Summary
“By Weeping Cross” builds tension and emotional stakes very well, as all roads converge on New Eden.
It’s coming on the back of the season’s best episode, but “By Weeping Cross” still manages to impress, albeit in slightly different ways. Snowpiercer Season 4 has divided its time between multiple locations very evenly, but in Episode 8, all attention turns to New Eden, and the characters summon a lot of sentiment around the place — and each other — that gives the battle to come much more emotional resonance.
Let’s break it down.
Out of the Frying Pan…
Allow me to refresh you on the latest goings-on in the world of Snowpiercer. The previous episode ended rather dramatically, with Nima having taken over the train and the remainder of the IPF following the deaths of Admiral Milius, and then Mr. Wilford; Layton, Josie, and Liana were left stranded outside the Silo in a couple of the rear carriages; and Javi had a bomb go off in his face.
“By Weeping Cross” begins by quickly addressing all of these things — Alex has embraced her role as Nima’s new right hand, Javi is alive but incredibly disoriented, and Layton is freezing, trying to contact the Silo on the old radio system.
The good news is that the explosion on the tracks frees the path for Big Alice to return to New Eden, but it’s hardly a happy reunion. The first thing a delirious Javi asks is about Ben — Ruth doesn’t have the heart to tell him in his present condition — and while Till finally gets to see Miss Audrey, the latter isn’t exactly enthused about it given her near-death experiences and the new facial scarring that serves as a constant reminder of them.
Things aren’t going especially well for Layton and Josie, either, since the former freezes to death. And I mean that literally — he has no pulse by the time they’re bundled into a Snowcat by Roche, who is dressed as an IPF soldier and has responded to their distress signal. Luckily, Josie is able to revive Layton — does CPR cure hypothermia? — but it’s a close-run thing.
All Roads Converge
In a smart move, “By Weeping Cross” once again reinverts the show’s focus. Whereas for the previous few episodes, it has been about reaching Snowpiercer and leaving New Eden behind, here all attention turns to New Eden.
As mentioned, Ruth and Till are already back there with everyone who was left behind, and pretty soon so are Layton, Roche, Josie, and Liana. Snowpiercer, meanwhile, is on its way there, with Nima tasking Alex with figuring out how to retrofit Big Alice so that it can be rejoined with Snowpiercer and brainstorming with the remaining IPF soldiers and Dr. Headwood how best to storm the community.
Some of New Eden’s residents want to run, but Ruth puts paid to that idea pretty quickly. Nowhere is safe, so New Eden not being isn’t a good enough reason to abandon it. And besides, why should they have to? So, while Nima and co. try to figure out how best to take New Eden out, New Eden’s community tries to figure out how best to defend it.
Snowpiercer | Image via AMC/Netflix
Roche’s Story
This is a great tension-building structure. The folks at New Eden come up with a reasonable but hardly foolproof plan to shift Big Alice onto a track on the other side of town so that the IPF can’t detonate the explosives on the ridge — doing so would bury the tracks. But that means the switches that control the tracks are a prime target, and they can’t be destroyed since most of the residents still want the option to run if they need it.
That leaves Josie and Boki to defend the computer that controls the tracks with their lives, while the others set up an ambush on Main Street. The whole thing leaves a bit of a pall over New Eden since nobody really fancies their chances against Nima and the IPF. Till and Audrey get their romantic walk around town, finally, and Javi resolves to figure out what frequency all the bombs are on in Ben’s memory. They’re all resolved to fight for their new home.
This desire is best expressed through Roche, who Ruth tricks into regaling the others with the story of how he survived and ended up at the Silo. It’s deliberately embellished since the real reason he was there is a bit of an ass-pull contrivance to have someone be around to rescue Layton and Josie, but as it turns out Snowpiercer is really good about selling these plot mechanics dramatically.
The Battle Begins
Snowpiercer Season 4, Episode 8 ends with the beginning of the battle for New Eden. Nima, after some pressing, agrees to let Alex enter the community stealthily with the hopes of switching the tracks without anyone getting hurt. But she’s accompanied by an unsubtle escort of IPF soldiers, and they’re being watched by a sniper positioned on the ridge. Naturally, Alex is spotted entering, there’s a bit of confusion, and all Hell breaks loose.
Of course, this is where “By Weeping Cross” ends, with Alex being held at gunpoint in front of the track switch, and everyone else fighting for their lives outside. It’s easy to imagine that several of the main cast might be killed in the next episode, so the cliffhanger does its job well. Who will come out on top? We’ll have to wait and see.
The story continues in Snowpiercer Season 4, Episode 9, the penultimate episode of the series, which contains a big bombshell about Alex’s parentage.
