Snowpiercer's penultimate episode delivers action and a revelation

"Dominant Traits" is all about jumping into the final stages in preparation for the series finale. As the battle over New Eden and Big Alice becomes the main storyline in the penultimate episode, "Dominant Traits" also makes the good decision to bring Melanie back into the fold as the series takes its final steps. However, her return is not just about trying to stop Nima, it also encourages the truth about Melanie's past.

For the most part, "Dominant Traits" is an act of war as Nima sends his soldiers into New Eden to gain access to Big Alice, which will help him launch a very dangerous rocket with the potential to destroy what is left of the world.

This is an action-packed episode as the civilians of New Eden, the newly arrived Snowpiercer passengers, and Nima's soldiers finally go head to head. But, of course, it is the conclusion that so beautifully mimics Snowpiercer's origins.

The early episodes of Snowpiercer had explained Layton and the members of the tail as survivors who had thrown themselves at the train in a bid for survival, but who had not paid the high fees to be considered a passenger. Jumping on the train was a desperate act of survival, one that Melanie and the other passengers had initially not been a large fan of, as it meant spreading their resources even thinner, even though the members of the tail barely got enough to survive.

In "Dominant Traits," here everyone is again, rushing to jump on the train in an act of survival. However, in this case, Melanie is helping Layton lead the charge to bring the survivors onto the train to stop Nima's plans. There is a great element of mirroring and parallel here that also beautifully mirrors the first season's revolutionary actions regarding gaining control of the engine.

In this case, the stakes are vastly different, striving for control of the engine means protecting the world rather than being housed in a different part of the train. Whether this group will succeed in stopping Nima has yet to be seen.

However, the other big plot line addressed is the revelation of Melanie's past and how that impacts Alex. Melanie and Alex have had a complicated relationship at best, growing closer only to be separated on various occasions. Throughout most of her childhood, Alex's father figure was Mr. Wilford, a man who Alex eventually recognized to be evil. So, of course, when Layton reveals to Alex that Wilford has died, her reaction walks the line between not being able to blame Layton if he was responsible given everything Wilford had done, her own previous attempt to kill Wilford, and the recognition that the man who had raised her was dead.

But, it does not take long for Alex to discover that even though Wilford is dead, there is another father figure around. Melanie's reveal that Nima had been the sperm donor, and Alex's biological father, allows for a fun quip from Alex about how the men she learned nature and nurture from were completely sane people.

Neither Melanie nor Nima are interested in using terms such as "father" or "dad," and both appear to prefer the word "donor" to describe Nima's relationship to Alex. For Alex, confronting Nima with the truth is not a real bonding moment, as Nima is far more interested in referencing his and Alex's scientific biological connection than he is in forming a relationship with his daughter. If anything, he is straightforward enough to not try and trick Alex into offering her the opportunity of becoming a family, and Alex's allegiances remain firmly with Melanie and Layton.

Even Layton recognizes Alex's allegiance to their cause in a quick beat that allows Snowpiercer to reference the connections its characters have formed. While Melanie has been off and on a help to Layton over time, even if they have mostly remained allies, Layton appears to have no questions about Alex's loyalties, directly stating that even if Melanie's motivations or allegiances are questionable, Layton knows Alex stands with the people of New Eden.

With only one episode left, everything has come to a head, and it is finally time to see what the future for all of these people looks like, and how their journeys end.