Why ‘Snowpiercer’ Season 4 will be Andre Layton's ultimate test
Contains spoilers for 'Snowpiercer’ Season 4
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'Snowpiercer' Season 4 has turned out to be a major disappointment when it comes to Andre Layton's character arc. A tailie turned into detective was popular on the train for his strong leadership and democratic approach. However, his character has undergone a major transformation to introduce a new villain in the show.
Daveed Diggs as Andre had been a strong protagonist we always rooted for! He led several revolutions on the train in the previous seasons to end the class divide. Known for his strong will, he ended up taking charge of the train from Melanie Cavill (Jennifer Connelly) and Joseph Wilford (Sean Bean). If you recall, he was the one who convinced people to join him in his hopeful mission of finding a warm spot on Earth. He always steered the narrative forward with his vision and mindful strategies until Season 4 spoiled it for us.
Andre Layton is 'Snowpiercer' Season 4's most unlikeable character
It would have been interesting to see how Andre deals with new challenges in New Eden. However, the showrunners had other plans for him. His daughter, Liana was abducted from New Eden in Episode 1 of 'Snowpiercer' Season 4, which turned him into a desperate man. While we understand his agony as a parent, his character arc has come out to be extremely annoying. At the first problem that comes his way this Season, he is ready to throw his values out of the window.
He, who always rooted for a democratic society, suddenly starts to act like the ruler of Big Alice. He wants Big Alice to track down his daughter, even though the survival of the population in New Eden depends on the engine. When Ruth Wardell (Alison Wright) tries to stop him, he even tries to steal the engine.
We have seen Andre's journey closely throughout the three seasons. Remember when he had to sacrifice the lives of a dozen tailies locked in a compartment for the greater good? Or the times when he led the wars, putting his life in danger so that the tailies could have a better life?
He is now too blinded in the love for his child that he is ready to endanger the lives of hundreds of people in New Eden. While it's an endearing trait for a father, it's so unlike the Andre we knew all along.
Ben pays the price for Andre Layton's selfishness in 'Snowpiercer' Season 4
Even though we understand Andre's situation, we cannot fathom the fact that Ruth and Alex (Rowan Blanchard) ultimately supported him. They not only took away Big Alice from New Eden, but also agreed to join the engine with Snowpiercer, thus risking New Eden's fate all over again.
Eventually, it is Ben (Iddo Goldberg) who pays the price of Andre's selfishness. He manually uncouples both trains and in the process, he freezes to death. If you ask us, Ben has been an endearing character throughout the show and watching him die has been the most heart-breaking moment. If only Andre had made wiser decisions, Ben would have still been alive.
While there are a few more episodes yet to release, we honestly have no hopes from Andre. He prioritized his own needs over the safety of others, thus failing to be the ideal protagonist. He has also missed his chance at saving New Eden by falling into Admiral Anton Milius's (Clark Gregg) trap. For now, we just hope that his character doesn't make any further bad decisions.
Six episodes of 'Snowpiercer' Season 4 are now streaming on AMC+.