Many Miles From Snowpiercer

Season	2
Episode	6
Overall	16
	March 1, 2021
	Donald Joh
	Leslie Hope
	45 minutes
Episode Guide
← Previous	Keep Hope Alive
Next →	Our Answer for Everything

Many Miles from Snowpiercer is the sixth episode of the second season of Snowpiercer. It is the sixteenth episode of the series overall.

Synopsis

TNT's: Melanie fights for survival in treacherous conditions, vying to do what others before her could not.

Netflix's: Mel arrives at the research station and makes some startling discoveries while struggling to survive and thinking back to the days before the Freeze.

Intro

“	This cold isn't something we can tame. We did this to our climate. Now, only the Earth herself can restart her warm heart. I believe we can find her pulse again. And my biggest fear isn't dying out here. It's that the coldhearted among us will crush that hope before I can proof it. (…) Breslauer Research Station. The temperature is minus 122.6 degrees Celsius. I'm 11,000 feet above sea level, dangling from a thin umbilical… many miles from Snowpiercer, 1,034 cars long.	”
	— Melanie Cavill

Plot

Having departed from Snowpiercer, Melanie arrives at the Breslauer Weather Station where she is to spend the next month collecting data about the current state of the atmosphere. At the facility, Melanie finds two dead bodies but numerous bags of packet food that she can use to sustain herself. Melanie gets to work to bring the research facility back into operation, but finds the thin mountain air challenging. Melanie begins to reminisce about her time as a child, but more importantly, about her time spent with Mr. Wilford.

Melanie remembers the grand opening of Snowpiercer in which she and Wilford reflected upon their work. The two congratulate each other, and Wilford admits that Snowpiercer is just as much hers as it is his, but that she will never hear him say that again; Melanie remarks that he is free to say whatever the investors need to hear.

Mr. Wilford continues to haunt Melanie as the air becomes thinner and she begins to hallucinate him. He asks her numerous questions, but Melanie remains calm and stringent, fighting against the urge to believe that Wilford is really with her. Shortly after, Melanie falls asleep at her desk, and when she wakes, she finds a cracker left has been eaten, leading to doubts about whether she is alone at the research facility.

A flashback to just days before Snowpiercer's departure shows a heated debate between Wilford and Melanie in which Melanie questions Wilford's decision to cut scientist from the passenger list in exchange for his personal security and an increase in Jackboots. Melanie asks for the scientist so be reinstated but Wilford is reluctant and the two enter a heated debate in which Wilford belittles Melanie.

Slowly running out of food, Melanie finds it difficult to tell the difference between hallucinations and reality and begins hallucinating Layton. Shortly after, she notices a rat run across the floor, and surmises that something has changed to allow the rat to survive given the harsh conditions outside; Melanie captures the rat for examination. She later decides to track the rat to its home, finding a nest it has created for itself behind a large cavity in the wall of the research facility.

As departure day dawns on Snowpiercer, tensions rise between Melanie and Wilford when the trains departure is delayed by the presence of Melanie's geneticists on the forecourt. Wilford questions Melanie over the passengers and when it becomes clear that she has defied his orders, he orders the Jackboots to open fire on the passengers. Whilst both Melanie and Bennett are shocked, Wilford moves down train to open fire on the rest of the bystanders. As the departure of Snowpiercer approaches, Melanie makes the decision to depart the train without her family, and Wilford, aboard. She apologises and asks for forgiveness as the story behind Melanie's theft of the train unravels.

Meanwhile, Melanie's situation at the research facility becomes increasingly dire when her antenna is knocked, causing the uplink between the weather balloons and Snowpiercer to fail. This is revealed to be the reason there was a loss of communication between Melanie and Snowpiercer previously. Nonetheless, Melanie is able to fix the antenna and connection is renewed.

As the end of Melanie's month long stay at the research facility comes to an end, she attempts to contact Snowpiercer to arrange pick up, but finds it difficult to receive a response from the Engine. Shortly after, Melanie hears Snowpiercer passing the research centre and runs outside to take a look. She tries to contact Snowpiercer to tell them to slow down, but finds communications are down. Melanie watches as Snowpiercer passes her by, leaving her in the snow.

Cast

Main Characters

• Jennifer Connelly as Melanie Cavill
• Daveed Diggs as Andre Layton
• Iddo Goldberg as Bennett Knox
• Rowan Blanchard as Alexandra Cavill
• Sean Bean as Joseph Wilford

Guest Starring

• Timothy V. Murphy as Nolan Grey

Co-Starring

• Doron Bell as Jackboot Lieutentant Gardiner
• Grace Sunar as Young Alexandra Cavill
• Andrea Ware as Jackboot Tyson

Quotes

“	In the Old Time, the future seemed multi-faceted. We had careers, families, personal aspirations, places to go, friends to see, bucket lists. The hum of human dreams we took for granted. But we were sleepwalking. Just one step away from trading all those possible futures for the shared fate of The Freeze.	”
	— Melanie thinking about time before the freeze.

Wilford: "I thought I'd find you here."

Melanie: "It's a beautiful thing we've created."

Wilford: "(Sighs.) Depends how we define “created.” Well, I suppose you might deserve a little credit. You're the glue. You put all Snowpiercer's pieces together, She's just as much yours as she's mine., And you'll never hear me repeat that in public."

Melanie: "Whatever your investors need to hear, Joseph."

Wilford: "Oh, they heard it, my Engine Eternal."

Melanie: "Depends how we define "Eternal."

Wilford: "(Chuckles.) Now, now… Let's not ruin the moment."

Melanie: "That's not possible, because now. We finally get to drive her."

―  Melanie's flashback to a conversation with Wilford in The Engine Control Room when the world is still warm.

Melanie: "Tell me you aren't really doing this. With everything else we need, you're working on your brothel."

Wilford: "Not a brothel. A Nightcar."

Melanie: "This train is now an ark for humanity, not your personal indulgeness."

Wilford: "Can't it be both? (Smokes.) Art on stage, and entertainment in the back. It sustains the soul, Melanie. And it's a release valve to keep everyone under control."

Melanie: "The resources that you're wasting on this could sustain 20 more people that we're going to need. Ticketing says you removed half of my geneticists from the passenger list."

Wilford: "We have more important priorities."

Melanie: "Like what? Like… your security?"

Wilford: "I promise you, all guns will be confiscated and thrown from the train. But the Jackboots will keep order. Three thousand souls stuffed into a ten-mile steel tube. You think they're gonna suddenly start singing Kumbaya?"

Melanie: "I think that if we're going to save humankind, we need people who actually know how to save humankind."

―  Melanie's flashback to a conversation with Wilford in the Night Car when Snowpiercer is becoming an ark.

Melanie: "Joseph, please. There are gonna be more important things than order."

Wilford: "Nothing's more important than order."

Melanie: "Do you even believe in any of this?"

Wilford: "Clearly, I've been working you too hard, Which is why I will forgive what you just said. Snowpiercer has only one head engineer, her creator. She runs on my order. Now, if you can't accept that then, your family can stay behind. Is that clear? (Chuckles.) You can't, you can't sugarcoat the end of the world, Melanie. Not everything's gonna be fine, but I promise you... you will survive."

Melanie: "Thank you Joseph."

―  Melanie's flashback to a conversation with Wilford in the Night Car when Snowpiercer is becoming an ark.

Tyson: "(On walkie talkie to Wilford.) What are your orders, sir. They say they're ticketed. They've got chips."

Melanie: "They're my geneticists."

Wilford: "What?"

Melanie: "You agreed to have them on board. And we need them."

Wilford: "I agreed you could have six. Right now, we need six Jacks more."

Melanie: "I'm not going without all of them, Joseph. We don't have time to discuss it. Let's just get everyone on board."

Wilford: "You're right. There's no time. (On walkie talkie.) Terminate them... Never forget, Melanie, The train runs on my order."

―  A Flashback when Wilford killed Melanie's geneticists, leaving her in shock.

“	We can't let that monster be in charge of what's left of humanity. You wanna steal the train and save the future. We have to go now!	”
	— A Flashback when Bennett tells Melanie there's a chance to steal Wilford's train.

“	I found the bodies of two of the scientists stationed here at the Freeze. One male, shot in the head. The other, a woman who slit her wrists. Must've been a grim place to face the end of the world. But at the first light, I have to power it back up, Patch my batteries into the solar array. Then I'll go back down for the sled I left behind with my rations.	”
	— Melanie's first day at Breslauer Weather Station.

“	It's been ten days since I arrived. If I had food, this would be a glowing report. With each new probe, the system has more data and I coax I climate model. The picture is far from complete. Now, the question, is whether I can survive long enough to finish painting it.	”
	— Melanie's 10th day at Breslauer Weather Station.

“	Alex? I have the climate model. Allie… [sighs] I tried. I really tried. And I thought this time would be different. I thought I would get back to you. So… please forgive me.	”
	— Melanie crying when Snowpiercer didn't come back to get her on time.

“	You gave up everything for us. For the world. You don't have to be sorry anymore, not to me. Not to anyone. Snowpiercer couldn't have made it this far without you, and you and I would never have got this chance.	”
	— Alex's hallucination to Melanie.

Trivia

• The title of the episode is a line in Melanie Cavill's opening dialogue in which she explains the physical distance she is from Snowpiercer.
• Part of this episode occurs at the same time as the events of A Single Trade and Keep Hope Alive.
  • It's revealed that Melanie's failure to connect to the last weather balloon is because her antenna was knocked over by a storm.
• It is the first episode of the series that has its main storyline taking place outside the trains Snowpiercer or Big Alice.
• Flashbacks depict the events before and during the Freeze leading to the launch of Snowpiercer.
• Melanie states that Javi had no idea that she was leaving Wilford behind or that she did until they were two days down the tracks.
• Commander Nolan Grey reappears in flashbacks to the train's departure.
• It's revealed that Melanie left early and stole the train partially on the urging of Bennett Knox.
• The only characters to appear outside of hallucinations or flashbacks are Melanie and Alex Cavill.
• Something appears to have gone drastically wrong on the trains: fire is coming from the underside of Big Alice and alarms are going off behind Alex at the end. In addition, the trains are two days overdue and Melanie can't make radio contact with anybody on Snowpiercer.

Body Count

• 3 climate scientists (slit wrists and froze to death; confirmed fate)
  • Arthur (shot in the head; confirmed fate)
• Several rats (captured and cooked for dinner by Melanie)
• 6 geneticists and their families (shot by Jackboots on Wilford's orders; flashback)
• Several people (shot by Jackboots; flashback)

Gallery

Images

Promotional

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Videos

• File:Snowpiercer 2x06 Promo "Many Miles From Snowpiercer"