Spoiler Warning: Snowpiercer Season 3

When the third season of Snowpiercer aired earlier this year on TNT, fans were instantly hooked. The class warfare, social issues, and power struggles between Layton and Wilford were only intensified from where they were in the first and second seasons. Snowpiercer has not lost its forward momentum (pun intended), and as one of TNT’s flagship scripted series, it makes sense that a fourth season was ordered before the third season premiered.

The third season finale was a literal cliffhanger, leaving numerous unresolved threads. With WarnerMedia’s April 2022 announcement that TBS and TNT will stop developing scripted programming, the fourth season could be our last ride on the Eternal Engine. If that is the case, there is a lot that we want to see wrapped up. Where is Wilford? What happened once the passengers of Big Alice arrived at New Eden? Will our favorite characters continue to develop further? Answering these burning questions is one way the show could keep the diehard fans invested through the fourth (and potentially final) season.

Where is Wilford?

Sean Bean as Mr. Wilford in TNT's Snowpiercer
TNT

First, we should address the elephant not in the room. What happened to Wilford (Sean Bean)? He had a complicated and somewhat out-of-character arc in the third season. At the end of season two, Wilford took control of Snowpiercer back from Layton (Daveed Diggs), who disconnected ten cars to form a pirate train in search of Melanie. When Layton and his crew returned to Snowpiercer early in the season, Wilford turned control of the train back to Layton after a brief fight. Sure, Layton did threaten to throw Wilford off the train if he didn’t stand down, but it still seems like Wilford didn’t do all that much to stand up to Layton.

RELATED: Jennifer Connelly's Best Performances, Ranked

After this, he is imprisoned, hospitalized after an attack by Roche, and finally moved to the train’s library to recover. Here, he seemingly waits and doesn't plan much else. That is until Melanie (Jennifer Connelly) returns, and he forges an alliance with her against Layton so that they can take back the train. However, Melanie double-crosses him, and she and Layton force Wilford into the track-scaling train car, where Melanie survives. This is where things got strange. Wilford went into the car and allowed himself to be exiled with no real resistance. Remember, this guy managed to survive on Big Alice for seven years after the Freeze until he caught up to Snowpiercer again, so why would he simply allow himself to be cast off? He is likely planning something bigger long-term.

Wilford believes that Layton cannot handle running the train long-term, and when Layton falters, everyone will come back to him. He’s not entirely wrong, as that happened at the end of the second season. But how will Wilford manage to get back on Snowpiercer from his exile and control the train as he wants once more? There is something bigger going on here, and we definitely have not seen the last of Wilford.

Will the Character Growth Continue?

Snowpiercer TV show
TNT

The third season saw significant character growth for many of our favorite stars. Layton grew more comfortable in his role as a leader, understanding that telling the people what they want to hear is not always the same as what they need to hear. After wavering with her loyalty to Wilford throughout the second season, Ruth (Alison Wright) has fully committed to Team Layton, becoming more sure of herself in the process. Alex (Rowan Blanchard) followed a similar path, recognizing that her mother wants what is best for the train and Wilford is only out for himself.

Characters like Till (Mickey Sumner), Miss Audrey (Lena Hall), Oz (Sam Otto), Javi (Roberto Urbina), and others were all able to move on from their trauma and rebuild their lives stronger in their sense of self. Zarah (Sheila Vand) recognized that she and Layton worked better as co-parents than romantic partners, which freed him up to pursue his shared romance with Josie (Katie McGuiness).

RELATED: Exclusive: Snowpiercer's Daveed Diggs Talks About Upcoming 'Wild' Season 3 & Where He Finds Hope

Speaking of Josie, she’s grown into a fighter this season. After exploring her more nurturing side in the first two seasons, it’s good to see her become bolder in the actions she’s willing to take to defend those she cares for. The character growth is where the third season shined, and it would be great to see that continued next season.

What Happened in New Eden?

Daveed Diggs as Layton in "Snowpiercer"
TNT

In the last minutes of the finale, the passengers of Big Alice headed off to New Eden. After receiving a vision of a warm spot in the Horn of Africa, Layton convinces the passengers that it is their best chance of survival outside the train. The passengers trust Layton without any hard evidence. They have only a fabricated story of survival from Asha (Archie Panjabi) but agree to go. This almost works until Melanie returns and reveals that the trip is unsafe and Layton lied about New Eden. He manages to convince some of his closest followers to trust him again, explaining that they can only go on faith, and he cannot guarantee they will survive the journey. Those who believe Layton go with him on Big Alice to New Eden, while the skeptics remain with Melanie on Snowpiercer.

Both Layton and Melanie ended up right about New Eden. It was warm enough to support life, but the track was unsafe. It almost derailed Big Alice and its few cars, so Snowpiercer's roughly 1,000 cars would never have made it. It looks as though Layton and his group might finally get a win as they can set up life on the outside again. However, a flashforward to three months later reveals Melanie on Snowpiercer observing a rocket explode in the sky above New Eden.

Is this Wilford’s return? Was there a split among Layton’s crew? Are there other survivors out there? And how has life on Snowpiercer continued in the absence of the Big Alice crew? These are just a few of the intriguing possibilities that could befall Layton’s crew on the outside. After all, it’s Snowpiercer, and nothing ever works out.