Snowpiercer Season 3 review: Hope keeps Snowpiercer afloat in its search for New Eden

3.5/5

Story: Snowpiercer Season 2 had ended with Andre Layton (Daveed Diggs) and his motley crew, including engineer Ben (Iddo Goldberg), Alex (Rowan Blanchard), Josie (Katie McGuinness) and Bess (Mickey Sumner), taking off with a pirate train of just a few coaches, to get Melanie Cavill, after Wilford refuses to slow down and pick her up after a month-long science expedition. Melanie had headed outside Snowpiercer to gather data that could support a theory that after 7-8 years of freezing temperatures, the earth could finally be thawing, spurring hope for a possible re-colonization.

During the months that Layton was away, citizens of Snowpiercer struggled under Wilford’s rule and when the pirate train eventually decided to return home, they didn’t succeed in what they set out to do, but didn’t exactly come back empty-handed.

Review: We’ve come to the end of yet another season of Snowpiercer, the post-apocalyptic thriller series, set in a not-too-distant future, where mankind’s failed attempt at reversing global warming freezes everything over. Only a few thousand souls have survived this, aboard a perpetually moving train, Snowpiercer, modern day’s Noah’s Ark, only that they only brought aboard those species that were required to keep life going. When we first meet the citizens of Snowpiercer, they’d already been abord the train for seven years. At the start, they had cows and pigs and fish, etc., but in the course of the proceedings since then, these resources have been rapidly dwindling, either due to issues with the train itself, or during the many power/class struggles, when the haves and the have nots took to arms, or when it was about who would lead Snowpiercer on its never-ending revolutions around the world.

At the start of season 3, Andre Layton (Daveed Diggs), engineer Ben (Iddo Goldberg), Josie, Bess and Alex, were still looking for any sign of life from Melanie Cavill (Jennifer Connelly), who had to watch Snowpiercer whizz past her when Wilford (Sean Bean) refused to pick her up after her month-long scientific expedition to gather data whether the earth is actually warming up. After months of a futile search, that seriously depletes their resources, they realize that they need hook back up with Snowpiercer, but not before actually finding a survivor - Asha (Archie Panjabi) at a nuclear plant in south Korea.

Although Wilford’s train would do a lot better with the might of not one, but two engines if the pirate train returns, he doesn’t want its passengers back and is ready to sabotage their attempts to ‘come back home’. Suffice to say that Layton and crew are a lot smarter and put Wilford in his place. On his return, Layton sells the citizens of Snowpiercer the idea of a warm spot, New Eden, as he calls it, somewhere near the Horn of Africa. A place that he thinks they can head to and colonize. Inviting as the idea of the warm sun sounds, New Eden is based on a vision Layton had and insufficient scientific data. But he’s prepared to take that leap of faith. Should the rest of Snowpiercer do that too and jeopardize their chances of survival?

To answer that, the showrunners brought Melanie back into the fold. Yes, she survived and makes it back to Snowpiercer. But she won’t head into treacherous ground without knowing if it is really worth it, which she makes abundantly clear to all of Snowpiercer also. In a refreshing piece of story writing, the makers avoided more bloodshed and set the two factions on two different paths. Some left with Melanie and Ben to remain on Snowpiercer, until such time the train gives up on them or they find a safe place to go to, and the rest head off with Layton in search of New Eden.

For most people, Snowpiercer is about Melanie and Layton, but this season was all about Ruth (Alison Wright). Ruth’s priority has always been Snowpiercer and her progression from heading Hospitality to leading the revolution in Layton’s absence has been absolutely astounding. Alison is a brilliant actress and she shone bright on Snowpiercer Season 3.

And although Sean Bean as Wilford didn’t get much action this season, it looks like he’s still got a trick or two up his sleeve. But then, we’ll have to wait for Season 4 to find out what he’s been up to.

Verdict: Since Season 2, the citizens of Snowpiercer had been teased with the hope of a brighter, warmer future. It is finally upon them, albeit only for those who chose to take up the perilous journey across untested tracks to the Horn of Africa. Season 3 ended with a three-month time jump since the trains split, so it would be interesting to see how Layton and co have fared outside their train. The priority, though, it would seem, is for Melanie to keep her half of the train safe and sound.