from the impoverished tail section. What followed was an uprising that revealed the true identity of Wilford to the other passengers and the arrival of a new train in the tense finale that changed everything (again).

Before Snowpiercer returns for Season 2 on January 25, here is everything you need to remember about the insurrection, who is on the train called Big Alice, and the freezing cold location where we left series antagonist Melanie Cavill (Jennifer Connolly). 

Andre Layton and the Tailie Uprising 

It took seven years aboard Snowpiecer to launch a successful revolution and all it required was a series of grisly unsolved murders as the catalyst. The first few episodes suggested this version of Snowpiercer was more CSI: Post-Apocalypse Locomotive, but using a crime to break Layton out of the tail section enabled the grand unifying plan and effectively established the different classes to viewers. Solving the murder revealed the culprit as sociopathic rich teenager LJ Folger (Annalise Basso) who egged her bodyguard boyfriend on to commit the heinous crimes — inflicting horrifying wounds on men from lower classes. As with everything on board this train, punishment is dished out based on wealth and privilege. 

LJ attempted to seduce Layton before turning on the innocent waterworks during her trial. For a girl who stabbed out her father’s eye during a childhood tantrum, it is clear this is not a one-off act of disturbing rebellion. Despite her troubling behavior, Layton turned to the adolescent when he needed to gather evidence against the head of hospitality Melanie Cavill. The reason? Layton’s love interest Josie (Katie McGuinness) was killed by Melanie after an interrogation-gone-wrong — and a near escape aided by brakeman Bess Till (Mickey Sumner). Josie was a vital part of the uprising with Layton setting the final plans in motion in retribution for her sacrifice. A bloody but successful battle was fought with the rebels taking control of the train. Unfortunately, the surprise arrival of Big Alice means the new democratic era will encounter some major obstacles before there is anything close to equality within this society. There is some good news for Layton as his ex-wife Zarah (Sheila Vand) is pregnant with their baby — the pair’s uncomfortable reunion spilled over into a passionate Night Car hook-up. On Snowpiercer, women in Third Class are selected to have children (another horrifying practice to control the population) and this unplanned pregnancy will likely have wider consequences.       

Melanie Cavill’s Scheme 

There is no longer a Mr. Wilford or so we are led to believe when it is revealed that Melanie has spent the last seven years faking it as the man whose name is all over this train. She believed he would doom their existence with his self-serving philosophy so she left him in Chicago to die. Instead, she used his moniker to preserve control and believed her actions served the greater good. The latter is dubious considering how much suffering has occurred for the majority of the passengers while the First Class lived a life of luxury. She did make sacrifices including leaving her young daughter Alexandra behind — the men she sent to collect Alex were not successful — but her pragmatism is no excuse for the disparity. 

Few know the truth, but engineer boyfriend Bennett Knox (Iddo Goldberg) is part of Melanie’s trusted inner-circle. Unfortunately, Bennett did not tell his beloved about Big Alice's arrival — before it was too late — and she cut the engineer's air supply so he couldn’t assist outside with cutting the uplink between vessels. Melanie is out in the sub-freezing temperatures when her supposedly dead daughter Alex (Rowan Blanchard) makes her grand Snowpiercer arrival. Little does she know her mother is lying outside in the snow after the abrupt stop. Control is what Melanie craves and this development will certainly cause more chaos in the already unstable environment. Plus, Melanie has to get back on the train before she freezes to death — or Snowpiercer leaves one passenger short.  

Hospitality and the Brakeman 

The majority of residents have designated jobs to maintain food resources, power, law, health, education, and even entertainment. Some of these roles are based on past experience but there is little wiggle room for progression and most are doomed to stay within limitations. Some switched sides including brakeman Bess Till — she was a police officer before the freeze — and she actively aided Layton to overthrow Melanie. Bess even broke things off with her girlfriend Jinju Seong (Susan Park) when it became clear they were on different sides of this cause. A tough fighter, she stood by Layton’s side when the unwelcome new arrival dished out threats.

Layton is flanked by Wilford’s biggest fan Ruth (Alison Wright) who has long been singing the train inventor’s praises without realizing he was never aboard. Now the fur coat-wearing First Class Concierge has found out he is still alive, it remains unclear how much of a danger to progress she will be if Mr. Wilford (Sean Bean) recognizes how devoted she is. 

Big Alice  

With a foreboding name like Big Alice, the new addition is actually only 40 carriages (not that big, Alice) and was the original Eternal Engine prototype. Big Alice’s other purpose was a Snowpiercer supply vessel, but when Melanie ditched Mr. Wilford at the station in Chicago she didn’t factor in this being used as an alternative residence. It is unclear how many people are on board — besides Alex and Mr. Wilford — but the threat is very real. Now instead of one society coming apart at the seams, there is a potentially dangerous (and vengeful) man wanting to take back the world, which he believes is his. Snowpiercer might be longer, but it is now under the control of Big Alice and those within. It is not going to get any easier for the rebels and they might have to turn to Melanie for support.

Two trains will go to war with the arrival of Mr. Wilford when Snowpiercer returns to TNT on Monday, January 25.   

The monologue belongs to one Ruth Wardell this week (Alison Wright). She speaks of Mr. Wilford with a reverence that borders on worship. As she practically prays to the man that she believes to be their savior, young LJ Folger (Annalise Basso) is granted access to the engine room by Miles (Jaylin Fletcher).

As we discussed last week, introducing LJ into the resistance is a move that invites chaos into what has otherwise been a complex game of chess between Andre Layton (Daveed Diggs) and Melanie Cavill (Jennifer Connelly). While it does seem that Andre had planned to use that chaos in his favor, it does look as if the leader of the Tail may have bitten off more than he can chew.

This week, Snowpiercer's 1001 cars run red. It's time for the revolution to begin.

More: Snowpiercer Episode 1 recap

LJ dutifully brings the news of Mr. Wilford's absence from the engine to her parents. This quickly results in a domino effect that will lead to Melanie's arrest and Ruth's no good, very bad day. While the former sits chained in what was once her office, Ruth and her merc boyfriend Commander Grey (Timothy V. Murphy) march to the engine to find out what's what. Turns out Ruth didn't want to know what was what, because the "what" is that the man that she viewed as her savior wasn't just not on the train — he never boarded it.

It's at this moment that we see the kindness in Ruth sort of snap. Don't take that the wrong way — she's always had an underlying authoritarian vibe about her. But now, that "spare the rod, spoil the child" mentality is brought to the forefront in a way that I'm sure Commander Grey very much enjoys.

The last we see of Ruth in "These Are His Revelations" is in her conversation with the chained Melanie. Snowpiercer's overlord now sits in the very chair that she murdered Josie Wellstead (Katie McGuinness) in just last week. As she does, she learns that she's to be executed for her betrayal of the train and Mr. Wilford. Because of course Ruth doesn't believe her when Melanie explains that she's the one who designed the train while Wilford only sold tickets. Ruth Wardell is very much the type of woman who believes she is limited because of her gender. A woman could never do what Wilford did, and Melanie will be put to death for her indiscretion.

Of course, we all know Melanie Cavill isn't going to be put to death.

The real question then becomes where her allegiance will fall before Snowpiercer 's first season ends. Will she escape to the bowels of the train? Will she flee to the Tailies and beg for forgiveness? No one knows Snowpiercer like she does. Reasonably, Melanie could hide away for an indeterminate amount of time before she's found. But then, who will run the train? Bennett Knox (Iddo Goldberg) and young Miles remain locked in the engine room, and Javi de La Torre (Roberto Urbina) is a captive of First after his betrayal to the engine.

The unfortunate truth surrounding the complex and ultimately terrifying Melanie is that the train needs her. It doesn't matter who wins the war unfolding in Snowpiercer's belly. If that train breaks, there is exactly one woman who can fix it every single time. That woman also happens to be an awful human being who has done a lot of awful things (and remains devastatingly interesting).

"These Are His Revelations" is a rare episode that's difficult to talk about without spoilers, but what I can tell you is this: the revolution has begun, and it's already damn bloody. That works for this horror-lover, but your mileage may vary if you're not used to a whole lot of blood spatter. The carnage is both savage and beautiful, and it ravages all four classes (though mostly the Tail, Third, and Second). Bodies are strewn through multiple cars, and the injury count is just as high.

Despite LJ's chaos element, a lot of intricate moving parts remain in this revolt. Tailies and Third team up to play their parts, and most manage to execute without a hitch. However, there is one snag in the medical car. Someone's not in the drawer that they're supposed to be in. Someone is, instead, in first class being fed cake in exchange for intel on how to stop one Andre Layton. Someone is going to have a very bad day when the Tail catches up with him.

This episode is a good example on how to ramp things up before your penultimate episode. Blood smears the walls, heads are given in boxes, couples find themselves on opposing sides of the revolution, and complicated allegiances are going to have to be made if they all want the complex ecosystem that keeps them all alive to keep running.

Two episodes remain in the first season of Snowpiercer . I suspect the best is yet to come.

Snowpiercer returns on TNT this week with "The Universe is Indifferent". Our weekly monologue is kicked off by the nefarious LJ Folger (Annalise Basso), who notes that to be human is to be self-involved.

It's always been obvious that the young socialite thinks herself above all the rest. She finds herself superior to the lower-class cars because of her status, and above her fellow first-class members because she deigns to slum it with the "dirtier" people down train.

Snowpiercer's very own sociopath will end up playing an important role in this episode, but not until the very last moments.

More: Snowpiercer Episode 1 recap

When Andre (Daveed Diggs) and Josie (Katie McGuinness) begrudgingly part, it's to general their respective areas of the rebellion. Andre is delivered to Miss Audrey (Lena Hall) by laundry cart, and Josie heads to ensure young Miles (Jaylin Fletcher) has his next instructions now that Melanie (Jennifer Connelly) has fast-tracked his apprenticeship in engineering. While Andre has the more difficult task, Josie certainly has the more dangerous one. Recruiting an army during systemic oppression can be a tall order when folks higher on the social ladder are afraid of losing their spot, but that pales in comparison to having to deliver instructions to a young boy while your oppressor stands five feet away.

Josie doesn't find herself captured in the hospital room with Miles, though. Her apprehension is made possible by much more nefarious means. Zara, currently pregnant, sells out the tail a second time in order to protect her unborn child. While her actions are a little bit more understandable this time, this whole betrayal thing is becoming a bit of a habit with her. And this time it could result in someone's death.

"The Universe is Indifferent" spends just the right amount of time focusing on the complexities of two key characters. Once again, we see the nefarious Melanie Cavill displaying an impressive amount of depth. One moment she's torturing a stalwart Josie, the next she's throwing up in her quarters over what she's done. Josie is ever-empathetic through the experience, despite being Melanie's victim. She tries to reach her, just as she tries to reach a horrified Bess Till (Mickey Sumner).

Melanie is too far gone, lost in a world that she believes is all Wilford's doing. She insists that had she been the one to create Snowpiercer and the social systems that are used to keep her on track, she would have created a world less cruel. But she didn't, and so she is beholden to the system around her. Though Melanie is unreachable, Bess is not.

In the brief time that they are able to speak, Josie tells Bess that she's one of them now. She reminds the cop that she's not too far gone, or too engrained in Snowpiercer's system to change. Josie makes Bess feel like she belongs in a way that she's never felt welcome while working on the train. Life on Snowpiercer may have made her hard, but Bess has never agreed with the cruelty of her compatriots. While she did remain complicit to it, sometimes all it takes is someone showing you that there's another way. Josie and Andre did just that.

I've talked about Snowpiercer being an intricate web from the beginning. Appropriately, that remains truer than ever seven episodes into their ten-episode arc. Complicating things further (yes, further than a class war), is first class's vendetta to oust Melanie. Unfortunately for the head of Hospitality, her trusted second Ruth Wardell (Alison Wright) might have remained loyal had she not been deeply cruel to her when Ruth tried to raise the alarm over the coup.

While there are endless aspects of the show to remain engaged with, it's this brewing situation between Melanie and Ruth that I find the most interesting at this exact second. Snowpiercer has spent a lot of time humanizing Melanie. It's illustrated to us time and time again that while she puts on a cold front, she remembers her humanity. Her cruelty is inexcusable, but it's also reactionary. All of this makes me wonder if the writers have spent their time showing us this deeply complex character to build up a more interesting villain, or if we will eventually see the home-grown girl turned overlord turn her allegiance to the tail and the lower-class when her back's against a wall.

We don't yet know what Melanie will do with her feet to the fire (y'know, more than they already are), but we are made completely aware of how Andre will react to a similar situation. A devastating casualty among his ranks will result in the leader of the Tailies to do the unthinkable with his one leg up in this complicated game: he tells the young and wretched LJ Folger that Melanie and Wilford are one and the same.

This is the first move we've seen Andre make in haste (while not hopped up on drugs). He's a smart man, but he's introduced a chaos card into an intricate and calculated game. In the moment the decision is made, he's only thinking of how he can hurt Melanie the most. We'll have to wait and see how much the move ends up hurting him instead.

Suspense is on the menu this week on Snowpiercer . The train's failing, and there's only one woman who can save her. Unfortunately for the very miffed Andre Layton (Daveed Diggs), that woman is Melanie Cavill (Jennifer Connelly). Episodes like "Trouble Come Sideways" rely on their tension to see the plot through rather than focusing on heavy exposition or subplots, but that doesn't mean that these fun little thrill-rides don't have anything to say. Rumor of a strike starts to spread across the train long before one of her engines starts to falter, and there are new secrets to learn about the train and its complicated ecosystem.

Third class' threat to strike brought out the most authoritarian version of Melanie that we've seen so far. When she's asked what she's going to do about the strike, she says simply that she's going to "crush it". She then marches directly to third class and lets them know that if they move forward with their plans, she will randomly select ten passengers and send them to the tail. Their positions will then be filled by Tailies, a people more than willing to fight for what third has.

This power clash is a perfect illustration of how both quiet and flagrant classism manage to keep a grip throughout all levels of "polite society". The poor are pitted against each other in a zero-sum game that they're destined to lose while the rich continue to benefit from their labor. Third class is correct – Snowpiercer stops without their work. But how many of them are willing to risk themselves or a loved one being sent to the tail over taking a stand?

More: Snowpiercer Episode 1 recap

The clean-cut head of hospitality has to shift from the strike crisis to immediately trying to sort out how to save her baby. Well, her baby and the lives of all the other people on board. Before she can do so, she's met with a-still-waking-up-but-very-pissed Andre, who is more than happy to kill her for stuffing him into one of the drawers and lying to the entirety of the train about Mr. Wilford's existence.

This is where the ever-clever Melanie points out that she's the only one who can save the train. Thing is, this isn't delivered with her typical poise. Ms. Cavill is genuinely concerned that Andre is about to take her life and practically begs him to let her save the train. Of course, seeing a ghost that she had thought was taken care of probably didn't make things any easier for Snowpiercer's two-faced overlord.

With the thought that they're all pretty much about to die, Andre rushes back to Josie (Katie McGuinness) in the medical car. Meanwhile, other members of the train are coming to terms with the fact that they might not come out on the other side of the upcoming bridge alive. Bess Till (Mickey Sumner) and her partner Oz (Sam Otto) come to terms while holding hands and waiting for death. Great news for Bess, because Oz was ready to extort her over that bashing him in the head business from last week. While the train's two beat cops were doing that, a terrified Ruth Wardell (Alison Wright) was doing her best to keep the train inspired and calm. As an aside: her betrayal of Melanie will be quick and poorly planned, and I for one look forward to witnessing the attempt.

Since we're only on episode six, we always knew that Melanie was going to be able to fix her train. That doesn't pull from the tension of the episode, though. Emotions range from stoic to terrified, and everyone plays their roles perfectly. When Melanie comes up from underneath the train, we see her nearly lose her cool for the first time in the series. While she manages to keep it together, she's quickly reminded that the joy of life felt universally by the train's passengers in that exact moment will not last. Miss Audrey (Lena Hall) and the rest of third are still out for blood, and no threat to send passengers to the tail over their strike is going to quell her rage.

We learn two other important tidbits in the span of this episode. The first is that there are eleven more cars worth of drawers. Though Andre, Josie and the good doctor are quick to believe that these are for malicious ends, Melanie puts those thoughts to rest when she's confronted by Andre before fixing the engine. The additional cars worth of drawers are a failsafe, not a punishment. They're a space for those chosen by Melanie (and presumably Wilford before her) to continue humanity should Snowpiercer falter. Keeping the bodies in suspension gives them the highest chance at survival in the event that the heat stops pumping through the train.

The second clever piece on Melanie's complicated chess board is young Miles. She knows his importance to Andre and his people, and she seems set to exploit that without remorse. "Trouble Comes Sideways" shows the beginning of her conditioning the young man to play some kind of role against the tail, but we don't learn what just yet. All we know is that she's testing him, and that he's now the proud owner of her first caliper (a gift from Mr. Wilford himself).

A lot of interesting pieces were put in place as the series officially kicks off the latter half of its season. We're on the downhill slope now, and things are sure to continue to heat up the closer we get to the season one finale. In the meantime, Andre and Josie have their first moment of privacy since they started seeing each other. Sometimes the revolution can wait until the morning.

When Snowpiercer decided to put Andre Layton (Daveed Diggs) in a drawer four episodes into the season, there were some understandable questions. Namely, what's the series going to do without its main character for any length of time? "Justice Never Boarded" proves right out the gate just what the writers had planned with such a bold move.

The thing is, a revolution is never just about one moving part. By (quite literally) stuffing Andre in a drawer, it gives the show opportunity to shine a light on the other factions who are going to make this uprising possible.

This week's big focus? The Night Car.

Miss Audrey (Lena Hall), the bold and beautiful head of The Night Car, is done with watching third class be treated as less-than. They're the people who keep the train moving and the heat on, but their deaths and their pain don't matter. Their voices and votes remain unheard. The death of young Nikki Genêt (Madeleine Arthur) sparked a renewed fire for equality, and Audrey is willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish it.

After going so far as to threaten Melanie Cavill (Jennifer Connelly), Miss Audrey accomplishes a big first step towards her goal: she convinces the head of hospitality to redraw the tribunal meant to deliver a verdict on young LJ Folger (Annalise Basso). Who (since you've watched last week's episode) you now know is an absolute sociopath. Rather than feature an all first-class jury, the tribunal will be made up of one member from each class.

For the majority of the episode, it seems as if justice might just be served against LJ. There's even a box of severed penises to prove her guilt. You'll need to watch the episode on Sunday to find out whether or not that comes to pass, though.

There's an unlikely pairing in "Justice Never Boarded." While on her mission to find Andre, Josie (Katie McGuinness) runs across one Bess Till (Mickey Sumner). Now, it's worth mentioning here that Bess believed Andre to be back in the tail, as did everyone who wasn't Melanie or the good doctor. Though Bess is now under a probationary period while moving into second class with the lovely Jinju (Susan Park), her ethics won't let her just leave Andre in the drawer. What unfolds after Bess finds Josie huddled in Andre's compartment just furthers the notion that she's about to grow into one of the series' more complex characters.

She'll do so alongside the impressively complex Melanie. Last week we saw her put a man into a forced coma without a hint of shame. This week, we watched her cry on her lover's chest at the thought of bringing actual justice to someone in first class. The character is clearly deeply responsible for the deplorable level of classism that takes place on what became her train, but there's a lot of levels that we're going to get to dig into as we follow her journey.

"Justice Never Boarded" added several new cogs to the complex clock that is Snowpiercer. While Andre may be out of harm's way for the time being, he's still out of commission for the foreseeable future. The Night Car may be the "Switzerland" of the train, but it proved itself a formidable foe in the uprising that will inevitably unfold as the series progresses. Miss Audrey and her ilk are fearless, spurred on by the fact that there's not a soul on Snowpiercer whose secrets they don't know. Meanwhile, the Tailies remain quietly in the distance, waiting from the go-ahead from Josie. Generals and battalions are clearly forming in the 1,001-car train, and first class will do whatever it takes to squash a revolution before it begins.

The Folgers are formidable, to be sure. They were ready to have Melanie murdered at the sheer thought of charges being pressed against their daughter. While both parents maintain a fox-like cleverness about them, there's only so much they'll be able to do against the brute force should The Tail and third class rise up together. With Bess' voice now tentatively residing in second class, there's a strong possibility some of them join the fight as well.

There's an intricate story unfolding in Snowpiercer . Like the train itself, each strand of the web is contributing to keep the overall machine rolling. There's a large ensemble of characters for a season with only ten episodes, but everyone who's spent more than a few moments on screen has a clear and present purpose to the overall narrative. I get the sense that the series will remain both complicated and intricate in its storytelling, and I mean that as the highest compliment.

While exposition fatigue is absolutely a thing, it's important to remember in shows like Snowpiercer that everything's going to come together before the series wraps. Sometimes, you've just got to allow for some groundwork to be laid, even if it's not as exciting as the series' first episode.

With that in mind, if you've been waiting for this train to get back up to speed after its stellar pilot episode, "Without Their Maker" has everything you've wanted — and more.

The exposition in this week's episode focuses more with the resistance in the Tail. Up-train, it's all action with a dash of sociopath! Last week feels like approximately 11 years ago, so just as a quick refresher, we closed out with the Folger family's personal body guard, Erik (Matt Murray) getting all murder-y with the helpless Nikki (Madeleine Arthur).

More: Snowpiercer Episode 1 recap

First, a casual reminder: Nikki was wrongfully convicted of a past murder on the Snowpiercer, and Melanie (Jennifer Connelly) was keen on ensuring her safety as she came out of the deep sleep they'd left her in. The train's fearless leader is less than pleased with this development, and she's far from the only one. By the time she makes it on-scene, Bess Till (Mickey Sumner), Roche (Mike O'Malley) and Andre (Daveed Diggs) are all already on site.

Things move quickly after their brief meeting in the medical car. Till and "Oz" Osweiller (Sam Otto) head to second to chase down their perp while Andre and Melanie head to first to question the passengers. While no one's thrilled with a Tailie's presence in their space, Melanie gives Andre free rein to bring this nightmare to a close.

Which he does, promptly. But I'm not going to spilt that for you here.

It feels odd to call "Without Their Maker" a return to form for the series. It's still very young, and it's still finding its footing. With that acknowledged, this week's episode easily shifts back into the neck breaking speed that the pilot had. Things happen in quick succession, and everything feels like a moment we've been waiting for.

This week also happens to be a stellar week for Connolly's calculating Melanie. We get to see little peeks into her humanity, including who she's willing to let her walls down in front of. Bennett Knox (Iddo Goldberg) is a curious character that we know very little about so far, but their relationship remains one of intrigue as we dive deeper into the narrative.

Melanie is a woman driven by results. This trait is a big reason that her relationship with Andre is so interesting. She doesn't like him, but she also doesn't seem to think herself above him. She respects his intellect, and his ability to get the job done — even if that very intellect leads him to discover a secret she's kept close to the vest for years.

Knowing what we know about the complicated conductor of the Snowpiercer, you can imagine how she might react to someone finding something out about her that she's not ready to share. Suffice to say, things don't end great for our dashing protagonist this week. Of course, there's no way Melanie could prepare for the Tailies knowing about Andre's plight so quickly.

Snowpiercer's layered leading lady isn't the only one who had an interesting week. Andre got to flex both his detective and his revolutionary chops this week, easily tricking the suspect into believing he was on their side. As for who that suspect is? That's more fun if you find out in the episode. What I will say is that their sociopathic performance was aces, and I hope we spend a lot more time with their brand of crazy as the show progresses.

Snowpiercer is a difficult watch in our current political climate. It's always had a poignance to it, considering that classism is alive and well in America, and global warming is what sparked the dystopia and forced everyone onto the train. But the riots in the tail hit even harder when we witness riots on our streets. The show is meant to be a work of fiction, but fiction's job has long been to highlight the darkness of reality. The parallels are undeniable, and they're as emotionally taxing — as they should be.

This week's voiceover is from Dr. Klimpt (Happy Anderson), Snowpiercer's physician. In it, he speaks of access, and how it's the hottest-traded commodity on the train. As he does, we see him pull a small pill-looking object from Nikki's (Madeleine Arthur) — the woman who was pulled out of suspended animation and wrongfully accused of murder — arm. The episode doesn't actually outline what that little pill is. But, given the fact that it's the focus of attention while the good doctor is talking about access, it feels safe to assume that the little pill, tracker, device … thing … is what grants you access from class to class, rather than something as basic as fingerprints or biometrics.

Then again, it could also be krono — the drug that made its rounds in the Tail and has been causing a whole lot of trouble for the upper-class cars. We have seen the drug before (last week after the young boy blew the cop to get "medicine" for his mother — more on that later), but never close-up. Really what I'm trying to say here is that we're not yet one-hundred percent sure what the hell it is, but imagine they'll explain more in future episodes.

More: Snowpiercer Episode 1 recap

If you recall, Andre (Daveed Diggs) got in a bit of a scuffle last week. Thankfully, Melanie (Jennifer Connelly) and her crew still very much need his help. Roche (Mike O'Malley) and Melanie do give him a bit of the third degree, but Andre's smart enough to know that they've got nothing and will continue to let him roam "free". Roche even shares a bit of his lunch with him midway through the episode.

Meanwhile, Bess (Mickey Sumner) gets a little action! It appears that she and Jinju (Susan Park) are a thing, though the level of seriousness remains in question. After their tryst, Bess mentions that they still need to interrogate Nikki. Jinju, who does genuinely appear to care, warns her not to cross Melanie and lets slip that the patient is a little out of it at the moment. Unfortunately, that tidbit reveals that Nikki's awake and that Bess and company have been lied to. Off the stalwart lady cop goes to find her partner and get to the bottom of this whole murder situation!

And of Jinju goes to warn Melanie that her lover's about to question someone she doesn't want her questioning. Yikes, Jinju.

Whether she wants them to or not, Andre and Bess still get some critical information from Nikki before Melanie can intervene. Remember that drug that we talked about in the beginning? Turns out it's a bastardized version of the chemicals they use to put people in the deep sleep. The partners make their way around the train to ask a few questions, but things don't really heat up until fight night.

What's fight night? It's basically a Thunderdome between two third class passengers for the enjoyment of those in second and first. Whoever wins said Thunderdome gets promoted from third class to second class. First class eats it up – they're classy like that. While all the excitement goes down, Andre manages to score a meeting with Terance (Shaun Toub). Terance leads the Janitors, and appears to be the primary dealer of kronos on Snowpiercer. This meeting directly results in a lead in the case and the leverage Andre needs to get a message (and a very important package) to Josie (Katie McGuinness).

While the theme of "Access is Power" is exactly what the episode outlines, it feels important to acknowledge the chess match that's being played out. As much as we see access playing an important role, there's also a whole lot of leverage coming into play. Andre remains alive because he's needed, and is able to get privileged information in order to go see Josie. Jinju cares about Bess, but sells her out in order to remain in Melanie's good graces. Meanwhile Melanie finds herself losing control and leverages old recordings of Mr. Wilford to calm the unhappy residents of Snowpiercer.

Everyone is playing a game, but not everyone realizes what chess piece they are in that game. Though she's currently occupying the role of a pawn, Bess Till might be the most interesting secondary character at this given moment. She maintains her disdain for Andre and the Tailies, but defended her partner when he was attacked and sprung to action when she got new information. Though she's got a serious amount of prejudice programmed into her, she genuinely wants to be a good cop.

Some interesting key narratives start to form in "Access is Power". Young LJ Folger (Annalise Basso) appears to have had some sort of relationship to Nikki, and her creepy bodyguard comes awful close to matching the suspect's description. What's going on with the most powerful family on the Snowpiercer? Guess we're going to have to find out next week!

If you've been waiting with bated breath for Snowpiercer to get to the cannibalism portion of the story, Episode 2 — "Prepare to Brace" — has you covered. In addition to biting into the meat of the murder that Andre (Daveed Diggs) was pulled up from the tail to investigate, we also learn exactly how much of a threat the frozen outside climate is to the train itself.

We open with another monologue, this time from Josie Wellstead (Katie McGuinness). While Andre was able to protect the Tailies from being killed for their failed rebellion in Episode 1 (="First, The Weather Changed"), the mysterious Mr. Wilford still requires an example be made for the loss of life amongst his guard. At first, it's young Winnie (Emma Oliver) who's meant to pay the price. However, her mother comes forward and insists that she's responsible for her daughter's actions, and that she pay instead.

More: Snowpiercer Episode 1 recap

Josie's voice lingers over the gruesome scene. The mother's arm is wetted and placed through a gasket that allows it to be stuck outside the train, without any of the subzero temperatures breeching the train. As 60 seconds tick by, Josie speaks of rebellion and what Tailies believe is to come. Of note is this:

"They can take our limbs, our children, our leaders. The more they steal from us the more human we become. Humanity will fill our bellies one day when we meet the rich of Snowpiercer."

A hopeful sentiment wrapped up in the threat of cannibalism both embodies the vibe of the show and hints at what's to come as the episode progresses. It gives us a glimpse of just how far the Tailies have been pushed in their fear, and exactly the lengths they'll go to in order to ensure their people's survival.

All of this unfolds as Snowpiercer crosses a particularly sketchy stretch of track. While "Head of Hospitality" Melanie Cavill (Jennifer Connelly) does all she can to keep passengers calm, her tranquil demeanor can't do much to stop an avalanche.

When we catch up with Andre, we see that he's being kept in a cell but still being given actual food in the form of third-class rations (rather than the protein block served to the Tailies that's all too familiar to those who have seen the film). He and Bess (Mickey Sumner) must continue their investigation despite their tense relationship and do so to varying degrees of success. As the episode progresses, we see both harsh conflict and a strange support form between these two. Bess will undoubtedly become the insider on the Tailies' team before the season wraps, assuming she manages to survive that long. In the meantime, there's still plenty of bickering to come between these two former cops.

In their investigation, Andre quickly realizes that there's a cannibalism plot afoot (not a pun). Bess doesn't want to believe her partner at first, and instead falls back on humor to quip about the rumors of the Tailies' cannibalism. But it's a rumor that Andre quickly confirms. In the first few years, there were death cults that formed factions and warred in the tail. It wasn't until they had their own uprising that they were able to stop the murders and put an end to their people feasting on one another. While the upper-class citizens question the balance of his people, Andre's quick to point out that they put an end to their murders years ago while those in the higher cars slaughter each other despite ample food.

The two cops near their answers in the cattle car, but the aforementioned avalanche puts an end to any chance of questioning the butcher or his assistant. With them goes the last remaining cattle. The extinction event doesn't just mean a lack of beef for the first-class citizens, either. The cow's manure fertilized the crop while their methane was manipulated for their atmosphere. Their death is the first chip in Snowpiercer's delicate ecosystem, and it won't be the last.

It's not long after the avalanche hits that Andre and Bess find their evidence. The remaining bits of arm and leg are found hidden in a vent in the Butcher's freezer. However, Andre's not convinced that the murder and the cannibalism are directly related. You don't just chop a dude's junk off when you're using him for food. Besides, think of all the meaty bits that could have been used from the torso!

We don't spend much more time there, because Andre has to get beaten by a baton. He tries to get a map to one of the Tailies who were brought up for sanitization duty, earning him a meeting with Melanie. She's extra salty because she was forced to authorize rolling blackouts to allow for repairs in the cattle car, but not so angry that she discontinued apprenticeships for the children in the tail. Three kids are selected, including young Miles (Jaylin Fletcher).

That's pretty much the long and short of the episode. If it feels like we talked about a lot more exposition than we did last week, you're right! While the pilot leaned heavily into what the emotional tone of the series will be, "Prepare to Brace" leans solely into plot. While there's nothing necessarily wrong with that, it does give it a little less impact than the first.

With that in mind, all that exposition is imperative to the overall story. Every bit of information we received will continue to play out as the season progresses. Snitches, amputations, and people eating people lend for plenty of excitement even when we are exposition heavy, so the season's still chugging along on its tracks.

Seven years ago, director Bong Joon Ho first brought us Snowpiercer . The film was based on the French graphic novel "Le Transperceneige." It was Bong's English-language debut, and many Americans' first introduction to the man behind Parasite's genius. Now, we find ourselves with a new adaption — one with which Bong Joon Ho remains involved an executive producer.

At its core, the plot remains the same as the film and the graphic novel. The voice of Daveed Diggs (among his many roles, of course, is his Tony- and Grammy-winning performances in Hamilton ) hums to life as the episode begins. He tells of the weather changes, and of the deniers who doomed humanity with their lies. Some actively made the world hotter with their actions. Scientists attempted to save the dying planet by reversing the process, but instead froze the planet to its core.

In response to Earth's latest ice age, the mysterious Mr. Wilford creates a train to remain in constant motion to combat the -119.6 degrees Celsius (that's -183.28 degrees Fahrenheit) temperatures outside. The revolutionary train has its own ecosystem and is able to remain completely self-sustained throughout its voyage. The catch? The train was created for the rich — many of whom are directly responsible for the sickness of the planet.

Some "lower-class" citizens rise up and try to board the train right before it departs. We watch many of them die as they desperately try to save their own lives before freezing to death. They're met with no empathy, with women and children being mowed down indiscriminately as the guards try to ensure a safe takeoff for their "esteemed" guests. However, a small group of them do manage to board the Snowpiercer.

We join those who survived six years later. I don't want to be too on the nose here, but, well, their cab'net's fractured into factions and their poorest citizens live ration to ration. I will do my best to not throw in a Hamilton reference every review, but I make no promises. Anyway! The Tailies (the poor citizens who hijacked the end of the Snowpiercer) seem to be mostly led by Andre Layton (Diggs). Layton believes that they have to be methodical in their revolution. Others seem to prefer Pike's (Steven Ogg) more direct approach of rising up now. With their rations continuing to be halved by those in control in the upper cars, more and more come over to Pike's way of thinking.

Layton eventually agrees that there can be no revolution if all of their people starve to death, but a wrench is thrown into the Tailies' plan before it can begin. Layton is collected by the train's enforcers at the behest of Melanie Cavill (Jennifer Connelly). Cavill is in charge of the hospitality on Snowpiercer, and appears to be Mr. Wilton's right hand woman — and she's got a problem. There's been a murder on the train, and it's happened before. We quickly learn that Layton used to be a homicide detective, and for the first time since hopping the train he finds himself with leverage.

We won't dive much deeper into the plot of "First, the Weather Changed," because there are a lot of fun surprises that I hope you enjoy as much as I did. From a story perspective, this first episode does absolutely everything that a pilot is supposed to do. You as the viewer know precisely what situation our protagonists find themselves in. You have a decent idea of the challenges they're going to be facing in future episodes. A solid mystery is introduced. Some character relationships are clearly established, while others plant seeds for future drama. And you leave with enough questions to keep you engaged. The end of the episode even delivers a fun surprise that typically would be dragged out until somewhere in the mid-season finale territory.

Snowpiercer's first episode doesn't just succeed from technical and story perspectives, either. There are a couple of really pleasing musical cues that one might not expect in a series such as this one. Some beautiful devastation is played a la Rachmaninoff later in the episode, while early on the stomps of a revolution are put in tune with a beautiful Spanish song. It's gorgeous in a kind of agony in an end of days sort of way.

Meanwhile, the performances are stunning. May you someday look at anything the way Diggs looks at a bowl of tomato soup and a grilled cheese. The sheer reverence in his eyes immediately portrays just how starving the Tailies are. Connelly is chilling as Melanie, perfectly balancing cold calculation, hospitality, and a weird kind of humanity. The Tailies are all appropriately desperate. The upper-class cars are appropriately insufferable. Everything looks and feels exactly as it should.

The series' next cunning trick is immediately expanding the story to include a narrative that we haven't seen in the film or graphic novel. The murder mystery angle gives even the most devoted of Snowpiercer fans something to look forward to every week. However, unlike some other adaptations, this expansion on the story doesn't take away from the underlying narrative of the plot.

I was absolutely dazzled by this pilot. With things being as dire as they are in reality at this exact moment, it may not be for everyone. But, if you find that you can stomach a story about a post-apocalyptic class war right now, this is the one to watch. There's a lot that hits home, but it does so in a very relatable and human way that keeps things compelling.