Snowpiercer Review: These Are His Revolutions (Season 1 Episode 8)
Snowpiercer took awhile to really get the engines running (pun intended) but is now fully and totally committed to its premise.
Snowpiercer Season 1 Episode 8, “These Are His Revolutions,” discusses revolutions both in the sense of the train circumnavigating the globe repeatedly, and revolutions in the sense that oppressed people on the train are now rising up. This revolution contains a revolution.
“These Are His Revolutions” finally starts to pay off all of the plot threads that Snowpiercer has been sprinkling over the course of the previous seven episodes. Some of those episodes are painstakingly slow and don’t do much to serve this story, but sticking with Snowpiercer has really paid off.
Each little story has had a role to play in the now rapidly escalating revolution. LJ getting off, for instance, gives Layton a card to play when starting his revolution. All the characters he’s met and formed relationships with now have significant roles (whether that be active or passive roles) in the uprising.
Not surprisingly, the information that Wilford has never been on the train creates significant unrest.
Honestly, I had forgotten about the tailies who were arrested and put in drawers until they were released on “These Are His Revolutions.” This is both an illustration of how well the payoffs work, and how rough the first several episodes of the season are before they get better. It’s a bit of a problem if your viewers forget these things.
But it’s easy to forget the sins of previous Snowpiercer episodes when “These Are His Revolutions” is pulse pounding from start to finish. And compelling, to boot.
One of the big differences between the mediocrity of the early season versus “These Are His Revolutions” is that the action picks up and the political undertones operate much more subtly. This is a master stroke. Of course there are still (very) relevant political undertones throughout the story, but “These Are His Revolutions” works on two levels, which works to attract viewers and keep them thinking critically.
The themes are almost too on the nose and relevant for the current times. The lower class (tail) requires assistance from the upper classes, like LJ from first, the Doctor from 2nd, Till (and basically everyone else) for even a chance to move forward and continue their revolution. They even have to use Miles as a spy!
Honestly, “These Are His Revolutions” pays off so much in terms of the long term story arcs that it’s hard to see where the final two episodes will go from here.
But it doesn’t matter all that much. “These Are His Revolutions” works, and it’s the first true sign of greatness from the Snowpiercer series. Fantastic performances by Daveed Diggs, Jennifer Connelly, and more elevate the material beyond all of the previous episodes, and set up what should be an exciting finish.
A few stray thoughts:
- I forgot Steven Ogg was even on this show, but bringing him back as a possible traitor is an exciting twist.
- I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Alison Wright. The more she’s gotten to do, the more the entire series gains traction. She’s incredible and so is her performance.
- Easily the best scene on “These Are His Revolutions” is Layton and Till convincing the brakemen to, at the very least, get out of the way.
- As if this wasn’t relevant enough in the current state of the world, the train police gassed third class. Yikes.
What did you think of this episode of Snowpiercer? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Snowpiercer airs Sundays at 9/8c on TNT.
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Nick Hogan
Nick Hogan is an experienced podcaster and writer (particularly on media topics), who loves discussion and analysis of TV and is always looking for new shows to watch. He is also a parent who loves buffalo wings, blowing raspberries, and his beloved Cincinnati Reds.