#Snowpiercer goes to court in a suspenseful episode

Snowpiercer holds a trial, and the ruling could bring down the whole train

TNT’s Snowpiercer now shifts focus away from Layton to the other passengers condemning one of their own, leading to some intriguing dilemmas and tension. As we progress further into the season, it becomes clear why the showrunners went with the detective storyline, as the fallout is starting to create a slew of interesting conflict between the train’s factions.

Much of the scriptural and technical aspects here work in tandem to enhance that impression and lend weight to the trial. Considering how the whole plot revolves around a tribunal, the more methodical pace is appropriate. It allows us to digest every new development while preventing the tale from becoming a boring slog.

Also, like with last week, the tense and sometimes kinetic direction emphasizes nuance more than showiness, particularly in people’s faces. I’ve often seen this type of intimate-yet-handheld directing abused to irritating effect in works like Blindspot, so its competent use here is exceedingly refreshing.

The narrative also benefits from the trial being framed as the catalyst for interclass interaction and even the ultimatums that result. This event was already set to shake up the status quo, and Melanie allowing the third class to be represented at the proceeding only makes things more unstable.

On Snowpiercer, representation could be the first step

Although she does this under pressure from the club car owner, it looks like she’s caving into mob rule. On top of the usual interclass prejudice, this was bound to make her some enemies from people who value the established order. At the same time, those in lower classes stand on the verge of a full-scale riot, and their obedience may hinge on justice being served for their fellows’ murders.

At times, it echoes the current controversial climate, but the fact that it was made months ago thankfully keeps it from being as on-the-nose as it could have been.

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All of this discord among the various cars is where Snowpiercer shows its potential as a TV show, as it could offer a more thoughtful and believable way of conveying the theme than the film did. Rather than a violent revolt from the tail passengers, sowing dissatisfaction from all classes is more effective at demonstrating that such strictly enforced division is simply not viable for society.

Plus, this episode’s storytelling is more accomplished than most at balancing the various plot threads and making them feel like one organic whole. For instance, having the trial’s turning point be the vital info about the stasis drawers offers a nice parallel with Layton suffering from the side effects.

Speaking of which, Layton is largely out of commission for this episode. Not only does this allow us to focus squarely on the trial and resulting class shakeup, but it also provides more time for the other characters whom Snowpiercer has failed to flesh out thus far. Unfortunately, with a few exceptions, many of them remain underdeveloped at best and cartoonish at worst.

Among the fundamental issues that plague this show is that it dumped so many characters dumped on us at the beginning, and the writers are not skilled enough to juggle them effectively. Because of that, we continue to have a million passengers fighting for screen time, and some of them go about it more obnoxiously than others.

What’s the ruling on the fifth chapter of Snowpiercer?

Despite these shortcomings, Episode 5 of Snowpiercer maintains the tentatively solid quality of last week through its narrative potency and technical prowess. While things could easily turn around in the second half of the season, we now have a fragile sense of hope for the show’s future.

What did you think of the fifth episode of Snowpiercer? Did the tribunal keep you engaged? What do you think the season’s remaining episodes will bring?

Snowpiercer airs Sundays at 9 pm on TNT.