The first episode of Snowpiercer season 3, “The Tortoise and the Hare” arrives, appropriately, in the middle of a deep freeze for much of us in America. It also arrives at a crossroads for the series. For two seasons, they’ve been stuck on the train headed to nowhere, with the outside too dangerous to support life.
This season, it seems likely they’ll get off the train and dare to see if anything outside can support life, and “The Tortoise and the Hare” teases that with the arrival of a survivor. (New cast member Archie Panjabi.)
It might be stretching the metaphor a little bit to say we’re all somewhat in the same position, peeking outside our usual haunts to see if the pandemic is receding, but I’m definitely empathetic to everyone’s desire on Snowpiercer to get off the damn train.
At the end of last season, the train was separated into two sections in a desperate move to save Melanie and gather data about the warming Earth. That left Layton and most of his rebels on the ten-section train, and the rest of the riders on the slower, ponderous section still controlled by the decidedly creepy and evil Mr. Wilford. (The fact that Wilford isn’t a one-dimensional mustache-twirling villain is entirely due to Sean Bean’s performance.)
My five thoughts on “Tortoise and the Hare” and how it sets up this season:
1. Layton is a Focus
I lamented in last season’s reviews that Layton had become a passive character, reacting to events instead of leading them. This season promises a change, as Layton is clearly leading the group on the breakaway train. He’s obsessed with confirming the Earth is warming, as per Melanie’s data, and finding a spot for everyone to settle off the train. That means this season promises to be a test between Layton’s optimism and hope for the future against Wilford’s insistence that the train is all there is. There are also Layton’s intriguing visions of a tree of life, which appear now in the new opening credits.
However, I hope his plan to re-join and take the rest of Snowpiercer from Wilford is more thought out than the decision to send Ben out for ice samples. Risking the only experienced engineer they have seems a bad move.
My fondest hope is that the writers give Layton a real plan to defeat Wilford, instead of last season’s stumbling around.
2. Ruth and Pike: The Odd Couple of the Resistance
Ruth originally was the rules follower, the one who believed in Mr. Wilford’s dream of hospitality at any cost, the one who was so focused on keeping things proper that she did terrible things to keep the Tailies in order.
But now, she’s completely with the Resistance, hiding out on Big Alice, keeping hope alive, and tracking Layton’s train, preparing for his eventual return. Her partner-in-crime? Pike, the selfish, cynical rebel, the one who does all the dirty work. Their moments together, such as they are, are a highlight of “The Tortoise and the Hare.”
Ruth also gets the best moment of the premiere, as she takes the time while fleeing from Wilford’s men to lament the lack of hospitality in now-frozen first-class cars.
3. Melanie: Dead or Alive?
Melanie walked into the snow last season to preserve the precious scientific data.. I assumed she was dead, as did everyone on the train, including her daughter, Alex. But if there is one survivor who managed to live for eight years, as shown by Layton’s encounter, why not Melanie?
TNT has teased Jennifer Connolly’s return to the show but they could be simply using her in flashback. Still, they’ve pulled a bait and witch on deaths for other characters. Josie seemed to be very dead, only to return. And Javier, who should be dead after the vicious dog attack last season, is also very much alive, though he seems to wish he was not.
4. Is Winnipeg the Show’s Most Valuable Supporting Character?
One could argue that little Winnipeg has suffered the most among the Tailies, losing her mother horrifically, and being left adrift without her father figure, Layton. But she’s still going strong and still running messages for the resistance even on Wilford’s train. No one’s caught her so far but this show can be cruel, so I’m worried for the day that Winnipeg suffers the fate of her obvious inspirations, little Gavroche from Les Miserables.
Continued belowWhatever her fate, this show could use more of Winnipeg. I’d rather see more time dedicated to her than the odd couple of serial killer and former brakeman who are now running the night car. There’s nothing inherently interesting about those two while there’s something compelling about Winnipeg and her point of view.
5. Does the train’s technology actually work?
The premise of Snowpiercer has always been a weak point. I get the metaphor: the train is a stand-in for the population of Earth, hurling around the universe with an expiration date due to climate change. And I’m willing to suspend disbelief concerning the train’s engine because we can allow that future tech can devise a nuclear engine with seemingly endless power.
It’s the tracks that drive me crazy. How do they keep the tracks clear and how are the tracks not damaged by the severe cold outside? Are they made of vibranium? The wastelands outside show everything crumbling but the tracks survive?
Season 3 promises to bring even more tech in. The premiere has Layton’s breakaway train running hot because it has only a small number of cars and thus extra energy that threatens to burn it up. Big Alice, however, is running cold because it’s handling greater load than its’ design allows. I’m…not sure that even works?
I’m also not sure how Ruth can survive long inside a section of the train that’s only heated to 12 degrees. Not to mention the matter of how Oz and Lilah are making alcohol from what’s inside the train, given its’ limited resources. Or even how Archie Panjabi’s character survived for eight years, even with the help of a nuclear power plant. (One hopes the answer to this is an underground colony.)
Mostly what I want is for the show not to rely on plot points so heavy on tech. I want it to be so fast-paced and engaging that I hand-wave away these little scientific details.
