The following contains major spoilers from Snowpiercer Season 4, Episode 5, “The Engineer,” which premiered Sunday, August 18 on AMC.

In the middle of the final season of AMC Snowpiercer throws a curveball. It’s not the return of the show’s biggest villain, but what happens to one of its heroes. Season 4, Episode 5, “The Engineer,” puts Bennett Knox in the spotlight, and while the episode does what every TV fan who has seen the final season of a great show is waiting for, the actors’ execution is nearly perfect. Viewers who have been waiting for a big shock definitely get it.

“The Engineer” continues the trend of changing narratives by having Ben narrate the story, and having his job title be the title of the episode suggests that something big is about to happen to him or around him. And unlike previous Snowpiercer This season four episode delivers on its promise…thanks to wonderful performances from Goldberg, Mickey Sumner and Rowan Blanchard. While many fans are talking about Wilford’s return to the show, it is Ben’s sacrifice that means the most.

Snowpiercer Season 4, Episode 5 kills Bennett Knox

Iddo Goldberg delivers a heartbreaking final performance

It is not surprising that Snowpiercer In season 4, the decision was made to have a character die – many TV characters have died in recent seasons to shock fans even more at the end of a story. Especially in a show about the survival of humanity, it would have been more shocking if everyone had made it to the end. What makes Bennett Knox’s death in The Engineer so powerful is the way it happens, and especially the portrayal of his final minutes. The moment Ben tells Till that they must split up to activate a manual release that will free Big Alice from Snowpiercer, fans can guess that he will not survive. It is Ruth Wardell who informs Till that the manual release outside that Ben knew he was signing his own death warrant is a dramatic bombshell.

Bennett Knox: And in the silence we face the choices we have made.

Iddo Goldberg is fantastic throughout the episode and picks up almost exactly where Snowpiercer Season 4, Episode 4, “North Star,” ended with Ben overhearing Admiral Anton Milius’ ultimatum to trade Liana Layton for Big Alice. Unlike “North Star,” this hour really seems to put Ben front and center. He’s not just the character doing the narration; he’s also the one who frees the heroes from their lounge in the silo and the one who saves the day by freeing Big Alice. Without Ben, the whole episode would have turned out very differently. The only problem with his character is that Ben is trying to get into Melanie Cavill’s lab when he and Till stumble upon it—which feels like a smart character doing something stupid to pursue dramatic goals. Ben has other priorities, but his feelings for Melanie and her daughter Alex cause him to try the door anyway, and that leads Wilford to set off an alarm.

But apart from that, Ben makes a heroic sacrifice that fits his character perfectly. He was the rock of the season and still is. He goes about his final task without much emotion and without making a big fuss. To make up for it, Sumner is incredibly powerful as Till desperately runs to stop Ben from giving up on his life, sobbing her heart out when she sees him flip the switch and be left behind. The shots of Till’s reaction carry so much weight – more so than the camera lingering on Ben’s frozen face. If the TV series needed to kill off a major character to reinforce that this is the end of the Snowpiercer History, that’s exactly how it has to be done, because Ben’s loss is felt and will continue to be felt.

Wilford returns to Snowpiercer, but how important is it?

Sean Bean tears up the scenery with style

The attention-grabbing part of Snowpiercer In season 4, episode 5, Sean Bean returns as Joseph Wilford, the villain of the first three seasons of the series. It is revealed that Clark Gregg’s nefarious Admiral Milius was working with Wilford, and that it was Wilford’s idea to kidnap Liana to force Andre Layton to give up Big Alice. Understandably, all of the heroes are stunned by his information, and it is Layton’s attempt to attack Wilford that puts him in a separate room for much of the episode. Not only does Wilford have Liana physically at his mercy, but there is also a nefarious revelation involving the hospitalized Josie Wellstead and Wilford’s blood.

This is larger-than-life villainy at its finest, with Sean Bean taking aim at everything the entire time. From an entertainment standpoint, it’s fun to see him back on screen, and he makes some funny quips along the way. There’s no denying that Bean is having a lot of fun throwing himself into Wilford’s villainy (if anyone thought Wilford could be redeemed, they’re gone). And Wilford’s presence gives more screen time to Alex, who decides to turn to her former mentor in hopes of getting more information. But from an overall story perspective, it’s a little odd to return to the same villain who was thoroughly explored for three seasons.

Joseph Wilford: I did. It wasn’t very funny.

Wilford being sent off during the track scaler was an important and emotional moment in Snowpiercer Season 3; it felt like a huge success and brought Layton and Melanie Cavill together in the biggest way possible. Season 4 is now putting an end to that – and what will viewers see from Wilford that they haven’t already experienced? Milius may not be the most obvious antagonist, but Gregg’s ruthless stoicism takes the show’s villains in a completely opposite and new direction. Narratively, he offers a fresh approach and a character that audiences can’t predict. Wilford is familiar territory, and his presence undermines Milius because the audience is now focused on him and/or wondering which villain is supposed to be the real villain. But it does mean that TV viewers may be seeing another Sean Bean character death.

Is Snowpiercer Season 4 on the right track?

Season 4, Episode 5 has a great dynamic

Season 4, Episode 5 gives the audience plenty to talk about between Ben’s death, Wilford’s return, and whatever happens to Josie. Even without a single visit to New Eden, Snowpiercer viewers have a lot to consider. Some of the plot points seem to work better than others; Ben’s loss will definitely have an impact, not just immediately but in the final confrontation. And fleshing out Alex’s character is a smart move given the continued absence of Jennifer Connelly as Melanie (though fans will at least get to see Connelly when Dark matter returns for season 2).

Bennett Knox: Josie, the people on this train have suffered enough.

Alex is similar enough to her mother to act as a kind of Melanie replacement, although Neither Alex nor Melanie get a final scene with Ben, which is certainly disappointing on an emotional level. Considering how much Melanie meant to Ben, it would have been nice if they had had something together, even if it wasn’t a formal goodbye. The audience only gets a hug between Ben and Alex. But aside from that relationship gap and the questionable, if entertaining, decision to bring Joseph Wilford back into the family, “The Engineer” is an episode that Snowpiercer forward. It’s a jolt of energy and character development, and there are only five episodes left before the train finally has to stop.

Snowpiercer airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on AMC.