The Tortoise and the Hare

Season	3
Episode	1
Overall	21
	January 24, 2022
	Graeme Manson & Aubrey Nealon
	Christoph Schrewe
	50 minutes
Episode Guide
← Previous	Into the White
Next →	The Last to Go

The Tortoise and the Hare is the first episode of the third season of Snowpiercer. It is the twenty-first episode of the series overall. The episode aired on TNT January 24, 2022 and then internationally on Netflix the next day.

Synopsis

While Wilford emphasizes his rule aboard his icy train, Layton's pirate train continues its dangerous quest for warm spots, and comes across something entirely unexpected.

Plot

SPOILERS AHEAD

6 Months Later

The Pirate Train has been going round the world searching for the warm spots determined by Melanie Cavill's model. The remaining 1024 carriages, powered by Big Alice (and named such), have been following behind them, Wilford obsessively trying to track down Layton. Conditions on Big Alice are bad- the engine struggles to power so many cars. All classes have disappeared, replaced with just one: the working class. The resistance still goes strong: fugitive Ruth has hidden away in a carriage and is directing all operations and taking care of passengers.

Aboard the Pirate Train, Ben has gone outside to try to retrieve data. Miss Audrey is as uncooperative as ever, while Sykes helps aboard as best she can. As Ben returns, he suddenly falls through a hole in the ground.

Cast

Main Daveed Diggs as Andre Layton Mickey Sumner as Bess Till Alison Wright as Ruth Wardell Lena Hall as Miss Audrey Iddo Goldberg as Bennett Knox Roberto Urbina as Javier De La Torre Steven Ogg as Pike Katie McGuinness as Josie Wellstead Sheila Vand as Zarah Ferami Annalise Basso as LJ Folger Sam Otto as John Osweiller Rowan Blanchard as Alexandra Cavill Chelsea Harris as Sykes Archie Panjabi as Asha Sean Bean as Joseph Wilford

Guest Starring Sakina Jaffrey as Mrs. Headwood Tom Lipinski as Kevin McMahon Karin Konoval as Doctor Pelton Stephen Lobo as Martin Colvin Co-Starring Miranda Edwards as Lights Emma Oliver as Winnie Kurt Ostlund as Strong Boy Kwasi Thomas as Z-Wreck Fiona Vroom as Miss Gillies Andrea Ware as Jackboot Tyson Kristian Bruun as Jackboot Stu Whiggins Jorge Vargas as Watermaster Arnoldo Reyas

Quotes

“	Two trains, two chapters to tell. One runs hot and fast. The other lumbers slow. Cold-cast in Wilford's iron grip. An armored tortoise plotting after a hare. Everyone under a single thumb. Serving a single obsession. To retake the pirates and exact his revenge. (...) Inside, it's a backwards world. Only one class now, the working class, freezing, stitching, fixing, suffering. (...) But frostbitten fingers hold fast. Deep in the iced-over bowls where Wilford never treads... A spark still lives: the resistance, nurtured and protected by the bravest of the brave. (...) The heart of hope still beats aboard Wilford's rolling gulag, 1,023 cars long.	”
	— Layton's opening monologue

Pike: "Message for the tippity-top."

Ruth: "I didn't hear the password, Mr. Pike. I expect more from my second in command."

Pike: "They picked up sign of Snowpiercer. We turned south back on the mainline."

Ruth: "Oh, thank god for that. This is the first proof we've had that they are still alive in 32 days. They must... they must have their reasons for all this traipsing about. I mean, if Melanie's aboard... (Pike scoffs) We don't know."

Pike: "You ever think Ruth, all alone down here at night, that since Layton bailed on us in the first place, he might never come back?"

Ruth: "No, I don't. And neither do you, or you wouldn't be in the resistance. So, antibiotics for the seamstresses. They'll need them, all jammed up together in that sweatshop. It's these little things that'll keep us sane, Mr. Pike. The passengers can survive all of this if we can ease their journey. And keep them ready for Mr. Layton's return."

―  Ruth leads the resistance in Layton's place

Trivia

• This episode picks up six months after "Into the White."
• Snowpiercer has become a "rolling gulag" 1,023 cars long under Wilford's leadership.
  • Ruth Wardell has become the leader of the resistance aboard Snowpiercer. Pike assists her while Wilford appears to be unaware that Ruth is still on the train.
  • The train has to deal with low temperatures and freezing issues due to Big Alice powering both trains alone.
  • Big Alice now acts as the front of the train while First is in the back.
  • A whistle is heard blowing in the beginning.
  • First Class has been decommissioned and left empty and frozen. Wilford claims that he will restore it when he gets the Engine and Audrey back.
  • There are essentially no classes on the train anymore, despite Wilford's intentions to run Snowpiercer according to the original class system. Every passenger is a part of the working class, and can't be spared from work to due the train's bad condition. No one is allowed to enjoy any kind of privileged lifestyle, due to the lack of energy and resources.
  • Wilford has been forced to stop the culling of the passengers that he had planned due to Miss Audrey being a hostage.
  • Javier De La Torre is revealed to still be alive, but he is scarred and hooked up to IVs working as the Engineer on Big Alice.
  • LJ Folger and Oz now run the Night Car (a deal by Wilford).
• The pirate train has spent six months following Melanie Cavill's climate model without success in search of a habitable place.
  • Miss Audrey remains a prisoner while Sykes has begun cooperating with the crew as a POW.
  • It's revealed that Martin Colvin is a part of the crew, having accidentally stowed away on board due to falling asleep in his cabin before the hijacking occurred and then not being discovered until afterwards.
  • While Alex and Bennett are the Engineers, Till has also been shown to nervously be able to drive the train, suggesting that the crew have all been given at least some basic training, presumably in case Alex and Bennett are unavailable.
• Sulawesi was a location that was searched.
• Layton has what appears to be a vision of a dragon blood tree in Socotra. Later revealed in Ouroboros, to be from a calendar in Asha’s home, when near death.
• Layton finds a survivor in a nuclear plant in North Korea.
• Mrs. Headwood is seen experimenting on Layton and Zara's unborn child with enhanced genetic cold treatment which is identified in Bound by One Track.
• Sykes' loyalty to Wilford appears to be wavering as she refuses to help Audrey and Martin, instead allowing herself to be locked up.
• During the episode, neither Big Alice or Snowpiercer are referred to by name with Layton simply calling it "Wilford's rolling gulag" in his opening monologue rather than calling it Snowpiercer as usual. In contrast, Ruth briefly refers to the pirate train as Snowpiercer while talking to Pike in the opening scene. This suggests that at least the resistance considers the pirate train to be Snowpiercer itself now rather the rest of the train that was left behind with Big Alice.
• It's unknown if Martin was killed or not as he subsequently doesn't appear on the pirate train after being hit over the head by Till while Miss Audrey is seen imprisoned once again.

Body Count

• 43 people (froze to death in the Drawers due to the cold permeating both trains; mentioned only)

Gallery

Images

Promotional

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