Melanie and Wilford formed an unholy alliance, and we finally arrived at our destination at New Eden. The final hour of Snowpiercer‘s third season was a rollercoaster of shifting allegiances, tough choices, and a shocking conclusion that promises to fundamentally change everything going forward. Did Layton lead the way to the promised land or did they discover something else entirely? Who stayed, and who went? And what can we expect from season four?
Much of the finale focused on the political stratagems of Layton and Melanie, attempts by both to find a peaceful solution that would avoid a violent civil war, and figuring out where everyone’s loyalties lie. And while Melanie does seem to sincerely flirt with the idea of a legitimate partnership with Wilford, she manages to come to her senses and turn on him in a manner one imagines he’d eventually have done to her. And, in a way, he already did because they jettisoned him on the same single-car vehicle Melanie used after Wilford abandoned her last season.
That’s not the only comeuppance delivered this week. While Wilford is at least still alive, it appears we’ve finally seen the end of Lilah Jr. Folger Osweiller. After her husband chose to leave Team Wilford, LJ defiantly told him she would be dropping his name though, opting to stay on Snowpiercer instead of joining him on the uncertain track towards New Eden.
“I’m going to come up on top! I’m a survivor!” she declares before pouting. LJ may have spoken too soon, however, because the next time we see her, she appears to accidentally choke on her late father’s glass eye. Granted, not everyone stays dead on this show, proven by Breachman Boscovic’s unexpected return as Wilford’s newest zombie-like “cold man” ala Season 2’s Icey Bob. But it does appear like we’ve seen Annalise Basso’s swan song on this show.
Once civil war was averted, the joint decision Andre and Melanie made was to split Snowpiercer and Big Alice one more time and to let everyone decide for themselves to ride it out on Snowpiercer — the safe choice in the short-term at least because the old train only has a good decade or two left in her — or, now knowing the truth that Andre hasn’t been to New Eden, whether to take the risky, uncertain path of settlement in the Horn of Africa.
This resulted in lots of hugs and tearful goodbyes as loved ones parted ways for perhaps the final time. Though one couple staying together is Audrey and Bess after Bess changed her mind at the last moment and chose to stay with Audrey on Snowpiercer following a sweet, close-enough-that-it-counts exchange of “I love yous.” I look forward to where the writers take this relationship going forward. Hopefully, Bess’ current girlfriend won’t get unceremoniously forgotten by the writers like her last one.
Melanie, Bennett, and Miles are all also staying on Snowpiercer after Melanie agreed to recommit to her romantic relationship with Ben. Those leaving on Big Alice include Layton, Josie, Alex, Ruth, Osweiller, as well as Sam and Carly Roche. After both trains split down divergent tracks, Big Alice suffered great turbulence crossing a fragile bridge before reaching its passengers’ new home.
But for those in the audience who expected New Eden to be too good to be true and for the settlers to find themselves immediately embroiled in a new crisis, it’s shocking when the passengers disembark and start walking around a cold, but very livable environment without cold suits near a liquid lake. New Eden appears to be salvation until Snowpiercer approaches again three months later and Melanie spots what initially appears like it could be a flair shot into the sky but a closer look reveals potentially something suggesting the colonists from Big Alice may have found themselves in big danger.
Photo Credit:
TNT
“The Original Sinners” ends season three on a high note. The show was greatly diminished without Jennifer Connelly, and her return played to the show’s strengths and the political intrigue. The writers proved they could also balance that larger intrigue with developing more personal and intimate character relationships. It’s amazing how much better the Bess and Audrey relationship was handled in just these last three weeks compared to the clumsier interactions from the middle of the season.
There were some decisions that still feel clumsy though. It seems a bit silly to introduce Icy Bogie this late in the game only to have him easily dispatched later in the same episode. And while there’s something satisfying about LJ choking on that damned eye after her habit of sucking on it has been well established, it’s a bit of a shame to lose Basso as her LJ was always such a delightfully devious and weird part of this show.
But the goal of a good season finale is generally to wet our appetites for what’s to come in the next season and drive fan speculation. “The Original Sinners” achieves this. I suspect we’ll learn others were already living in New Eden and aren’t too keen on new immigrants showing up. But what do you think? Who or what caused the explosion? Is everyone eventually going to wind up back on Snowpiercer or will there be much more story going forward taking place off train?
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