Snowpiercer (TV series)

[Julius Seeker]

I like the concept, but I have some serious problems.

I’ve only seen the first episode so far.

What I like: It’s a post-apocalyptic dystopian Caves of Steel ripoff that takes place on a an archeology/train instead of archeology/domed city.

What I don’t like:
It’s FILLED with exposition. The episode felt like a bit of an essay with a bit of a story wrapped into it. It blatantly feels like setup. I was hoping film and TV was getting away from these sorts of formulas with shows like Breaking Bad, Witcher, and Westworld, and films like Rogue One, Interstellar, and Bladerunner 2049, where you’re not really told what’s going on, you just kind of glean it from what’s happening. It’s the Hunger Games effect - rapid-fire.

Hunger Games felt like this to me: “this is happening, and this! “Watch out for tracker jackets!” “What are tracker jackers?” “They’re like hornets created by the grey suits.” “Grey suits?” “Scientist engineers working for the 1st district, the first district are the uppity-muppities.” “Now what are uppity muppities.” “The Jarl Herculean Master class.” “You mean rich people?” “Err, yeah!”—- I made most of that up, but you get the point. A lot of TV shows are starting to feel like this.

Problem #2 - every single damn interaction has such blatantly forced conflict. Randomly one of the characters decides to be an asshole - and this sort of interaction happened like 15 times in the episode. There is not one regular interaction. Considering how many hands this show is in, I’m not sure whose fault this is. But it’s a common thing in film and TV in the last few years. This is the Tarantino effect. The difference is Tarantino is essentially making comedy films; but the way it happens in films/TV these days reeks of Executive Producer editing, so I don’t blame the writers.

Overall, I the problematic stuff is easy to overlook given the premise is interesting, the characters are interesting, and everything about it seems promising.

[Julius Seeker]

I'll follow this up. The third season is currently in progress.

I've watched season 1 twice now, and am watching season 2 for the second time (with others who I got into the show). It's enjoyable after the first two episodes - which are (frankly) dumb as hell. It's kind of like The 100 in that way, except the show doesn't feel completely stupid for as long. And it's overall a less dumb feeling show than The 100.

It sheds its YA dystopian feeling after the first two episodes, and feels more like an adult dystopia, most of the characters are in their 30s through 60s. The first season takes heavily from Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov, with Andre Layton being in the role of Elijah Baley from the Robot trilogy.

Cast is great: Sean Bean, Jennifer Connolly, Mickey Sumner, and Steven Ogg are in the main cast - although, Sean Bean doesn't make an appearance until later. Most of the cast I'm not familiar with, but they all do a good job. Compared to The 100, the acting is either as good or better than the best from that show. The writing is mostly good after the first two episodes - which, IMO are really designed to get you into the show and universe. The story is introduced in the first two episodes, but doesn't really kick off until episode 3. Most people are "I don't know if I wanna watch this" until episode 3/4, which hooks everyone 100% in my experience.

But, I have to bring up something.

The freezing. Damn! The freezing. I know this is brought in from the book and film, but it's still dumb. Not enough to ruin the show in any way. It's just one of those dumb elements that they have to deal with.

Spoiler - Episode 2 - video

Spoiler: show

They begin phasing out the harshness of the cold air as the show moves on, but it gets worse before it gets better. There are points where they freeze fingers by funneling cold air through a hose. Even execute people by pumping it into the lungs. Here are the problems.

1. Air doesn't conduct temperature very well. Stick a bare arm into -40 weather, or an oven at +200 degree (or +400 in US measurement) and you'll barely see an effect after 30 seconds. -120 degree air won't be much different - ever put your hand in front of blowing air from dry ice or a jar of liquid nitrogen? Yeah.
2. If cold air travelled through a tube like that, at worse, it would feel like a car's air conditioning. It would never be enough to cause even minor frost bite. It would do damage in time being funneled into the lungs, but it would cause bronchitis or pneumonia after hours, maybe? It wouldn't kill a person and freeze their insides in one breath.
3. The Day After Tomorrow was also stupid when they did it.

One other thing, the train has tons of size inconsistencies. Sometimes the train is about 9-10 feet across, others it’s like 30 feet across. In the book, I believe it’s about 35 feet across and feet tall (11 meters wide, generally about 14 meters tall and 17 or 18 at the highest spots). It’s a giant train.

Anyway, other than that, good show! I recommend it. If you liked The 100, you'll probably like this one. Most likely more than The 100.

[Julius Seeker]

Well, they blew up all of the big storyline possibilities with the train in the first two seasons. Now, they’ve been going all battle Star Galactica and just rehashing and repeating in a less interesting way. They’re on like the fourth or fifth power struggle conflict, and the aims of the characters don’t make sense anymore. They’ve switched their objectives and motivations more than the cast of WWF Monday Night Raw in the 1998-99 season. Everything is both nonsensical and far too predictable. So, if you want to get into this show, watch the first two seasons and maybe leave it off there. Maybe even just the first season—although season 2 has the Sean Bean character. Season 3 is just… it feels like nothing’s happening except stringing along plot lines that will never go anywhere new or interesting… kind of like Battlestar Galactica after season 2.

The show would have been a lot better if they left Layton on as a crime investigator for longer with the social structures still in place. They abandoned that at the end of season 1. The continuous revolution cycles aren’t particularly interesting, and they feel more contrived than anything. The “Who’s the Cylon” story from season 1 and 2 of BSG was fantastic, but then when it ended, the show lost focus… they repeated that story, and it wasn’t done nearly as well - well, Snowpiercer feels like that, just a constant cycle of new revolutions. What season 1 was about is what the show could have been about, IMO, but that story is over - move on already!