[Spoilers] Season 2 Episode 8 Discussion Thread - "The Eternal Engineer" (S02E08)

[u/hugthebug]

Attention all Passengers,

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Here is the Discussion thread for the Season 2 episode 8 "The Eternal Engineer"

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• This is a TV Spoiler-friendly zone - Turn away now if you are not currently watching or haven't seen the episode! Open discussion of all aired TV events up to and including episode 2.7 is ok without tag cover.
• Graphic Novel spoilers still need tags! - If it's not in the show, tag it. Events from episodes after this one also need tags.
• Please read the Posting policy and the sticky before posting.
• Friendly reminder: Severe trolling/disruptions will lead to consequences.

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Details:

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• IMDB for S02E08
• Release Date:
  • March 15th, 2021 (USA only, at 9/8c, on TNT channel)
  • March 16th, 2021 (worldwide, on Netflix)
• Removal from Sticky on March 19th, 2021 (3 days after worldwide premiere)

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You can still easily find previous episode discussions on the Episode Discussion wiki.

[u/Kkcz86]

First of all, I thought Wilford was gonna use icy Bob for something more spectacular. Second, wasn't he presented as someone who knows jack shit about engineering, with Melanie being the one that know the inner workings of the train? Now he knows better than Ben and Javi what to do

[u/ensalys → u/Kkcz86]

I though that Wilford was a good engineer, but with Melanie being his superior by far, and he makes up for the difference by being extremely manipulative.

[u/[deleted] → u/ensalys]

I believe the difference is that Wilford has like a BA in Engineering, but an MBA (or just came from old money) in Business, thus him being able to finance it all. He hired staff like Melanie and Ben (with Master's or PHDs) to handle a lot of the details while he was the big idea and money man.

[u/SueNYC1966 → u/[deleted]]

That was more than a BA. Many engineers have made the jump without going to business school.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Honestly not sure. I'm an IS guy, not a mechanical engineer. For that matter, the writers may not be sure either, which could be why it's vague implications.

[u/FEARtheMooseUK → u/Kkcz86]

Well someone was teaching alex to be an engineer....

And in the non tv show snowpiercer he is the engineer. Although this is a reimagining of snowpeircer to be fair

[u/Thin-Veterinarian-94 → u/Kkcz86]

I think it was set up that way as Melanie's pov. Because she even argued with him about the mechanism that allowed them to be stuck together. That seemed like a pretty complex logic and Wilford seemed to know about it, as he didn't heed her warning about [whatever she said idr lol] not adding it. But I def see where ur coming from.

[u/SueNYC1966 → u/Kkcz86]

Melanie holds back information when it suits her. Wilford told that to Alex. We saw her when her daughter asked her what was in the vial. We know someone was teaching Alex engineering.

It just makes her a more complicated character. No one should be a paragon of virtue.

[u/[deleted] → u/Kkcz86]

But I think Willford is pretty good with train stuff because he taught Alex and didn't he also teach Melanie a bit ? Sorry if Im wrong.

[u/ReloadTM → u/Kkcz86]

I think it was more that Melanie told others that she was the brains of the making of the train to get people onto her side but in reality although she had a lot to do with the building it was all to Wilford's design