Snowpiercer, Season 1, Episode 5 “Justice Never Boarded”
Air Date: Sunday, June 14, 2020 at 9:00 PM ET/PT on TNT
Reviewer Rating: 4 Stars
*** WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD ***
“Third touches every system on this train; we will be heard.” – Miss Audrey
In this week’s Snowpiercer episode, “Justice Never Boarded,” the divide between classes grows as tensions run high during LJ’s (Annalise Basso) murder trial. I don’t know about you, but I am enjoying Snowpiercer immensely. Each week, we learn something new about the train and its passengers. It’s intriguing, dramatic, filthy, and poignant.
As “Justice Never Boarded” opens, we see Andre (Daveed Diggs) lying in a drawer, unconscious. He has visions of the past mixed with scenes from the more recent events swirling in his mind. And as with each episode, the beginning is a glimpse of what lies ahead – Andre trapped in his own mind, and Miss Audrey (Lena Hall) fighting for justice for her murdered friend Nikki (Madeleine Arthur).
As the blurry visions of the Tailees float around in Andre’s head, we hear the song played at the end of “Without Their Maker,” ‘Sealed With A Kiss’ by Brian Hyland, being sung by Nikki drenched in her own blood. The narrator this week is Audrey.
What she says reveals the mounting angst among those in Third Class:
“I see now that as The Freeze killed everyone that I ever knew, I mistook my ticket for survival for freedom. But justice never boarded, and Wilford doubled down with a jackboot on our throats and a fat finger on the scales. Now some of us are ready to change his terms. It will be perilous, filthy work. More precious souls may be lost, but we didn’t come this far, suffer this much to give in to the same tyranny that destroyed us in the first place. Even on a frozen dead planet, humanity needs hope. For these are our revolutions on Snowpiercer; 1,001 cars long.”
LJ is a spoiled brat and she is a daddy’s girl. During the episode, LJ’s mother Lilah (Kerry O’Malley) tells Melanie (Jennifer Connelly) an interesting story of how her husband, Robert (Vincent Gale) lost his eye. When LJ puts her father’s fake eye into her mouth might make you gag.
Well, with all the mayhem and chaos, the best stress reliever is sex. And Melanie enlists her colleague Bennett (Iddo Goldberg) to help her out with that task. After they take care of business, there is a moment where Melanie lays her head on Bennett’s chest and she’s crying. Not sobbing but tears gently stream down her face. For someone who seems as icy as the air outside, it’s nice to see her have a human moment.
The tribunal usually consists of First and Second Class passengers but because Third Class passengers were murdered by a First Class passenger, it’s only fair that they would want to have representation on the tribunal.
During the trial, LJ says something very interesting. We know that the second murder victim Sean was an informant for Mr. Wilford, who we now know is really Melanie. LJ divulges Sean’s last words. “Just before he died, he said that he was an informant, a spy for Mr. Wilford. Sean said that shadows and lies were taking over the beautiful train from tip to tail. From Ag-Sec to the drawers. 400 secrets that rock us to the rails he said but would never spill them.”
The look on Melanie’s face says more than words could ever convey. And if we’ve learned anything from the last four episodes, Melanie will do anything to protect the anonymity of who’s really running the train.
Throughout “Justice Never Boarded,” we see Andre having recurring visions of him and the Tailees going after and killing the cannibals residing among them. We also see Brakeman Bess Till (Mickey Sumner) and her girlfriend Jinju (Susan Park) take their relationship to the next level. Jinju vouches for Bess to get her upgraded to Second Class. Jinju is now responsible for Bess. If Bess does anything to jeopardize her standing, it also falls on Jinju.
Josie (Katie McGuinness) is desperate and seeks the help of the Janitors to find Andre. Terence (Shaun Toub) and his right-hand Annie (Kelly-Ruth Mercier) get a hold of Dr. Klempt’s (Happy Anderson) keys and they go in the room of drawers. But these two aren’t really there to help Josie; they have another mission – steal medical supplies to potentially make more Chrono.
Josie is on her own. In her search to find which drawer Andre is in, she discovers some secrets including where the missing apprenticeship kids have disappeared to. Meanwhile, during rounds, Brakeman Bess Till and John Osweiller (Sam Otto) discover the open door in the medical car and find Josie hiding in a drawer with Andre.
When Osweiller pulls Josie out of the drawers trying to subdue her, Bess hits him in the back of the head. Bess is shocked that Andre is in a drawer, so she knows something isn’t right. She decides to help Josie hide Andre in Third Class with Zarah (Sheila Vand). This violates Bess’ commitment to Jinju and Second-Class rules. Sometimes, you must pick a side and stand by your choice.
After the Tribunal returns from deliberation, they come back with a guilty verdict. With the revelation of Sean’s final words, Melanie is afraid that LJ may have more secrets she’s holding on to. To quell LJ and to appease everyone, Melanie decides Mr. Wilford will send a message stating that he will commute LJ’s sentence. This essentially voids the guilty verdict and it won’t go over well with Third Class. They want justice for the murders of their own.
Things will surely get more chaotic, especially with Andre out of the drawers. He knows Melanie’s secret.
Snowpiercer – Ep. 5 “Justice Never Boarded” Photos
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Judy Manning
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