Snowpiercer finally reveals Wilford in a final season of slow pacing

Snowpiercer's fourth and final season has struggled to get its pacing right. Without the show's foundation storyline of fighting for control of the engine, the last installment of episodes is fighting for a purpose, using Layton's daughter, Liana, as a desperate tool to keep emotional ties to a series that has always been about the struggle to survive.

Although it is easy to want Layton to reunite with his daughter, something that "The Engineer" teases may finally be within reach, the season's other main plot thread follows a military villain with a mission to return the Earth to warmer temperatures.

"The Engineer" finally reunites most of its main cast to the same room, with the noticeable exception of Melanie, who is once again written off as being elsewhere collecting data. At least Wilford's grand return is just distracting enough to be curious how Wilford's involvement with this military group, and his relationships with those from Snowpiercer and New Eden, will play out.

Unsurprisingly, Layton does not take the news of Wilford's return well, but Snowpiercer does make sure to explain how Wilford's return was possible, and that he had been found and brought into the fold, being used to help with the scientific aspect of trying to create a warmer and survivable planet.

Without being able to see how Melanie and Wilford interact and take the lead from Melanie, it is up to Alex, the only person Wilford may speak with, to get answers. Alex and Wilford's dynamic is a complicated one, but works in the favor of pushing the military science storyline along while the rest of the characters seem suspended in limbo.

Ben, Till, and Ruth conclude the episode by making sure that Big Alice has been disconnected from Snowpiercer to ensure the survival of those still in New Eden. But, sadly, not all of them make it out alive.

Ben has always acted as an integral piece of the puzzle for Melanie as a confidant and a man who has worked with Till to try and help and ensure the safety of the passengers on the train. So, it is not entirely surprising that Ben meets his end the same way. Determined to save the passengers of Snowpiercer and disconnected Big Alice to save the people of New Eden, Ben sacrifices himself by going outside to separate the trains, appearing to have frozen to death within minutes of stepping into the freezing temperatures.

Ben's sacrifice, watched by a devastated Till, is one of the more emotional moments of the episode and one that may have enough power to help motivate the rest of the main characters to try and make sure Ben's death is not in vain.

Ultimately, "The Engineer" concluded with Alex, Layton, Wilford, and Josie still at the compound. Leaving the four of them there offers Alex the opportunity to learn more about whether it is possible to warm up the Earth and how Melanie and Wilford fit into the puzzle while Layton still has the opportunity to reunite with Liana.

The revelation that it had been Wilford's idea to kidnap Layton's daughter, knowing it would result in everyone coming to the rescue does offer a little more explanation to that initial decision, and continues to show just how well Wilford knows his opponents.

Still, as Snowpiercer heads into its next group of episodes, it is time for this series to finally start showing all of its cards and really pushing toward storylines where it feels like things are happening as the series finale draws closer.