One of the frustrating things about an ongoing TV series is the almost dogmatic obsession of preserving the status quo. Writers will twist themselves in knots to preserve the status quo even as a particular plot point or character development might necessitate some kind of change in the way things are.
Short of an actor dying or otherwise leaving a show, the series that debuted in season 1 will look pretty much the same in season 2, 3, 4 and so on.
Which is not something one can hang on Snowpiercer.
Compare where we were on episode 1 of season 1 to where we are at the finale of season 3, this show and it's characters have come so far.
Snowpiercer is a train that traverses a frozen Earth, keeping safe the last vestiges of humanity. It is a humanity preserved in a rigid but fractured class structure constantly teetering on the edge of conflict.
The keeping the status quo of that premise would mean finding ever more ridiculous ways to keep that conflict teetering. In season 1, the writers shoved that conflict over the edge. No, the class conflicts were not instantly resolved but when season 1 ended, the poorest of the poor were no longer relegated to live as animals in the tail of the train and their leader, Andre Layton, was in charge of Snowpiercer.
Then John Wilford comes along and upends all that in season 2.
Season 3 began with the train divided. Andre and his crew with the Big Alice engine are continuing the work begun by Melanie Cavill (who Wilford abandoned and left for dead) to locate hot spots, places where the planet may be warming enough to sustain life outside the train. There is some data to suggests such a place exists in the Horn of Africa, a place that Layton dubs "New Eden".
The two trains come together, Layton kicks Wilford's ass hard and returns to trying to unite the train as a true democracy while also looking give the citizens of Snowpiercer new hope and a new purpose, to head towards "New Eden".
Which is when Layton succumbs to the greatest temptation of most politicians: he lies. The data for the Horn of Africa suggests there is potential for it to be "New Eden". Layton tells them "New Eden" is the real deal.
That will bite him in the ass.
Melanie Cavill turns up alive and is not exactly happy with what Layton is up to. Yes, it was her research that's leading them to the Horn of Africa but that research is far from conclusive and the track through the Horn of Africa is not in the best shape. Her first duty is not the pursuit of an idea but the very real and present need to keep what remains of humanity safe.
Melanie Cavill exposes Andre Layton's big lie and suddenly, the train is split along class lines. Even though pissed that Layton lied to them, his followers are stilling willing to have faith in the idea of New Eden.
In the end, Melanie and Andre do something remarkable: they cooperate. They will split the train evenly with Layton's crew taking the Big Alice engine to go in search of New Eden while Cavill leads the other half of Snowpiercer in it's continuing journey around the globe.
It is a good decision in that it turns out Cavill is right and that track line through the Horn of Africa is total shit and the train nearly derails.
But Andre is right as they find a spot where the ambient temperature is only 5 degrees below freezing. Yep, it's still cold but one can walk outside without body parts breaking off. One can feel fresh air on their face and listen the rippling water of a nearby not frozen lake.
And Cavill's half of Snowpiercer is rolling along when someone fires a missile in their general direction. What fresh hell is this?
That's for season 4 to resolve.
Where season 4 will take Snowpiercer? Your guess is a good as mine and quite frankly, I have no guesses because I can't trust whatever has gone before to be a reliable guide.
Next week, the series finale of Killing Eve.
Until next time, remember to be good to one another and try to keep it down in there, would ya? I'm trying to watch TV over here.
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