Hello all! Welcome back to my weekly reviews of Infinity Train. Last week we took a look at the middle four episodes of Book 4. This week we finish off the rest of the season – and with it, the rest of the series.

‘The Mega Maze Car’, Season 4, Episode 8 (Premiere Date: April 15, 2021)

‘The Castle Car’, Season 4, Episode 9 (Premiere Date: April 15, 2021)

‘The Train to Nowhere’, Season 4, Episode 10 (Premiere Date: April 15, 2021)

Synopsis – Ryan attempts to explain to Min-Gi that he didn’t mean to abandon him in the Art Gallery Car, but Min-Gi won’t hear it. The two friends, once again at odds, follow Kez into the next car, which turns out to be the home of Kez and her roommate Morgan. The car appears to consist of a castle surrounded by a massive maze that Kez doesn’t remember existing before. Kez attempts to lead Min-Gi and Ryan through the maze from above, to little success. Along the way Min-Gi and Ryan finally put words to their respective feelings of failure about their lives. This manages to bring them closer together again, but distrust lingers. Eventually they are interrupted by the arrival of Kez’s various enemies from the previous cars – Pig Baby (now Pig Toddler) and Cow Creamer, Judge Morpho, the Parka Aliens, and the bouncer from the Astro Queue Car. Pig Toddler crashes his way through the maze while the others pursue Min-Gi, Ryan, and Kez. Min-Gi and Ryan manage to make it on top of the maze and from there are able to make their way inside the castle. The drawbridge closes just after Kez squeaks through. Much to Min-Gi and Ryan’s surprise, Kez reveals that the castle is alive and is actually Morgan – the human guy they previously saw in her photograph was a Passenger named Jeremy. Unfortunately, Morgan appears furious at the reappearance of Kez.

It quickly becomes apparent that Morgan was very close friends with Jeremy and that she blames Kez for him ultimately leaving the Train. She suspects (and not entirely wrongly) that Kez brought Min-Gi and Ryan to act as replacements for Jeremy, which just enrages her further. She forces the duo into Jeremy’s old room and inundates them with his belongings. Mad at Kez for her perceived betrayal, Min-Gi and Ryan shun her and ask her to leave. They proceed to read through Jeremy’s diary, which reveals that he resided on the Train for roughly five years and that Kez said something to him on his last day that unsettled him. Seeking out Kez, they ask her about it and she reveals that Jeremy was on the Train because he blamed himself for a car crash that killed his mother and sister. Eventually she had advised him to stop living in that same moment over and over again, and that proved enough for him to get his exit and leave. Min-Gi and Ryan soothe her, telling her that she had done the right thing in helping Jeremy and that Morgan’s anger at Kez for that is unwarranted.

At that moment, the Steward bursts through the wall, tells them (in Amelia’s voice) that they are all on their own, and then jumps through a window and explodes. Worn down by this and everything that has happened despite their numbers remaining unchanged, Ryan confines himself to Jeremy’s room. Min-Gi tries to cheer Ryan up, which leads to the two of them playing a song together again. Min-Gi tells Ryan that he would prefer to be in a band with Ryan over the life that others have chosen for him, which results in his number reaching zero and his exit appearing. He refuses to take it without Ryan, which infuriates Morgan as she believes he is delaying his leaving in order to torment her. Feeling betrayed once again, she opens up her drawbridge and invites Kez’s enemies to enter.

Pig Toddler and co. arrive and threaten the trio, but Min-Gi and Ryan manage to convince Kez to finally take responsibility for her actions and apologize. Shocked, Cow Creamer, Pig Toddler, the Parka Aliens, and the bouncer all accept the apology. Judge Morpho does not, but is quickly dispatched through the fireplace by Ryan’s guitar. Discovering what she must do, Kez also apologizes to Morgan. Although Morgan doesn’t readily accept it, she does at least prove willing to discuss things with Kez again. Ryan, meanwhile, realizes that not only has he been pushing Min-Gi to do things faster than he wanted to, but he has also been pushing himself too hard. With that his exit opens and, after a final farewell to Kez, the duo leave. Not long afterwards they perform a song called ‘Train to Nowhere’ in a New York establishment together as Chicken Choice Judy and are approached by an audience member asking if they have a cassette of their work.

My Thoughts – I mentioned a couple of reviews ago that I generally consider Book 4 to be the weakest of Infinity Train’s seasons. While I still believe that to be the case, the gap between it and the other seasons has significantly narrowed in my estimation over the course of this rewatch. A large part of that is a greater appreciation for the season’s themes and character arcs, and these three episodes do an excellent job of bringing them – and even the series as whole to an extent – to a satisfying conclusion.

Let’s start with our central Passenger duo, Min-Gi and Ryan. Over the course of the season we’ve seen the two friends grapple with their own flaws and the way that they impact each other. ‘The Mega Maze Car’ summarizes these issues succinctly through Min-Gi and Ryan’s conversation as they attempted to traverse the maze. Ultimately, both aspiring musicians feel like failures, and it’s those insecurities that are holding them back. Min-Gi feels like he has failed because he hasn’t figured his life out and is just doing what other people expect of him. He believes that Ryan, by contrast, is living his dream life and this has bred a bit of resentment. Ryan knows the truth, however – he has failed as of yet to make it big in the way he had hoped and feels like he is just flailing along from one gig to another. To him, the stability of Min-Gi’s life is a positive, not a negative, and that in turn bred his own resentment.

By finally getting these feelings out in the open, over the course of the final three episodes they are finally able to come to terms with their lack of transparency with themselves and each other. Min-Gi realizes that that you can’t remove all risks from life and sometimes you just need to take the leap, while Ryan realizes that he can’t keep pushing himself and those around him so hard and fast. This is nowhere near the first time that a show or movie has had its characters learn these particular lessons, but that doesn’t make them any less powerful. I like the way the show handles these revelations, having Min-Gi and Ryan get their exits at different times but refusing to pass through until both friends were able to. It’s a strong demonstration of their bond and an illustration of the significant progress they have made in repairing their frayed relationship. Seeing them finally playing together in New York, to a warm reception (even if the crowd might not have been huge), was a wonderful way to end the season.

In addition to resolving Min-Gi and Ryan’s respective character arcs, these final episodes of the series take the time to further add layers to the Denizen-Passenger relationship – and, specifically, what happens when the Passenger exits the Train. In Book 1, we saw what appears to be the Train’s ‘ideal’ such situation: Atticus helps Tulip achieve her necessary character growth and is happy for her when she makes her journey home. In Book 2, we saw what happens when a Passenger and a Denizen form an unusually close bond and the Denizen wants to get off the Train: Lake and Jesse were able to strong-arm One-One into giving them both an exit. But what happens when a Passenger and a Denizen form such a friendship but the Denizen has no desire to leave? The introduction of Kez’s ‘roommate’, Morgan, answers this question – they have the potential to grow bitter and depressed.

Jeremy’s letting go of his self-blame and managing to get his own exit should have been cause for celebration, but Morgan had grown too attached to him. By everything Kez says, Morgan was lonely long before Jeremy first arrived. He gave her someone to talk to, and he stayed around for five years – it’s no wonder she would be reluctant to watch him leave. Unfortunately, she let this reluctance get the best of her, and in Jeremy’s absence she let it fester into deep-seated resentment of Passengers. It’s yet another fascinating glimpse into what makes Denizens tick, and another example of the Train’s prioritization of Passengers’ needs over Denizens’. I feel like if One-One really cared about the Denizens of the Train, he could have done something about this situation earlier, to provide Morgan with reassurance or encouragement. I highly doubt this is the first or only such situation, after all.

I like the way that Kez’s and Morgan’s arcs are intertwined here. Up to this point, it has been clear that Kez has difficulty making friends or sticking with them. As noted a couple of reviews ago, she also seemed to shut down a bit at the mere mention of Min-Gi and Ryan exiting the Train. Here we finally learn why – it was Kez that provided Jeremy with the final advice he needed to get himself past his car crash, and Morgan lashed out at her for it. The double-whammy of losing both of her closest friends in quick succession had to take a toll on her. Not only would it understandably instill in her a distrust of close friendships, but being shut down like that after giving sincere advice from her heart also would have made her doubt her own abilities – something very much on display in ‘The Party Car’. It explains so much about why she acts the way she does that it retroactively makes me like her more during those early episodes of the season. I’m glad that although she hasn’t necessarily fully rebounded by the end of the season, she and Morgan are at least willing to admit that they both are in pain and seem to be on a path toward reconciliation – just like Min-Gi and Ryan.

Although the season doesn’t end by answering many of the show’s lingering questions from previous seasons, it does provide a surprisingly strong thematic end to the series. The show has always been about people finding ways to improve themselves and tackle the issues and character flaws that haunt them, even as it has examined the cracks in the Train’s system. The parallel stories of Min-Gi/Ryan and Kez/Morgan contribute to both of these halves of the series’s identity, and they manage to do so in a moving manner. Are these final episodes perfect? No. For one thing, despite its intimidating appearance the Mega Maze turns out to largely be set dressing for Min-Gi and Ryan’s conversations, much in the way of the Canyon of the Golden Winged Snakes Car last season. But this is ultimately a quibble and, much like with the rest of the season itself, the positives very much outweigh the negatives. Book 4 may not be my favorite season of Infinity Train, but I can definitely now see it as a worthy end to the show – even if I’m still mad that we weren’t able to get Book 5.

My Totally Arbitrary Car Ranking – Mega Maze/Castle Car (B)

My Totally Arbitrary Episode Ranking – The Train to Nowhere (B+), The Castle Car (B+), The Mega Maze Car (B)

Cast Additions – The only new addition to the cast in these episodes is comedian and actress Margaret Cho (All-American Girl, Face/Off, Drop Dead Diva, Fire Island) as Morgan.

Trivia/Stray Observations –

The Mega Maze Car:

• “Heeeeey…so, I know that last car was all creepy and gross, but do you know what’s not? Casa de Kez!”
• “Yeah…‘My Ouevre.’”
• “Cactus Kez!” “Butter Kez!” “Good for nothing, eon-oscillating, life-ruining Kez!” Indecipherable thrumming noise.
• “Oh yeah, and apparently this guy lost his job as a bouncer because of you! He’s a single parent with a family of fourteen!”
• “All this light jogging makes Pig Toddler famished!”
• “Buttery…fly?”
• That first shot of the castle surrounded by the massive maze was well-done and surprisingly ominous.
• Honestly, I think the bouncer might have been hit the worst by Kez’s actions. At least he doesn’t seem like a terrible person like Judge Morpho.
• Maybe don’t mention anything with the word ‘butter’ in it around Pig Toddler.
• That was a pretty cruel fate for Cow Creamer.
• My favorite bit in the episode was the bouncer calmly setting up his cordon, and then immediately falling for Min Gi and Ryan’s trick again.
• The twist that Morgan is actually the castle was neatly done.

The Castle Car:

• “Act cool…not like that.”
• “I hope he’s still not in that apartment with the bees.”
• “Left my twelfth favorite beret in the sun…okay, it’s about a hat again.”
• “You know she talks, but you’re going to get hung up on her circadian rhythm?”
• That’s an awful lot of hats.
• Pig Toddler looked very pitiful in front of that campfire.
• Owen Dennis confirmed that their used to be multiple Stewards on the Train, but has hinted that by the time of Book 1 only one was left.

The Train to Nowhere:

• “Morgan, can I get a blanket? *Sigh* Thank you.”
• “You stuck with me, so now you’re stuck with me!”
• “I’m sorry I tried to eat you. My tummy was just so hungry.”
• “I love you corpses too.”
• Given the way he was pulling himself through those hallways, I guess Pig Toddler must not be claustrophobic.
• I like how even the parka alien is confused as to Pig Toddler’s exact relationship to Cow Creamer.
• And we finally get the bouncer’s name – Nigel.
• Ryan launching Morpho up the fireplace with his guitar was pretty metal.
• They’re performing in Utica? Now I’ve got Steamed Hams on the brain again.
• Nice to see Min Gi upgraded to a full keyboard.
• The song ‘Train to Nowhere’ was released on streaming after the season was launched, the only part of the show’s soundtrack that was officially released since Season 1.

And there we have it – my final Infinity Train review. Thanks so much to everyone who has been along for the ride or even popped in every once in a while to see how things were going. The announcement of this review series was my first ever thread on the Avocado, and while I have since gone on to have multiple recurring threads it was these reviews that I looked forward to most every week. Infinity Train is a series that holds a very special place in my heart, and to discuss it with you all and hear your thoughts on each episode has been a delight. I will miss this, but never fear! I plan to continue reviewing animated series here as long as I am able. So, if you are interested, please join me in November for my next review series – Netflix’s Hilda. Thanks again for all of your support these past few months!