When the Infinity Train pilot first dropped, fans were given a glimpse into a world where people are abducted onto a mysterious train—one that continuously creates train cars containing universes full of creatures and forces people to face their inner demons.
The show was meant to span eight seasons but has been canceled at the moment. Fans are trying to get HBO Max to renew the show, but even if they can’t, the show still gave fans four amazing seasons. Out of the forty episodes that were released, these are considered the best ones according to their IMDb score.
10 “The Ball Pit Car” Puts Tulip In Her Place (9.1)
The episode starts as a light-hearted romp for Tulip, Atticus, and One-One in a car designed around a play structure. But things take a dark turn when the Stewardess tracks them down. This leads to a confrontation with “the Conductor” and one of the show’s most disheartening moments. Just like Tulip, the episode gets the audience’s hopes up, having Tulip easily accomplish childish obstacles before reminding her of how powerless she truly is. While everything ends on a good note, the ending to this episode still tugs on fans’ heartstrings.
9 Tulip Faces Amelia & Moves On In “The Engine” (9.1)
In the season one finale, Tulip reaches the front of the train and faces off with Amelia in hopes of saving Atticus. Not only does Tulip get to utilize everything she’s learned on her journey but it also shows the parallels between Tulip and Amelia. It’s bittersweet seeing Tulip leave her friends behind but necessary to show her coming to terms.
The finale solidifies the season’s message of moving on and sets up foreshadowing for Mirror Tulip and Grace. It’s a perfect ending for a first season, with room for more but good enough to stand on its own.
8 “The Party Car” Addresses Ryan & Min-Gi’s Insecurities (9.1)
After Ryan and Min-Gi trick the bouncer and have their belongings returned by the Stewardess, they arrive at a party where they need to perform for the partygoers to exit. At least, that’s what Kez says, but the plot subverts the audience’s expectations. It shows that Ryan and Min-Gi aren’t ready to play together, and their problems won’t be solved that easily, but they are making progress. The episode provides some insight into Ryan and Min-Gi and reveals how self-conscious Kez gets. It also sheds some light on Amelia and hints at how she came into power.
7 “The Wasteland” Has One Of the Show’s Most Gruesome Deaths (9.2)
Picking up right after “The Mall Car,” Mirror Tulip runs from the mirror police, Agent Mace and Sieve, while distraught that she wasn’t allowed to escape with Jesse. She manages to jump off the train but is handcuffed to a dying, bisected Mace.
This extremely evocative episode does a tremendous job of creating a sense of hopelessness for Mirror Tulip and makes the audience as aggravated as she is by Mace’s taunting and gaslighting. It’s a wonderful way to get viewers to root for Mirror Tulip, and it provides a cathartic yet disturbing end to the insidious Mace—one that still has fans flabbergasted to see in an animated show.
6 “The Tape Car” Proves Mirror Tulip Is Just As Human As Any Passenger (9.2)
With newfound determination, Mirror Tulip hijacks a pod and searches for a way to get a number and escape the train. There’s an amazing amount of worldbuilding that reveals where the passengers’ tapes come from that comes into play later in the third season. More importantly, viewers are endeared by Mirror Tulip as she desperately tries everything to get a number. Her plight is sympathetic as she has proven countless times that she is just as human as the passengers, for better and worst, but is met with failure again and again. All of this leads to an emotional moment to prepare for the finale.
5 Mirror Tulip Gains Her Freedom & Identity in “The Number Car” (9.2)
In a last-ditch effort to escape, Mirror Tulip pleads with One-One to let her leave but he refuses because she isn’t a passenger. However, he gets stuck in a logic loop when it’s discovered that Jesse is back and can’t leave unless he saves Mirror Tulip. It’s an intense finale with Agent Sieve returning to avenge Mace, which exposes the train’s well-meaning but flawed system and Mirror Tulip’s brilliance in outwitting it. It’s a gripping finale that also completes a complex character arc that is sure to relate to those with identity issues as she takes on a name of her own. Just as season one’s finale cemented its theme of moving on, season two does the same with creating one’s identity.
4 “The Origami Car” Explores Grace’s Past (9.2)
Grace has a long list of crimes and atrocities she has committed on the train and in “The Origami Car,” her sins have come back to haunt her. Once Hazel leaves her, Grace is left to reevaluate her stance on Nulls and gets trapped in her memories.
The entire season has served as Grace’s redemption arc and this episode explores her history and forces her to confront her hypocrisy and mistreatment of Nulls and passengers. It also serves as the turning point between her and Simon as their friendship crumbles. It’s a tragic outcome but necessary for Grace’s growth and a natural result of Simon’s trauma.
3 “The Art Gallery Car” Exposes Deep-Seated Anger (9.2)
While “The Party Car” got Ryan and Min-Gi to talk to each other once again about their fears and angst, “The Art Gallery Car” forced them to vent their repressed anger. They make it out alive but Min-Gi calls Ryan out for leaving behind him with the monster made of numbered hands. While they were under the monster’s influence, the episode sheds some light on the real issues plaguing their friendship and the animosity they hold to one another for similar reasons. For example, Min-Gi resents Ryan for forcing him into situations he isn’t comfortable with and leaving him behind to follow his dreams, while Ryan is jealous of Min-Gi’s supportive parents. It’s also worth theorizing that the monster has unlit numbers like Hazel.
2 “The Twin Tapes” Showed The Dual Lives Of Min-Gi & Ryan (9.3)
It’s hard enough as is to cram one story into a twelve-minute episode, but the season four premiere managed to tell two simultaneously. The episode introduces fans to Ryan and Min-Gi and showcases the rise and fall of their friendship and how their paths diverged. It’s an efficient episode that sets up how they became friends, why they drifted apart, and the ups and downs they each faced. It also establishes that this is set in the past before Amelia took over and suggests that One-One wasn’t always the goofball he was when he met Tulip. Of course, that’s up for speculation and theories until HBO Max says otherwise.
1 “The New Apex” Shows Grace At Her Best & Simon At His Worst (9.3)
Season three’s finale concluded with a bang when Grace confronts Simon, who’s taken over the Apex and spread lies to support his twisted ideology. It’s a stunning conclusion that shows how far Grace has grown and redeemed herself while Simon regressed and continued to condemn himself, to the point where he was consumed by his exponentially rising number, grief, and madness. It’s as exhilarating as it is tragic to see these friends become enemies but it ends on an optimistic note for the future. Hopefully, the same can be said for the show and Dennis Owen can finish his vision.
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