S02.E03: A Great Odyssey

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

Melanie embarks on her most dangerous mission yet. Layton reckons with his personal choices.

Airing Monday, February 8, 2021.

[AnimeMania]

Poor Alex, she looked like she was 5 years old as she was watching her mother leave the train.

I like the show so much better when they are not just running around trying to kill each other.

Who thinks Wilford giant frost mutant is going to be waiting for Melanie when Melanie attempts to get back on the train in a month.

I am surprised that they haven't attempted to get some of the miracle frostbite cure for Josie, if only to save my poor eyeballs from having to look at her every week.

[redpencil]

My mind was blown when I noticed Rowan Blanchard's name in the credits for the first time this episode (not sure why I didn't before). I would never, ever have known the actress playing Alex was from Girl Meets World otherwise (yes, I watched that, no judging). What a polar opposite kind of role.

I'm looking forward to the moment when Ruth's illusion of Mr. Wilford is shattered. At least I hope that happens at some point, because it feels like there needs to be that payoff. She seems loyal to Snowpiercer, but still has Wilford up on a pedestal it seems.

Edited February 10, 2021 by redpencil

[blackwing]

I found this episode to be interminably boring. I feel like hardly anything happened except for Melanie taking 57 minutes to get outside.  
 

There are so many storylines I find myself not caring about at all:  Layton / Frozie / Zara drama; Detective Till; whatever the janitor is doing with the guy that was taking a dump.

Once again... what happened to Jinju and Miles from Tomorrowland?

At least we didn’t have to see Lilah Junior and Osman again.

This show was much better when it was a mystery, trying to figure out who killed that guy whose body was found.  Right now, there’s zero drama.  Obviously Melanie isn’t going to die, but they spent the entire episode talking about how dangerous it was and she basically said her goodbyes to everyone.

[Dowel Jones]

2 hours ago, blackwing said:

Frozie

Winner, chicken dinner!

I think the underlying plot arc this season will be Wilford's scheming to destroy the passengers of Snowpiercer so he can get 'his train' back, and the good passengers of SP always a half step behind, but usually successful in thwarting his machinations.  Lots of double crosses and secrets.  I'm sure Ruth is angling to become Chief Toady if that happens.

How many are there in the 3 fingered W-H-O crowd that are so loyal to Wilford in SP?  Yes, they're big and strong, but you would think Layton would organize enough soldiers to take them out of commission to protect everyone else.

"Wilford Alex is the best driver he has ever seen".  Okay, good, but how many drivers has Wilford gone through? Seems like a rather undesirable position on Big Alice, given the 'retirement benefits'.

Technical notes - That is some kind of train that can push 1034 cars up a steep slope and around a curve at 80 mph, and then up to ~12,000' elevation.

Looking at the topographical map in Alex's bunk (I obsess about maps), the track actually goes downhill after the curve, but climbs from 7,000' to 10,000' by the data.  Probably the prop crew just drew some squiggly lines that everyone would see as a map,  figuring it's not a big deal.

Speaking of the track, who has been maintaining this Rocky Mountain Test Track spur for the last seven years? No snow removal, no clearances, no nothing?

In case anyone is interested, there really is a Berthoud Pass on the Continental Divide in Colorado, and there is several hairpin curves on US 40 to get there.  And a weather station on top of a nearby peak.  And a killer ski resort just north of there at Winter Park.

[Mr. Sparkle]

6 hours ago, blackwing said:

Frozie

Ok, that is freakin' genius. I was LOLing at 5 this morning. 

6 hours ago, blackwing said:

whatever the janitor is doing with the guy that was taking a dump.

The janitor is the worst character on this thing. Guaranteed his "plot" goes nowhere. 

[edhopper]

Wilford is such a narcissistic, deceptive, evil SOB. I get a sense most on Big Alice see this and they ones on Snowpiercer just believe the myth.

I actually like the dynamics this season better. The last season was still dealing with the rich vs poor allegory from the movie. They have moved on to a more internal story of the survivors.

[Netfoot]

SP, once the home of compressed cockroach food-bricks, is now the overflowing cornucopia of eggs, fruit and fresh vegetables?  Oooo-kay!

There is a circular steel door with a big hinge, through which you must travel, to pass between SP and BA. Why was it necessary to cut through six to eight inches of steel in order to open this door?

[Dminches]

I thought the scenes with Alex and Melanie were well done and sincere.  That relationship will likely drive whatever happens to Snowpiecer, Big Alice and Mr. W.

 

[Ceindreadh]

3 hours ago, Netfoot said:

SP, once the home of compressed cockroach food-bricks, is now the overflowing cornucopia of eggs, fruit and fresh vegetables?  Oooo-kay!

There is a circular steel door with a big hinge, through which you must travel, to pass between SP and BA. Why was it necessary to cut through six to eight inches of steel in order to open this door?

Snowpiercer always had good food, they just didn't share it with the Tailies. 

[Netfoot]

1 minute ago, Ceindreadh said:

Snowpiercer always had good food, they just didn't share it with the Tailies. 

“Many men of course became extremely rich, but this was perfectly natural and nothing to be ashamed of because no one was really poor – at least no one worth speaking of.” ― Douglas Adams

[Kelda Feegle]

I am really struggling with the Wilford scenes tbh, the cruelty and psychopathy are a bit too much, especially after Kevin.

[rtms77]

Wow if only the rest could read Wilfords journal! That man is nuts! He rules Alice by fear alone. 
 

I really hope Alex can withstand him but it looks like he will get her back with Melanie gone. She finally wasn’t annoying this ep and that ending was so sad. I really want her to meet Miles.

speaking of Miles, at least he was mentioned finally. Why is Frozie (thanks for the nickname blackwing) going on about Laytons new baby when he has a son already? It’s as if he’s a first time father suddenly? As for Frozie that woman is going to sabotage Melanie some how to get revenge, probably side with Wilford if Alex turns on him. 
 

Wilfords human Icicle is going after Mel. Probably got dropped with the supplies.  
 

Edited February 10, 2021 by rtms77

[CeeBeeGee]

I'm still laughing about "Frozie." That is fucking genius.

[rmontro]

18 hours ago, Kelda Feegle said:

I am really struggling with the Wilford scenes tbh, the cruelty and psychopathy are a bit too much, especially after Kevin.

I agree with this.  I'm having trouble taking the Wilford character serious at all, he's just a gigantic jackass.  There are no layers to him at all, just a cardboard villain, and that makes him uninteresting.  It's hard to see how he ever inspired so much loyalty, or why Mel chose to work for him.  I was looking forward to this season, but I think his character is massively disappointing.

[iMonrey]

Quote

 I'm having trouble taking the Wilford character serious at all, he's just a gigantic jackass.  There are no layers to him at all, just a cardboard villain, and that makes him uninteresting.  It's hard to see how he ever inspired so much loyalty, or why Mel chose to work for him.  I was looking forward to this season, but I think his character is massively disappointing.

I have pretty much the same reaction. What I'm seeing is Sean Bean chewing the hell out of the scenery. But there's no nuance to the character that would explain the sort of loyalty the other characters have to him.

I'm also not feeling anything in the Melanie and Alex dynamic, because Alex is essentially a brand new character who only showed up two episodes ago. I have zero investment in whether she has any kind of relationship with Melanie, and don't really feel anything beyond contempt for Melanie after what she did to Josie last season. 

Everyone just kind of sucks.

[tennisgurl]

Wilford is such a massive prick, look at him sitting there on his actual throne, he makes the firsties look like humble servants of the people. I feel like its inevitable that Ruth will have her worship of Wilford shattered when she realizes what a selfish garbage person he is, and when she breaks shit is gonna go down. 

I am surprised by how much I found myself being invested in Alex and Melanie, considering we just met Alex, the actors did really good work together. I also thought the goodbyes Melanie shared with Layton and then with Ruth were actually both really nice moments. 

So I guess the new "who killed the 3rd class passengers?" is "who mutilated Light out of some apparent cult worship of Wilford"? Not quite as exciting as last season, probably somewhat because they could better use the mystery last season for worldbuilding, but I am intrigued. 

Edited February 11, 2021 by tennisgurl

[Haleth]

13 hours ago, iMonrey said:

What I'm seeing is Sean Bean chewing the hell out of the scenery.

Yeah, I'm pretty disappointed.  He's been so good in other shows/movies but here he's so over the top I can't stand to watch his scenes.  He is sucking all the energy from the show while Layton seems to be fading into the background.  A cartoonish, arrogant, needlessly cruel, impervious villain is why I gave up on TWD.  

[Melina22]

On 2/9/2021 at 4:50 AM, Dowel Jones said:

Speaking of the track, who has been maintaining this Rocky Mountain Test Track spur for the last seven years? No snow removal, no clearances, no nothing?

This hits me every week. I don't care how powerful your engine is, your train can't just plow through 10 foot snow drifts. Yet supposedly Snowpiercer has been doing this constantly for years. (Or is too cold to snow? But there's so much snow! And it must blow from place to place. I need to stop applying real world logic here.) 

[rtms77]

5 hours ago, Melina22 said:

This hits me every week. I don't care how powerful your engine is, your train can't just plow through 10 foot snow drifts. Yet supposedly Snowpiercer has been doing this constantly for years. (Or is too cold to snow? But there's so much snow! And it must blow from place to place. I need to stop applying real world logic here.) 

This has been bugging me too. We only needed to see that the rail is not reliable in the mountains. How has this train not had a derailment due to track problems and wear and tear. Lots of plot waving here. For that matter how have two trains not met up or collided before now if they are using the same tracks? 

[Quilt Fairy]

On 2/9/2021 at 12:40 PM, Netfoot said:

SP, once the home of compressed cockroach food-bricks,

Wasn't there an implication last season that the black jello the tailies ate was actually part, um, "Soylent Green"?  Or was that the ground meat the 2nd/3rd class people were eating?

Because I keep FFing through the scenes where there is someone being mutilated, or in the infirmary after being mutilated, I fear I am missing a lot of the plot of this show. 

 

Edited February 14, 2021 by Quilt Fairy

[Hanahope]

On 2/8/2021 at 11:14 PM, AnimeMania said:

Who thinks Wilford giant frost mutant is going to be waiting for Melanie when Melanie attempts to get back on the train in a month.

 

i think Wilford is going to send him out into the snow to hunt down Melanie and kill her.  that's why he asked his scientists to keep improving his cold tolerance 

On 2/9/2021 at 9:10 PM, rtms77 said:

speaking of Miles, at least he was mentioned finally. Why is Frozie (thanks for the nickname blackwing) going on about Laytons new baby when he has a son already? It’s as if he’s a first time father suddenly?
 

Miles is not Layton's biological son.  Miles was someone else's baby who got on the train (I think his mother got thrown off), so Miles has been raising him, but Zara's baby is his biological baby.

On 2/10/2021 at 3:01 PM, rmontro said:

I agree with this.  I'm having trouble taking the Wilford character serious at all, he's just a gigantic jackass.  There are no layers to him at all, just a cardboard villain, and that makes him uninteresting.  It's hard to see how he ever inspired so much loyalty, or why Mel chose to work for him.  I was looking forward to this season, but I think his character is massively disappointing.

I get that having tons of money can inspire loyalty at first, when it can open doors for you.  but Mel eventually learned that Wilford is psychopath.