Let’s hear it for minor miracles; Snowpiercer‘s fourth and final season is coming fast with its July 21 release date. Though Season 4 production wrapped in mid-2022, the show was dropped by its original network, TNT. That left its airdate unknown until AMC announced it had picked it up earlier this year. Indeed, the series has been mired in production woes since well before it even began, but humanity’s tenacity in the face of hardship is, after all, kind of the point of Snowpiercer.
Considering that the Season 3 finale ended on a pretty serious cliffhanger, Season 4 of Snowpiercer is going to have some explaining to do right out of the gate. Meanwhile, if your memory is a little foggy on what went down on the trains, we’ve got you covered. Here’s what you need to remember ahead of Snowpiercer’s final season.
Snowpiercer: The Basics
The Snowpiercer is a big old train rocketing through the icy terrain of Planet Earth, which was frozen by scientists in an unbelievably boneheaded move 5-7-ish years ago. Former homicide detective Layton (Daveed Diggs), his son Miles (Jaylin Fletcher), and his partner Josie (Kate McGuinness) are “tailies,” meaning they barely managed to board the train before the doors were permanently sealed. As such, they live in squalor, and dream of the better life afforded to the first-class ticket-holders.
It may surprise you to hear that there is indeed some class commentary at play here, as the first-class is treated like royalty while the tailies fight for scraps. Between them, there is a second and third class that works day and night to keep the first-class living in luxury and the tailies at bay. Hospitality expert Melanie Cavill (Jennifer Connelly) is the only person aboard in communication with the train’s owner, Mr. Wilford (Sean Bean). In the first episode’s twist, we discover that Wilford has been gone for quite some time, and she’s the one actually pulling the strings.
As Layton becomes the spokesperson for the tailies, the politics of train life become increasingly fraught, and there are a lot of big fights in very small spaces. Things get all that much worse when Mr. Wilford himself reappears and attaches his train, Big Alice, to Snowpiercer. Life is just a game to Wilford, and he continues to throw a wild card into Layton and Melanie’s plans for survival throughout the second and third seasons.
The Lie of New Eden
In the third season, Layton comes to believe that the Horn of Africa might yet be warm enough to support life. Dangerously, he lies to the people of Snowpiercer to gain their support, assuring them that they will all live there without issue. Mid-season, the on-again off-again antagonist Pike uncovers the truth, and Layton kills him in a knife fight rather than choosing to be honest.
After apparently dying in the second season, Melanie makes a triumphant return toward the end of Season 3. Naturally, she promptly finds herself back at odds with Layton. Knowing that New Eden is a lie, she informs the people that there is no guarantee of a safe passage, nor any evidence that the area can support life. This causes a thankfully brief civil war aboard the train as Layton and Melanie once more find themselves tussling with one another for control of Snowpiercer.
Changing Allegiances
Though they are in the weeds for a while, Layton and Melanie ultimately come to realize that neither of them control the people of Snowpiercer. While she remains steadfast in her belief that they must remain on course until a safer option presents itself, Layton continues to believe in New Eden. Agreeing to separate the trains once more, they give the people the choice of going one way or the other. In this, they find a new sense of solidarity with one another, and with the people they represent.
This means a lot of shifting gears for the denizens of the trains. First wanting to go to New Eden with her found family, Brakeman Till ultimately chooses to stay with Miss Audrey. Yes, Audrey was evil for about a season worth of episodes, but she’s back to normal now and dating Till. Long story short, Till stays on Snowpiercer.
Melanie again says farewell to her daughter Alex, who chooses to go with Layton and the New Eden group. They have a tearful farewell, and leave on a good note despite all that has happened between them. Fellow engineer Ben chooses to stay with Melanie, and they agree to keep Snowpiercer running as a team. It’s not totally clear across the board who goes where, but, minus a couple of snags along the way, it’s a surprisingly peaceful split for the two groups. Oh, except for…
LJ’s Bitterly Ironic Comeuppance
Although she has a fair amount of competition in the category, rich kid extraordinaire LJ Folger has remained a pretty strong contender for “Worst Person Aboard Snowpiercer” throughout the series. The meandering murder mystery at the heart of the first season saw her intentionally cause multiple gruesome deaths, using her bodyguard boyfriend to carry out the senseless crimes (as in, they do not make sense). Her parents died horribly and her luxuries were taken from her, but things turned around when she married fellow “bad egg” Oz.
Still, LJ’s primary allegiance has been to herself. While Oz has grown significantly over the series, LJ reverted to type at the first sign of hardship, and the two separated. In a very weird anecdote back in Season One, LJ’s mother informed Melanie that LJ’s father had a glass eye because LJ stabbed him during a tantrum as a child. Compounding the creepy vibe between them, she would borrow the eye from her father and pop it in her mouth as a joke. With her temp husband having left her for greener pastures (literally), LJ pops the eye in her mouth for old time’s sake, and promptly chokes to death. It’s fine.
They Yeeted Wilford
Melanie and Layton teaming up gave them a common enemy in Wilford. After whole seasons of the man toying with the lives of every passenger aboard the trains, they finally pushed him into an escape pod and shot him into the tundra. We would say “good riddance,” but it’s pretty difficult to believe that’s the last we’ll see of him, (especially since, well, he’s in the Season 4 trailer). Even with many of his supporters either dead or defected, we’re guessing he’ll manage to throw a few more pennies on the tracks before he’s done. Well, that just about wraps everything up, except…
There’s a Big Ole Rocket Heading Right for Us
Season 3 concludes with pretty much everyone making peace with each other and their choices, but it wouldn’t be Snowpiercer without one last zinger. Lest we end on an overly positive note, we must remind you that there is in fact a missile heading our way.
In a “three months later” timejump, Melanie is hard at work doing Science. She looks up to enjoy the sunlight filtering in through the window and is surprised to see an explosion in the distance. We close on a missile shooting through the sky. Who’s it from? Who, or what, is its target? Are there indeed other survivors? And, most importantly, why are people shooting missiles at each other during the literal apocalypse? We’ve told you all we know. You’ll have to take it up with Season 4.