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| “ | This would have been so much easier for all of us if you had just stay put, but instead you go through car after car interfering with my plans, attacking my Steward for months and despite all of that, I still wanted to help you. I sent The Cat to offer you your tape to live inside your "happiest" memories. But what do you do to my gift? You reject it, and you continue to march against me and now look where you ended up. | „ |
| ~ The Conductor's first lines. |
| “ | Oh my. No dog and no parents? Who'll you lose next? | „ |
| ~ The Conductor taunting Tulip. |
| “ | What I'm doing here is my job. I'm an inventor, an engineer, a snappy dresser, but I'm not your caretaker! | „ |
| ~ Amelia to Hazel. |
Amelia Hughes Timmens, or also better known as the "Conductor", is the main antagonist of the Cartoon Network series Infinity Train.
She is a passenger who is responsible for all of the weird events that have taken place on the train ever since she came and overthrew One-One, the true conductor of the train, when he refused to make a car with Alrick in it. After her defeat and redemption at the hands of Tulip Olsen at the end of Book One and during in Book Three, Amelia became an assistant for One-One to fix her mistakes she made in the train.
She is voiced by Lena Headey, who also played Aunt Grandma in Uncle Grandpa, Big Mama in Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Morgana in Tales of Arcadia, Ma-Ma in Dredd, and Cersei Lannister in Game of Thrones. In her conductor robot armor, she is voiced by Matthew Rhys, who also voices Emperor Belos in The Owl House, Grimes in Seal Team and Riley Greene in Gremlins: Secret of the Mogwai.
Personality[]
Initially, Amelia was timid and neglected by most of her peers and even professors. However, her misery turned to happiness when she was with Alrick, she became kind, caring, joyful, daring, yet somewhat brutish. During her married life with Alrick, she was at her happiest, until his sudden death does her personality change. Once Alrick died, she became depressed, downtrodden and even suicidal before the Infinity Train came and took her.
The 30 years she spent in the train made her ruthless, cold-hearted, callous, and outright murderous person who didn't care about the needs of other passengers and believed in escapism over coping as it is implied she killed some passengers and transformed them into Ghoms, not able to hesitate to kill or harm anyone who stands in her way. This was shown when she neutralized and transformed Atticus with her laser gun and even threatening to kill the Cat if she disobeying her orders. After her defeat, she seems remorseful over her actions as Tulip encourages her to adapt the changes in her life and try to get her number to zero.
In Book Three, Amelia is currently working with One-One into making amends and undo the mistakes she made in the train, but still retains her certain degree of sarcasm and cynicism in-between. Although her number seems to go lower as a result of her efforts, she remain apathetic to the point of changes in comparison of her highest number, she seems to express her hatred of children as she openly condescending towards Grace, Simon and Hazel. Despite this, she is still patient enough to resolve the problem of the train by explaining how it works and how her life goes on, Amelia also has a sense of humor as she laughed at the concept of being a "prisoner" of One-One, calling him a "little peanut".
Appearance[]
Before she was taken onboard the Infinity Train, Amelia was a young woman in her 20s with short brown hair and wears a turtleneck sweater and pants. During her tenure as conductor, she resided inside a robot suit with an oscilloscope-like display in its "eye" that oscillates whenever she speaks with a voice changer and and uses a hooded robe over the head to conceal her identity. After being ejected outside of her robot suit, she is now in her 60s during Book One, with wrinkles on her face and covered in glowing numbers from the neck down. Her hair is longer and braided in a pigtail and now wears a gray coat and snow boots in place of a turtleneck sweater and regular shoes.
In Book Three, she has a French braid hairstyle and now wears a gray jumpsuit with a One-One logo consists of a light gray tops, wristwatch on her left hand and a black belt with another One-One emblem on her buckle, and a black backpack for holding gears. Her belt generates an invisible force field capable of blocking oncoming attacks and repelling attacks, mainly Simon. Her physical appearance also depicts her to have strong arms in her 60s.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
| “ | Alrick: (in robotic voice with voice changer) A-me-li-a, it is I, your normal boy-friend, I am a hu-mon, this is how I sounded now, I do hope that it's acceptable. Amelia: Oh.. very acceptable, but you're obviously a robot, and me, I'm just a simple hu-mon, but perhaps we will bridge the gap between our two civilizations. (opens ring box) So, what do you think? |
„ |
| ~ Amelia Hughes and Alrick Timmens. |
In her childhood in the United Kingdom, Amelia Hughes had a tragic life of misery before coming on the train. Her only hope and light was Alrick, whom she befriended with him since elementary school. The two have stuck through every situation imaginable since then, from high school to college. Eventually, Amelia proposed to Alrick sometime after college, and the two married, living a happy life. However, one day, Alrick dies suddenly of dirt biking accident, leaving Amelia devastated and unable to cope with her loss. Refusing to live a life without Alrick, she resolves to commit suicide by jumping off the roof of the university, when she sees the Infinity Train approaching her, which she boards.
Book Four - Duet[]
Note: This is set before the events of Book One and Three:
| “ | Amelia: Two in one? What's this, some sort of destiny rubbish? One: No, it is mathematics, Amelia. My algorithms were designed to account for a statistical probability that anything can happen in the train. Amelia: Anything? One: It depends, of course. But even if the odds are highly improbable, given enough time, yes. Anything. But once these two arrive at the seat, it is up to them to sort things out. Amelia: And if they don't? One: Then they die here. |
„ |
| ~ Amelia and One. |
The moment she steps on the train, Amelia found the conductor One in the engine, who showed her the purpose of the train by showing the process of Ryan Akagi and Min-Gi Park, which Amelia confuses that One processing the two boys at the same time before sending them off, One explained that the algorithm determines the best course of action, she asked what would happen if the two boys don't sort these problems out, One calmly claims that they'll die. Her voice is briefly heard in the Party Car when the Steward commending One of his decision of returning the passengers' belongings. It is implied that she coerced One in doing so regarding her remarks.
| “ | Amelia: I was a passenger, just like you... I didn't like how One did things. Simon: Lies! Amelia: So I took control, tried to recreate my old life, failed, again and again and again. Created things that should never have been. Simon: Repeating pod propaganda. Grace: Shh! Amelia: I made the cars I'm ejecting, but One didn't fancy that so any car he didn't make, I must quarantine. |
„ |
| ~ Amelia retelling her story with Grace and Hazel. |
| “ | Hello. N-New announcement: You're all on your own now, so, uh... Sorry. We're... We're all on our own. Okay. How do I? | „ |
| ~ Amelia, through the Stewards, declaring the passengers. |
As the time went on, she begs One to make her a car with Alrick so she can resume her life as she wanted it to be, but One refused. In a fit of rage, she yanked One out of the train's control panel and throws him somewhere in the train, not to be found for 30 years, she then sent Stewards to all the passengers, including Ryan and Min-Gi in the Castle Car, and declares them that they were "on their own", she then removed the magnetic boots they're wearing before triggering the Stewards to explode. Said years being spent on her making the perfect car and recreating her old life with Alrick in it so she can live peacefully again. This caused her numbers to go higher that covers her entire body. However, most of the cars she made were only included elements of her old life, due to her memories with an absurd amount of turtles, including an university, phone booth and a handkerchief with its turtle design, one of her efforts among the denizens were Aloysius, who shared Alrick's voice and glasses, and Hazel, who bores with the number 337 and using British slang despite having an American accent, as well as Amelia's memories.
At one point before seven years, a young passenger named Grace Monroe was chased by the Steward, who was under Amelia's control, in the Pumpkin Car, Amelia called off and had the Steward to give one of the car's power orbs, giving Grace a glimpse of the number of Amelia's arm, leading to the formation of The Apex, a group that believed the highest number that could achieve that purpose by taking what they want.
Book One - The Perennial Child[]
On November 22, 30 years later, a young girl named Tulip stumbles on the train while on her way to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, thinking that the train will take her there. After being dropped off in the Snow Car, Tulip encounters One-One, who was looking for his "mum" for 30 years. It is unknown how Amelia learned that Tulip possessed One-One, but it is likely that she was notified by the Steward who was sabotaging the Corgi Car after the Cat's failure to bring One-One to the engine (mostly Tulip changing her mind). She then appears to the cat in her own car, berating her for her failure to bring One-One to her, and is about to kill her, but changes her mind, but not before telling the Steward to destroy the car as a warning for what is to come should the cat fail again. She starts tracking Tulip down, eventually cornering her in the Ball Pit Car, accusing Tulip of interfering with her plans and rejecting her "gifts" before presumably killing its sole inhabitant Khaki Bottoms and ordering the Steward to kill both One-One and the Cat inside by destroying the ball pit, blaming it on Tulip that her friends are supposedly dead (despite The Cat being Tulip's enemy as well) and claiming all of it is her fault. Suddenly, Atticus leaps out of the wreckage and lunges towards Amelia, but soon to be grabbed by the latter, she orders Tulip to cease her journey and makes short work of Atticus by neutralizing him with her blaster, transforming him into a Ghom and leaves.
At the engine, she is seen still hard at work trying to make the perfect train car, when Tulip, One-One, and a Ghom-ized Atticus burst in and demand to change Atticus back. She refuses after seeing her number to zero and resolves to kill Tulip if she never leaves but she then takes out a memory tape and flashes it towards Amelia, and she stayed brainwashed to the screen, giving Tulip enough time to find a blaster and the power orb that can create corgis. However, her suit triggered an alarm summoning the Steward, promptly destroying the tape, which snapping Amelia back to reality. Enraged at seeing what has happened, she threatens Tulip to change her number and sends off the exit car far down the train and orders the Steward to attack Tulip, but Atticus charges at her and proceeds to rip her apart, while One-One sneaks from behind to find a way to control the engine.
An enraged Amelia chases Tulip throughout the unfinished car, and upon cornering her, she tries to reason with her that she can build a car that suits to Tulip's own needs, thus making her one big happy family. However, a now changed Tulip reveals that she doesn't want it anymore because it just wasn't real. Furious, Amelia is about to kill her when Tulip grabs a pipe and shoves it into the suit, breaking it and revealing the still-human woman inside. Horrified, Tulip tries to reason with her to cope with her grief instead of fighting it, but she refuses to listen and manages to grab Tulip by her backpack, but gets suddenly ejected from her suit and thrown back into the engine as One-One gets the train back in his control. She sees the Steward's mangled remains by the emerged Atticus and realizes that One-One has taken back his rightful place as the conductor of the train. Seeing a happy reunion between the trio when she is stopped by Tulip, asking why did she do all of this, to which Amelia responds to get back to her husband, because she refused to live a life without him. Tulip explains that sometimes things don't always go the way you want them to, and you have to adapt to the changes in life. She reveals to Tulip that she was doomed way before that, showing her incredibly high number that was past the trillions for all of her misdeeds during the past 30 years. However, Tulip remains optimistic and tells her that she might get a chance to go back to her home someday, like she will. Amelia then sees Tulip off as she enters the portal back to her home.
Book Two - Cracked Reflection[]
Although she did not make an appearance, the consequences of Amelia's time as the conductor come into play with Grace and the Apex, having been on the train before Tulip arrived, come to believe Amelia as the true conductor, while One-One as the usurper, and drew an "eye" that oscillating red waves as a sign of their belief, they also believe that the goal of the train is to have the highest number and commit acts which brings their numbers higher.
Book Three - Cult of the Conductor[]
| “ | (Grace: So, are you a prisoner of... One-One er... One?) (laughs) Prisoner? Of that little peanut? No. No, I'm making amends. Maybe one day I'll even get off this train... | „ |
| ~ Amelia. |
After One-One reclaimed his position as the conductor, Amelia sided with him to undo the damage she made in the train, she sets up an electric pulse which was designed to identify cars with codes. However, the pulse started malfunctioning and causing the train to eject cars, One-One sent her to fix the problem and quarantine any cars with codes. She also mentioned by Simon Laurent in the Debutante Ball Car when he describes Amelia as "a man with a big black helmet with a red wave on it", while explaining Hazel about her being a true conductor, and Grace recounts how she once saved her.
| “ | Simon: Wh... What? Amelia: The train cars, genius. I scanned this car for aberrations and found nothing. Then you're here for all of one minute, and I get an alert that there are lines of code that don't match the reality of the car. Simon: We barely escaped the ejecting train cars! We're the victims here. Amelia: There are no victims, there's the glitch on the train. One sent me out from the Engine to resolve it. Grace: One? Like One-One? Hazel: One-One-One? Simon: The False Conductor! He's been trying to kill us ever since he took over the train from the True Conductor! Amelia: The true... (scoffs) One has no idea you exist, short pants. At least no more so than any of the passengers. In a very real sense, we're just numbers to him. |
„ |
| ~ Amelia explaining to Grace, Simon and Hazel why she is been doing. |
After three weeks passed, Amelia passes by Grace, Simon and Hazel while venturing between the Campfire Car and the Canyon of the Golden Winged Car, although they thought that she ignores them, but immediately turns around and demand what they were doing to the train cars. She then proceed to explain why she's been doing and notifies them that she was sent by One-One. As she discovers they were "victims" of the ejected car, Amelia asks for details if they were objects related to her creation and attempting to sort it out about why the pulse is malfunctioning, however, Grace realizes Hazel is the code Amelia has been tracking as she persuades Simon and Hazel to free, Amelia giving to chase but lose them due to the flying snakes, and warns them that the car will be eventually ejected. When Simon talks the Cat about her history with Amelia, the latter reacts negatively and has remarks of her trying to kill her once more.
Amelia saves Grace and Hazel from an ambush of a golden snake in a cave and offers them a breakfast of eggs, as she is cooking eggs, Amelia explains the situation about the car and give Grace thanks for cooperating, which her number slowly go lower, Grace reacts worrisome about the number decreases, but yet Amelia acts indifferent given that her number is still extremely high. She then notes her cooking skills are less great than normal, only for Hazel to claim she makes best pancakes. Amelia questions Hazel how she would know this as they had just met and comments that Hazel reminds her of Alrick. When Hazel notifies her sadness, she then hugs her, claiming that she likes her and she's always there for her, which brushes her off.
As Amelia exits the car with Grace and Hazel from the door, Simon suddenly rushes and charges at her and telling the two that Amelia should not be trusted, only to be bounced back by a sound shield generated from her belt. When Simon recognizes the belt's sine wave as the sign of the "true conductor", Amelia finally put two together before pulling out and demonstrating her voice changer, revealing them she is the Conductor whom Grace encountered, although she doesn't remember from the event. They then make their way into the Hey Ho Whoa Car where they need to wait for the puzzle to reset before continuing, Amelia shares her story with Grace and Hazel, while Simon accusing her of lying the entire time, and reveals the point of the train for passengers is to overcome their problems so their numbers can reach zero, allowing them to leave. When Simon insists that she's always wrong, Amelia mocks him for being like a child deluded into fantasy for far too long and even considered he's been wrong, which triggers an enraged Simon tries to attack her but only to be blocked by a sound shield, with the latter warning him she will defend herself into counting to three if he'll stop or she'll put him down. Simon continuing to attack her while Grace begging him to stop until it was interrupted by a screaming Hazel, who turns into a turtle again. Amelia realizes Hazel is an anomaly and one of her attempts to recreate a car with Alrick, although unsure what exactly. Noting that any car with Hazel when the pulse hits would be ejected and makes plans to quarantine Hazel.
The next day, Amelia cooks eggs for the group while Grace (who accidentally shouted at her thanks to Simon) requests Hazel to remain with the Apex, but the latter refuses and decides to go with Amelia instead, Amelia expresses hesitance as she do not want to be her caretaker, but eventually agrees, noting she wishes to study Hazel. The group separate at the divide between two cars to wait for the pulse, Amelia and Hazel were eventually sent to an unknown part of a train.
Quotes[]
| “ | The Cat: Now that I've tracked them down for you, may I go? The Conductor: Where's the robot? (...) Bring the robot to me and then I give you your freedom. (Tulip: No!) The Cat: I found them, that was the deal! I did my job! The Conductor: Your job is to follow directions and I am directing you. |
„ |
| ~ The Conductor threatening The Cat before ordering the Steward to destroy the ball pit. |
| “ | The Conductor: And that leaves you... all alone. Tulip: You killed my friends! The Conductor: Let's talk about your friends, they didn't have to be here. (Tulip: Wha..) They have a place on the train and you took them out of it. You brought them here, you put them in danger. Tulip: They were trying to help me! The Conductor: They were, and this is the result: All of this is your fault. |
„ |
| ~ The Conductor accusing Tulip of leaving her friends in danger. |
| “ | Ohh... No more tears. | „ |
| ~ The Conductor mockingly tells Tulip not to cry while wiping her tears with the handkerchief that inspired the unfinished turtles. |
| “ | (Tulip: Atticus, no!) You will cease your journey. (Tulip: Why should I listen to you?!) (short pause) Because I am the Conductor. | „ |
| ~ The Conductor to Tulip before neutralizing and transforming Atticus into a Ghom. |
| “ | (Tulip: Hey Amelia! Loved your movie.) Get out! You'll damage the new car! You're at zero! You're got your exit, what are you still doing on the train, you little monster? (Tulip: I'm here to make a trade: I get Atticus back and you... get your tape.) | „ |
| ~ Amelia/The Conductor in the Engine. |
| “ | Amelia/The Conductor: You insensitive... How dare you force me to relive those memories! Tulip: Just returning the favor, lady! Amelia/The Conductor: If you don't take your exit now, I'll send it so far down the train you'll die of old age before you see it again. Tulip: I'm not leaving until Atticus is back to normal. Amelia/The Conductor: And I thought you were smart. |
„ |
| ~ Amelia/The Conductor and Tulip. |
| “ | Amelia/The Conductor: Unbelievable. Again with the turtles. Tulip: You built that weird car with the turtles in it! And this is your college campus, you're trying to recreate your old life! Amelia/The Conductor: Of course I am! You keep a pipe of your backpack? Tulip: It's a Donut-Holer! |
„ |
| ~ Amelia/The Conductor and Tulip about the latter's old life. |
| “ | Tulip: You can't just create whatever car you want. Amelia/The Conductor: Why not? I'm just trying to make a car with Alrick in it. What if you could create a car, Tulip? One where your parents are still together. Tulip: But... then they wouldn't be my real parents, it wouldn't be real life, they weren't.. happy together. Amelia/The Conductor: I could make you a car where they are, I can make a car that's exactly what you wanted to be, just one big happy family. Tulip: You can't even make a car without any turtles in it! |
„ |
| ~ Amelia/The Conductor and Tulip, attempting to reason with Tulip before the latter breaking the shell of the suit. |
| “ | Stop! You destroy everything! | „ |
| ~ Amelia Hughes, insisting Tulip of ruining everything. |
| “ | I've just been trying to keep One at bay! Tulip: One what? (GASPS) One-One! |
„ |
| ~ Amelia to Tulip about One-One. |
| “ | You foolish girl, this was never about you! (Tulip: Well, you made it about me when you attacked my friends!) | „ |
| ~ Amelia to Tulip. |
| “ | Tulip: You ripped One-One out of the control panel! Amelia: He had all that power and he refused to make a car for me! Tulip: You can't keep trying to recreate your old life. You have to learn how to live in this one. Amelia: Don't you get it? I don't want a life without Alrick. (sobbing) There's a hole in the universe where Alrick used to be. Why won't the train just let me put him back? Tulip: I'm really sorry about your husband, Amelia. I don't know what it's like to lose someone you love. But I-I do know that neither of us can go back the way things were, you have to adapt the changes in our lives. It's the only way things can get better. Amelia: It doesn't matter. I'll be on the train forever. Numbers can't just go down, they also go up. Tulip: You can still try to get your number to zero, no matter how many mistakes you made. Amelia: What about getting rid of your exit car? There's no coming back from that. |
„ |
| ~ Amelia and Tulip, as the latter eventually showing her highest number. |
| “ | What have you kids been doing to the train cars? | „ |
| ~ Amelia demanding Grace, Simon and Hazel. |
| “ | Some of the cars on the train have corrupted code. I created a pulse that scans for that code. I was working fine until three weeks ago, when cars started ejecting one after the other, and since you say you keep getting ejected along with them, you're the only lead I have as to what's gone wrong. So start talking. | „ |
| ~ Amelia explaining about the ejected cars. |
| “ | The ejected cars, have there been objects that didn't match the environment? Phone booths, college campuses, a lot of turtles? Too many turtles? A number of turtles that makes you think, "Why? Why turtles again?" | „ |
| ~ Amelia Hughes about her tampering with the train cars. |
| “ | The whole point of the train is to work through your problems. The worse you do, the higher your number goes. Until you get it down to zero... you're trapped. | „ |
| ~ Amelia reveals the point of the train to Grace, while Simon accuses her of lying the entire time. |
| “ | Whatever "way" you think I was never my way! Have you ever consider that you're been wrong? Ha, of course not! You're a child. | „ |
| ~ Amelia mocking Simon for being like a child deluded into fantasy for far too long. |
Trivia[]
- Being the (somewhat) tyrannical ruler of the train, the Conductor could have had some inspirations from the Queen of Hearts from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, since Tulip is basically Alice. Additionally, she also like the tyrannical Wizard of Oz () as both are rulers in which both Tulip and Dorothy seek only to discover that They not what they appear to be.
- The Conductor is the first female main antagonist and the first human antagonist to appear in Infinity Train.
- She is one of the few Infinity Train villains that successfully kills off a major character, albeit temporarily.
- Since the Conductor used Alrick Timmens' voice, Tulip and viewers were initially led to believe that he took over the train and Amelia was the one who died.
- Amelia was supposed to be the main protagonist of Book 5 with a turtle, presumably one she made, named Cork. It was supposed to take place during Book 4 as like a Synchronous Season. However, the studio abruptly cancelled the series (partly due to her not being a child), yet that hasn't stopped fans from trying to get it renewed to this day.
- Throughout Book One, Amelia serves as a dark reflection of Tulip: both ended on the Infinity Train while struggling to overcome events on their lives that left a deep impact on them: Tulip struggled with her parents' divorce, while Amelia grieves over her husband's death. However, during their time on the Train, they follow different ways: Tulip, with the help of One-One and Atticus, soon learned she was afraid to embrace the drastical changes in her life and this allows her to get off the train, while at the same time improving her relationship with her parents. Amelia, on the other hand, allowed her grief to corrupt her, eventually becoming obsessed with reviving her past by any means necessary, which led her to usurp One-One as the train's Conductor, and by consequence, her number increased significantly - showing how she was unable to learn from her tragic background in order to live a new life. Thus, Amelia is an example of what Tulip would have become if she never accepted her parents' divorce and move on with her life.
External Links[]
- Amelia Hughes at the Infinity Train Wiki
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 Villains
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| Season 1
The Conductor | Steward Season 2 Season 3 Season 4 Shorts Recurring | ||