Snowpiercer :: A Beacon for Us All

TNT

Snowpiercer finally answers the question we’ve all been asking — is Melanie Cavill alive? As the train chases the little pod that’s been sending track switching signals, and flashing us back to three months earlier as Melanie took herself in and out of suspension (in order to survive without food or water), they finally caught up to the pod, and Layton and Josie outfitted themselves to go outside, attach a lift to the pod and bring it aboard Snowpiercer. And everyone got their answer — yes, indeed, Melanie is alive. This was great news for some (Ben, Alex, Ruth), perhaps not so great for others (Layton, Josie, LJ) and a mixture of both for one in particular — Wilford.

But now that Melanie is back on board, will she be on board with the new democratic society formed under Andre Layton’s leadership? And will she follow along with Layton’s plan to take the train to New Eden? Happy reunions must come first as she and Alex bond over the love for each other, as does Ben who won’t waste any more time letting Melanie know how much he loves her. That also allowed Ben to impart the same advice to Andre, who admits that he and Zarah don’t want to be together, they’re just co-parenting at this point. He loves Josie, and Ben told him not to waste any more time telling her.

All of Melanie’s friends are anxious to see her again, but Wilford in particular is begging for an audience with the returned engineer. Andre isn’t sure that’s such a great idea, fearful that he’ll fill her head with lies and derail his own plans to steer the train to New Eden. Melanie isn’t one to let Wilford get into her head, but she also knows the science at play here and despite the fact that Andre, Alex and Ben believe New Eden is where they need to go, Mel isn’t so sure and she also has Javi on her side. Meeting with Wilford, he also confirms her beliefs that this trip is Layton’s folly. Besides the fact that nothing about New Eden adds up, there’s also the matter of the track conditions to consider. Apparently that part of the track hasn’t been traveled for some time and turning the train into unknown territory could derail them before they get to their destination, even if it does exist. But Wilford is sure that his talk has accomplished something with Melanie, and now all he has to do is sit back and wait.

Elsewhere on the train, Till and Audrey seem to be starting something which Till is terrified of, but she eventually comes to her senses and asks Audrey to be her date to the big party celebrating the train’s last run past the Great Pyramids as the head to New Eden. Audrey isn’t quite ready to face those she’d betrayed, so Beth says they can just go somewhere together. The do end up in the Night Car, which is empty while everyone else is celebrating.

LJ is also up to no good, slipping away from Oz before the party and meeting up with Dr. Headwood, who passes her a little package of something. Oz spies the transaction from the shadows and follows LJ back to the Night Car where she passes the package off to someone else, who then delivers it to Wilford under the guise of bringing him dessert from the party. Before heading to the party, Andre pulls Josie aside and finally tells her he loves her, and she says she already knows that but … she can’t be with him right now. He’s got too much on his plate, like getting the passengers off the train in New Eden, to reignite their relationship. That is a gut-punch he wasn’t expecting. Alex is getting dressed up for the first time for a big party on the train, eager to look her best for her new friend Carly. Melanie is happy Alex has a friend, and is even more surprised when she hears it’s Roche’s daughter, who then surprises Alex when she tells Melanie what an honor it is to meet her.

TNT

As the party kicks off — Ruth has called for every remaining bottle of champagne to be brought out — Wilford engages his guards to join him for cigars to celebrate as well, since they’re all confined to the library car. As Snowpiercer rolls past the pyramids, Ruth asks everyone to raise a glass to toast this final trip but … Melanie has snuck away and as the celebration kicks into high gear, she gets on the PA system to tell everyone that New Eden is a lie, that Layton has lied to them, that he’s never been to New Eden and none of the math adds up. To say everyone is shocked is an understatement, but Wilford is giddy that Melanie has just started a war. Before a riot breaks out, Layton, Zarah, the baby, Ben and Till seek shelter in Big Alice deciding their next move. Melanie calls back to Ben and tells him they are not making the turn. He and Andre try to get to Snowpiercer, but Melanie and Javi lock them out of the engine.

Now firmly in control of the train again, she goes to check on Wilford … and finds the guards dead (from whatever LJ passed on to him which he apparently laced the cigars with) and Wilford gone to parts unknown. Besides LJ, how many other loyalists does Wilford still have on his side, and will Melanie’s actions result in all out combat for control of Snowpiercer? We’ll find out next week in the third season finale.

What did you think of this episode? Tell us in the comments section below!