Snowpiercer 2×04 Review – ‘A Single Trade’

‘A Single Trade’ focused on Miss Audrey’s past with Mr. Wilford. With how things concluded this week, I’m with Layton right now. I don’t think Audrey can fully control Wilford.

Trigger Warning: This review of Snowpiercer season 2 episode 4, ‘A Single Trade’, mentions suicide and self-harm.

I enjoyed seeing the writers share more information about the relationship Audrey and Wilford shared before Melanie stole Snowpiercer. Turns out, Audrey’s been working as a high-end escort since she was 18-years-old. She exclusively worked for Wilford and hosted parties on the train (before the world basically ended). Over the past seven years, she’s worked hard to distance herself from Wilford’s control. She even converted the Night Car into a place of solace for people suffering from emotional pain.

However, now that Wilford’s back, Audrey’s at risk of falling into an unhealthy pattern from her past. Wilford wants to be with her and the fact Layton urges her to get closer to him (to help Snowpiercer down the line) isn’t making things easy for Audrey.

I appreciated Audrey taking charge of the situation (or trying to). She made it clear to Layton she was going to interact with Wilford on her terms. She wasn’t going to get closer to him because of Layton or for the passengers of Snowpiercer. She was going to do it for herself. And while I was glad she made such a decision, with how their meeting played out, I think Audrey has entered a situation she might not be able to handle.

Both Audrey and Wilford are playing a game with each other. She’s trying to manipulate him while he’s trying to control her. It’s clear that Wilford’s okay with being vulnerable in front of Audrey. The scene where Audrey was feeding Wilford mangoes as if he was her pet was disturbing. However, ‘A Single Trade’ also showed Wilford having a weird power over her, too.

The second season of Snowpiercer has made it obvious that Wilford has this weird psychosexual bond with others. He used such a connection to make Kevin kill himself. I was shocked to learn he had used the same tactic on Audrey in the past. But instead of allowing her to die, he saved her. The scar on Audrey’s arm continues to remind her of Wilfrod’s true nature.

I’m looking forward to seeing who will win the tug of war between Audrey and Wilford. I like Audrey as a character and I don’t want anything too bad happening to her.

While Wilford’s reconnecting with Audrey, he also has other plans in the works. I don’t know about you, but I think he has something in mind involving Josie. Wilford’s offer to have his scientists treat frostbite patients on Snowpiercer was too convenient. Someone told him about Layton’s feelings for Josie, right?

With Josie being taken to Big Alice and away from her people, I hope she’s able to survive the experience. With how Josie wasn’t fully supportive of Layton’s policies in the previous episode, there’s a chance Wilfrod might exploit her doubts and have her stand against Layton.

I have continued to state that Wilfrod doesn’t want to lose control of Big Alice and Snowpiercer. He doesn’t want people to be hopeful about one day leaving the trains. He was clearly disappointed when Ben and Javi were able to make contact with Melanie. Wilford isn’t going to go down without a fight and I’m excited to see what he will do to sabotage Melanie’s mission to find a place on land for humans to restart civilization.

The core concept in this week’s episode dealt with trading. We saw Layton, Wilford, Josie, and Audrey make different kinds of trades. Time will tell if what they received is going to be worth the cost of what they had to lose during the transaction.

Other thoughts and questions:

• I’m not a fan of Alex striking a friendship with LJ. I refuse to trust LJ. Also, is it just me or do you think LJ is planning to kill Alex?
• Layton needs to stop pushing Ruth away. He needs her on his side.
• Yay to Bess hooking up with another woman. She needed a break. Having said that, I want her to reconnect with Oz. They aren’t the best of friends, but Bess needs someone for support.
• I still have no idea who might be feeding information about Snowpiercer to Wilford.
• The remaining two Australians getting to know each other was fun.

What did you think of ‘A Single Trade’?

Let us know.

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Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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