'Snowpiercer' Episode 5: Ruth could be turning against Melanie, breaking the train's delicate balance
Spoilers for 'Snowpiercer' Season 1 Episode 5'Justice Never Boarded'
'Snowpiercer' Season 1 portrays an interesting microcosm of human society, complete with haves, have-nots and a bureaucracy that mediates between them. But this delicate balance is teetering closer to the void with every passing episode and Episode 5 'Justice Never Boarded' reveals that the bureaucracy is developing divisions of its own.
As head of hospitality, Melanie Cavill (Jennifer Connelly) has the thankless job of maintaining order in the Snowpiercer and part of that is ensuring that all the passengers remain unagitated and subservient, even the ones who think they rule the roost. So far, Ruth Wardell(Alison Wright) has served Melanie well as her ruthless second-in-command but it looks like she's starting to question Melanie's choices and that could lead to disaster.
When LJ Folger (Annalise Basso) is put on trial, Third Class petitions Mr Wilford for representation on the tribunal that will judge her for her crimes. Melanie relents in order to avoid a Third Class uprising but Ruth is clearly miffed by her boss's radical decision.
As far as Ruth is concerned, Snowpiercer's existence demands the oppression of the lower classes and the appeasement of the rich. In her own warped way, she believes that her cruel actions are what keep the train running and there's no villain more dangerous than one who thinks they're the hero.
There's no telling what Ruth might do if her dissatisfaction goes further. If by some chance she manages to uncover some of Melanie's many secrets, she could end up using them to destroy the one person who's actually trying to hold the train together though chances are, she'll be murdered by the revolution before she can try.
To make matters worse, Melanie ensured that LJ would walk free despite being found guilty and condemned to the drawers for her crimes. The repercussions of that decision are bound to affect the whole train in ways we can only imagine.
Here's the synopsis for Episode 5 'Justice Never Boarded': "Tensions between Third Class and First Class are boiling as Melanie (Jennifer Connelly) stages the trial of the Snowpiercer killer. Third Class threatens a work stoppage, demanding representation on the jury, and Melanie makes a fateful decision about which side to favor."
'Snowpiercer' airs new episodes Sundays at 9 pm ET on TNT.