As the trailer for season 3 of the acclaimed sci-fi Snowpiercer drama drops, there is one prominent absence fans can’t help but to immediately point out: Jennifer Connelly’s Melanie Cavill. Although the character spent the majority of the first season as the antagonist, her character eventually made a turn for the better as she finally recognized her way of running the train was no longer viable.
The second season reared its head in with the impeccable introduction of the true villain, Sean Bean’s Mr. Wilford. Due to his nature and their shared history, it became apparent to viewers that Melanie was needed more than ever. But with only a single full episode appearance and two brief ones, the character was not given the time she needed to deliver. You can check out the trailer below.
As seen in the season 3 trailer, a few glimpses of Jennifer Connelly are made unquestionably apparent. However, as fans of TV know, transient moments in trailers are, more often than not, indicative of a character’s overall presence throughout the season. Even the casual viewer might easily be able to tell the scenes in which Jennifer Connelly appears are clearly imaginative or dreamlike. The trailer encourages the belief that Melanie’s death, in fact, is permanent and Connelly’s return to the series has been reduced to degrading sequences that add almost nothing to the overall story.
It Didn’t Have To Be This Way
Though she is somewhat prominently displayed in the third season poster (seen below), there is already major reasoning to suspect it’s no indication of her future. Connelly’s brief appearances in the second season came as a great surprise to the fans given how heavily she was promoted during the previews and press releases for the first season. The decision to have Melanie die at the end of the second shook fans to their core and left an irreplaceable void in the show’s dynamic. The showrunners explained their decision was due to Connelly’s already heavy schedule, but fans were quick to point out there were plenty of other ways to sidestep the character without killing her off.
The episode in which Jennifer Connelly has the only major narrative is not without merit. It’s one of the best episodes of the entire series. It focused on her looming descent into madness as she struggled with extreme isolation, hunger, and the raging elements compromising her mission at every turn. This is one of the major reasons to work as hard as possible to keep her alive and onboard for whatever capacity she is able to dedicate. In more ways than one, Melanie Cavill is the heart of the series. Her connections with Daveed Diggs’ Andre Layton, Iddo Goldberg’s Bennett, and her incredibly tender connection to her newly rediscovered daughter, Alex Cavill played by Rowan Blanchard.
The argument to keep her alive and well is best demonstrated during the scene in which Alison Wright’s Ruth Wardell rejects Mr. Wilford’s (Sean Bean) offer to maintain her current position as Head of Hospitality in exchange for alerting the passengers the train will not be returning for Melanie. A decision she is immediately punished for with permanent exile to the pits of the train.
Without Her, There Is No Middle Ground
The oncoming war awaiting viewers between Layton (Daveed Diggs) and Wilford (Sean Bean) is headed for what’s likely to be one of the most suspenseful and contentious altercations on television. Both are incredibly strong-willed, intelligent, and charming in their own way, with both effective at swaying passengers to their individual cause. Both characters are staples of the series and both bring something to the table that no other cast member can, including Jennifer Connelly. However, it is in their individual strengths and weaknesses where the need for Jennifer Connelly to return is the clearest.
Jennifer Connelly has always managed to bring a degree of authenticity in the kindness, humility, and intelligence she portrays on film and television. This is, in large part, due to the nature of who the actress truly is. She embodies these magnificent qualities because, in real life, she possesses all of them and more. Her performance as Melanie Cavill, especially given the brilliant character development from antagonist to protagonist, has been executed with perfection. The show needs someone of her caliber, not only to draw viewers but to keep them emotionally invested in the future of the train and its passengers.
The current showrunner behind Snowpiercer is one of the co-creators of the critically acclaimed Orphan Black, which gives viewers some hope that Melanie’s absence/fleeting inclusion is merely a ruse to exploit later on with a sudden, triumphant return to being a full-time cast member, much in the same vein as what’s recently transpired with Fear The Walking Dead resurrecting Kim Dickens’ Madison Clark. Only time can tell if this will turn out to be true.
Perhaps the upcoming third season will give viewers more hope or, at least, a firm declaration on the status of Melanie’s story. With hopes being dashed already with the belief that Melanie would be the one who discovered Archie Panjabi’s Asha (now seen in the trailer as being Andre Layton), it seems the likeliest scenario is that Melanie’s story did, in fact, end in the endless white abyss, a damning stench that will inevitably hang over the show’s once bright future.
Snowpiercer returns with its 3rd season on Monday, January 24th, 2022. The show has already received a 4th season renewal, which is expected to bow sometime in 2023.
