Snowpiercer: “Smolder to Life” – Review

Our newest episode of Snowpiercer opens with Melanie still in the brig and Big Alice sharing a story of her time as a child on her family’s farm. As she explains, her father used to burn up the dead brush at the end of the season to help the farm the next season. She would help douse the ash pile but carefully as there pile could reignite from “smoldering to life.”

This is a perfect name for this episode as the episode not only sets up a narrative for the season but a subplot that itself will smolder to life. Another seed has been planted, however. That of hope!

SPOILERS AHEAD

That’s right hope! Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. How did we get to that point?

First Layton and Roche promote former Brakemen Bess Till to the full-time Train Detective as there is still unrest on the train, a Tailie was attacked the previous night having her finger cut off. With that on her plate, Layton and Roche have time to interrogate Kevin the smug “Head of Hospitality” on Big Alice. All it took was a few chicken wings to find out 3 things:

1. They are starving on Big Alice
2. The crew complement is only 100 passengers and they are starving
3. The enforcer I spoke about in my previous article has somehow been modified to stand the harsh cold conditions nicknamed Icy Bob

A Hostage Exchange With Snowpiercer

Both sides come to an agreement that Melanie and Kevin should both be on their appropriate sides on the NO MAN’S LAND. Everyone came to a civil agreement and as Kevin and Melanie passed by each other. Alex, ran thru to give her back the vial that was already analyzed and they discussed between the brig bars. Alex threw a tantrum and smashed the vial luckily Melanie remembers the minute details.

Back In Your Place

As Melanie proceeded back up to the Engine, Kevin was invited to take a bath in Mr. Wilford’s personal bath. The magnanimous Wilford decided to coax out of Kevin a confession to find out what he told Layton and Roche. Did I mention that Mr. Wilford jumped in the bath too with Kevin? Yes, it’s a big tub! As Kevin stared into Wilford’s cold eyes he felt great remorse that he thought he didn’t tell them anything the sheer act of scarfing down those wings showed that the crew Big Alice is living on razor’s edge. With that said Mr. Wilford being the manipulative dictator handed over a razor to Kevin and instructed him to disperse himself.

Melanie on the other side of the train informs the that there is a chance that the Earth is warming up. But how can we get Wilford to listen to Science? By playing up to his ego. They decided to send a request to a summit in first-class dining under the guise of open relations.

A King Among Men Returns

Prior to crossing NO MAN’S LAND, Wilford manipulates Alex into doing his dirty work by instructing her to assassinate Layton. She sneaks a razor blade across no man’s land. As Wilford walks all the way up to first-class dining you see the masses salute him with their fingers in the air in the sign of a W. This is Where Bess has an epiphany about her first case.

Before open talks proceed Wilford is taken back as Melanie and Layton are sitting shoulder to shoulder at the table. Baffled by the sight of the one person who “stole” his train and the other that is now in charge.

Melanie opens up the conversation for all to listen to about the change in the climate. Pushing Wilford back into a corner as to not make him look like the savior he wants to be portrayed. Once he checks with his scientists about the theory. They all come to an agreement that Melanie will have to disembark for a weather station in the Rockies. BUT she will stay there for some time to check the numbers. During the revelry, Alex ever so quietly moves closer to Layton to finish her job. Wilford slyly informs her to stop. In her anger, she clinches her fist thus cutting herself on the razor blade in her hand.

Bess sees the Flying W’s and runs back to the Tail to see the victim of the previous night’s attack, her thumb, and pinky being cut off so she only has her three fingers to constantly have a W in “honor” of Wilford.

Oh But That’s Not All!

There are four story lines in this episode

• Layton and Wilford working together CHECK
• Bess and the attack on the tailie CHECK
• LJ and Osweiller scrounging from the bottom
• Zarah and Josie (YEAH She’s still alive barely)

The train’s resident psycho murderer and shamed former brakemen are now working in janitorial to try and get dirt on the train.

Wait?! Josie is alive?! Yes!

Last season Josie apparently wasn’t chewed up by the train during the brawl with Melanie. She laying in a coma onboard the train with massive scaring from Frostbite that now one recognized her except for Zarah who was helping down in the infirmary. Zarah went thru a rollercoaster of emotions whether to not to kill Josie or leave her lying there or to even tell Layton that she was still alive. A revelation like this will change the dynamic between Layton and herself with the oncoming child she’s carrying. Her better nature gets to her and she brings Layton to Josie’s bedside as the episode end and she wakes up.

Thoughts and Theories On Snowpiercer

This was an amazing episode to really jump into the new dynamic of Snowpiercer now that we have some idea of how the other side is living. We can see that the only way to play against Wilford is his narcissism. He can’t stand being the bad guy or seen in any other light other than the benevolent benefactor! He on the other side on Big Alice is an irreverent dictator that demands loyalty to the point of death.

This episode title does encapsulate all the ideas of what the four storylines are trying to convey. They will all be underlying during this season and hopefully have a huge payoff.

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