The Eternal Engineer

Season	Episode	Overall
2	8	18

Episode Information

Airdate

March 15, 2021

Written by

Renée St. Cyr

Directed by

Rebecca Rodriguez

Run Time

47 minutes

Episode Guide
← Previous	Next →
Our Answer for Everything	The Show Must Go On

The Eternal Engineer is the eighth episode of the second season of Snowpiercer. It is the eighteenth episode of the series overall.

Synopsis

An engineering catastrophe forces Layton to make a difficult choice that might cost him everything.

Plot

Aboard Snowpiercer, the Brakemen, Breachmen and immediate management of Snowpiercer gather as Boki prepares to eject the deceased Breachmen from the train. As they stand by, Layton witnesses numerous Brakemen holding their hands in the "W" formation — a clear indication that they support Wilford. After Boki ejects the bodies, Layton, Till, Roche, and Doctor Pelton talk about the situation regarding the lanterns and the support shown for Wilford. Layton is worried that the Brakemen are defecting, but Roche assures him that they behaved in respect for tradition, and that they will follow him and Layton to the end. Till worries that the Tail is still being blamed for the crimes despite her having arrested two suspects, but Pelton assures Layton that Second still follows him.

Roche arrives at his quarters to tell his daughter that she is moving up-train. She isn't happy about the move, and questions why she must move and cannot remain where she is. Roche tells her that it is for her protection and will be closer to school. After she has left, Roche talks with her mother, and assures her that she must keep the faith and he will do his part and keep the peace; the two are distracted following this when their tap begins leaking and floods their cabin.

Aboard Big Alice, Alex questions Wilford about the opening of the seal earlier that day. Wilford tries to pass off the event as Snowpiercer ejecting their dead, but Alex tells him that it was something else, and that he is hiding something from her. Nonetheless, he attempts to change the conversation by remarking how smooth the stretch of track ahead is. Shortly after, he leaves Alex to visit Josie Wellstead, where he shows her the results of the Headwoods' treatment, and further assists her with the phantom pain she is experiencing with her missing hand. With this, he remarks that he will no longer be locking her door and that she is free to roam Big Alice as she pleases.

Cast

Main

Guest Starring

Co-Starring

Steve Baran as Brakeman Ames/Brakeman 1
Miranda Edwards as Lights
RJ Fetherstonhaugh ... Jackboot Clifford
Esther Li as Carly Roche
Matthew Mandzij ... Brakeman West
Kelly-Ruth Mercier ... Annie
Anup Sehdev ... Tunnelman #1
Brent Stait as Tunnelman Jakes Carter
Andre Tricoteux as Icy Bob
Andrea Ware as Jackboot Tyson
Garfield Wilson as Jackboot Kaffey

Quotes

“	Wilford gave me this himself. He said "Breachmen risk their lives for me. With this, I pledge the same to you." Take it. Maybe you can shove it up his ass one day, huh? Sir.	”
	— Boki gives Layton his Wilford pin and switches sides

Trivia

The episode had a viewership of 0.89m, with 0.19m within the 18—49 demographic.^[1]
Big Alice has The Drawers aboard. Sam Roche was imprisoned in them with his family.
Josie is shown to have mostly healed from her frostbite and is starting to develop abilities similar to Icy Bob.
It's stated that there is a rumor that the surviving Jackboots have rebuilt a command. At the end of the episode, they are shown active again, working for Wilford.
Snowpiercer appears to have been partially repaired as the train is moving on at least some of its own power rather than relying completely on Big Alice for movement. This is further indicated by Javier De La Torre telling Layton that the Engine "still isn't running at full capacity," suggesting that its running at least somewhat on its own again.
The events of this episode are why Snowpiercer was late returning for Melanie in Many Miles From Snowpiercer: the train had to slow down as a result of the problems from Icy Bob's sabotage.
Bojan Boscovic changes sides after realizing that Wilford had Snowpiercer sabotaged and did in fact betray him.
Wilford regains control of the train while Layton is arrested and Roche and his family are placed into the Drawers.
Miss Audrey is reading Speak, Memory, an autobiographical memoir by writer Vladimir Nabokov. At the same moment they listen to the song What I Got, I Got form Maurice Rice.
Miss Audrey, while in the bathtub aboard Big Alice, is singing “Joey” from the 1990 album “Bloodletting” by Concrete Blonde, written by Johnette Napolitano.
As confirmed by Sam Roche, Mr. Wilford engineered Snowpiercer with portals to freeze people’s arms off as punishment.