WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Snowpiercer Season 3, Episode 3, “The First Blow,” now available on TNT.
LJ Folger has cut a very sinister figure in Snowpiercer so far. She originally sided with the first-class passengers, soaking in the oppression and deaths of rebels who threatened their way of life. Eventually she had to adapt when these elitists — including her parents — got killed in Layton’s uprising, because she understood that she could become a target at any time.
While initially showing respect to Layton’s Resistance, LJ then changed her allegiance a second time once Wilford came back and took the Eternal Engine with his Big Alice locomotive. The fourth time might be the charm, though, as after Layton took control back from Wilford, LJ brutally slayed one of Wilford’s closest associates to buy her way into the Resistance’s good graces.
In “The First Blow,” LJ and her new husband Oz let Wilford’s right-hand man Kevin torture rebels in the Night Car they managed. Oz was scared because he knew if word got out, the rebels would kill them — but LJ reminded him that Wilford called the shots after what he’d done at their wedding. Her continuing to see the dictator as a father figure worried Oz, because she was enjoying seeing poor citizens maimed.
However, when Layton and his train attacked Big Alice, LJ made a drastic decision out of self-preservation. She walked over to Oz, reminding him she loved him deeply — but that romantic moment was merely a distraction that allowed her to slit Kevin’s throat with a scalpel. LJ then freed the remaining rebels, letting them know she was going to do whatever it took to keep their momentum going. Of course, such a selfless act would also potentially earn her brownie points with Layton, whose existing allies might still turn on him.
Snowpiercer has definitely made clear in Season 3 that the only person LJ is ultimately loyal to is herself. Since Kevin killed an important rebel in Strong Boy, LJ hopes to leverage the murder to gain recognition from Layton. However, she’s already switched sides more times than this show has seasons, so Layton has to know that she can’t be trusted. Even her own husband Oz was shocked by her act of brutality.
So if her new plan is unlikely to work, what does that mean for LJ and her marriage? If Layton spurns her, she could change her allegiance yet again and use the Night Car to assist Wilford’s remaining followers, which is what it seemed like she and Oz would do originally. Or she could look to get even by trying to kill another member of Layton’s squad — if her husband doesn’t cut her loose first now that he sees how dangerous she is. If LJ is willing to murder one person to get ahead, killing more than one isn’t a stretch.
See how LJ keeps scheming in Season 3 of Snowpiercer, with new episodes airing Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on TNT.
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