Tonight TNT’s Snowpiercer returns to kick off its exciting third season. If you haven’t already checked out the first two seasons, I highly recommend doing so immediately on either HBO Max or Blu-ray! In the second season, a fragile new peace aboard Snowpiercer started to crumble as another train, Big Alice, connected to the back of Snowpiercer. Aboard was Snowpiercer’s creator, Mr. Wilford (Sean Bean), whom chief engineer Melanie Cavill (Jennifer Connelly) had abandoned at the station and then proceeded to impersonate aboard Snowpiercer. He was livid and wanted his train back. Also aboard Big Alice was Melanie’s long-lost daughter, Alexandra (Rowan Blanchard), who was upset that her mother had abandoned her as well. Throughout the season there was a power struggle between Mr. Wilford and former “tailie” Andre Layton (Daveed Diggs) to hold control of the train. Meanwhile, Melanie had traveled to a research station in order to gather important weather data that might prove that there was somewhere in this frozen wasteland called Earth that was warming up and habitable, but with limited resources, she was struggling to survive and waiting to be rescued by Snowpiercer. By the end of the season, Mr. Wilford had seized control of trains, and refused to stop to pick up Melanie at the research station. However, Layton and his small team of Alex, Ben (Iddo Goldberg), Josie (Katie McGuinness) and Till (Mickey Sumner) managed to sever Snowpiercer’s engine, forming a 10-car pirate train. Layton had taken Wilfred’s love Audrey (Lena Hall) hostage on Snowpiercer, while Wilfred held Layton’s pregnant partner Zarah (Sheila Vand) aboard his train. Layton and his crew headed back for Melanie, however, when they arrived at the research station, she could not be found, and was now assumed to have succumbed to the elements.

The third season picks up six months later. Life aboard the two trains couldn’t be any more different. Layton’s pirate train runs fast and hot, traveling across the globe investigating the areas of interest noted in Melanie’s research, hoping to find some new oasis to live. However, Snowpiercer’s engine was designed to run a massive train, and not just a few cars. As Alex and Till are constantly trying to prevent the train from overheating, the rest of the crew are taking climate/core samples, and dealing with prisoners like Audrey, who is plotting her return to Mr. Wilford. As Snowpiercer gets dangerously low on food, and with just one location left on Melanie’s list, Layton believes they may have located New Eden. But in order to make the dangerous journey, they will need to recombine their train with Wilfred’s.

Back on Wilfred’s 1023-car train, things are literally freezing. Big Alice wasn’t designed to power a train this big, so things are slow-moving, and heat and water are scarce. Wilford has powered off first class until he is able to reunite the trains and restore it to its full glory. Everyone is cold and uncomfortable, and Wilfred is finding it tough to keep up morale among the train’s working class. He has a still-traumatized Javier (Roberto Urbina) at the controls, and lapdog/head of hospitality Kevin (Tom Lipinski) doing his dirty work. He is determined to stamp out the spark of the resistance aboard the train that is making his task even more difficult. Former Snowpiercer Hospitality head Ruth (Alison Wright) has been hiding out on the train for the past 6 months, and is still keeping hope alive for Layton and Melanie’s return. As she tries to avoid being discovered by Wilfred’s Jackboots, she works with Pike (Steven Ogg) and others to keep the resistance alive. But Wilfred’s primary focus is catching up with Layton’s pirate train and reclaiming Snowpiercer’s engine, which is difficult given that his train moves like a tortoise to Layton’s hare.

Each season of Snowpiercer feels different from the others. This third season starts off constantly flipping back and forth between what is happening aboard these two very different trains. Wilfred is fueled by anger and revenge, while Layton and his team are fueled by hope as they try to find a way to save humanity. But each time they stop to explore and collect samples, they make some interesting new discoveries, but also face new dangers, and allow Wilfred’s train to inch its way closer. It is only a matter of time before these two trains come back together as each needs to the other to survive, and both men have loved ones on the other train. Both sides have been planning for the inevitable war for control of the combined train. Wilfred hasn’t spent the past 6 months sitting idly by—he has some tricks up his sleeves—and if worst comes to worst, he’s not against using human shields to protect himself. Everything for Wilfred is based on his own pride and power, and he is constantly plotting big demonstrations of power to keep his crew in line, whether that be through fear or giving them a false sense of loyalty.

I really enjoyed the first half of this new season, which has lots of great action and drama. It does a nice job of building the tension, while also exploring some different relationships and personal drama going on with the characters aboard each train—Wilfred is just as despicable and ruthless as ever, and has some equally-conniving folks in his inner circle. The season also introduces some new guest stars, such as Kristian Bruun (Orphan Black) as Jackboot Stu Whiggins aboard Big Alice, and Archie Panjabi (The Good Wife, Departure) as Asha, a lone survivor who spent so much time isolated that she is now having difficulties returning to civilization. It looks like this is going to be another solid and exciting season, and I can’t wait to see what happens next, and where the season takes these passengers.

In tonight’s premiere, “The Tortoise and the Hare”, while Wilford emphasizes his rule aboard his icy train, Layton’s pirate train continues its dangerous quest for warm spots, and comes across something entirely unexpected.

Tonight, I’ll also be watching/recording Promised Land, Kenan, That’s My Jam, 9-1-1: Lone Star, The Cleaning Lady, and The Gilded Age.