SNOWPIERCER Recap: (S02E02) Smolder to Life

Melody McCune

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Still of Daveed Diggs and Jennifer Connelly in Snowpiercer episode "Smolder to Life."

DISCLAIMER: This recap of Snowpiercer episode “Smolder to Life” is laden with spoilers. You’ve been warned. Proceed at your own peril. 

Welcome back, occupants of the Engine Eternal! Snowpiercer‘s second episode of the season, “Smolder to Life,” had quite a few tricks up its sleeve. The players are on the chessboard. So far, Snowpiercer‘s sophomore outing has wasted no time cutting to the chase. I will say that the slow build-up in Season One is paying off. This show is beginning to blossom into its full potential. The big revelation from the episode — Josie’s alive! That was an unexpected twist. How she withstood being trapped in a room with a nozzle shooting subzero air from the outside is still a puzzle to me. But she’ll surely have a story to tell when she can talk.

Ready to delve into “Smolder to Life”? Let’s get to it. 

RELATED: Snowpiercer Season Premiere Recap: (S02E01) The Time of Two Engines 

Now, we open with Melanie (Jennifer Connelly) sleeping in her cell aboard Big Alice. We hear her disclose a memory from before the Freeze involving her father on their farm. She hallucinates a young Alexandra sitting opposite her. Alexandra appears to be extracting the innards from a baby lamb. Very appropriate train behavior. However, present-day Alexandra (Rowan Blanchard) waltzes in to dispel the imaginary vision. 

Next, Alexandra asks why Melanie had that vial of snow tested. Melanie asks if the chemical ammonium sulfate was found in the sample. Alexandra confirms her mother’s suspicions, but she still brushes it off. How could anything be falling from the sky? It’s way too cold outside. 

Meanwhile, Zarah (Sheila Vand) and Layton (Daveed Diggs) are preparing for the day ahead in their swanky new suite. Zarah is providing assistance in the med bay today. Layton urges her to stay out of third class since folks are still pretty irked with Zarah. Gotta keep that little bun in the oven safe and sound! Bess (Mickey Sumner) enters the fray and joins Layton for a brisk corridor walk. She reveals that a Tailie woman was attacked the previous night. However, she’s no longer a brakeman. What can she do about it?

Then, Layton and Roche (Mike O’Malley) hastily promote Bess to train detective. It’s not a well-executed ceremony, but it does the trick. Now, Bess can investigate the assault. She reticently accepts said promotion and scurries off to do just that. Layton and Roche sit down with Kevin (Tom Lipinski), Wilford’s Head of Hospitality for Big Alice. Initially, their interrogation efforts are thwarted by his inability to say, well, anything. Then, they pull the same trick that Layton received last season — setting a plate of steaming hot food before him. Chicken wings. Kevin instantly scarfs them down. Kevin reveals how many are on the crew and that food options are scant on the opposing train. 

Later, Melanie is invited to Wilford’s (Sean Bean) luxurious chambers for … breakfast? Lunch? I have no sense of time when I watch this show. Wilford tries to undermine Melanie and color her daughter’s impression of her. Additionally, he coyly reveals that he wishes to meet Layton at some point. Could be fun. 

Next, Ruth (Alison Wright) is eagerly receiving a letter from Wilford himself. She hurries through the train pathways like an excited school girl. Ruth gives Layton the communique, but not before practically inhaling it first. Once a Wilford girl … anyway, the note proposes that Layton turn over Kevin in exchange for Melanie. Bennett (Iddo Goldberg) is present for this, so he heartily agrees to it. 

Still of Daveed Diggs and Jennifer Connelly in Snowpiercer episode "Smolder to Life."
Snowpiercer 202 Unit 11/4/19 ph: David Bukach

Then, the prisoner handoff commences. Layton and Wilford spot each other from afar. Layton proposes that no one except the hostages is allowed to cross the border area. Should Wilford initiate an attack, Layton and his team will retaliate. We see Kevin and Melanie pass each other on their way to their respective trains. However, Alexandra decides to meet Melanie in the border zone. We see Layton’s men bracing to fire, but thankfully Melanie urges them to lower their weapons. Alexandra desperately wants to know what Melanie discovered with the vial. Melanie attempts to coerce Alexandra into joining her on Snowpiercer, but the latter isn’t having it. She storms out. 

Later, Layton and Melanie have a brief reunion. She divulges Wilford’s desire to go after Layton. Layton wants Melanie to drop by the med bay, but she needs to see Bennett and Javier first. Meanwhile, Bess decides to pay the woman who was attacked the night before a visit. We see it’s Lights (Miranda Edwards). She won’t disclose much of anything and demands to leave. All we know is that her hand was brutally maimed. The assailant chopped off her fingers. 

Next, we see Melanie is back with her engine boys, Bennett and Javier (Roberto Urbina). Bennett notices that Melanie’s third-degree frostbite burn on her shoulder is almost completely healed thanks to Big Alice’s doctors. They would be an invaluable resource for the train. 

Now, Wilford welcomes his Head of Hospitality back with open arms … and a warm soak. He starts a bath for Kevin. Alexandra pops on her headphones to drown out whatever’s about to happen next. Kevin plops inside the comforting hot water. Wilford grills Kevin regarding the latter’s inevitable Snowpiercer interrogation. Kevin reveals that he ate their chicken wings. Nothing more. Wilford peels his clothes off and joins Kevin in the bathtub. Just an employee and his boss enjoying a bath together. Wilford tells Kevin that he made a grave mistake by accepting those chicken wings. He just blatantly told Layton that Big Alice’s occupants are starving. 

Then, Wilford gives Kevin a blade. He knows what to do with it. Kevin slits his wrist. As he bleeds out in the tub, we see Wilford’s dog licking the crimson-soaked water. Yummy. It’s definitely one of the stranger scenes I’ve ever watched on TV. But damn, if Bean doesn’t make an excellent villain.

Later, Zarah is hard at work tending to patients when she spots a familiar face. Josie! Well, a Josie that’s worse for the wear. We see her amputated hand and her severely burned face. One of the guards tells Zarah that Josie was found before the revolution took place, very badly burned and unrecognizable. He asks Zarah if she knows Josie. Zarah lies. She decides to put Josie’s life in her hands … again. Zarah tampers with Josie’s IV as a method of poisoning the latter. But she can’t go through with it. Zarah quickly runs back into Josie’s room and remedies the mess she made. Zarah almost went on my sh*t list again, folks. 

Meanwhile, Bess goes to the Tea Room and interviews the train preacher. He seems like an odd fellow. Sort of suspicious, even. Bess’s internal alarm is clearly going off as the pair discuss religion. It even looks like the man has an altar dedicated to Wilford. However, the pair part ways. We see Terence (Shaun Toub) is engaged in shady dealings, as per his usual. This time he’s trading encyclopedias for weed. Osweiller (Sam Otto) and LJ (Annalise Basso) approach him. They want jobs. LJ has to live like the little people now. Both are hoping to work for Terence’s drug business, but he brusquely shoves a mop in Osweiller’s face. They’re janitors now. Oh, how the insanely rich have fallen. 

Zarah stops by Miss Audrey’s (Lena Hall) dressing room. Miss Audrey is smoking weed. It’s what all the cool kids are doing now. Zarah is clearly contemplating her next move regarding Josie. Does she tell Layton? Does she go through with committing murder? Of course, Zarah doesn’t outright reveal her conundrum, but Miss Audrey urges the former to do what’s best for the baby. And to keep Layton safe. 

Next, we see Layton is in the engine with Melanie, Bennett and Javier. They’ve sent a balloon with a device attached to it into the atmosphere. They’re calculating the temperature from above. According to said calculations, the Earth is warming up. Hence the detection of ammonium sulfate. The planet is slowly, but surely, heating up again. Hurray!

Still of Sean Bean in Snowpiercer episode "Smolder to Life."
Snowpiercer 202 Unit 11/7/19 ph: David Bukach

Wilford receives a message from Layton. Snowpiercer’s finest wants to meet with the enigmatic Wilford for a scientific summit. A crucial discovery has been made and everyone must be informed about it. Wilford wants Alexandra to kill Layton while they’re there. It’ll be poetic. Layton took the train from Melanie, now Alexandra, her daughter, is getting it back for Wilford. She surreptitiously slips a blade up her sleeve. Zarah is sitting with Josie. She leans in and whispers into the convalescing woman’s ear. Zarah wants Josie to know that she’s carving out a path for herself. Josie can’t take that away from her. Of course, she’s referring to Layton.

Later, Wilford meanders through the corridors of Snowpiercer to thunderous applause. Everyone loves him. He schmoozes like the best politician. Once he makes his way to the first-class dining car, the summit officially begins. Melanie reveals to the group the big news: the Earth is healing. She proposes that they utilize the research outposts for further studies. They would send another device skyward and return to this spot in a month’s time to get the results. But who will stay behind to monitor the situation? Wilford suggests that Melanie do it. In fact, he’ll only agree to it if Melanie volunteers to vacation at the station. 

Now, Melanie’s terms involve peace. No more hostility. No more volatile attacks. Everyone works together like one, singular train. Wilford acquiesces. We see Alexandra in the background, blade in hand. She’s searching for the right time to strike, but Wilford calls her off it. Layton doesn’t like the idea of his Head Engineer departing the train for a month, but Melanie believes it must be done. To save the planet. To potentially repopulate Earth again. 

Then, Bess notices something peculiar about Wilford. He keeps lifting up his hand and making a gesture with three fingers. Of course, it’s a “w” symbol, for his name. Bess makes the trek to the Tail and asks Lights if she can take a peek at the injured Tailie’s hand. Lights unravels the gauze, and we see that her pinkie and thumb have been amputated. Three fingers. So it was one of Wilford’s people that assaulted her. 

Still of Rowan Blanchard and Jennifer Connelly in Snowpiercer episode "Smolder to Life."
Snowpiercer 202 Unit 11/9/19 ph: David Bukach

Finally, Zarah discloses Josie’s condition to Layton. He hurriedly speeds down the hallways to the med bay. He’s stunned to find Josie alive. She even opens an eye. As Wilford leaves for Big Alice, Alexandra confronts Melanie. She asks if Melanie is volunteering to stay in that research station for a month for her sake. Melanie replies that it’s for everyone. For hope. Alexandra moodily walks off. 

RELATED: Catch up on all the dystopian drama with our Snowpiercer recaps!

So much happened in “Smolder to Life,” folks! Once again, Wilford is forcing Melanie’s hand. Twisting the knife in her side a little bit more by demanding she “leave” her daughter behind for a second time. But the Earth reheating itself is a massive development and a game-changer, especially for Wilford. If he’s no longer on the train, he’s no longer in power. I suspect he’ll do what he can to thwart Melanie’s efforts in reinhabiting the planet. Bean is a perfect foil for Connelly and Diggs. Once again, Connelly is superb. She says so much even in her subtlety. Naturally, the Josie plot twist is easily the most significant aspect of this episode. I’m curious to see what Snowpiercer does with this. 

Do you think Alexandra will eventually see Wilford for the duplicitous fraud he is? Will Melanie make even more breakthroughs regarding the increase in planetary heating? Will Bess figure out who attacked Lights? Join me next week as I recap Snowpiercer, here on Geek Girl Authority. 

Snowpiercer airs Mondays at 9 pm on your TNT affiliate. 

 

 

Melody McCune
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