Set more than seven years after the world has become a frozen wasteland, “Snowpiercer” centers on the remnants of humanity who inhabit a perpetually moving train, with 1001 cars, that circles the globe. Class warfare, social injustice, and the politics of survival play out in this riveting television adaptation.
Much can be said of the once-in-a-lifetime energy the original film “Snowpiercer” brings to the world. Its novel story, powerful characters, and deft direction by Academy Award winner Bong Joon Ho make it one of the most notable films of its time. Its unique message blended so perfectly with its world. It literally compressed social structure, class by class, into a neat line from the shiny top all the way down to the utter bottom. If any iteration of this source material comes even close to the power of the original then it’s going to be something great. Cue my eye-rolling when they announced a “Snowpiercer” TV show and not some prized television on HBO but for TNT. Network television can disappoint. I’m here to say: “Snowpiercer” the TV show captures some of its predecessor’s glory while still carving out more of a niche for itself under its own identity all at the breakneck pace of cable television.
So for the uninitiated: “Snowpiercer” is the name of the train that the last remnants of humanity reside on. When the earth freezes over one eccentric billionaire creates a perfectly self-sustaining train for the wealthy elite to live on and generations to pass until the Earth is habitable again. The train is divided deeply by social class with uber-wealthy dining on filet mignon and the poorest of the poor eating protein bricks.
Daveed Diggs plays Andre Layton, a member of the impoverished tail section (a “Tailie”). Just before the Tailies can mount the insurrection they’ve been plotting, Layton gets pulled to the head of the train to solve a murder. Layton must solve the murder without ruffling too many feathers in first-class while also performing recon on the train’s compartments to help guide his insurrection. Meanwhile, Melanie Cavill, the head of Hospitality, navigates several large scale incidents. Jennifer Connelly plays Cavill and just as we think we’ve seen enough we learn in the very first episode the mysterious lord and savior Wilford (the inventor of the train) does not exist, and that Melanie is, in fact, masquerading as Wilford.
There’s a ton of story to work with and the first season takes full advantage of the material. Plenty of tension gets stretched out in between episodes of who will discover Melanie’s secret, what can threaten the Snowpiercer, and how the revolution might succeed. Cable television requires a succinct pace of cliffhangers and revelations each episode that can wear some shows thin. “Snowpiercer” delivers on every bit as it delves deeper and deeper into the myth behind it all.
One thing the show gets away with that the movie doesn’t have time for is a more nuanced exploration of the society of Snowpiercer. You’d think because everyone lives on a train there’d be no room for things like brothels, karaoke bars, bowling alleys, etc. but there’s room aplenty for each social class to carve out a niche for themselves. In fact, it probably works to the strengths of razor-thin show budgets that some popular set pieces are literally crammed on top of each other. It lends itself to inventive and resourceful filmmaking forcing certain camera moves and creative blocking.
Connelly and Diggs carry this show perfectly. Melanie’s near-psychopathic calm as she deals with an insurrection in the tail and an undercooked steak in first-class forecasts her capabilities as a leader. Diggs, meanwhile, plays her foil as he swaggers around high society in some impressive dreadlocks. Both get their chances to cry, scream, whisper, and reminisce in equal measures. Both prove that they can be protagonist and antagonist alike.
In the vein of its predecessor, the only true villains are the privileged. Their privileged perspective comes across as overly confident and too self-serving. We come to hate almost all of the wealthy elite as they would rather just get rid of the tail car than deal with its insurrection. Their entitlement knows literally no limits.
“Snowpiercer” captures some of the magic of its forerunner while maintaining an allure, but this show plays a little too strongly on all sides. I can see why this show was made in the first place. It’s perfectly anti-capitalist and the movie equates the entire train car as a flawed system (suggesting the only way off the down-and-up cycle of social classes is to blow the train up entirely.) People these days have much less tolerance for the uber-wealthy and they make great villains. Still, the shows’ playing in some shallow pools where we might think otherwise.
The show subconsciously pokes at the racial dynamics of classes when they portray the tail car of all manner of immigrants. The protagonist, Andre Layton, anchors the experience of the viewer that some viewers might recognize: a black man operating in a white space is at his highest possible risk. The other members of the tail car include an older Mexican woman, the last living Australian, and a young black child. A by-the-numbers description of normal everyday folks makes up the impoverished section and not all of them are people of color they’re just all not Western, European, or white. It’s an important dynamic to take note of as Layton navigates these spaces the least believable thing would be that any of his white “allies” would urge a revolution so thoroughly. Allyship, as seen in the show, goes from questioning Layton’s very presence to wielding an ax in the uprising. As if to erase the allies who would say: “But haven’t you had enough?”
The show successfully intrigued me and it managed to keep its mystery going throughout its ten-episode run. Connelly and Diggs are dynamite in their role with some quality performances surrounding them, propping them up. The concept is very alluring and while its metaphor may fall flat (TV is, by its very nature, meant to continue on and on forever – just like the train), it still clings to some of the important messaging of its ancestor. By the end of the show, we’ve lived what feels like four seasons and a movie. It made for an entertaining season of television but prompts the question: Where else can it go? I’m curious to see what happens next but I worry this show does not have enough steam to last more than three seasons. How much more of “Snowpiercer” is there left to see after all this?
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