Layton and his followers are slowly losing the support of the train to the Wilford loyalists, and a technical issue with the engine leaves them having to turn to the man himself for assistance.

It’s been clear as the episodes go by that Wilford is a cruel, vicious man who doesn’t easily forgive. But what’s been even clearer is that he is a lot cleverer than anyone – even those who know him best – have given him credit for, and that that underestimation may cost them dearly.

With red lanterns being lit in more and more windows with each passing night, Layton can feel control of the train slipping away from him. It doesn’t help that the last remaining Breacher refuses to believe that Wilford could possibly have betrayed him and his comrades, and Bess isn’t having any luck with persuading many people of the Pastor’s confession either.

Meanwhile, back on Big Alice, Alex is feeling increasingly frozen out by Wilford while Miss Audrey is making herself properly at home. It’s clear that whatever hold Wilford has on the ex mistress of the Night Car is one that runs very deep, and I fear that she may well be lost forever to her former friends and allies, unless she is running some really deep cover.

Josie is almost fully recovered and whereas it was always obvious that Wilford wouldn’t be offering his miracle cure to her out of the goodness of his heart, a discovery this week starts to hint at exactly what sort of thing he’s driving at with her.

With all the tension bubbling away, the last thing that Layton needs is mechanical issues with Snowpiercer, but that’s of course exactly what he gets. As the train starts flooding and more pressing danger seems imminent, it of course turns out that the thing which is wrong is a thing which only Wilford can help to fix. But the last thing the leaders of Snowpiercer need or want is for the man to set foot on the train and be seen to save the day.

It’s an episode that has very few bright points. There’s a sense of gloomy inevitability to the way certain things play out, but there are also surprises that add that extra level of dystopian nightmare feeling as well. That’s not to say that there aren’t any hopeful parts, but they come few and far between. By the time the episode draws to a close, that feeling which started in earnest last week that fighting Wilford might well be a losing battle is stronger than ever, and it’s clearer than before why the train sailed right by Melanie when she tried to rendezvous with it.

In terms of performances, it feels like it would be unfair to single out anyone in particular because the whole cast is killing it. That said, Sean Bean is having the time of his life really digging into the cleverness and sociopathy of Wilford, Daveed Diggs portrays the combination of determination and hopeless rage in Layton very well, and Lena Hall’s portrayal of Miss Audrey is as chilling as it is compelling. I worried at the end of season one how they would stretch out enough narrative to make another season of this show – now I’m starting to wonder whether even the already greenlit third season will be enough to tell all the stories that need to be told.

Verdict: Depressing as hell but in the most compellingly watchable fashion. 9/10

Greg D. Smith