Martin Carr reviews the sixth episode of Snowpiercer…
Trouble comes from inside and out this week as uprisings continue, internal politics go into overdrive and revelations just keep coming. Situations are exploited, people victimised and near death experiences leave their mark on everyone. After the debacle of a trial by train episode six revels in internal rivalry, rockets along on a set piece and those drawers give up a few secrets.
Beneath the cloak and dagger of professional friendships, preferential treatment and mechanical cliff hangers Snowpiercer is ticking over. Melanie Cavill is still keeping secrets, smoke screening her captive populous and quelling fragmented insurgents. With black lists in existence, information in short supply and no one giving an inch the dice is dangerously loaded. Melanie’s efforts to maintain a status quo seem boundless, as her morals are professionally flexible, infinitely adaptable and buried beneath a Teflon coating.
Miscommunication continues to mould, manipulate and make matters worse as conclusions are drawn which only deepen the rabbit hole. Loyalties are tested, gender roles are challenged and Layton plants seeds of doubt which are certain to bear fruit later on. Osweiller and Bess Till reach an understanding which sees their dynamic shift again, while Miss Audrey musters leverage against the inequities of wealth and privilege.
This is brought into sharp relief by the frailty of human life, our reliance on machines and a certainty that mortality aboard Snowpiercer is dependent on order. That Layton and other tail dwellers are looking to level the playing field does nothing to alleviate the delicate balance. Daveed Diggs sits in opposition to Jennifer Connelly voicing his dissent against a woman who personifies perseverance, loyalty and an iron will embodies through bureaucracy rather than physicality.
Their conflicting approaches, a solid ensemble of character support and an unerring sense of claustrophobia continue to keep audiences engaged. Just when you think this show has shown us everything it segues veers off in a different direction. With temperatures inside rising whilst outside remains in free fall, you have to wonder how long this protracted ferocity can go unchecked. Even now the twin terrors of law and order are at odds with simple supply and demand. One step too far and the structure will fall, leaving carnage, casualties and no time for careful considerations. Trouble may well come sideways but as we officially pass the half way point, you have to wonder when things will finally head south for good.
Martin Carr
