Book Four - Duet is the fourth and (as of now) final season of the Cartoon Network series Infinity Train and serves as a standalone prequel to the three previous books. It premiered on April 15, 2021, on HBO Max.
Min-Gi and Ryan are childhood best friends who dreamed of performing in a band and traveling across Canada, together. After a sudden falling out splits them apart, both find themselves aboard the mysterious Infinity Train. Lost and confused, they meet Kez, a free-spirited concierge bell, who accompanies them on their journey. As tensions rise and old wounds come to light, both Min-Gi and Ryan must decide if they can work together or else risk losing themselves forever aboard the Infinity Train.[2]
Book Four was teased by HBO Max's twitter on February 17, 2021.[3] More information about this season and an official trailer was eventually released March 11 of the same year by Entertainment Weekly.[4]HBO continued to advertise Infinity Train. On March 25, 2021 the poster for Book 4 and a more detailed synopsis was released on HBO Max's Twitter. To further boost interest, an exclusive clip was released on YouTube on April 8, 2021.
Though the final season released to date, Book Four was not intended to be the final season of Infinity Train: the writing staff had written enough stories to last eight seasons.[5] The story that came closest to completion was the show's fifth installment, which would have run parallel to the events of this season and followed Amelia's journey.
Cast and Crew[]
Voice Cast[]
Main Supporting
|
Production Crew[]
Writers
- Justin Michael (eps: 1, 6, and 8)
- Lindsay Katai (eps: 2, 4, and 9)
- Alex Horab (eps: 3, 5, 7, and 10)
Character, Prop, & Effects Designers
- Erik Caines (Design Supervisor)
Episodes[]
Image | Title | Premiere Date | No. in series | No. in season |
---|---|---|---|---|
"The Twin Tapes" | April 15, 2021 (HBO Max) | 31 | 1 | |
Min and Ryan’s lifelong friendship and creative partnership disintegrates. | ||||
"The Iceberg Car" | April 15, 2021 (HBO Max) | 32 | 2 | |
Min and Ryan wake up on the train and meet Kez, a talking, floating concierge bell. | ||||
"The Old West Car" | April 15, 2021 (HBO Max) | 33 | 3 | |
Ryan, Min, and Kez get thrown into an Old West jail. | ||||
"The Pig Baby Car" | April 15, 2021 (HBO Max) | 34 | 4 | |
Ryan, Min, and Kez have to make the perfect dessert for a very fussy baby. | ||||
"The Astro Queue Car" | April 15, 2021 (HBO Max) | 35 | 5 | |
The trio sneaks into a guarded nightclub astro tower. | ||||
"The Party Car" | April 15, 2021 (HBO Max) | 36 | 6 | |
If they want to move forward, Min and Ryan must play their first show together since splitting up the band. | ||||
"The Art Gallery Car" | April 15, 2021 (HBO Max) | 37 | 7 | |
The gang needs to escape from a haunted art museum. | ||||
"The Mega Maze Car" | April 15, 2021 (HBO Max) | 38 | 8 | |
While they accompany Kez to her home, Min and Ryan air their grievances with each other. | ||||
"The Castle Car" | April 15, 2021 (HBO Max) | 39 | 9 | |
Ryan and Min finally meet Kez’s roommate. | ||||
"The Train to Nowhere" | April 15, 2021 (HBO Max) | 40 | 10 | |
Min and Ryan face a final challenge. |
Gallery[]
Click here to view this page's gallery.
Videos[]
Trivia[]
- When the teaser for the fourth season was released, Owen Dennis joked on Twitter that the book's title was "Demon Slayer", a reference to the anime of the same name and its 2020 film Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train, which in some territories was known as Demon Slayer: Infinity Train. Dennis claimed it was the show's way of getting revenge on said anime.[6] A month later he confirmed the official title of "Duet" after the official trailer was released.
- Owen Dennis believes that Book 4 could be binged or watched at the viewers' own pace. Compared to the previous books, Book 4 works better binged. Ultimately, he doesn't have a preferred way for fans to watch it and hopes people enjoy it.[7]
- Dennis noted that Book 4 was very much written with the idea of subverting the previous three seasons: they were aware the audience was expecting some form of traumatic event or death, and wished to do the opposite after the dark tones of Book 3.[8][9]
- Unlike the three previous seasons, Book Four does not have evident story themes to any classic children's literature. Instead, the characters of Ryan and Min-Gi are respectively inspired by Piskarev and Pirogov from Nikolai Gogol's short story Nevsky Prospekt.[10]
- In "The Twin Tapes" Min references Gogol's story by suggesting "Nevsky and the Prospekts" as a band name.
- Book 4 was initially planned to be about two bank robbers from the old west.[11]
- Dennis hinted the story of Book 4 way before it was officially confirmed during the Book 3 AMA. It was cleverly worded as a joke. [12]
Continuity[]
- Unlike the previous books, Book Four is a prequel season that is set around 33 years[13] before Tulip's journey[14] in the mid 1980s. Specifically between 1985-1986 as confirmed in "The Twin Tapes" where a bumper sticker on the back of Ryan's van says "Class of 1985". The mid 80s was an important era for Infinity Train history. This is the exact era when the first conductor looses his position. In the sidelines a younger Amelia learns how the train works from One. Her rise to power is inferred throughout the season.
- As such, it is the only book where Grace and Simon do not appear, as they have not yet been born.
- This is also the only book where Samantha makes no appearances alongside Randall, as they do not meet until "The Beach Car".
- It is the only book where the Corginian Corgis do not make an appearance.
- This is the first season since Book One to not have a main character be a character introduced in a previous season.
- This is the only book not to feature Ghoms.
References[]
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_eiKWvQxZ8
- ↑ Synopsis from the Polygon.
- ↑ HBO max book 4 audio teaser.
- ↑ Entertainment Weekly tweet.
- ↑ "While this wasn't the intended final season of Infinity Train..."
- ↑ "The new season is gonna be called "Infinity Train: Demon Slayer" We're takin' it back, people!" - Dennis
- ↑ Owen Dennis's tip on how Book 4 should be watched.
- ↑ Dennis on subverting viewer expectations.
- ↑ Dennis on the effect Book 3 had on the crew.
- ↑ Justin Michael confirming that a reference to Nevsky Prospect was made.
- ↑ From two partners in crime to two rockers of all time!
- ↑ "No, the protagonists of season 4 are gonna be the rock couple from the campfire car arguing about vacation spots. How do these rock who are separating emotionally still navigate their lives together? Should they? Which vacay spot has the restaurant where one rock loves the brownies and the other rock loves the live music from local Canadian prog-rock bands? Should they stay at the cabin with all the pictures of baby pigs on the walls, or the cabin that had the bug zapper fire hazard because all the moths hadn't been cleaned out of it?" - Dennis
- ↑ One-One's comment on how long he has been stuck in the Snow Car in the miniseries episode "The Snow Car".
- ↑ Owen Dennis confirming that Tulip's journey takes place in 2019 while hinting at the release of a Book 2 trailer.