Snowpiercer 1×06 Review – ‘Trouble Comes Sideways’

The latest episode of Snowpiercer forced everyone to come together when faced with death. ‘Trouble Comes Sideways’ also gave Melanie a bit of a breather. However, she can’t delay the inevitable revolution much longer.

I was provided with a free screener of Trouble Comes Sideways for review. The opinions I have shared are my own.

We know that Melanie has two things to worry about. The First Class isn’t happy with how she’s been running things on Snowpiercer and they want to talk to Mr. Wilford. The Third Class isn’t happy that Mr. Wilford decided to pardon LJ. ‘Trouble Comes Sideways’ opened with the Third Class planning a strike. To get justice for Nikki’s death, they decided not to work. Of course, with passengers in Third Class being vital for the train’s operations, Melanie couldn’t have anyone not doing their job.

I liked how she was able to end the strike by threatening them. She told protesters that if they went through with the strike, ten random people from Third Class would be moved to the Tail while ten random Tailies would be promoted. The fear of being thrown into the Tail quickly got the agitated crowd under control.

The bulk of this episode dealt with a brake malfunctioning and drastically increasing the risk of the train coming off the track. Fear can get people to reevaluate their lives, and that’s what we got to see in ‘Trouble Comes Sideways’. Yes, the people in Third Class are unhappy with how they’re being treated, but their worries can’t be compared to the fear they have of the human race going extinct. Even if they want to be respected, they are grateful to Mr. Wilford for allowing them to continue living in Snowpiercer.

Seeing all of them rejoice (and forgetting how they were all determined to go on strike) when the train got fixed was a very human moment. I also liked what Audrey had to say to Melanie. In my opinion, Audrey was correct when she mentioned that celebrations will end and the same group of people will again want to go on strike. Melanie just can’t catch a break.

This episode also addressed the situation between Layton and Melanie. Seeing a very impulsive and overemotional Layton (due to being drugged) made for some interesting scenes. The usual calm and collected version of Layton would never go out to kill Melanie with a scalpel.

Even though Melanie convinced Layton that the train needed her, I don’t think Melanie is going to allow him to roam around. She knows he’s a threat to her life. Is she going to use Miles to harm Layton?

Also, I don’t know about you, but I don’t trust Melanie’s explanation about why the Drawers were created. I get that they’re meant for making certain people go to sleep (hibernate) to save resources, but the fact the Drawers aren’t perfect and she has literal kids in there isn’t a good look. I think something sinister is going on. 

Certain relationships also got the spotlight in this episode. I enjoyed Bess and Oz being forced to spend time together. Even though Oz isn’t the best, Bess is still the only (kind-of) friend he has. I liked how he decided not to blackmail her anymore because she rescued Layton. As for Bess and Jinju’s relationship, there’s sure to be drama between the two because of Bess helping Layton and Josie.

The relationship development I didn’t like concerned Layton and Josie. I’m not a fan of these two hooking up romantically. I think Layton still has feelings for his ex-fiancee, Zarah, and having Josie be part of a love triangle is just going to unnecessarily complicate things.

Anyway, before I end my review, I have to share that a recent Paley Front Row discussion involved Snowpiercer. You can watch the Snowpiercer: Special Fan Q & A Edition right now on the Paley Center’s YouTube channel.

It features Oscar-winner Jennifer Connelly, Tony Award-winner Daveed Diggs, and two-time Emmy-nominee Alison Wright. The cast members discussed the show and answered questions submitted through social media.

What did you think of the latest episode of Snowpiercer? There are only three more episodes left until the finale!

Feel free to share your thoughts with us.

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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