"People seem to think that those in power answer to no one. They're free to do as they choose. It couldn't be further from the truth. Person in power answers to everyone. I make choices. Not because I want to but because everyone demands it. The train demands it."
- Melanie Cavill
Number of Episodes: Season 1 - 10 Episodes
Where Available: Hulu, TNT
Summary:
Seven years after the world has become a frozen wasteland, the remnants of humanity inhabit a perpetually-moving train that circles the globe, where class warfare, social injustice and the politics of survival play out.
Review:
Right away I want to say that if you haven't seen the original Snowpiercer movie directed by Bong Joon Ho, I recommend that you watch that first before making it to this show. As a fan of the original movie staring Chris Evans, I was so excited when TNT announced that there was going to be a show based around the same idea!
After an attempt to reverse the effects of climate change on Earth that ended with a massive freeze, the only way to survive is to have a ticket for Snowpiercer, a 1,001 car train running on a non-stop train train.
The entire show is one big metaphor for the effects of class divide on a society. We have the first class top of the hierarchy. These are the wealthy ticket owners who are treated kindly by staff, have their own private suites, eat multiple meals a day, and have access to the majority of the carts of the train (even a bowling alley that no one uses). There is a second class and a third class, each with their own duties to carry out on the train. At the very bottom of the hierarchy at the very back of the train are the Tailies. These are the non-ticket-holding passengers who fought their way on board moments before the train was bound to leave the station. They are treated with zero respect from the other passengers and staff, are given little to no food, and no medical care when injured. The worst part of being a Tailie is your punishment for not following the rules: you get a limb stuck out of a small hole in the train until it freezes to the point where it can be smashed like ice.
Lets talk about the cast. Daveed Diggs has been paving his way in Hollywood recently. Other than playing Layton in Snowpiercer, he can be seen voicing Helen in Central Park, Lafayette and Jefferson in Hamilton, and voicing Sebastian in the upcoming The Little Mermaid remake. I have been a fan of Daveed Diggs for a while, so I am glad he is getting the recognition he deserves from this series. Moving onto Jennifer Connelly. Other than playing Melanie Cavill in Snowpiercer, she can be seen as Erica in Stuck In Love, Alicia Nash in
A Beautiful Mind (a personal favorite), and in the new Top Gun: Maverick movie coming out next year. This woman has the power to rule the world, and I can't wait to see her in season 2 of Snowpiercer and any projects in the future.
As a theatre/movie nerd, I have to point out the INCREDIBLE set design. Each cart of the train is unique and each match the designated level of hierarchy. There are 1,001 cars on this train. We only get to see a small chunk of them, but I imagine we will see more in season 2.
The one negative thing about this show was its lack of focus. There are lots of plots throughout the first season that try to grab your attention. A murder investigation, a drug scandal, a set of secret experiments, a lot of relationship issues, and two sides of the hierarchy trying to take control of the train. I personally didn't mind the shifting focus while watching because I just love the concept of the show in general. I have never really been the one to watch a lot of "apocalyptic dystopian thrillers," I usually go for the romance movies or war movies (anything extremely emotional gets me). So, if you are like me, I promise this show is actually worth the watch. It was so fun to predict what was going to happen the next episode with my parents, and our predictions changed every time.
If you are looking for a short show to watch during quarantine, and have the ability to get TNT on your TV, I really do recommend that you checkout Snowpiercer. But before you do that, watch Snowpiercer the movie on Netflix. The show does end off with a HUGE cliffhanger, so I absolutely cannot wait to see what the writers and cast bring in season 2!!!