'Snowpiercer' Season 4 Review: Jennifer Connelly starrer is a disaster that should've ended 2 seasons ago
Contains spoilers for 'Snowpiercer' Season 4
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: It's time to take a deep long breath and move on as 'Snowpiercer' finally concludes its post-apocalypse saga. Producers fought an uphill battle to roll out Season 4 of the show. When TNT backed out in 2023, AMC+ emerged as its savior, giving us a 10-episode final season. Was it worth our wait? Well, yes and no!
'Snowpiercer' features Academy Award winner Jennifer Connelly in the lead role of Melanie Cavill, though it's a shame that the show failed to maximize her talent. She was more absent than present from Season 2 to 4. While we had our reservations regarding her limited on-screen presence in previous seasons, we still gave Season 4 a try, only to be left disappointed.
'Snowpiercer' Season 4 is a mixed bag
'Snowpiercer' Season 4 is a mix of highs and lows. Since it's the finale season, there's a little sentimental value attached to it, which may make fans ignore all its flaws. But some flaws are too annoying to be overlooked. Before starting our rant, let's talk about the good stuff.
The season is packed with action, suspense, and multiple twists. Right from the start, the stakes are higher than ever. Andre Layton's daughter is kidnapped and he is ready to go against all odds to save her. The personal battle of Andre soon turns into a fight for the survival of humanity as the existence of the planet is endangered. New villains are introduced this season, which is a bit refreshing. As it's the final season, the creators answer the biggest mysteries of the show, for example, who caused the freeze and who is Alex's father.
For those who have been hooked to the show since the beginning, Season 4 is satisfying in terms of addressing all the cliffhangers. But the show is unbearable for the most part.
Daveed Diggs’s character makes some rash decisions to save his daughter. In the early episodes, his character feels somewhat stuck, repeating the same frustrations. By the time the show redeems his character, we have already developed a dislike towards him.
Making a drastic change in a protagonist's character arc in the finale is a bold bet we wish 'Snowpiercer' hadn't made. This season would have been great if it focused on Nima's mission without dragging Liana's kidnapping for the majority of the episodes.
'Snowpiercer' Season 4 turns into a chaotic mess
We could have ignored all the flaws about the characters and the plot if this season hadn't been turned into a confusing mess. 'Snowpiercer' Season 4 splits the survivors into many locations. For three seasons, we saw the passengers living on the train. While the split between Snowpiercer passengers to start a new life at New Eden was a refreshing change, things began to get complicated when we were introduced to Silo.
There comes a point when the characters are scattered on Snowpiercer, Big Alice, New Eden and Silo. Since all the places, apart from New Eden, are enclosed, it's difficult to keep up with which character is where and what's happening at each location. The mid-episodes are extremely frustrating as they struggle to find their footing with all these different settings and storylines.
Jennifer Connelly's limited presence in 'Snowpiercer' Season 4 contributes to the annoyance
'Snowpiercer' Season 4 repeats its mistake of not utilizing Connelly's talent. Similar to previous seasons, she is absent for most of the time. Even though she is the most compelling character in the entire show, we don't see her enough. However, despite her limited screen time, she outshines everyone else.
Daveed Diggs is average at best. Despite being the protagonist, his character doesn't evoke enough empathy or adrenaline rush during the final battle. It's the supporting characters like Ben (Iddo Goldberg), Javi (Roberto Urbina), Bess Till (Mickey Sumner), and Ruth Wardell (Alison Wright) who are constantly on their toes trying to save the day.
Despite the show's focus on the emotional journey of the characters and the ethical dilemmas, it feels bleak and chaotic. Even though Season 4 offers a satisfying conclusion, it doesn't tie up the loose ends as neatly as you’d hope. The show would have been great if it ended sooner, but we are glad that it's not stretched any further.
'Snowpiercer' Season 4 is available to stream on AMC+