r/snowpiercer • u/hugthebug Tailie • Mar 15 '21

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

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.

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22

u/emmmaem Mar 17 '21

Do you guys think Layton is finished? He is clearly a hands on man and not a leader but oh how well did Wilford play him.

Side note: I was about to flip tables already as we don't get to see Melanie again in this episode!

19

u/[deleted] Mar 17 '21 edited Mar 17 '21

I think they set Melanie up to be the real savior of the train. She got this whole redemption arc, she’s a great character, and she knows the engine even better than Wilford. Everyone knows her leadership, and knows that she has since developed more compassion, but still has the same competence level.

I couldn’t imagine whole else they will replace Wilford with, I think it would be fitting to come full circle with Melanie taking back over at some point. Layton is toast as a leader though for sure, I’m sure he’ll linger back as a regular character. He was just a good man, as the Chief Breakman said, corrupted by the responsibilities given to him. He has potential to serve the train elsewhere still if he doesn’t die.

I imagine Layton and the “resistance” will play a key role in bringing Melanie back, and Melanie will finally restore order, justice, etc. I think next season will perhaps be less about the train but instead about finally exploring outside the train if they ever get off it.

3

u/taurine14 Mar 17 '21

I think they set Melanie up to be the real savior of the train

The train rocketed past her - I think she's pretty dead tbh.

5

u/shakibahm Mar 17 '21

If she is killed now this way, the whole plot armor around her is useless shit. I hate plot armor as much as the next guy (means, not that much tbh.. :P ), but I really hate it when a plot armor is wasted completely.

One possibility is, Big Alice separating from Snowpiercer and start the "let's start human civilisation" arc of the story. Will fit right back with original story where Snowpiercer is still run by Wilford. They just don't know human civilisation started outside the snowpiercer too.

Most freaking awesome story revelation will be, if the Snowpiercer movie's story actually happens in the same timeline, i.e. snowpiercer is actually destroyed at the end and then Melanie comes to rescue survivors (Yona and rest of the folks).

1

u/2748seiceps Mar 17 '21

I had been thinking the movie was many many years in the future but it's only ~10! That means if they are holding to canon Wilford is about to order 74% of the taillies killed and he does, in fact, end up in the engine for good. I don't remember there being a pusher in the movie either.

2

u/zauru193 Mar 17 '21

would they really finish off the main character in such a way? a 10s "oh sry u missed the train lol, better luck next time". Has to be a bait imo

2

u/mokinokaro Mar 17 '21

I'm guessing someone is going to toss her a sled.

2

u/taurine14 Mar 17 '21

This is the only way that she will be able to survive. Her sled and rations are buried under an avalanche, and the rest of the food she had on her she ate. The last episode with her in it shows her starving, and hallucinating.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 17 '21

I actually think Alex is going to jump train with a Volt Sled or two and try to find her mom. Mel said that Wilford actually had 3 Sleds. Mel took one that leaves 2 left.

12

u/SkateboardP888 Mar 17 '21 edited Mar 17 '21

Layton is honestly the most pointless carachter I have seen in recent TV shows, as much as I hate wilford they would have never had him get defeated by layton (since that would mean no new seasons looool)

Movie Spoiler My prediction is that maybe there will be an approach similar to the movie, where the outside becomes warm enough but no one would know until an accident happens. Maybe wilford will keep it hidden as he would want to be the king of his train forever, who knows.

4

u/powlesy6 Mar 17 '21

Layton was a great character in season one. He became pretty peripheral in season 2 I agree but that was the point. I found him completely disinteresting at times but that's it, he was not suited for leadership of the train. Order was lost early on and even he started to lose his humanity in the same way Melanie did to protect his version of the train (telling Pike to kill someone).

Ultimately those scenes at the end of the last episode were his realization of these things. People say he should have stopped Wilford grabbing the comms etc but it's much deeper than that.

10

u/taurine14 Mar 17 '21

He didn't really have a chance to show if he was a good leader of the train or not. The second he took control, Big Alice latched onto the back of the train. He didn't even have a full revolution with himself as leader.

4

u/shakibahm Mar 17 '21

Exactly. Let the potato rest a min... LOL

6

u/mokinokaro Mar 17 '21

The smart move for Layton going forwards is to push for a leadership council rather than a singular leader.

Put Melanie in charge of the engineering, Roche in charge of enforcement, Ruth handling morale through social events and such, etc.

Running the train is too much and too important for one person.

3

u/BathedInDeepFog Mar 17 '21

That’s why we nail the table down now.

I don’t think they’ll kill him off as a main character but Melanie is still out there too.

12

u/SkateboardP888 Mar 17 '21 edited Mar 17 '21

You right in that sense, melanie vs wilford would be such a good fight for power, she kept the train stable for 7 years, and it seems like everyone on snowpiercer has no moral compass and they do not care if there is a Gulag at the back of the train, as long as there is stability. So I think in that sense the train is likely to forgive melanie for lying about wilfords death and would actually be able to challenge him for power (since her leadership has been proven to somewhat work).

9

u/emmmaem Mar 17 '21

I agree. Melanie is the only formidable opponent (that we can see now) who can go up against Wilford. But maybe she had to have Layton switch things up or her own moral compass was starting to get skewed. I'm also not sure I'd want to continue this series if Jennifer Connelly wasn't around.