In Review: Snowpiercer (S1 – E5) Justice Never Boarded

Synopsis: A trial held for a suspect in the killings leads to a surprising revelation. Till celebrates a milestone. Josie sneaks away to search for Layton.

The Story

Melanie runs into some trouble when Third Class petition to have a representative on the jury of the L.J. Folger trial. She tries to talk Miss Audrey into pulling the petition saying that the Night Train is supposed to be Switzerland and remain neutral in such matters, but Miss Audrey points out a few things about fair representation in the book of rules that Mr. Wilfred wrote for keeping order on the train.  This puts Melanie in a tough spot as the people in First Class and the Folgers are highly likely to pull their support if the trial does not go the way that they want it.

Meanwhile, Josie uses the cover of the trial in order to sneak into other areas of the train in order to find Layton.

The Acting

Jennifer Connelly puts in a strong performance as Melanie who is put between a rock and a hard place when it comes to trying to be fair on board a train in which Justice for all is a distant dream. The meeting she has with Miss Audrey on the Night Train is really informative of the delicate balance that is needed to retain order on the train. A balance, which Miss Audrey’s establishment, which is much more than your average brothel has helped maintain. Lena Hall puts out a brilliant performance as Miss Audrey who speaks up at the trial for all of third class who work the shifts and offer the services that keep the train going.

Annalise Basso maintains the cold and calculating and disturbing L.J. Folger who seems to know a few secrets, which could make life very difficult for those running the train.

Overall

This was a highly dramatic episode, which explored the themes of class and social justice on the train, the latter being something that the train seems to have very little of. Now that we are five episodes in. We are really beginning to get a sense of how things work, but it is only the last couple of weeks that we have seen just how big of a job Melanie has in trying to keep a sense of balance and order to the train.

We also see some development for Tilly, who has just been upgraded to second class and ends up risking it all when she sees an injustice that she simply cannot ignore.

Overall. This series is really doing a great job of building a world that very much mirrors a lot of present-day issues but does so in an entertaining way with solid storytelling and a sense of mystery.