SNOWPIERCER Episode 4 Breakdown & Ending Explained

Welcome to the Heavy Spoilers show, I’m your host Deffinition and this is the channel where we put you in the know, when it comes to the snow…piercer.

We are now at the half way point of the series and things are really heating up onboard the train as the harsh reality of the icy cold world around them slowly starts to seap into the carriages.

Throughout this, we’re gonna be breaking down everything you need to know about the lastest entry including our thoughts, theories and predictions for the future.

There will be heavy spoilers here so if you haven’t had a chance to check out episode 5 yet then I highly recommend that you turn off now.

With that out the way, thank you for clicking this, now let’s get into our breakdown of Snowpiercer Episode five.

Snowpiercer Episode 5 Breakdown

Like most episodes in the show, Episode 5 has a cold opening that shows Layton in the drawer that Melanie locked him away in last time. Kronole is being used to sedate him and as we’ve learned throughout the season this causes hallucinations and visions. Layton is clearly suffering from these and he sees the tail as well as Nicky J. We learn of one of the darkest aspects of Layton’s past throughout the episode and it’s clear he’s haunted by what he’s done.

In the Nightcar, Audrey cries over her picture of Nicky throughout the episode it becomes evident that she wants justice for her fallen friend.

She is ordering third to play their part and it looks like they are slowly starting to rise up against first, similar to the tail. As we’ve said so far in our breakdowns I think that the two sides might actually unite and then they will be able to completely overwhelm those high up the train due to those in first relying heavily on the denser population down the carriages. The imbalance of wealth is also showcased in the imbalance of the population and it definitely suggests that the next revolution will be lead by both third and the tail.

Justice Is Blind

After the title sequence, LJ rocks back and forth in her cell trying to talk to Roache who subtly hints that her powerful parents will bring vengeance to the train should she be found guilty.

This episode rotates heavily around her trial and rather the injustice that comes from it because of what she knows. LJ is a murderer but due to her position of power it is overlooked and she pardoned for her crimes even after receiving a guilty verdict. I do believe that this will be the match that lights the flame to spark up the rioting that will bring the forces of first toppling down and it’s crazy how much this mirrors our world at the moment.

I would say that when it was written it was probably supposed to share a lot of similarities with the Rodney King trial. During that four officers that carried out the attack were acquited which sent LA spiraling into riots over the injustice of it. However in light of recent events, it does feel like it still provides relevant social commentary and it shows that people will rise up should they feel like the law disregards their oppression.

Melanie asks Audrey to stop politicizing things, there’s a real back and forth between each side but overall it amounts to very little with Melanie pretty much still running things no matter what is said.

Bess The Wildcard

Up top Bess is getting a new access chip from JinJoo as part of their relationship. This must be the Snowpiercer equivalent of a marriage visa but I actually think it hints at what’s to come. Clearly Bess is very sympathetic towards the plight of the tail and it may even be her that grants them access to the higher ends of the vehicle when they carry out their revolt. She’s sort of playing both sides and I think that she’s become the wildcard on the train that will bring it all crashing down.

In the Folger’s car, LJ doesn’t seem to be taking things seriously and she even sucks on her father’s false eye. Symbolically I think this shows that her father is blind towards what his daughter is truly capable of. We learn that it was LJ that caused this gross bodily harm to him and still he was unable to see her for what she truly was. Her mother actually seems to be well aware of what she did, however Father Folger just acts like nothings going on. He wishes to protect her no matter what and if she is found guilty it’s clear that things will go badly for Melanie which puts her in a vulnerable position.

Let Them Eat Bugs

In protest to the way things are going on, the night car sends up a serving of cockroaches and those in first are aghast over it. Whilst this is a terrible thing to feed someone, we actually know that the tail is often served this through the form of protein blocks. In the film we learned that the meals were actually crushed insects and seeing it here to me metaphorically shows that the tail is willing to return unto them the same treatment that they have suffered with for years.

This episode is very much laced with the feeling that there should be an eye for an eye and whether you disagree with it or not there’s definitely a feeling that things cannot continue the way they are. In the absence of Layton, Third is very much showing that they can control everything should they wish to and Melanie really struggles with the balance of power in this episode.

Audrey demands that a member of third be put on the tribunal and Melanie doesn’t really want to. To me this shows that it’s unfair that the people who decide the laws are often the ones that aren’t affected by them. It’s easy for first to agree to making the tail each cockroaches as it’s something that they will never experience. However, when it is brought to them they act in horror, highlighting their hypocrisy.

Bennett And Melanie

Melanie and Bennet get it on and it’s clear that the two have had an on and off relationship. They remember life before the train and how they miss things and though it’s not the level of the pandemic, it did kinda make me nostalgically look back on just how lucky we were to be able to go out and do the things we wanted to this time last year.

Life has changed a lot and though it will hopefully go back to normal soon, it’s becoming easier to relate to people trapped on a 1001 car long train than I ever thought possible.

Melanie accepts the petition for a member of the third to be part of the train which puts the Folgers in danger as they no longer have a complete jury that is on their side. However, this ultimately proves to be meaningless and it reminds us of the illusion of power we are often given.

Mr. Fleming is called up top and he gets to see some of the finer things in life. Ruth is angered by the papermaker’s appointment up top and it seems like she’s slowly starting to question her idea of Wilford. As we know, Melanie has been masquerading as him and I think her suspicions are slowly starting to mount after this conversation. Earlier in the season Commander Grey also twigged that something was off with him due to his speech and I think that more and more as we get into it, people are becoming aware of the truth.

Josie continues to sneak up the train on her break in order to find out what’s actually happened to Layton. She ends up visiting the janitor and the truth about the character’s captivity starts to circulate. With the help of the Janitor she breaks into the prison car and frees him. I’ll talk about this later in the video but the ramifications of this are important to be aware of.

The Trial For The Soul Of Snowpiercer

The trial happens in the first-class car and I found this a bit funny. Not like intentionally just that the train is meant to have 1001 cars and we literally seem to be visiting the same 7 over and over, I’m just playing guys I know them budgets are tough.

The evidence is very clear and I mean the smoking gun…or rather severed penis’ were all found in her room which only she has access to so it becomes clear that LJ was the one in control.

Audrey cries out that Justice must be done and it must be fair for all but in a system that is as corrupt as Snowpiercer it is difficult to truly deliver this and when things are this corrupt and unfair. When she’s on the stand, LJ hints that she knows exactly what’s going on with Wilford and his informants and she pretty much says that if she is brought to justice then the secrets will come out.

LJ is found guilty on all counts and it looks like justice has been served, however as we know the system is only built one way and thus Bennet sends a pardon under the guise of Wilford.

Layton Wakes Up

In a panic, Melanie spares LJ and Josie awakens Layton. He starts to convulse and this is due to the Kronole being unplugged from him too quickly. Earlier in the episode, we learned that patients had to be taken off it slowly and this may end up leading towards Layton being compromised mentally in the future entries. Obviously he hasn’t been on it for that long but still, the psychedelic affects will likely carry over into the rest of the season.

Bess discovers Josie and Layton in a drawer and even turns on her coworker to cover for them. She has seen the corruption first hand and once more I think that things are being set up a certain way in which she will aid the tail. Josie takes Layton to Zara whilst he recovers and he will likely hideout until he gets a grip on things.

The episode culminates with LJ clearly hinting that she will be keeping things quiet as a thank you for what Wilford or rather Melanie did but she is a ticking time bomb that must be dealt with. Who knows, the Folgers may even end up in drawers themselves but it’s becoming clear that Melanie is living on borrowed time. Bess goes to see if the other brakeman she was with is still lying in the drawer room but he’s gone and finally, we get the truth about what Layton and the tail have had to do to survive. They ate a heart and partook in cannibalism and to me this eating of one another ties in with the phrase eat the rich.

Eat The Rich

This is something that has been paid lip service to in the show and though they are not feeding on a rich person here, it’s clear they are will to.

Eat the Rich is an abbreviation of a saying attributed to Jean-Jacques Rousseau which says When the poor have nothing more to eat, they will eat the rich. Clearly the tail are willing to do anything and this repressed memory coming back for Layton will likely drive him to rise up once more. I don’t think they will be eating those up the train but clearly they will be going against them and this is episode is laced with motifs that hint towards a coming revolution.

Everything is slowly falling into place and who knows, next time we may get the uprising playing out.

Overall this was another excellent entry and so far the show has been phenomenal.