Trouble Comes Sideways is the sixth episode of the first season of Snowpiercer. It is the sixth episode of the series overall.
Synopsis
Hiding out with help from his allies, Layton lays track for revolution. Meanwhile, an engineering emergency threatens every soul on Snowpiercer, and Melanie is the only one who can save them.
Intro
| “ | People long for life before the Freeze. But I dunno. I might like this life better. I think of me mum. Chain-smoking at the kitchen table, resh bruises under last night's makeup. "Keep your head on a swivel", she'd say, "'cause trouble
comes sideways." It's a zero-sum world now. You set a thing in motion and watch it tumble down the line. All that's comin' is comin' head-on... ...the whole great shitshow flattened down into a single line. To climb, someone else falls. To gain, someone else loses. And roundy-round we go. 1,001 cars long. |
” |
| — John "Oz" Osweiller | ||
Plot
Oz narrates the opening sequence, reminiscing upon times before the freeze and Snowpiercer. He explains that he much preferred the time prior, but has grown to like their new way of life. Elsewhere, flyers are circulated around Third suggesting the workers go on strike. Bennett and Xavier are alerted to an electrical fault in one of the carriages, and Bennett volunteers to check it out.
Meditating with Jiniju, Melanie finds it hard to keep focus, and instead, goes off to change into her hospitality uniform. She reveals the flyer to Jinju, explaining that Third is pushing back for the trial, but would only be hindering themselves as they would too suffer from the strikes. When asked what she is going to do, she remarks that she will crush the strike, which makes Jinju uneasy.
Layton is suffering from Kronole withdrawal, and is disoriented when he wakes. He asks Zarah how he got there, and Zarah reveals that Layton has been suspended within the drawers. When Zarah asks what Layton did to get put into the drawers, he is reluctant to answer and instead questions why Zarah didn’t leave him out of Sean’s murder investigation.
Melanie takes a trip to Third and is met with large scale riots and abusive language. Melanie reminds Third that work is their ticket aboard, but the Thirdies push back, remarking that they keep the train running — the worker is met with harsh violence from security. Melanie tells the Thirdies that if the stoppage goes ahead, ten Thirdies will be taken to the Tail in an exchange; the Thirdies are visibly worried by this remark. Josie arrives during the speech to take Layton away, telling Zarah that they cannot meet again.
Believing that something could happen to him, Layton reveals that Wilford is an illusion and Cavill is the one behind the curtain. He swears Josie to secrecy, however, remarking that they should keep it in their arsenal until they figure out how to use the secret. The two pass the medical bay, where they’re invited in by Pelton. Josie reveals that she reached out to their allies and Pelton was happy to oblige.
Meanwhile, Bennett examines the electrical fault, and finds that it is affecting the wheels. Melanie arrives moments later and Bennett reveals that an electrical fault has caused one of the breaks to seize. Melanie leaves to get the breach team to swap out the motor.
Till questions Oz regarding the incident the previous night. Oz tells her he won't say anything if she cooperates with everything he wants, and she reluctantly agrees. Arriving at the dinner cart, they question Walter on who ordered the supplies for the flyers. He is reluctant to say, but Oz holds him by the groin until he cooperates, much to Till’s dismay.
In the Tail, the Tailies all rally around Suzanne’s body, who sadly passed away. Patterson takes the helm as the head of the family and takes Winnie away.
Pelton reveals that one in ten passengers have a red X on their files. She explains that there are rumours of a blacklist, designated enemies of the state; she further explains that both she and Layton are on the list.
Melanie interrupts one Boscovic teaching a class about the Freeze; she tells him that he is required for maintenance. When he has left, Melanie talks with Miles, who reveals that he has finished the math problem she gave him.
Meanwhile, Zarah visits Miss Audrey, begging her not to go through with the strike. Zarah explains the conditions in the Tail, advising Audrey that she doesn’t want to end up there, but Audrey isn’t willing to listen. It is revealed that Zarah is pregnant, but the father is not known.
Layton escapes from medical, and makes his way to Bennett and Melanie, where he holds Melanie at knife point, referring to her as “Mr. Wilford”. At that moment, the motor swings whilst being hoisted and causes the train to buckle; numerous carriages rock back and forth and Javi enacts emergency protocols causing a lockdown throughout the train. Layton explains that he knows about the drawers, but Melanie reveals that it is not what he thinks, but a social experiment in saving the best of humanity in stasis. She explains that four hundred people were chosen of varying skills to give humanity the best chance of survival and to ride out the freeze. She begs Layton to allow her to save the train, and he reluctantly accepts.
Bennett explains that the master hydraulic has failed, and Melanie goes to investigate. She suits up and prepares to go under the train, Bennett begs for Melanie to allow him to go; she declines, however. Melanie instructs Javi to take the train to minimum speed before they derail, and Melanie tells Bennett that she designed Snowpiercer, and will fix her.
Melanie has trouble re-attatching the hydraulic pipe and, meanwhile, Ruth gives a PA announcement informing everyone of the possibility of derailment. Melanie is soon able to reattach the cable and once the hydraulics are back, Javi returns the train to running speed.
Arriving in Third, Bennett gives a speech about the Eternal Engine, and Melanie talks with Audrey, telling her that her strike — and pseudo-revolution — failed. Audrey remarks that there will not always be a disaster to save Mr Wilford, but she tells Audrey differently.
Pelton shows Layton and Josie to her chambers, and allows them to bunk there for the night. She warns them to keep the door locked and ignore if anyone comes knocking; the two have sex shortly after.
Inviting Miles into her office, Melanie gifts him a caliper, remarking that every engineer needs one. She further informs him that she needs his help on a problem.
Cast
Main
|
Guest Starring |
Co-Starring
|
|
Quotes
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Trivia
- Judging by the photos taped up inside Melanie's closet, she maybe had a daughter once.
- The Drawers are for mass incarceration, human experiments and extrajudicial imprisonment.
- Threatened with a scalpel, Melanie declares that it isn’t true, that the drawers aren’t a prison, they’re a lifeboat.
- Melanie planned the drawers as a way to protect 400 people for diversity, health and skills and wants to place them in the drawers to ride out the freeze and keep humanity going in case the Eternal Engine cannot provide.
- It is revealed that Zarah is pregnant; the father is not known, but dramatic irony is drawn by the show as viewers are aware that she and Layton had sex in the Nightcar.
Body Count
- Suzanne (died of an infection from her frozen-off arm)
- Jakes Carter (hit by a falling motor)
Gallery
Images
Promotional
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Behind the Scenes
Videos
See also