'Snowpiercer' recap, season 4, episode 5

Although it is really sad that we haven’t seen Jennifer Connelly’s Melanie in weeks, one of the greatest strengths of Snowpiercer is the depth of its ensemble. In its early seasons, the show fleshed out its supporting characters very quickly, to the point where—especially this season—they seem like the true leaders of this small society. Layton may have led the initial Tailies revolution, but now Ruth feels like the true leader of the former Snowpiercer passengers. Melanie may have been the face of Snowpiercer in Wilford's absence in the first season, but Ben was always the one true engineer, the train conductor. This week, those decisions to make these characters important and fleshed out pay off, as we say goodbye to yet another major character.

This week's opening commentary comes from Ben, who recalls the difficult decisions made in the first few days after the Snowpiercer's departure and all the people they left behind – between this episode and the episode titled “The Engineer,” the death flags are flying high.

But before we get there, we have to fulfill the Admiral's offer from last week: Big Alice for Liana. That seems like a pretty dumb deal considering the train is the only way to keep the dozens of people in New Eden alive and there's no guarantee the Admiral will do his part. But that doesn't matter because we're dealing with Layton's logic here and nothing can beat his determination to sacrifice everyone else as long as he has the upper hand. After asking for proof of life and receiving a very suspicious phone call with an implausible-sounding baby, Layton agrees. He convinces Ruth to connect the trains and somehow, despite being aware that the fate of the entire population of New Eden depends on that train, Ruth agrees to the terms and hands over the locomotive. As Ben said, split decisions and the people left behind.

After the surrender, all the main characters are taken off the train and escorted to the secret underground silo where Melanie is supposedly staying—only she's not here, she's supposedly “off base” collecting “data,” what kind of euphemism is that? The silo is a cool place, a labyrinthine and enclosed space that recalls the claustrophobia of the series' early days but without the glamour of the fancier Snowpiercer trains. This is as practical, brutalist, and cold as it gets. There are guards EVERYWHERE, even though this is all that's left of humanity—who would try anything here? Who are the guards for?—and all sorts of protocols in place. Layton, Ruth, Bess, Alex, and Ben are all taken to the same room, but not Josie. Oh, and they have less than three hours to get Liana and run back to the train before it leaves again.

When the Admiral arrives, he once again tries to convince them that they are part of something bigger and that their work is valuable. Although Melanie and Liana are not with him, he brings a surprise guest. It's Joseph Wilford himself! Even in the apocalypse, the government and the billionaires can't stop being in cahoots – the two are even on first name terms! This was all Wilford's idea: the kidnapping, taking back Big Alice and everything. His reasoning? Well, if Layton took Alex, who he considers his child, then he's going to steal Layton's child. Unsurprisingly, being left dying in the cold has not humbled Wilford, who still acts like he owns the place, taking a little tour of Snowpiercer and delighting in regaining his status by salvaging some of his coats and other luxuries before the train leaves. He acts like Napoleon returning to Paris after his first exile.

For the others, the Admiral tells them they are not allowed to return to Snowpiercer—probably because they'd steal it again in a heartbeat. Instead, they are to stay in the silo as guests, not prisoners. Granted, they are not allowed to go anywhere or move freely, but that saves the big reveal for when they repair the world and head out into a warm world. Sounds nice, right? This doesn't go over well with the group, and once the Admiral leaves (with Layton separated from the rest because of his constant rebel recruitment), they plan an escape. Alex, however, believes in the Admiral, at least in his mission, and plans to stay and find out more. Remember, she has already noticed irregularities in New Eden's climate.

Ben decides to take matters into his own hands and constructs a magnet of his own that will open the doors, and the group breaks out. They only have 30 minutes left, so Ruth stays behind to save Layton while Ben and Bess take Big Alice. Before they reach the train, Ben finds Melanie's lab, which is empty except for Wilford and Alex, who are studying her mother's research. Alex decides to stay behind and help with the science.

Layton is brought to the Admiral again, who keeps his end of the bargain (more or less) and shows Layton to his daughter – who is lying in Wilford's arms while the old bastard smiles. Oh, and we find out where Josie is… Doctor Headwood is experimenting on her by taking Josie's blood and apparently giving it to Wilford. Get ready for ice mutant Sean Bean!

Ben and Bess board the Snowpiercer and manage to get past the Admiral's men, and even Ruth makes it in at the last second. However, when they try to separate the trains, it doesn't work. Someone has to do it manually from the undercarriage, so Ben volunteers. The problem, unbeknownst to Bess, is that the uncoupling mechanism is outside – and there are no more suits. The captain stays on the ship and the conductor stays with the train, so Ben takes one last job as train driver and detaches Big Alice. As the second train gains distance, we get one last glimpse of Ben frozen on the outside of the Snowpiercer. Once a train driver, always a train driver.

• Goodbye, Iddo Goldberg. Although he was overshadowed by some of the show's other bigger personalities, Goldberg was a reliable and compelling part of Snowpiercer. At least he left with a bang.

• Welcome back, Sean Bean! Speaking of big personalities, nobody does it quite like Bean's Wilford. It will be interesting to see the contrast between the Admiral's stoicism and Wilford's flamboyance.

• Speaking of the Admiral, he can't possibly really trust Wilford, can he? After all, the man has made it clear that he hates all the extravagance and luxury that Wilford represents. I for one can't wait to see the Admiral or his soldiers beat the shit out of Wilford once and for all.

• This was truly a missed opportunity not to get Rebecca Ferguson from Apple TV+’s silo and have her meet Jennifer Connelly in a big silo crossover.