DISCLAIMER: This recap of Snowpiercer Season 4 Episode 4, “North Star,” contains spoilers. Proceed at your peril.
Sometimes, you lose your North Star. On Snowpiercer, morality runs thin on the side of the antagonists. Layton finally meets Milius (well, over the radio) and infiltrates the train while a mystery unfolds in New Eden. It’s a markedly better outing than last week’s fare and moves the narrative along, answering questions while presenting new intriguing threads. If Milius doesn’t have Liana, who does? Which person from New Eden is missing a hand? Where did Roche go? Does Milius need Big Alice to save the planet or for something less noble?
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Snowpiercer, “North Star”
We open with a flashback featuring Josie (Katie McGuinness) and Layton (Daveed Diggs) in the early days of their time in the Tail. They’re tending to a Tailie’s wound. Young Miles hides under a bunk bed. Layton distracts the child with a game of hide and seek. Josie provides narration to open the episode, revealing what happens when someone loses their “North Star.” (Title of the episode!) They lose their moral compass; they lose their way.
Then, Ruth (Alison Wright) offers a plan to infiltrate Snowpiercer. We see Big Alice, which Alex (Rowan Blanchard) drives, inching closer to our titular train. Josie believes they shouldn’t leave without saving their fellow passengers from the tyrannical Admiral Milius. However, Layton reminds Josie that this isn’t a revolution; it’s an extraction. They’re there to rescue Liana — nothing more.
Javi’s in Charge
Meanwhile, in New Eden, Javi (Roberto Urbina) is acting mayor for the acting mayor while Roche is on patrol. A nasty storm rolls across the compound, so Javi tries to steer the ship, ensuring the safety of its occupants. Sykes (Chelsea Harris) informs Javi that they’ve lost power in two Ag-Sec cars. An entire crop is gone. Javi vows to reroute power from the battery reserves. Javi insists the storm was unexpected. Sykes urges him to give it to her straight: How long can they survive without Big Alice’s engine? Javi believes they have two weeks unless the storm persists.
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Then, Josie vents her concerns about Miles to Alex. Alex reassures her that Miles (and Miles) is okay, as is Ben. Engineers are indispensable. Layton orders the train to go dark as they’re closer to Snowpiercer. Alex believes she can bridge the gap. The plan is for Josie to leap onto the train and sneak on board, providing Layton with access. We see Big Alice tailing Snowpiercer. Josie already has her cold suit on.
Milius and Layton
However, Milius (Clark Gregg) contacts Layton from Snowpiercer’s engine. He introduces himself as an admiral of the International Peacekeeping Forces. He orders the crew to state the reason for their approach or be deemed hostiles. Layton doesn’t respond for a few seconds until Milius prompts him. Layton confronts Milius over the radio, accusing the latter of kidnapping his daughter and having Zarah killed. Milius claims he’s not responsible.
Milius adds that he’s worried that Layton plans to attack the train. He invites Layton over to discuss everything face-to-face. Ruth whispers that Milius wants them to connect the trains, which they don’t want. They have to return to New Eden in two weeks. Milius insists they harbor no ill intent and are “friendlies.” Layton responds that he won’t mind waiting before hanging up. Power move.
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Layton reveals they’ll have to concoct Plan B now. Meanwhile, Javi speaks to the New Eden denizens in the town hall. Everyone’s pissed. Was that an explosion? Javi tries to assuage their fears. However, he’s also honest: they won’t know if that was an explosion or an attack until they search the perimeter. Their power grid is on the verge of collapse. While they can make the necessary repairs, they still won’t have enough juice to last until Big Alice’s return unless they start rationing power.
Under Control
Roche (Mike O’Malley) returns from his patrol to take over. He reassures the anxious crowd that he’s working hard to get things under control. Elsewhere, Josie proposes they board Snowpiercer, but not on the admiral’s terms. At New Eden, Sykes follows Javi while he gets the breaker back online. She commends him for telling the town the truth. Sykes offers her services, noting that it seems like they need help. After all, four out of the six council members are on a rescue mission.
Later, Layton and Josie present their plan to Ruth and Alex. Naturally, they hate it. They won’t connect to Snowpiercer until they’ve rescued Liana. “And even then, only long enough for us to make it back,” Layton adds. Josie asks Alex about disconnecting the train. Alex claims that it’ll be tough because Milius will know they’re there. Milius won’t release them willingly, so it’s a manual override or bust. Layton trusts Alex and Ruth to make the right call.
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Layton contacts Snowpiercer. Miles (Jaylin Fletcher) answers, moving Josie to grab the radio from Layton and respond. She’s thrilled to hear he’s alive, and Josie vows they will get Miles out of there. Milius snatches the radio out of Miles’s hand. Layton asks Milius if the latter’s invitation still stands. Milius approves Big Alice for docking.
Chain of Command
Next, Milius orders his soldiers to stand guard outside Ag-Sec. Dr. Nima Rousseau (Michael Aronov) asks if Layton is coming. Nima warns about what will happen if Milius entraps Layton in the last car, aka the “Welcome Wagon.” Milius can’t use the Gemini variant (chemical compound) the passengers installed because it’s too toxic. Nima reminds him that hurting Melanie’s people violates their agreement. They need Mel’s research. Milius counters that they’ve already lost 40 people during this retrofit. What’s a few more?
Milius forces Nima to drop and give him 20 pushups as punishment for ignoring the chain of command. Leave the strategizing to Milius. Nima can only do three pushups. Milius lets him go, hoping Nima learned his lesson.
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Then, we see Ben (Iddo Goldberg) and Bess (Mickey Sumner) sitting in their respective boxes. They chat about their favorite films and dream vacation destinations. Bess wants to get to New Eden to reunite with her lady love. Nima visits Ben and Bess and informs them about Milius’s trap for Layton. That chemical compound will do more than render Layton unconscious. He asks Ben how to dismantle the trap. Ben tells him to cut the power to the panel. There’s a circuit breaker in the subtrain car.
The Delay
Nima works hard to cut the power. Unfortunately, one of Milius’s soldiers appears behind him. Milius contacts Big Alice, asking them about the delay. They’re clear to dock. Ruth answers, claiming they’re experiencing technical difficulties. Alex talks her through it, throwing train-related engineering terms her way to make it sound authentic. Ruth insists they’re working through the issues.
Meanwhile, we see Layton and Josie running on top of Big Alice. They ask if Alex can get them closer to the jump. Alex claims she can’t without risking impact, so they’ll have to make the jump. Dr. Pelton (Karin Konoval) heads into Ag-Sec, where she spots Layton and Josie outside.
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Milius orders Miles to ram into Big Alice. He’s not playing games anymore. When Miles refuses, Milius does this himself. The jolt almost sends Josie over the side of the train. Thankfully, Layton pulls her up. Pelton spots one of Milius’s soldiers. She tries to distract him so he doesn’t see Josie and Layton.
High Five
Next, Roche reunites with his daughter, Carly (Esther Ming Li). He urges her to get inside, but she insists she must finish packing the market. Carly asks her father if he’s okay. She hasn’t seen him all week. He feels immense remorse for Liana getting kidnapped on his watch, so he’s been incessantly patrolling. Oz (Sam Otto) shows Roche something terrifying — a frozen hand he found while on patrol. They take it to Javi.
Roche asks Javi to dissect it and figure out how long it’s been outside and when the original hand owner passed. Javi reminds Roche and Oz that he’s an engineer. He’s not a forensic medical examiner. Javi gives in, promising the guys he’ll examine the creepy hand.
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Later, Milius notices the breach alert on the screen. Miles claims it’s an error message. Milius contacts Big Alice, apologizing for the fender bender. It seems Snowpiercer has technical difficulties, too. He asks to speak to Layton. Ruth lies, stating that Layton is tending to the coupling mechanism issues. Milius urges his soldiers to find Layton at the cold lock. He relieves Miles of his post and orders his men to retrieve Ben.
The Children’s Car
Meanwhile, Layton and Josie move through the train. Hoods conceal their faces. Dr. Pelton urges them to keep moving. She suggests they check first class, where the children’s car is. Liana might be there. Milius has ordered the separation of parents and children to ensure there’s no revolt. Pelton claims it’s impossible to get there. However, she tries to find them help on the assembly line.
Elsewhere, one of Milius’s soldiers escorts Nima out of Ag-Sec. Nima offers to give the soldier a physical examination. He hears the man’s labored breathing. The augments on this man shouldn’t affect his lungs. He removes his helmet so Nima can examine him.
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Next, Javi apologizes to Sykes for not sticking up for her during the council meetings. Sykes knows the crew looks askance at her because of her former affiliation with Wilford. She feels she’s more than proven her loyalty. She’s in charge of their food supply, after all. So, in the spirit of transparency, Javi shows Sykes the frozen severed hand he’s been examining.
An Extraction and a Revolution
Pelton takes Layton and Josie through the assembly line. There’s a barricade; the only way around it is via the subtrain. A few of the passengers spot Layton. They get excited, thinking he’s there to save them. Layton reassures them he’ll help them out once he finds his daughter. Tristan (Ian Collins) spots Layton and Josie. As a fight breaks out between Milius’s soldiers and the passengers, Tristan takes Layton to the subtrain while Pelton whisks Josie away to safety.
Then, Ben reunites with Milius in the engine. Milius asks Ben how they enable Big Alice’s docking mechanism remotely. Ben cheekily responds that it’s a train; there’s no remote control. Milius calls Ruth and orders her to cut the theatrics. He knows Layton is aboard Snowpiercer. If they want to see him again, they better knock it off. After that, he orders Ben to go full-throttle while driving the train—go double time.
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Meanwhile, Josie parts ways with Pelton and reunites with Bess. She lets Bess out of her box. Bess vows to accompany Josie to the children’s car in first class. Tristan escorts Layton to the subtrain. There, he meets Nima. We see that Nima poisoned the soldier he was examining. Nima insists he’s merely a chemist. He’s not in on Milius’s schemes. Nima adds that the soldier caught him deactivating a trap meant for Layton. He vows to take Layton to Liana.
Getting Caught
Next, Josie finds Miles, and the pair embrace. Josie, Miles and Bess move through first class. They see several kids but no Liana. However, they spot a few guards moving toward them. Josie urges Bess to take Miles out of there. Josie tries to fight the guards by herself. Unfortunately, they overpower her.
Then, Nima explains that they plan to retrofit Snowpiercer so the train can fire rockets to create more warm pockets in the atmosphere — like the ones over New Eden. By doing this worldwide, they can ensure the planet becomes habitable again. Suddenly, one of Milius’s men approaches Layton. Layton takes Nima captive, threatening to snap Nima’s neck if the guard comes closer. Nima escapes as Layton fights the guard. After knocking the soldier unconscious, Layton flees.
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Elsewhere, Ruth and Alex pursue Snowpiercer. They notice the latter train barreling down the track. Not only that, but they’re turning onto a new track—this is uncharted territory. Meanwhile, the soldiers take Josie to Milius in the engine. Milius claims he wants to speak to Layton directly, but the latter is uncooperative. Milius admits he doesn’t have Liana but can take them to her. The terms are simple: Liana for Big Alice.
One of Us
Meanwhile, Sykes examines the frozen hand. She notes it was recently frozen, judging by the frost burn. Based on the fracture, the hand was ripped off the arm. Then, Javi extracts a small chip from the hand. He, too, had an implant in his hand to open doors on Snowpiercer. Javi concludes that the hand belongs to one of them, not an outsider.
Later, Roche and Oz are on patrol during the blizzard. It’s dark. Oz hears voices again—a female voice asking if anyone can hear her. Oz walks ahead, trying to follow the voice. However, he loses Roche. Oz whirls around, noticing Roche is gone. Oz calls for him.
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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