Snowpiercer Season 4 Review – Spinning wheels for 10 episodes

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

 

 

Episode Guide

Episode 1 – | Review Score – 3/5
Episode 2 – | Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 3 – | Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 4 – | Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 5 – | Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 6 – | Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 7 – | Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 8 – | Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 9 – | Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 10 – | Review Score – 3/5

 

Sometimes a show is cancelled off too prematurely and viewers are left disappointed over a lack of an ending. This is most certainly the case for anyone who has taken their time getting into a Netflix Original in the last 2-3 years, and you will have almost certainly been burned by one (or more) cancellation announcement along the way.

When it comes to Snowpiercer, TNT’s little sci-fi thriller, based on the cult film sporting the same name, is somewhat of an enigma. This is one of those shows where you’re happy there’s another season, but it’s also completely unnecessary in both narrative and character scope.

Season 3 actually concluded things on a pretty tight note – half the crew found their way to New Eden, powered by Big Alice, while the others continued on their journey for salvation aboard the Snowpiercer, circling around the globe. Nice, neat little bow to wrap things up. Sure it was ambiguous, but it also left things on a pretty decent note in case the creators ever decided to step back and do more with the characters.

Well, news of a surprise renewal sees season 4 release less than 2 years from the previous series, with a new story and a lot of returning faces to the fray. Unfortunately, it also brings with it a resurgence of issues within the story too.

With both trains separate, a new threat shows up pretty quickly in the form of the monstrous Admiral Milius. He’s dead-set on world domination, with a plot that involves a weaselly scientist and a familiar face from the past. I won’t give away much else here but there is a feel of finality to everything, especially as the 10 episodes start to gear up for the final conflict.

The narrative moves along at a decent enough pace, and the characters are certainly given a good amount of time to develop. This is especially evident given how many people we’re juggling here. And boy, are there a lot of characters!

However, there’s also an inconsistency to the way things are presented too. One of the biggest issues here stems from a lack of tension. You see, with so many characters in the show, the final season promises a lot of bloodshed and losses along the way. And it’s the perfect time to do it too! In truth, we get very little to really show the struggles these guys and gals have had to endure to get the ending we eventually do.

I’m being careful not to spoil anything here, but honestly, by the end of the series it feels like the story is almost entirely redundant given where everyone ends up when the credits roll. That’s not to say it’s unwelcome to see our favourites return, but it’s disappointing we didn’t get a better narrative than this.

The character drama at least ends with a finale that wraps up all the plot points though, which is something. But frustratingly… we already kinda had that with season 3! The series’ budget restraints can also be felt during the ending too, especially during some of the outdoor segments that lack the bodies needed to give off the feel of an “epic last stand”.

On the whole though, Snowpiercer’s final season is… fine. It’s more of a mediocre shrug in the wind than a triumphant roar to bring down mountains. It’s unlikely that many people are going to be talking about this in the months and years to come, but it’s at least a compelling enough slice of sci-fi that can be chalked off with a green tick for actually having an ending, which I guess counts for something?


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  • Verdict - 5/10
    5/10
5/10

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