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'Snowpiercer' Episode 2: Sex is less valuable than therapy in a post-apocalyptic world

Snowpiercer is a train filled with dead people walking and the joy that they could get from sex and other material pleasures are nothing compared to the vastness of their grief

Spoilers for 'Snowpiercer' Season 1 Episode 2 'Prepare to Brace'

The world of TNT's 'Snowpiercer' series is a complex one that perfectly illustrates how a catastrophe that changes life as we know it might also change the way we view aspects of the human experience. Namely, sex.

In Episode 2 'Prepare to Brace', we see Andre Layton (Daveed Diggs) visiting the Night Car, a club-like place that appears to be a brothel but is actually so much more. While there, he finds out that the Night Car provides a service that's far more valuable to the train's passengers than sexual release: therapy and a chance to mourn all that they have lost in the great freeze.

Layton does end up having sex with his old flame Zarah Ferami (Sheila Vand) but she stresses that this is not how these things usually go. Brakeman Bess Till (Mickey Sumner) confirms this as well and when you think about it, that does sort of make some sense.

These people are literally on the brink of extinction. For all intents and purposes, humanity's time on the planet is up and the train has only managed to put them on life support. Snowpiercer is a train filled with dead people walking and the joy that they could get from sex and other material pleasures are nothing compared to the vastness of their grief and loss. 

Of course, we do see sex and prostitution going on elsewhere on the train but that's not the same thing. The Night Car specifically is the place where people go to forget the troubles of the world they live in and remember the world that they lost and that makes it so much more valuable than your everyday club or brothel.

Here's the synopsis for 'Prepare to Brace': "Layton (Daveed Diggs) uses his new position as train detective to investigate the murder while gathering intel for the revolution on the side. Meanwhile, Melanie (Jennifer Connelly) faces a resource crisis, with potentially drastic consequences for the entire train."

'Snowpiercer' airs Sundays at 9 pm ET, exclusively on TNT.