Pilot Episode

Season	N/A
Episode	0
Overall	0
	Never Aired
	Josh Friedman
	Unknown
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All That Remains, better known as the Pilot Episode, was the unaired pilot episode of Snowpiercer. (A pilot episode is a standalone episode of a TV-Series made to sell the show to television networks/distributors as a testing ground to see and test if the series will be successful.)

The script was written and the episode was shot sometime between 2016 and 2017. It has never been released to the public and has most probably been lost to time, however concept art as well as numerous photographs of the sets, episode and the script has surfaced on the internet.

The 72 page script can be read here.

Plot

Background, departure

The episode starts off with white letters in black explaining the freeze before it shows workers in dark uniforms unloading cargo boxes from CAT-type snow vehicles into what the script describes Snowpiercer as "enormous steel containers" in a forest. Just then, a large mob of people, who later become the tailies, storm the compound. Armed security forces (Jackboots), who have black weather masks, come out from the train to fight the mob in silhouette. A short while later the train departs, with a portion of the mob onboard.

7 YEARS LATER

where we soon cut to a cattle car showing cow number 18, before it cuts again to the tail following a boy named Fergus. Fergus goes over to a different car with cages that may have been for large dogs, but remodeled as a "rube-goldbergian series of metal dividers and wooden planks and wire that both contain and control hundreds of rats who all have numbers written on them." Next to the cages sleeps Layton Well, which wakes up a little bit after Fergus arrives and sits across him patiently. When Layton wakes up, smart Fergus shows off a rat trap which he mentions he might be able to make 2 more of it if he takes apart 3 of the others. He runs off after Layton puts the number 3 rat into the trap and gives it to him just as a chime sounds across the train; a woman's voice wishes everyone well on behalf of Wilford Industries and Transport. Just then 5 tailies re-enter the tail section as they come back from filthy toxic work, escorted by Brakemen. One of them is Ian McConnel, Fergus' father, who arrives at the McConnel bunk after hugging his son. Josie, Ian's wife, cleans his face from the toxic industrial waste. Afterwards Josie and Layton clean Kronole off of Ian's boots as they discuss about the "Engineer's test." Layton mentions he has already loaned the Harper girl with his Andronicus but is not sure if Fergus has whatever it takes.

Meanwhile we cut to workers’ quarters in 4th class. Clean, spare, like an army barrack with screens have been put up throughout for privacy. 12-15 people live in this car. It’s not ideal, but it’s not the tail and they’re not prisoners. At the same time as the events in the tail we see Anderson pod we see Jack, Lilah and LJ eating breakfast shortly before we hear the chime and the woman's voice again. They put away their breakfasts into small lockers before they enter the sub-train through a hatch and ride it to AG-SEC where Jack and another worker, Silva, get off in an agriculture car before making their way to car 56 where cow 18 waits for it's breakfast. At the same time, Lilah and LJ continue riding the sub-train before it stops. LJ gets off at the same agriculture car while wearing amber-orange heavy garden work clothing. An older woman named Mrs. Wright tells her to haul some bags to downtrain of the agriculture section as aft planters need help. We cut back to Lilah getting off the sub-train and into a small changing room where she quickly gets ready with make-up before entering a high-end nail saloon, clients wearing sky blue with nail laborers wearing black. She approaches her client from the upper class; Melanie Cavill, the voice of the train, who's early, but apologizes nonetheless. Some weirdness ensues as Lilah is uneasy talking about Mr. Wilford after her a coworker crosses the "W" across their chest after Lilah mentions the word "train." Melanie finds it amusing and afterwards asks Lilah to do something similar to her nails like what she did with the lipstick.

Meanwhile, John Osweiller awakens Bess Till and tells her that they will be pulling Pixi Aariak (from the Nightcar) out of the drawers. We hear the chime and voice over train-wide speakers again as they get up and walk downtrain before using the sub-train. They later arrive to meet Magistire Maki, the prison warden pope, and Dr. Alfredsson. As Pixi's drawer is opened, Dr. Alfredsson mentions they've been tapering the suspension for the last 2 days to make her wake-up process easier. The warden unlocks the cuff on Pixi arm, revealing her arm is black from elbow to fingertip. The doctor informs them Pixi has been in the drawers for 3 years, the longest anyone has ever been, but just then Pixi screams awake. Till and Osweiller rush to the drawer to stop Pixi from rolling around and injuring herself. Afterwards Till sits next to Pixi in the recovery room. Pixi keeps spitting out a bloody red into the sink after taking a sip from a cup of water. Till later has to wash Pixi, where she finds out Pixi is hurting inside. Afterwards Till takes Pixi back to the prison car where her sentence of 3 full turns for Manslaughter with a Mitigation of Self-Defense to be complete.

Till and Oz then take Pixi back to the Night car using the subtrain, where a man working at the desk in the waiting room welcomes her back. While waiting Osweiller curiously skims through a book, but then Miss Audrey (in her sixties) then comes in, relieved to see Pixi out of the drawers again. They have an emotional re-unite as the Brakemen are about to leave, Pixi starts speaking in a hoarsest whisper. "Mr. Osweiller... Everybody loves it." The scene cuts to the 2 brakemen walking away from the Night car, Till barely able to restrain a shit eating grin as she teases Osweiller that he has something about him that would inspire a girl, who hasn’t talked in three years, to make her first words "fuck you."

However they are soon interrupted by an alarm and the voice of the train over the radio, telling them to brace for impact, no drill. The train collides head on with a large ice-slide and the 2 brakemen are unable to hold onto anything. They are sent flying as the train rocks from side to side, righting itself. They get up after the train stabilizes, making sure they're alright.

Later, Layton is seen feeding the rats with Fergus' assistance of finding the correct rats. Jinju is seen checking up on the fish and the tank in the aquarium car after the collision with Melanie, where they have a meditation session with the fish afterwards. Minutes later, Jinju prepares some sushi for Melanie and they have a talk as the sun begins to dip.

Meanwhile, Pixi searches through the box of clothes on her bunk, and as she dresses up she finds a small faded blood stain on the t-shirt she put on, but is soon interrupted by Val, the former thirdie who replaced Pixi. Val asks her on how her arm feels, which she answers "like ice." Pixi is then asked how suspension was and she answers it's like what everyone else describes; except both understand unspokenly that it's nothing like that. At the end of the day, Melanie announces over speakers that there were no serious injuries from the impact earlier that day and everything is in working order as the Anderson family return to their quarters.

As the tailies are delivered their protein bars and give the corner of each one to Layton to feed the rats, back in the Night car, Pixi crawls under her bed. At the same time, Jack enters the meat freezer car, shocked to find 2 dead bodies hung up like meat with blood all over everything except them. As Jack investigates, he identifies that one of them is Pixi's roommate Val. Later, Magistrate Maki, Doctor Alfredsson, various Brakemen including Roche, Bess and Osweiller, as well as poor Jack Anderson are in the butcher's car. Roche opens the door to the meat freezer car. Using plastic wrap as a walkway, Till and Osweiller walk over to the bodies. They identify them as Val(eria Childress) from the night car and Eduardo Raggio from car 37. While tensions rise between them as no-one has ever worked on a murder on the train before, Roche informs them that Pixi is a suspect. Just then, Melanie enters the butcher's car, having a talk with Maki and Alfredsson as Roche tells Tills and Osweiller to only tell the passengers what they need to know.

Later, Sayori arrives at the tail section with a few brakemen and makes a speech telling what Mr. Wilford went through and that he understands hardships before stating that children who pass the annual Engineer’s Apprenticeship Test will be upgraded to Engineer's quarters and that their parents will be allowed to see them annually at the departure celebration and memorial. Asher and Ellie accept the offer, but Josie doesn't allow Fergus to go, even if Layton is conflicted. He takes a hit of Kronole before heading back to his rats.

Till and Osweiller go to Car 37 to question the residents, Turner, Avi, Kadima, Bo and Cleo. Cleo quickly figures out that Eduardo has died early on in questioning. Osweiller sadly confirms this and Till apologizes and tells them they sadly won't be able to leave the car until further notice, which makes the residents realize they're possible suspects. She then tells them to write down everything they remember from yesterday and last night up until when they knocked on their door, telling them to not speak to each other until they are done. After a quiet talk between the residents, they start writing down as Till leaves and Osweiller stays behind to watch.

Back in the Meat Freezer car, Bolger the butcher and Bapspite the head chef investigate the blood in surgical gear, taking small samples. They come out of the car minutes later and tell what they have gathered. Bolger says that because the blood was warm when it hit the meat, it worked it's way deep inside. Bapspite suggests they throw the meat away as Melanie walks downtrain into the cattle car to see poor Jack, sitting next to the cows, mentally drained. Meanwhile, Sayori encourages Asher and Ellie through a door in the passageway with a man in robe, an engineer.

Later in the Night car, Till questions Pixi and Miss Audrey. Pixi doesn't have anything that could help Till and is more worried that she can't go back. Audrey assures her she won't be. Later in the corridor, Till and Audrey talk alone. The two women reflect quietly, unsure of the girl inside. Audrey reminds Till that Pixi doesn't have anything to do with this and that what they do in the Night car isn't entertainment and that it pulls deep. Meanwhile, Pixi lays down on Val's bed as the two are outside.

Bolger and Maki arrive at the aquarium car to talk with Jinju. As they have some tea, Bolger informs her they've lost 200 pounds of beef (because of the blood) and unless they accelerate the butchering, there will be shortages up and down train. Maki suggests if Jinju very slightly increases her customer load for a month she will be able to correct the balance between her and Bolger, but Jinju keeps refusing, telling them that the tank won't allow it. After some sake, Bolger and Maki leave.

Later, Till comes back to car 37. Osweiller hands her the statements, telling everything lines up: They went to the movies and Eduardo went off to practice his violin afterwards while they came back to their car. Till's attention is then drawn to Turner and Cleo as their talk have become less whispery. Cleo wants to say something but Turner and Kadima won't allow her to. Everyone but Bo and Cleo have drifted to separate parts of the car. The strain on this relationship showing. Till and Osweiller leave afterwards before they arrive at a W insignia. Osweiller pulls out and inserts a key in before turning it and pushing on the insignia. It reveals a secret phone as the insignia turns (like the phone in the movie).

As Melanie announces that 2nd and 3rd class will have changes made to this week's menu, Layton is escorted out of the tail by two brakemen. He is stripped in the bio security car before being washed by someone in a has-mat suit by very hot water with a pink disinfectant hue to it. After getting his hair buzzed, he puts on light blue scrubs before being escorted out of the car uptrain. He sees day-light for the first time in 7 years as he is escorted through the corridors.

Layton arrives at the first class dining car, sobering up from Kronole quickly as Maki, Roche and Till is waiting for him there. Roche gives him a tray which Layton uncovers to see a perfect grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup. Layton is confused and asks what is going on, Maki signals Till. Till opens the door and Osweiller comes in with a Cleo who's shaking from the palm-sweating guttwist of an ex-lovers’ knife wound rent new in his abdomen. Layton slides Cleo the sandwich but she refuses, telling him that she's not ready to go back in time with him today. Layton seems upset that she used to eat the sandwich and isn't eating it now, but Cleo isn't sure why. Suddenly Layton picks up the bowl and violently guzzles it; half of the hot soup pours down his shirt. He gags and vomits out most of it back onto the table and the other occupants. Cleo puts up a hand saying she's sorry. After observing her, Layton gestures for Cleo to continue. She explains there's 2 people she loved have been killed. Maki mentions that this train has everything you can imagine including a new military that they trained after Layton's mob killed 11 of their security. Layton says he didn't kill anyone and Maki states that's the exact reason they chose him. Layton now realizes why he's here. Darting around the room, his eyes land on Till. He questions her and she answers she was a cop for 3 years at Virginia Beach. Layton springs up to his feet as Till touches his arm as an old habit. He walks over to the glass and smudges "Damon" on it.

Known Cast

• Jenifer Connelly as Melanie Cavill
• Lena Hall as Sayori
• Mickey Sumner as Bess Till
• Sam Otto as Osweiller
• Aiden Lovekamp as Fergus
• Sasha Frolova as Pixi Aariak

Trivia

• Some characters seem similar to other characters in the TV Series.
• The pilot episode was much darker than the show, as there was cannibalism and the entire train was more like a cult. One of the supporting factors is the fact that the engineers are "monk-like in mien."
• The episode seems to lean more towards the movie than the current show does, as the train hits 2 massive walls of ice in the episode.
• The event of a breach in one of the cattle cars is very similar to the one in Season 1 Episode 2.
• Melanie was blonde.
• In the pilot, Wilford Industries was known as "Wilford Industries & Transport" instead of just Wilford Industries.
• Wilford isn't on-board Snowpiercer just like season 1 of the series, however his backstory in the pilot seems darker. According to Sayori, Wilford's father grandfather worked in a car factory, but lost their job when the factory shutdown. His father went on a search for a job but never returned and his mother lost her house, leading them to living in shelters, the streets and eventually railyards and empty trains. His mother had to sacrifice herself for Wilford to go to school.
• According to the script, the temperature outside in the pilot is -140 degrees, compared to the show's -110/120 average and the comic's -80.
• The Brakemen's uniforms were maroon colored instead of the blue in the TV Series.
• The Wilford Industries & Transport plaque was re-used to make the Wilford Industries website's welcome page despite being dated.
• Contrary to the finalized version in the TV Series, CW-7 after the missiles/rockets it's in blows up, it's a red cloud of chemicals instead of blue.
• Snowpiercer's departure in the pilot seems much more secret compared to the TV Series, seemingly taking place in a forest under secret operation instead of a large railyard where the TV Series' luxury liner was known to depart on it's rail cruises.
• In the script Kronole is written as Chronole.
• Brakemen are "a loose lot who spend more time mediating drunks than solving real crime, beat cops in a nice neighborhood, a part of the train’s fairly swiss clockworks."
• The Brakemen Garrison has a food vending machine.
• 11 jackboots/security forces were killed during departure by the tailies.
• The Nightcar has sleeping quarters and a corridor around it.

Gallery

Screenshots recovered from the episode

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  Near the end of the episode

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  Tail section looking uptrain, with Sayori in the center

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  Ice over the tracks

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  C56 Breached

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  Layton

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  A door opening somewhere in the tail

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  Shot of when Pixi's sentence is considered to be complete by Magistrate Maki in the Prison car

Sets

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  Engine

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  Melanie's Quarters in the engine

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  Engine Hallway

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  1st Class Hallway

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  1st Class Dining

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  Beauty Salon

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  Sushi Bar

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  Cattle Car

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  Cattle Car

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  Agriculture Car

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  Agriculture Car

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  Bio Security Car

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  Tail

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  Tail

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  Sub-train

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  Sub-train

Concept Art

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  Ramming through ice

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  Pilot Train (Snowpiercer)

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  Departure

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  Meat Locker

Behind The Scenes

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  Opening Scene Storyboards

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  Cockpit Set Blueprints

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  Mickey Sumner Photo

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  Door Set

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  Melanie's Quarters Set Blueprints

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  Tail CGI

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  Sets

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  Sets

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  Lena Hall as her original character Sayori

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  Post by Sam Otto

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  Wilford Industries & Transport Plaque

Audition Tapes

• Aiden Lovekamp's Fergus audition
• Clara Pasieka's Pixi audition
• Martin Chavez's Avi audition