DISCLAIMER: This recap of Snowpiercer Season 4 Episode 3, “Life Source,” contains spoilers. Proceed at your peril.
Prepare to brace, passengers.
“Life Source” sheds more light on Milius’s nefarious dealings as Ben and Bess conduct an investigation. Layton tries to override democracy in his abject grief, and honestly? I don’t agree with him trying to boss around Javi, but I understand where he’s coming from. This outing is a bit slow, and I’m not sure the “Layton taking Big Alice” plot needed to be drawn out like that. That said, it’s still an entertaining episode.
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Snowpiercer, “Life Source”
We open with narration from Ruth (Alison Wright) as she walks through New Eden, allaying the residents’ fears about any outside threats to their compound. Layton (Daveed Diggs) and Josie (Katie McGuinness) investigate the medbay. He notices the shoes Dr. Headwood kept from her late husband are missing. Josie tells Ruth that they need to have a council meeting ASAP.
Layton asks Alex (Rowan Blanchard) how long it would take to unhook Big Alice’s engine from the New Eden grid and get it running again. Of course, Alex doesn’t love the idea of dismantling her hard work. Ruth barges in, protesting the idea of Layton taking the engine to find Liana. Without the engine, New Eden will suffer. Ruth insists that no unilateral decisions must be made. After all, they’re a democracy. They must discuss this as a council. Layton storms out.
Labor Camp
Meanwhile, on Snowpiercer, one of Admiral Milius’s guards kicks Bess (Mickey Sumner) out of a box. I suppose it’s like solitary confinement? She reunites with Ben (Iddo Goldberg) in the market car. Milius now runs the train like a labor camp, with the passengers working night and day on the retrofit. Ben notices the strange mark on Bess’s wrist and asks her if they tortured her as punishment for letting Audrey escape in the track scaler. Bess ignores the question.
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Bess wants to take out Milius. Ben believes they should first investigate his motives before acting. He believes in what Melanie and Nima are doing—it’s for the good of humanity. That said, Milius is a bad apple. Meanwhile, the council meets at New Eden to discuss Layton’s desire to take the engine. Alex insists New Eden won’t survive without it.
Layton can’t believe what he’s hearing. While he doesn’t want his people to starve, he wonders where that leaves him and his kidnapped daughter. Sykes (Chelsea Harris) adds that they can’t heat Ag-Sec without the engine, let alone the entire town. Layton storms out (again). He does that a lot on this episode.
Innovation
Later, Admiral Milius (Clark Gregg) shows Ben one of his fallen men. Apparently, Milius’s soldier tried to complete a task for which he wasn’t suited. Thus, he was electrocuted. Ben notices the markings on him don’t line up with electrocution. Milius informs Ben that they need an engineer to carry out the aforementioned task in Ag-Sec. Dr. Nima has cooked a new fertilizer to help with their food supply issues. Nima (Michael Aronov) chimes in, adding that this potent synthetic compound could double the train’s food production.
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Nima asks Ben to reroute the electrical panels and redirect ventilation for dispersal. Ben will only do this if he can bring Bess as his assistant. Oh, and only 10-hour workdays for the passengers. Milius agrees to this. After Ben departs, Nima reminds Milius that this compound is potentially dangerous. Milius insists it won’t be an issue if Ben does his job correctly.
Then, Josie finds Layton tinkering with the track scaler. She urges him to go back to the council meeting so they can talk this through. Layton is done talking, though. At the same time, Ben and Bess try to chat with Nima. Milius stops them. Bess states that Ben needs to discuss valve pressure with Nima. Milius lets Ben inside the library but orders Bess to wait outside.
A Sign
Later, Oz (Sam Otto) runs into Layton. He claims he saw a bird up in the mountains and that it’s a sign from Zarah. Layton shoves Oz, reminding the latter that he’s the reason Zarah is dead. Harsh. In Snowpiercer’s library, Ben tries to get Nima to drop the “I’m just following orders” act. Milius isn’t doing all this for altruistic reasons, as he claims. Nima whispers that Milius wasn’t always like this, but one of the admiral’s soldiers appears. The scientist urges Ben to follow Milius’s orders, and he’ll survive.
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Next, Ruth chats with Alex about Big Alice’s engine. Can Layton feasibly take it? Javi (Roberto Urbina) brainstorms ways this could work out. What if Javi reroutes the system? He could create a new closed loop for all their alternative sources. Alex counters that he’ll drain the battery arrays in three days. She supposes he could “crunch the numbers,” though. Alex is more invested in seeing about a bird.
Nima approaches Milius to inform him about what Ben wanted. Nima lies, claiming Ben had a question about fertilizer volume. Milius hammers home that it’s about priorities. “When the world is starving, you don’t name the lobsters in the tank,” Milius says—such a great line.
Take the Train
Layton barges into Javi’s workspace, demanding they’re taking the train. They don’t have Ruth’s permission, but Layton claims he must act now for Liana’s sake. Layton orders Javi to help him. He cranks up the “threatening aura” to get what he wants.
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Later, Alex finds Mr. Sprinkles, her bird, dead. RIP. She also runs into Josie, who admits she’s not okay. It’s about Liana, Zarah, Layton—all of it. While Josie weeps, Alex notices her nose is bleeding again. Meanwhile, Javi and Layton head into Ag-Sec. Javi explains that they can’t unhook Big Alice until they reroute the battery arrays around town and feed them to geothermal.
Milius’s men escort Ben and Bess to Ag-Sec on Snowpiercer. Ben notices a panel has been ripped out. Bess wonders if this is a ploy to kill them, but Ben believes Milius would’ve disposed of them long ago if that were the case. In New Eden, Javi tinkers around in Ag-Sec. He finishes the first part of the rerouting. Sykes arrives, asking what he’s doing.
Initially, Layton answers for him until Javi tells her he’s conducting diagnostic testing. Sykes doesn’t believe him. She reminds Javi that he told her he’d be through with that the week before. Javi and Layton make up more excuses before backing out of Ag-Sec, leaving Sykes to mull over what they said.
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Join the Team
Meanwhile, Roche (Mike O’Malley) sits with Oz in the pub. He confirms Oz’s statements that someone has been watching them. Liana’s kidnapping and Zarah’s murder are proof of that. Roche asks Oz to join his new security team. Maybe he can come down the mountain for good. Oz seems to consider Roche’s offer.
Elsewhere, Javi continues rerouting the battery arrays. Layton urges him to work more quickly. However, if Javi gets anything wrong, even by a decimal, it could ensure New Eden will die without the engine. Javi explains what he’s doing, but Layton accuses him of stalling. Javi knows this is Layton’s grief talking. He doesn’t resort to intimidation or threatening tactics. Javi also knows that Layton wouldn’t hurt him.
Discoveries
Then, Ben and Bess head to the train’s underbelly to continue their investigation. What’s Milius’s endgame? Where’s this innovative fertilizer? Bess discovers what looks like a gas mask. Elsewhere, Javi finishes the rerouting process. Now, they can take Big Alice’s engine, and New Eden will be able to survive for three weeks without them.
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Next, Ruth and Josie drink tea together. Ruth asks Josie if she’s being too hard on Layton. Josie admits she feels torn. She states she hasn’t felt this helpless since the tail. Sykes pops in again and asks Ruth if she authorized diagnostic testing in Ag-Sec. Ruth replies she didn’t. Uh-oh.
Layton and Javi prepare to leave the following day, but Ruth, Josie and Sykes are there to stop them. Sykes gets physical with Layton, eventually subduing him. Seriously, it sounds like she broke his arm. I heard bones crack!
Chemical, Not Electrical
On Snowpiercer, Ben and Bess realize that Milius lied about their job. Milius is going to great lengths to kill people on the train. But why? Ben counters that perhaps it’s about experimenting on them, not killing them. That’s what this “fertilizer” is. After all, the admiral’s hit team has certainly undergone experimentation (or augmentation). Ben believes they should use this against Milius. Remember what Ben saw on Milius’s fallen soldier? It’s the same as the burns on Bess’s arm. Those are chemical, not electrical.
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Meanwhile, Ruth and Roche chat about Layton’s recklessness. Roche remarks that Ruth is acting like Layton—taking action without discussing it with everyone else. He admits he feels for Layton as a father and wouldn’t want to stand in the latter’s way. Roche visits Layton in his makeshift cell, revealing that Ruth will allow Layton to make his case to New Eden. Then, the town will vote on whether he should take the engine.
Then, Javi wakes to find Alex performing tests on Mr. Sprinkles’ carcass. The bird’s death has proven that her nosebleeds aren’t a fluke. She experiences them whenever she gets to the edge of the pocket. Now, she must follow the data.
The Truth
Josie gives Layton a piece of her mind while en route to the town hall. Before she died, Zarah asked Josie to look after Liana. Josie insists this isn’t something she takes lightly. She loves Liana. Layton apologizes for his behavior, but Josie walks past him in silence.
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Ruth kicks off the town hall by speaking to the attendees. Thanks to Javi’s ingenuity, New Eden can survive without Big Alice’s engine for three weeks. However, what if disaster strikes while Layton is away? That means they can’t escape New Eden. Then, she gives the floor to Layton. Layton addresses the group, claiming he comes to them as a father wanting to find his daughter. His speech is brief.
After the vote, Ruth informs Layton that he can take the train. The town voted in favor of him. That said, there are stipulations. Layton must return in three weeks’ time and not a moment later. He can take up to three train cars, but not Ag-Sec. Lastly, anyone who accompanies him must officially volunteer.
Layton Leaves
Later, Alex declares to Javi that she plans to be the engineer for Layton’s rescue mission. Javi can stay in New Eden. She’s also looking at this as an opportunity to conduct more research. What if New Eden isn’t a series of warm spots but bubbles? “And bubbles burst,” Alex adds. This all might be temporary. Melanie left Snowpiercer to do her research, so she must be on to something big.
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Then, Ruth insists she’s going with Layton to ensure his timely return. She puts Roche in charge of New Eden. Meanwhile, Ben rewires the loose control panel with the chemical compound meant for them. He and Bess are giving Milius and Nima a taste of their own medicine. Milius and Nima storm Ag-Sec, wondering why it’s taking Ben and Bess so long to finish their work.
Ben insists the box is faulty and they need more time to fix it. Nima notices a bag with the gas mask. He realizes it’s a trap and urges Milius to get out. Milius and Ben flee as the admiral’s men tackle the latter. Nima reaches for the gas mask, but Bess prevents him from wearing it. The Ag-Sec doors close, trapping them inside. Before the gas hits, Nima reassures Bess that Audrey made it to New Eden.
Prepare for Action
Later, Bess wakes up in a box. Ben is in the box beside her. He asks her what the hell she was thinking. Bess tells him that Audrey is safe. Milius prepares for action. Nima reminds him that they promised Melanie they wouldn’t hurt anyone. Milius dismisses Nima, but not before clarifying that Nima made this vow to Mel, not him. Elsewhere, Layton, Alex, Ruth and Josie are in Big Alice’s engine, preparing to brace. We see them speed over the bridge near New Eden.
Snowpiercer drops new episodes every Sunday at 9 pm EST on AMC, BBC America and AMC+.
Geek Girl Authority Crush of the Week: MELANIE CAVILL
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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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