S03.E09: A Beacon for Us All

[AnimeMania]

Reunited with old friends, the train throws a party; alliances are tested as the truth is finally revealed.

Original Airdate: Mar. 21, 2022  

[edhopper]

Let's bring Melanie back just to have her throw a wrench in everything,  because she liked how everything was going on the train? Didn't she keep the Wolford lie alive for years? Piss poor writing.

[Mr. Sparkle]

Surprisingly, a pretty good episode. The show is just better with Jennifer Connelly. I can live without Layton v. Wilford II "The Thriller on the Chiller." Or is up to III by now?  

[Dowel Jones]

Don't smoke, kids.  It's bad for you, trust me.

[GreyBunny]

If they were smart they’d use Melanie’s track scaler to scout the track ahead. If it’s bad, they roll back.

That said, clever move on Wilford’s part, he knew Mel was all about the numbers and would throw a spanner in Layton’s fragile fantasy. She’s right, if the weather is still too cold and the track is unsound, there’s no reason to risk derailing the train and killing everyone. 

Team Melanie.

Best scene: Wilford and Mel, just the two of them. Jennifer Connelly and Sean Bean are a delight.

Edited March 22, 2022 by GreyBunny

[toodywoody]

I agree. Use her mini train to scope it out and do more testing. 

So LJ is in with Wilford. Great, but Melanie should have known he was up to something and made sure her friends were ok before pulling the shit she just did.

So Wolford murdering people is ok with his people. And what side is Aubrey going to be on.

Was anyone else scared for Till when she was alone with Aubrey, like LJ was gonna pop up and stab her or Aubrey was going to do it?

I just think Melanie should have made sure her group was somewhere else before she announced that shit and like they can't back up. I thought they did in a previous season

Edited March 23, 2022 by toodywoody

[riprock]

Yay, a watchable episode! And with Melanie back on the train, only her actual death can prevent Jennifer Connelly from appearing… RIGHT?!

ITA that it’s abrupt of Melanie to disrupt the party without even trying to pull aside Alex first. Also, I’ll say it - GD, do Rowan Blanchard, Katie McGuinness, and Jennifer Connelly clean up good.

I felt this was all consistent with Mel’s previous characterization. She and Layton were never aligned ideologically.

Layton’s characterization, on the other hand, is just really weak. He leads the train but has no backup plan for Mel’s sabotage or for New Eden’s inevitable failure, which the viewers and he specifically know is made up? LJ is stupid annoying as a character, but she has moves and countermoves. Look at how she turned the tables on Oz.

[me5671]

Wow… Melanie has been back for only half an episode and already the plot has become infinitely more interesting than it had been in her absence. Hope the writers learned the lesson: Melanie and Layton make this show. Neither should have such an extended absence from the show again. 

[rtms77]

23 hours ago, GreyBunny said:

If they were smart they’d use Melanie’s track scaler to scout the track ahead. If it’s bad, they roll back.

 

6 hours ago, toodywoody said:

I agree. Use her mini train to scope it out and do more testing. 

I join in on this idea and I am baffled Melanie didn’t think of this or anyone else. They suddenly have a snowplow /tester that could go and try the tracks. While it means Snowpiercer would have to slow down etc, they have done such things before. 
 

I knew Wilford was faking the whole time, or at least ringing out the recovery /  new man garbage. Why do I get the feeling he planned for something like this? The fact he still had his minions etc including LJ this whole time is very iffy. 
Man Alex can not get a break. That was so sweet with her and Mel. And then Ben comes in. But I’m going to kick him in the balls for his whole tantrum disagreement with her. He knows the track is bad. 
 

Layton deserves this loss and the mess that comes with it. He’s admitted to Josie the vision or data was not real, but his whole attitude is a big “whatever”. Dude you have the last of humanity on that train, you already inadvertently caused many to die thanks to a flu, along with no aquatic marine life. Dude you screwed up, fess up and get over it. 
 

[Tachi Rocinante]

Didn't see that one coming. Let's hope the writing improves and they're not just pulling surprises for shock value like Lost.

Even if Wilford gets control back, the train is very different now.

Someone will find a viable warm spot but that will become the next big "secret".

[rmontro]

On 3/22/2022 at 3:15 AM, GreyBunny said:

If they were smart they’d use Melanie’s track scaler to scout the track ahead. If it’s bad, they roll back.

That is, of course, the answer.  Weak that no one thought of it.

It's good to have Melanie back, interesting that she immediately becomes a villain (of sorts).  I guess it's all shades of gray, except Wilford, who is obviously evil.  Interesting that we have posters picking sides here.  I get the impression we're supposed to be rooting for Layton.

I guess Wilford is fully recovered now, it does seem believable that he would have designed a secret stash with poisoned cigars into the train.  Quite a coincidence that he happened to get imprisoned there though.

Regarding LJ, when you wife pulls a knife on you, it's time to end it.  But good luck getting out of that one alive.

[Dowel Jones]

17 hours ago, rtms77 said:

Dude you have the last of humanity on that train,

Unless there's yet another train, or maybe a Sno-Cat convoy, or maybe an underground bunker, or maybe an insulated above ground bunker.....

[Noneofyourbusiness]

On 3/22/2022 at 8:06 PM, toodywoody said:

Was anyone else scared for Till when she was alone with Aubrey, like LJ was gonna pop up and stab her or Aubrey was going to do it?

No.

19 hours ago, rtms77 said:

Layton deserves this loss and the mess that comes with it. He’s admitted to Josie the vision or data was not real, but his whole attitude is a big “whatever”. Dude you have the last of humanity on that train, you already inadvertently caused many to die thanks to a flu, along with no aquatic marine life. Dude you screwed up, fess up and get over it.

He's/We're still unsure if the vision was real or not. It does seem a big coincidence that the calendar would have an image of a tree that only grows in the Horn of Africa.

The data is real. The Horn of Africa is the location of the last unchecked hot spot. Melanie just doesn't feel it justifies the risk, since the track there is bad and the other hot spots didn't pan out.

4 hours ago, rmontro said:

I guess Wilford is fully recovered now, it does seem believable that he would have designed a secret stash with poisoned cigars into the train. 

He poisoned the cigars using the yellow substance that Dr Headwood gave to LJ, which LJ gave to the woman who brought him food from the party. We saw a shot of the cigar roll/yellow poison mixture on the table after the dead bodies.

Edited March 24, 2022 by Noneofyourbusiness

[rmontro]

1 hour ago, Noneofyourbusiness said:

He poisoned the cigars using the yellow substance that Dr Headwood gave to LJ, which LJ gave to the woman who brought him food from the party. We saw a shot of the cigar roll/yellow poison mixture on the table after the dead bodies.

You're right, I saw all that but I had forgotten about it.

[SgtMathias]

On 3/23/2022 at 4:23 AM, me5671 said:

Hope the writers learned the lesson: Melanie and Layton make this show. Neither should have such an extended absence from the show again. 

This came up in an episode thread a few weeks ago, which made me check IMDB: Jennifer Connelly is starring in the Top Gun sequel with Tom Hanks that comes out in two months. I don't know how big her role is, but that would certainly explain her absence.

[rmontro]

18 hours ago, SgtMathias said:

This came up in an episode thread a few weeks ago, which made me check IMDB: Jennifer Connelly is starring in the Top Gun sequel with Tom Hanks that comes out in two months. I don't know how big her role is, but that would certainly explain her absence.

I guess real work is over.  Back to Snowpiercer. 

I do hope they explain how Melanie gets onto that maintenance vehicle, with all the medical equipment and suspension drugs no less.

[Nialla]

On 3/25/2022 at 4:44 PM, rmontro said:

I do hope they explain how Melanie gets onto that maintenance vehicle, with all the medical equipment and suspension drugs no less.

Wilford said something about her managing to get to a shed on the test track where the maintenance vehicle was located, and apparently there were meds and other supplies as well.

I could perhaps buy the vehicle still working after sitting in the cold for years, but I can't picture the meds doing well in subfreezing temperatures for an extended time. Nor that the IVs and associated equipment would work after all these years sitting in the cold.