Did Layton go too far?

Snowpiercer Season 4, Episode 4, “North Star” is one of the more action-packed episodes of the AMC series’ final season, as Andre Layton and General Anton Milius finally face off. But beyond the fighting and the jumping on the train, it’s an episode that features very familiar storylines. Those who have been following Season 4 – or any post-apocalyptic TV series in recent years – won’t be much surprised by this.

Although “North Star” is narrated by Josie Wellstead and Josie goes through a lot of development in the episode, most of it revolves around Layton. He continues to be the driving force behind the season and the episode also makes him seem like an unreliable hero at the end, which may not sit well with some viewers. There is no doubt that Milius is evil, but is Layton the hero everyone expects him to be?

Snowpiercer Season 4, Episode 4 is Layton’s story, not Josie’s

This election is great and terrible at the same time

Related

Season 4 of Snowpiercer turns its greatest hero into an enormous burden

In Season 4 of Snowpiercer, the series’ most important hero embarks on a dangerous path that could endanger everything he fought for with New Eden.

When “North Star” begins with Josie’s narration, it gives the impression that she will be the focus of the episode, or that the audience will at least learn a little more about her, as was the case with Ruth Wardell’s narration. Snowpiercer Season 4, Episode 3, “Life Source.” But that doesn’t happen. Josie’s narration is more about her strained relationship with Layton – she talks about people losing their proverbial North Star – and she’s just one part of his continuing rescue plan, albeit the biggest one. Layton is still at the forefront, whether in the perception of Milius or in the way his decisions affect others.

The good news is that Layton’s character is much better in North Star than he was in Life Source. He’s still determined, but he’s no longer a full-on tyrant. This gets the TV series to the point it probably wanted to make in the first place: that of course Layton should do anything for his daughter (who is now his only surviving biological family), but he also can’t risk the future of all humanity. Snowpiercer puts his characters and thus also the viewer in a position to question Layton’s authority. He is no longer the rebellious hero who liberates the oppressed. In his own way, he becomes a minor dictator.

This ambiguity creates a wonderful added tension, especially because the audience is privy to what is happening in New Eden due to Layton’s decision to take Big Alice with him. However, this doesn’t quite work for two reasons: First, it was pretty obvious that the series was going to pit Layton’s short-term goal (saving his daughter) against his long-term goal (saving everyone else). Letting the hero choose between what he wants and what the whole world wants is a typical post-apocalyptic story concept, even more so since this Snowpiercerlast season. What stake would be enough in the end other than all of humanity? Second, although it makes the viewer doubt Layton, there is no serious reason to doubt him since the other side is still so clearly worse. Clark Gregg plays the sadistic villain in this episode, complete with the pithy lines – whatever Layton does, fans have to stick with him.

Snowpiercer devastates New Eden as predictable

Season 4, Episode 4 brings bad weather

Related

The 10 best climate stories in film and television

As climate concerns grow, film and television producers are increasingly concerned with portraying issues such as climate change, industrialization and human greed.

Since the characters have been talking about the weather and its potential impact on New Eden, Snowpiercer Viewers had to see the other half of North Star coming. A massive storm hits the outpost, putting a strain on the power systems set up by Javi de la Torre. It becomes very clear that unless conditions improve, they have no chance of surviving the remaining two weeks without Big Alice. Again, this is a predictable plot point, not only because it was hinted at earlier in the season, but because something has to go wrong in New Eden to remind viewers of the bigger picture and give the characters left behind something to do. As entertaining as it would be to arbitrarily interrupt Mike O’Malley in his activities, it is not constructive.

“North Star” puts Javi in ​​a terrible position, whether it’s having to face the angry populace and tell them the power grid is down or having a falling out with Sykes. Their dynamic was one of the underrated aspects of the previous Snowpiercer seasons, but here they argue because Javi believes he doesn’t need rescuing and Sykes wants a bigger role in New Eden. But at least they have dialogue, and that shows how ill-prepared New Eden’s characters are without the main heroes – and also the show’s dramatic license. When Sykes points out that four of the six council members are on Big Alice, Ruth should have thought of that before she sat down at the locomotive, but then Alison Wright would have a lot less to do. And if Javi and Sykes and Sam Roche could take care of everything, waiting for Layton to return wouldn’t be so scary. But this narrative structure unintentionally makes everyone else look a bit helpless.

The natural disaster may be normal, but it triggers another mystery: Oz finds a severed hand, which Javi explains at the end of the episode is from “one of us.” With Oz hearing a woman’s voice in the mountains and Roche lost in the storm, the cliffhanger definitely has something of a survival movie about it. Snowpiercer has six episodes left, which should be enough time to unravel this new piece of mythology, but you have to be careful not to overload the story arc so that the subplots don’t distract from the main story and the big resolution that the audience deserves.

Snowpiercer Season 4, Episode 4 repeats some old habits

There are strengths and weaknesses

Related

Season 4 of Snowpiercer follows the example of The Walking Dead and improves the show

After two episodes, the fourth season of Snowpiercer follows The Walking Dead in the best sense and enters new territory in which mysterious villains are causing mischief.

Snowpiercer There are moments in Season 4, Episode 4 where it feels like you’re checking items off a list—be it the plot points already mentioned or the continued reliance on the narrative as a framework. Another problem is the insertion of pre-revolution flashbacks on the train, meant to draw parallels between the past and present. Due to the editing and the show’s visual gloom, it can be difficult at times to recognize a scene as a flashback. The persistent absence of Jennifer Connelly is conspicuous, and in her place the use of Dr. Nima Rousseau has become tiresome. Michael Aronov is a Tony Award winner who was fantastic in FX’s Cold War drama The Americansbut on this show he now plays the archetype of the “meek henchman who changes his mind.”

However, North Star gives its characters enough problems to keep the story moving forward. And there are some good moments in between. While it’s no surprise that Josie and Layton are separated, it allows Josie to go it alone and get Till out of the hot seat. Josie is also reunited with Miles, albeit briefly. It’s nice to have those reminders that she is more than her romantic relationship with Layton. Plus, Chelsea Harris gets more screen time as Sykes, and there’s the “wait, what?” moment when you see a new train track. There is something for the audience to digest, even if SnowpiercerThe course of “The 4000” as a television series is much clearer than that of its protagonists.

Season 4 of Snowpiercer airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on AMC.

Snowpiercer Season 4, Episode 4

Big Alice catches Snowpiercer. Milius radios her and invites Layton. Layton and Josie suspect a trap and sneak up on Snowpiercer. Nima is afraid that Layton will be gassed and tries to disarm the greenhouse car.

Release date

17 May 2020

Creator

Graeme Manson, Josh Friedman

Pour

Daveed Diggs, Mickey Sumner, Alison Wright, Iddo Goldberg, Sheila Vand, Lena Hall, Annalize Basso, Roberto Urbina

Main genre

Science fiction

Seasons

4

Per

• Several action scenes keep the episode moving forward.
• Underemployed characters like Javi and Sykes have more to do.
• Layton is much better written than in Episode 3.

Disadvantages

• Most of the important points in the story are predictable.
• Jennifer Connelly is missing for one more episode.