Snowpiercer, Season 2, 2-Hour Season Finale “The Show Must Go On” and “Into the White”
Air Date: Monday, March 29, 2021 at 9:00 PM and 10:00 PM ET/PT on TNT
Reviewer Rating: 4 Stars
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“The cold heart of political power is obedience.” – Wilford
Before we dive into the epic Snowpiercer season two finale, let’s go back through the season to pick out the highlights. At the beginning of the season, there were so many things introduced. If you recall the cryptic message when Melanie (Jennifer Connelly) is inside the brig on Big Alice. What does “If you both the math, you’ll take a bath. – Randy” mean? It wasn’t fully acknowledged in this season. Perhaps it didn’t mean anything at all.
Wilford’s (Sean Bean) return receives both a hearty and nervous welcome. Some of the passengers, including Snowpiercer’s Head of Hospitality, Ruth Wardell (Allison Wright), have been waiting for Wilford to reclaim his rightful seat in the engine after learning in season one that Melanie had been pretending to be Wilford for the last seven years. As the season progressed, people began to choose sides once again – for Wilford or against. And Layton (Daveed Diggs) caught in the middle of it all, again.
With so many story arcs introduced throughout season two, it almost seemed as though the writers weren’t going to be able to give all of them a conclusion. And after watching this two-hour finale, I don’t feel like the writers tie up all the loose ends, on purpose.
I enjoyed the second half of the finale more than the first. “The Show Must Go On” felt glutinous, showcasing Wilford’s vulgar indulgences in things that don’t seem relevant to the survival of the species. But that’s not what Wilford cares about. He wants to relish in the creature comforts that life used to offer in plentitude – sex, drugs, and alcohol. He also has tastes for the finer things like champagne and caviar, which I found quite odd to find on a train that’s been circling the globe for nearly a decade. Perhaps there were salmon in that aquarium car that no one mentioned.
To propel the story forward, the writers needed to amplify Wilford’s emotional instability in “The Show Must Go On” to give a better juxtaposition to Layton’s side of things. Wilford’s perceived order isn’t really order at all. He wants people placed in their boxes – castes if you will – so that he can reign over them with his proclaimed superiority. [Sound familiar]. Layton envisions more of a democracy, a way for everyone to enjoy life on the train as one people. There are flaws in both regimes; however, when you’re at the end of the world, and literally one disaster away from the train derailing and everyone dying, the point seems moot. Yes, you’d rather spend your last moments enjoying whatever comforts are available but if you’re not First- or Second-Class, what indulgences are you allowed? And is it worth the expense? People are being murdered, killed “by lung of ice” for crimes they committed on Wilford’s order. Alas, that’s an argument for another time.
Wilford continues to abuse his position by inviting a select few to a fancy dinner party on Snowpiercer. I did like seeing everyone all cleaned up, dolled up, and ready to “sing for their supper.” I admit that I do not like LJ Folger (Annalise Basso) at all. I enjoyed it very much when Wilford calls her out on her bullshit. She knows what she did (back in season one) and so does he. “…You didn’t cut off those men’s penises?” Credit to Basso for her excellent acting, possibly too good, because I loathe LJ so much so, I’d rather not watch any of Basso’s other work, at least for a while.
It’s Osweiller (Sam Otto) who is the surprise hit of the evening. Playing the “ivories” and belting out a sad tune may not be enough to keep him in Wilford’s good graces. Remember, he’s got Miss Audrey (Lena Hall) for all that. [I’m still not sure if she’s pretending, but it seems as though Miss Audrey is truly on board with Wilford.]
By the way, if you don’t like Wilford’s way of doing things, you can go to the brig like Alex (Rowan Blanchard) or get sent to the “swamp.” It’s exactly what you think it might be – a room filled with nastiness, hot and muggy, and smells like shit, literally. Or worse, you get killed. [I’ll take option one, thanks.]
As we jump into the second half of the two-hour season finale, “Into the White” delves into what I call a hopeful mutiny. The Headwood’s (Damian Young and Sakina Jaffrey) experiments on their first guinea pig, Icy Bob (Andre Tricoteux) allows Josie (Katie McGuiness) to be even more enhanced to withstand the subfreezing temperatures outside. The question is, did the Headwood’s do this so they could “enhance” others as well to eventually live outside once more? Or, as I suspect, use those with super laboratory abilities to do Wilford’s bidding? [I think you know the answer.]
And remember when Melanie went to the research facility, ate rats, then ran to catch the train but missed it? All of this is further elaborated on in “Into the White.” I thought Wilford had somehow sabotaged communications with Melanie but that’s not the case. When Javier (Roberto Urbina) hears Melanie’s voice crackle over the radio, he knows he needs to do something. Mr. Javier De La Torre wins the MVP award in this episode. He risks so much to get a message to Layton and Ruth [so proud of Ruth right now], now working in the “swamp” on Big Alice.
Wilford is smart to separate Javier from Ben (Iddo Goldberg); however, he underestimates these two time and time again. Javier gets a message to Ben right over the radio with no one being the wiser. But with Sykes (Chelsea Harris) and some men aboard Snowpiercer, Ben is going to have a rough go of it to overthrow them. Sykes doesn’t strike me a woman who lets things slide. She gives Ben a run for his money. Despite the epic ass-kicking he receives, he successfully switches the tracks to head back to Melanie.
So much happens in these two hours. From an unused train car that houses a carnival complete with rides and cotton candy [cotton candy people!] to a fantastic display of teamwork from inside and outside the train (thanks to Josie), it’s a thrill ride indeed. Regardless of which side you’re on – Team Wilford or Team Layton – one thing is for certain, Snowpiercer (the train and those on board) isn’t the same anymore, figuratively, and literally speaking. People are lost, some permanently, some in drawers. And as much as I would have loved to explore more in the aquarium car, some sacrifices must be made for the perceived greater good.
Final thought: I keep thinking of the film Snowpiercer and the timeline. If the television series is set eight years before the film’s timeline, then could Zarah’s (Sheila Vand) unborn child be the small boy that helps Wilford in the engine? And what about everyone in the drawers? So many questions…thankfully season three of Snowpiercer is in production. With all that beautiful data Melanie compiled, it seems like there is much to hope for.
Let me know what you thought of the season two finale?
SNOWPIERCER, Season 2 Finale, Episodes 9-10 “The Show Must Go On” and “Into the White” Photos
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Judy Manning
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