Snowpiercer Review: A Single Trade (Season 2 Episode 4)
Snowpiercer continues to create tension as it moves down the tracks, picking up speed as it goes along. I may eventually run out of train analogies, but Snowpiercer is unlikely to lose steam anytime soon (pun intended).
Snowpiercer Season 2 Episode 4, “A Single Trade,” begins to reveal more about Mr. Wilford and his relationship to some of the train’s passengers before they left without him.
“A Single Trade” is really two fold. The first purpose is to add to the reveal about Mr. Wilford and how the dynamic amongst characters is changing because of his presence. The other is simply to continue to mount tensions on the combined train.
This episode is an exercise in tension building. “A Single Trade” is sprinkled with lots of little moments that all build to the launch of the weather balloon, which gets a little higher into the air than planned before Melanie connects to it. When it finally beeps — the sigh of relief is palpable.
Snowpiercer deftly builds toward this moment, casting doubt on Melanie’s survival and whether she’ll accomplish the goal. Subtle comments from Wilford and fleeting glances from Layton, Ben, and Alex suggest that perhaps Melanie won’t complete her mission. This builds during the whole episode and deflates (sorry, balloon humor) when the balloon connects — which is a huge, tense moment.
“A Single Trade” is also littered with shorter stories and arcs about all the characters on Snowpiercer. Bess Till has trouble coping with what she’s seeing on the train, LJ bonds with Alex, Ruth and Layton’s trust issues, Josie’s possible healing, and the Last Australian finds out there’s another!
The true highlight of “A Single Trade” is the one that reveals the most about Wilford’s past in a unique way — through Miss Audrey.
Lena Hall gives a truly mesmerizing performance as Snowpiercer navigates expertly through the past and present between Audrey and Wilford. From Hall’s performance alone you can tell that Wilford gave Audrey some serious trauma, which slowly reveals itself throughout “A Single Trade.”
The fact that Audrey survived what Kevin didn’t is so powerful. It says a lot about her strength, but also about Wilford’s character and his need for control.
The best part is that Audrey is able to master the clear fear that exists when Wilford is there, and leverages it to help Layton and the cause. While it’s still unclear what exactly her meditation did to/for him, it’s clear that she was in control of it.
So much happens on “A Single Trade” that it’s difficult to unpack everything — but the tension is palpable and Audrey’s story is incredible.
A few stray thoughts:
- Alex referring to Wilford as “Dubs” is truly wonderful.
- It’s always fun to watch Alison Wright, so I nearly forgot her story with Zarah. Some wonderful television will come out of that partnership.
- I still think Steven Ogg is a bit underutilized as Pike, but he sure is fun to watch!
- It’s crazy that they had such a great episode without Jennifer Connelly — but I’m sure Melanie will be back in full force soon.
What did you think of this episode of Snowpiercer? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Snowpiercer airs Mondays 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.