DISCLAIMER: This recap of the Snowpiercer episode “A New Life” has spoilers. Prepare to brace and proceed at your peril.
Welcome, passengers of the Eternal Engine! Snowpiercer returns with a mid-season outing that falls slightly short of delivering the goods. The narrative train slows to a crawl like Big Alice did when it lost fuel. While I love the character development and everyone bonding over their shared trauma, I can’t help but wonder where this is all going.
Something is missing, and I can’t put my finger on it. For now, the Wilford threat is on the back burner, but what’s the “Big Bad” going forward? Nature? That said, I’m assuming Pike will rise as an antagonist for Layton, considering he’s responsible for the multiple arson incidents train-wide.
“A New Life” has its moments, but, overall, it’s a tad disappointing. The writing seems to get lost in its characters, forgetting the plot.
Ready to delve into “A New Life”? Let’s get to it.
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We open with Zarah (Sheila Vand) penning a letter to her unborn daughter while Layton (Daveed Diggs) falls prey to an explosion that knocks him unconscious. But not to worry — we’re going to backtrack 12 hours.
Layton and Zarah are in third class, staring at a sizeable fake tree with pieces of paper serving as the leaves. These “leaves” bear potential names for the couple’s daughter. It’s a Tailee tradition; the parents-to-be choose a name from the tree. Names usually derive inspiration from the train’s current location.
Meanwhile, Alex (Rowan Blanchard) sits by Wilford’s (Sean Bean) side while he recuperates from Roche stabbing suspension liquid straight into his heart. Dr. Pelton (Karin Konoval) encourages her to read to Wilford to stimulate his brain.
Miss Audrey (Lena Hall) attempts to gain ingress to the med bay, but Dr. Pelton obstructs her path. Audrey’s confined to third class, and that’s that!
Next, we see Dr. Headwood (Sakina Jaffrey) examining Josie (Katie McGuinness), poking her with needles to determine sensation. Josie fears losing feeling in certain limbs, and Headwood doesn’t have any answers yet.
Suddenly, Zarah’s water breaks, so Bess (Mickey Sumner) accompanies her and Layton to Headwood’s lab. Zarah’s three weeks early, and Layton fears the worst considering Headwood’s regular cold treatments.
Ruth (Alison Wright) dons her teals for her first day as Head of Hospitality again, and all feels right with the world. She proceeds to announce Zarah’s baby situation to the train and employs bells to mark each hour until the baby is born.
Later, Ruth joins the kids and their teacher by the name tree, which quickly goes up in smoke. A mysterious someone set it ablaze! Bess calls Layton away from Zarah to investigate a potential arson incident.
But before Layton departs, he brings Dr. Pelton into the fold to aid Headwood with the delivery. Layton needs to ensure that Headwood won’t try any funny business. She is Wilford’s medical professional, after all.
Meanwhile, Ben (Iddo Goldberg) asks Sykes (Chelsea Harris) to help Javi (Roberto Urbina) troubleshoot every system and plan out of AG-SEC. Javi believes it’s a ruse to lure him away from the engine. Ben confesses that he doesn’t think Javi should operate the train until he works through his trauma. As a fellow victim of Wilford’s abuse, Sykes can help in that arena.
Pike (Steven Ogg) attempts to persuade Ruth into gunning for Layton’s spot again. He wholeheartedly believes she should fulfill her potential as a leader, but Ruth’s comfortable in her current position. Interestingly, she wants more for him and vice versa.
Bess shows Layton the damage post-tree fire — she believes ethanol plays a significant role in the blaze. First thing’s first, they visit the Night Car for answers by questioning LJ (Annalise Basso) and Osweiller (Sam Otto) regarding their alcohol supplier. They need ethanol for the booze. As usual, while LJ refuses to cooperate, Osweiller leads the pair to a speakeasy in third class.
Then, Ben convinces Josie to join him in the engine for some engineering training. She demonstrates her newfound abilities courtesy of the cold exposure. Josie sticks a protractor in her leg, drawing blood. However, she doesn’t feel anything.
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Sykes and Javi are hard at work when he succumbs to another bout of PTSD, hearing Wilford’s dog Jupiter barking viciously behind him. Sykes sits with him and explains how she got her facial gash from Jupiter. She doesn’t blame the canine for what he did; instead, the owner. Sykes calms down Javi.
I’m glad we’re seeing more of Sykes, especially in this light. I love seeing two people bound by trauma bonding together. Here’s hoping they can help each other heal.
On another semi-related note, I wish we saw more of Sykes on the train before she joined Team Layton and more of her progression to the right side.
Layton and Bess chat with Z-Wreck (Kwasi Thomas) about his stash of ethanol. Unfortunately, someone tampered with said supply, leaving water behind instead of what’s needed to make that good ole train hooch.
Bess decides to check in with Audrey, as she’s no fan of Layton’s. Audrey proclaims her innocence. Bess urges Audrey to “hit rock bottom” to find her old self again.
Josie asks Ben whether he misses Melanie, and the pair grow closer over their similar pain. This season’s all about folks finding common ground in their grief.
Ben believes Layton still loves Josie. I don’t think he’s wrong.
Layton pops into the med bay, wherein Wilford regains consciousness. Well, somewhat. Layton asks him if he knows of any Wilford groupies who might attempt murder via arson in his name.
Zarah demands to see Layton. Her temperature drops steadily due to the cold treatments on her unborn child. Ruth informs Layton about “heavy smoke” in AG-SEC, which sends our leader running in that direction.
Meanwhile, Javi notices that a ton of ammonium nitrate packs are missing. Layton and Bess enter the fray to investigate the smoke emitting from AG-SEC, and we see Pike lurking in the shadows. I had a feeling he was responsible for the arson.
Suddenly, an explosive detonates, sending Layton backward. He smacks his head and falls unconscious. Alarms blare throughout Snowpiercer, alerting everyone to the bombing incident.
After Layton wakes, he demands to see Zarah, so Bess leads him to his baby mama. Noticing she’s freezing, he sits behind her to warm her up while she pushes with all her might. Then, we get a glimpse of Layton and Zarah’s newborn daughter, Liana, entering the world screaming.
Inspiration strikes Audrey, so she sits on a stool, picks up her guitar and belts out an original song. She listened to Bess! Admittedly, I missed Lena Hall’s incredible voice, so I’m always ready to listen whenever Snowpiercer allows her to showcase her jaw-dropping vocal talents.
Alex wheels a fully-awake Wilford to a TV featuring old-school cartoons. She parks him in front of said TV, but he looks less than enthused.
Meanwhile, Ben and Josie decide to get down and dirty in the engine. While it’s a mite peculiar that Ben chooses to sleep with the woman his dead girlfriend of 15 years almost succeeded in killing, I’ll let it slide since I like these two together.
Zarah and Layton enjoy being parents, gazing lovingly at little Liana. Pike catches a bit of Audrey’s performance, and it resonates with him. We see him procure a device out of his pocket; one used to explode stuff. He smashes it with his foot before quickly leaving the area. Destroying evidence are we, dear Pike?
RELATED: Catch up on all the Eternal Engine action with our Snowpiercer recaps!
Where do you think this train will take us? Will Pike strike again? Can Audrey turn a new leaf? Why doesn’t Wilford enjoy watching cartoons? Join me next week while I recap Snowpiercer, here on Geek Girl Authority, and maybe these questions will get answers!
Snowpiercer airs Mondays at 9 pm on your TNT affiliate.
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What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet.
Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium.
Critic: Rotten Tomatoes, CherryPicks, and the Hollywood Creative Alliance.
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