Sumith Prasad
When Layton encounters Asha in an underground nuclear reactor in North Korea in TNT’s post-apocalyptic series ‘Snowpiercer’ season 3, he becomes hopeful about life existing outside the Snowpiercer. With Asha’s help, Layton establishes a lie — the remnants of humanity can look forward to colonizing the planet Earth if they choose to go to New Eden.
Asha’s presence and her fight to stay alive motivate Layton to become the messiah of the passengers of the Snowpiercer. The eighth episode of season 3 ends with a startling development concerning Asha’s fate, making admirers of the show worry about Archie Panjabi’s future in the show. On that note, here’s everything you need to know! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Is Asha Dead or Alive?
When Wilford discovers that there is a possibility of Melanie being alive, Layton and the others decide to reroute the Snowpiercer to find the engineer. Their new pathway poses a huge threat in the form of toxic volcanic gas. Even though Wilford assures Layton that the train is built perfectly to resist the gas, a breach happens in the agriculture car, creating an opening for the gas to enter the train. Layton and Asha go to the car to close the opening, only for Layton to encounter a small window to do the job. Realizing that his safety suit will come in the way, he decides to come out of it.
Asha, who realizes that she cannot allow Layton to die, comes out of her suit and goes down the window to close the opening. As the passengers of the Snowpiercer hope to arrive at New Eden, Asha knows that Layton should be alive to lead them. She understands the value of Layton’s life and decides to sacrifice herself for the greater good of the Snowpiercer’s human beings. Asha closes the opening and stops the spread of the gas but dies upon inhaling the same. Since Asha is dead, one must be wondering whether Panjabi’s time in the show came to an end. Let’s find out!
Did Archie Panjabi Leave Snowpiercer?
Asha boards the Snowpiercer after fighting the freeze for a long time. After her nephew’s death, her existence becomes valueless even for her. However, her encounter with Layton paves the way for her to become the beam of hope for the remnants of humanity. Her life becomes significant due to Layton’s intervention and she sacrifices it for Layton and the other passengers of the train. Although neither TNT nor Archie Panjabi has yet released a statement regarding Asha’s departure, the character’s death indicates that Panjabi could be leaving the show.
Since the Snowpiercer is very near to New Eden, Asha fulfills her mission to help Layton to lead the train to the Arabian warm spot, which leads to the completion of the character’s arc. As Layton and others await Melanie, the third season may culminate with the consequences of the engineer’s potential return to the train she built, without leaving much scope for Asha in the narrative. Asha’s death may also turn out to be a plot device for Layton to understand the gravity of his responsibility, especially since she dies to save his life to lead the others.
In light of these possibilities, Panjabi is unlikely to continue featuring in the show. But with that being said, death is an intricate affair in ‘Snowpiercer.’ Like Josie or Kevin, who returns to life after presumably dying in the previous seasons of the show, we may even see the return of Panjabi as Asha if the narrative demands the character in the future. Like Melanie appears in Alex’s, Asha can also appear in Layton’s visions, and we may get to see Panjabi feature in the show in the future.
Read More: Will Ben and Josie End Up Together in Snowpiercer? Theories
