Richie Reviews – Snowpiercer
WARNING - SPOILERS AHEAD
"Snowpiercer delivers a rich and complex post-apocalyptic world of characters that offers just as many twists and turns as the track on which it drives"
Premise
As today sees the UK premiere of season 2 of Snowpiercer, I felt it appropriate to share my thoughts of it’s first outing, which I binged all ten episodes of a few weeks ago, courtesy of Netflix. I was a little late to the game with this one, but better late than never.
Before we get into it, I have a confession to make: I DID NOT want to watch this show. Before that statement projects any assumptions on it’s quality, let me explain why.
The TV series Snowpiercer is based on a graphic novel Le Transperceneige by Jacques Lob, and a similarly based movie adaptation was released in 2013, starring Chris Evans (Captain America), John Hurt (Alien) , Tilda Swinton (Doctor Strange), Ed Harris (Westworld), Octavia Spencer (The Shape of Water) and more great acting pedigree. This film came highly recommended from a friend, and likewise we looked at the positive critical consensus it garnered before watching. Unfortunately, it disappointed. Without going into too much detail, I felt that despite the great acting chops (particularly Tilda Swinton) the film was too long and drawn out for what was quite a thin plot, albeit with a few interesting twists.
My initial preconception of the series, which is a reimagining of the story rather than a sequel/prequel to the movie, was that it would be the same, only longer. Essentially the same drawn out plot which is drawn out even longer, as per TV format. What’s more, it would suffer from the lack of all-star cast that the movie adaptation did. So why did I watch it? This is where the spoilers start – quite simply, Sean Bean (Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings). I will literally watch anything with Sean Bean in it, I’m that much of a fan. initially, I was unware that Sean was actually in the show, but in an age where internet spoilers and trailers are everywhere on social media, I happened to glimpse his face in a promotional image for season 2. Likewise, having seen the film and knowing the important character he is meant to be playing, it peaked my interest as to why he didn’t appear in the first season…or perhaps he did, and I just didn’t know. Either way, I’d have to watch and find out.
Much like the film, Snowpiercer is set on the eponymous transport, a 1,001 car long super train which contains the last remnants of humanity after a failed attempt at correcting global warming led to the Earth to plummeting into a new, global ice age where no life can exist outside the train, due to the extreme cold and weather conditions. Mr Wilford (Sean Bean), an eccentric businessman, benevolent prophet or iron-fisted overlord depending on your place aboard Snowpiercer, seemingly foresaw the end of the world and built the train and a worldwide network of tracks for it to travel on. Powered by Wilford’s eternal engine, which provides endless energy to power the train so long as it keeps moving, the train essentially serves as a Noah’s Arc in the story, wherein an assortment of animals and ecosystems all exist in their own sections of the train, managed by the passengers. Snowpiercer is also divided in a strict class system: the first class passengers, who paid Wilford a large amount of money for their ticket, live in luxurious carriages near the front of the train and serve as the ruling elite, having a large influence on the social aspects of the trains day-to-day life and having access to food and priveledges other passengers do not. Second and third class, who’s place aboard the train is depends entirely on their jobs and services they provide, are differentiated only between how important their job is. Brakemen, such as Oz (Sam Otto) and Till (Mickey Sumner), are essentially the underqualified train police and therefore reside in third class, whereas Jinju Seong (Susan Park), who not only manages train agriculture, but is also a skilled chef to the elite passengers, resides in second class. The tailies, who make up the largest proportion of Snowpiercer’s population, and like their name suggests, reside at the back of the train. They boarded by force without tickets or jobs when Snowpiercer first departed on it’s journey, and as such, are treated as pariahs and invaders by the other passengers. Tailies are kept locked in their section of the train, given only basic amenities, basic rations enough to keep them alive, and are only allowed to leave the tail when supervised, in order to perform menial and dangerous train maintenance that other passengers won’t do. As far as the train passengers are aware, Mr Wilford resides in the engine at the front of the train and maintains it 21 hours a day, rarely making his presence known unless in special circumstances. In his absence, Melanie Cavill (Jennifer Connelly) serves as his proxy in the day-to-day running of the train and heads the hospitality department, alongside her deputy and staunch Wilford-devotee Ruth Wardell (Alison Wright). The series picks up seven years after the trains departure on it’s never ending revolutions around the Earth.
Review
"Quite frankly, I was wrong to discount this show"
After episode one, which did begin to sow the seeds of the film’s plot, I immediately began to re-evaluate my thoughts. Different characters were shown, far from attempts at carbon-copies of their film counterparts; new storylines are introduced, both in the first episode and beyond, it explores the class system in a way the film simply doesn’t, and tops it off with an interesting revelation, all in it’s first 50 minutes. The various storylines generally don’t feel unfulfilled or shoehorned in, some were clearly crafted with the intention of exploring them in later seasons, and due to the rich diversity in almost every aspect of the show, I definitely feel that a long form TV format was the way to go with adapting Snowpiercer. Luckily, not only does season 2 start today, but it’s been renewed for season 3 already!
That said, small sprinkles of the film’s influence are felt, such as Ruth Wardell’s accent and similarities to Tilda Swinton’s film character. Despite the clear parallels, Alison Wright manages to make the role all her own in a character that can scare you, make you laugh, as well as empathise with throughout the entire run. Indeed my reservations about the cast were unwarranted. What it lacks in recognisable actors (aside from a few big names) it more than makes up for with talent.
Despite the setting, the show is very much about the people, and they don’t disappoint. Jennifer Connelly shines as Melanie Cavill, the icey public face of Wilford Industries hospitality department, and as the series progresses you learn there is far more to her than meets the eye. Daveed Diggs, who plays central tailie Andre Leighton, was unfamiliar to me before Snowpiercer, but he plays an idealistic and engaging character who, for someone who’s spent 7 years in the isolation of the tail, has a lot of issues with passengers elsewhere on the train. Diggs is definitely likeable and believable in the role, but I still found my loyalties tested when deciding which characters I should be rooting for. Even some of the more minor characters like Oz (Sam Otto), a truly slimey character who at face-value is someone you’d like to avoid, particularly if you’re a tailie, is presented in a way that gives Otto full use of his comparatively smaller screen time to fully convey what their characters are about, but still leaving room for some depth and the potential for some interesting development.
One small criticism I have is around the inexplicable developments of the first class character LJ Folger (Annalise Basso), though not about the actor’s performance. Without spoiling too much, she is at one point remanded to the custody of her parents, which to myself would mean house arrest or some form of isolation from the other passengers. However, she is allowed to wander around the train and continue her everyday life with no apparent justification or explanation, and considering the context of the story, it just doesn’t make sense. It’s also reinforced by Basso’s portrayal of the character as a petulant child whom you love to hate, so as a viewer you’re less likely to forgive this apparent oversight.
Nevertheless, I was completely enticed throughout the whole ten episodes and quite frankly, I was wrong to discount this show. It can be as heartwarming as it can be horrific, mysterious as it is blatant, and intense as it is funny. Despite my desire to watch Sean Bean, and having the constant question in the back of my head of when will I see him, it did not distract me at all from the other storylines, and the final episode gives a satisfying ending to many questions and plots, whilst opening up new ones that I can’t wait to see explored in season two. All in all, Snowpiercer delivers a rich and complex post-apocalyptic world of characters that offers just as many twists and turns as the tracks on which it drives. It’s as political, romantic, action-packed and visually dynamic as you’d expect from a train packed to the brim with cherry picked parts of Earth’s cultures, classes and wildlife.
I’ll be sure to write up my review of season two when it concludes, and trust me when I say that based on how the season will picks up where it left off, the politics and story are about to get a whole lot more volatile. Luckily, teal is the colour of diplomacy.
