Bess Till

Bess Till
Biographical Information
Gender	Female
Eye Color	Blue
Hair Color	Blonde
Height	5'7
Status	Alive
Character Information
Class	3rd Class (formerly) 2nd Class (formerly) Snowpiercer Pirate Train (formerly)
Alias(es)	Till
Occupation	Detroit Cop (formerly) Snowpiercer Brakeman (formerly) Wilford's Adviser (formerly) Crewmember on the Pirate Train (formerly) Train Detective (formerly) Lead Brakemen
Language Spoken	English
Relationships
Romance(s)	Jinju Seong (ex-girlfriend) Mira (One Night Stand) Miss Audrey
Friends	Andre Layton Josie Wellstead Sam Roche
Enemies	John Osweiller Erik Sotto † Nolan Grey † Joseph Wilford Miss Audrey (formerly)
Portrayal
Portrayer	Mickey Sumner
Appears in	Snowpiercer (TV Series) • Season 1 • Season 2 • Season 3
First Appearance	First, the Weather Changed

“	Something's going on. Don't you ever feel like you're being kept in the dark?	”
	— Bess to Osweiller in Torreta Canyon Crisis.

Bess Francis Till is a main character in TNT's Snowpiercer. She is portrayed by Mickey Sumner.

She is a thoughtful, empathetic, and savvy Brakemen who is part of the train's security force. She finds herself at the center of a mystery that rocks the train’s uneasy status quo. She later becomes a member of Andre Layton's revolution. In Season 2, Layton promotes her to Train Detective.

History

Background

Till used to be a rookie police officer at the Detroit Police Department before the tragedy. She ran support on a firebug case once. A guy was burning down laundromats with ethanol. He was never caught and froze with the world. She remembered ethanol as, "That sweet smell, almost rotten. Sticks with you."

Till used to abuse the Tailies during her patrols in the Tail, by banging her nightstick on their bunks.

Throughout the Series

Season 1

Intimidation of Layton

Till is comfortable in her position as a member of the security force aboard Snowpiercer. Her attitude towards those of the Tail shines through, however, when she and John Osweiller escort Andre Layton back to the Tail following his rejection of their job proposal. Till and Osweiller beat Layton for not cooperating, remarking that he doesn't have a choice. They attempt to intimidate him into cooperation, but are stopped when Roche and Melanie Cavill find out what they're doing. Till is sent to work at the Tail as punishment.

Later, she learns to work with Layton in the investigation and the two begin making fast ground. They discover Sean Wise's missing legs in the refrigerator in AgSec. They further realise that the murderer possibly killed Sean Wise for fun, as indicated by the method of killing.

After Oz is punished and suspended for trading Kronole for oral sex in the Tail, Till's opinion of him changes drastically, and she begins viewing him in a harsher light. When he is brought back following the murder of Nikki Genêt, she is horrified that he has gotten away with the act unscathed, and furthers to complain with Roche; nothing is done, however, with Roche remarking that they need the extra staff. When Melanie relays the information that the killer could be Erik, she and Oz work together to track him down. She is startled when it becomes clear that he has taken Jinju, Till's lover, hostage.

Relationship with Jinju

Bess enjoys a romantic — yet private — relationship with Jinju Seong, with Bess sleeping in her quarters regularly in Second. After their relationship becomes serious, and following the threat on Jinju's life by Erik, the two commit to one another and Jinju sponsors Bess' upgrade from Third to Second. This signifies trust between the two as Jinju takes responsibility for Bess' actions during her probationary period.

Following this, Bess attends the tribunal to decide LJ Folger's fate and watches from the audience as Jinju takes the stand and recounts the events leading up to her kidnapping.

Till's relationship with Jinju later comes to an abrupt end when they find themselves on two different ends of the revolution. Both are angry with one another for keeping secrets, and the breakup is mutual as the two depart with one last kiss.

Troubles with Oz

Following knocking Oz out previously to save Josie and Layton, Bess begins experiencing problems with Oz. He takes advantage of the knowledge he holds over her and uses it to blackmail both her and, to an extent, Jinju. Oz tells Bess that she will do what he says or he will reveal what she did which could cost her an arm. She abides by his threat for hours, but eventually, when the announcement that the train could derail is made, the two hold hands and Bess tells Oz that she is done following his instructions. Oz tells her that he won’t tell, but Melanie and the management will find out eventually.

Helping the Tail

Following from her aiding Josie with saving Layton from the Tail, Till worries that she will be found out as an accomplice when Melanie yanks Josie Wellstead from the Tail. Till is horrified when she sees that Melanie has frozen her fingers and tries to console Josie, who is quite aware that her life is limited by the knowledge she holds. Josie tells Bess that she is a member of the revolution now, and Till has trouble (or reluctance) accepting this, citing that she still has a duty to the train.

Till does promise to get a message to Layton, however, and helps Josie one last time. Although not revealed at the time, it is later revealed that Till helped Josie freeze her hand in an effort to escape the cuffs placed upon her by Melanie. Unfortunately, her actions are not enough to save Josie, as she breaks the bad news to Layton.

Fully committed to the revolution, Till participates in planning meetings with Layton and his trusted lieutenants and is shocked and horrified to learn that Jinju knew the truth all along and covered it up. Till orders her girlfriend to stay in inside and as the revolution begins, helps Layton return to the Tail. Layton identifies Till as one of them to the hesitant Tailies and she watches Layton's inspiring speech. Till and Layton convince Roche to let them pass unharmed and she joins the Tailies in battling Commander Grey and the Jackboots in the Nightcar, killing several Jackboots before both sides are forced to retreat. In the aftermath of the battle, she helps to tend to the wounded.

After Melanie Cavill is captured and offers a solution, Till joins the meeting and although reluctant to trust her, recognizes that it is their best chance. Till convinces a reluctant Roche to help with their plan to get Layton to infiltrate the cars used by the Jackboots and the Folgers as their headquarters.

In the aftermath of the successful revolution, Jinju angrily confronts Till over her role in the chaos and the argument leads to the two women breaking up for good.

Season 2

Till joins Layton's crew on the Pirate Train along with Bennett Knox, Alexandra Cavill, Josie Wellstead and the captive Miss Audrey and Sykes. Along with everyone else, she is devastated by the apparent death of Melanie Cavill but excited by the data that she left behind showing warming areas of the Earth.

Season 3

The Pirate Train

Six months later, Till continues to serve on the crew of the Pirate Train, mainly looking after the captive Miss Audrey and Martin Colvin who had become an inadvertent stowaway. When Layton and Josie are forced to leave the train to rescue Bennett, Alex enlists Till's help when she is forced to take the train and leave due to overheating issues, at one point having a nervous Till drive the train herself. When Alex gets overwhelmed, Till calms her down and gets her to focus on the problem by thinking about it like Bennett would. Following Alex's instructions, Till takes over the repairs while Alex drives and the two women are able to fix the problem, but Miss Audrey and Martin take over the Engine, briefly knocking Till out by flipping a hatch over and hitting her in the head with it. When she wakes up, Till is trapped beneath the floor due to Martin holding the hatch closed, but she manages to find another way out, grabs a wrench, reenters the Engine and knocks Martin out. When Miss Audrey refuses to relent and even pushes the train up to full speed, Till knocks her out too and she convinces Alex not to give up hope and to return for the others. Upon arrival, Till spots Bennett and Josie and Layton joins them shortly thereafter with another survivor that he had found.

Personality

Bess is primarily tough and no-nonsense but is also caring. She originally thought that Layton was a piece of scum before becoming his ally and joining the revolution.

Relationships

Jinju Seong

She is in a close, complex romantic relationship with Jinju Seong. They meet in secret often, however, given Till is a Breakman and from Third, whilst Jinju is a member of second and, to some extent, Snowpiercer's management. Their relationship seems strained by the fact that Jinju wishes to keep them a secret, whilst Till wishes to out their relationship; despite this, the two sleep together often, and Jinju often lets train secrets slip, such as the fact that Nikki Genêt was awake.

Jinju sponsors Till's advancement towards Second Class, despite Till's open admission that she is not certain that she can handle the consequences. In 994 Cars Long, it is implied that they broke up when they argued in an Ag-Sec car.

Andre Layton

Till and Layton start with a distant, slightly defiant relationship, but they quickly earn each others' trust and perhaps admiration. Part of the reason may be some remorse from Till for siding with Oz when he physically assaulted Layton. By the time that Layton is ready to solve the murder cases, he is actively asking for Till's help. Till begins actively offering Layton her help on the case as well, not wanting it to be swept under the rug with the murder of Nikki Genêt who was her friend. Till quickly becomes one of Layton's most trusted allies and friends in both the revolution and fighting back against Wilford, particularly after she helps Josie to rescue Layton from the Drawers.

When Layton is severely injured, Till pretends to be unaffected before privately breaking down. Witnessing this, Miss Audrey comforts Till, calling Layton Till's best friend. Miss Audrey also notes that this is the first time that she's ever seen Till actually cry.

John "Oz" Osweiller

Till initially went along with Oz's forceful attitude, but after a reprimand from Roche and the opportunity to bond better with Layton she quickly revised her own attitude. Learning that Oz had been dealing Kronole harmed her disposition towards him for good.

Appearances

Appearance	EP1	EP2	EP3	EP4	EP5	EP6	EP7	EP8	EP9	EP10
Season 1	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Season 2	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔		✔	✔	✔	✔
Season 3	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Season 4	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Appeared			Did Not Appeared				H = Hallucinations
V = Voiced			C = Cameo				F = Flashback

Memorable Quotes

• Season One
• Season Two
• Season Three

Till: "Why do you care? Just blame the butchers and claim your Third Class cabin."

Layton: "First off, I don’t want Third Class. I want to go back to the Tail. And second… I guess I’m still a cop afterall."

Till: "I was assigned to the first murder too. They had Nikki guilty out of the gate. Fast tribunal, took all of three hours. Nothing they could have done for her. You still care about getting the right guy?"

―  Till and Layton about the investigation in Prepare to Brace.

Bess: "You're a dick! You know that? I'm not gonna stand by while you abuse people."

Osweiller: "We're about to die, Till."

Bess: "Fine. Then these are my last words. I won't let you extort me and you're a dick."

Osweiller: "I don't get you. So righteous on the small stuff, but pretty darn flexible, when it comes to high crimes."

Bess: "Layton shouldn't have been in the drawers!"

Osweiller: "Yeah, and you shouldn't have locked me out!"

Bess: "Something's going on! Don't you ever feel like you're being kept in the dark? Osweiller. Who are you thinking about right now?"

Osweiller: "No one. Just me. Bugger off."

Osweiller: "I was thinkin' about my mum at the end, if you must know."

―  Bess and Osweiller in Trouble Comes Sideways.

Jakes: "Our supporters tell us the Jackboots are stacking up at the front, The whole army is gathering."

Till: "Yeah, we should move now. Beat them to the punch."

Miss Audrey: "No, we need to reinforce the barricades. Keep what we hold."

Doctor Pelton: "37 confirmed dead. God knows how many more uptrain."

―  Layton, Till and Miss Audrey discusses the next move in The Train Demanded Blood.

WIP

WIP

Trivia

• She has spoken the opening dialogue in Our Answer for Everything.
• She is originally from Detroit, Michigan.
• Bess and Jinju first met about three months before the series started.
• She is the only known Thirdie to have upgraded to Second at this time.
• She is lesbian.
• She has 4 tattoos of feathers on her back and a tattoo on her left arm and right arm.
• In her room, a jersey with the number 19 hangs on the wall. Probably a reference to former Detroit Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman, as she is also from Detroit.

Gallery

• Season 1
• Season 2