‘Black Snow’ Recap: ‘Unfinished Business’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the Series Premiere of ‘Black Snow’.
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There was a time in modern human history, quite recently in fact, where brutal crimes flat out went unsolved. For the people that committed them were savvy in nature and knew exactly how to game the system. Allowing for them to enjoy their freedom and no consequences for their actions while others suffered greatly. For those unfortunate victims either had emotional scars hanging over their head from that dark day, or they were left forever missing a loved one that was brutally harmed by an awful person or persons, who evaded justice because evidence in such matters… was nowhere to be found. But thankfully, those dark days are finally coming to an end.
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For forensic science has come a long way and the tricks and tips that criminals used to evade capture, have brought them and their crimes into the light. Courtesy of solid DNA evidence and other such scientific wonders that can finally bring forth justice to the fallen and put the offender behind bars where they belong. In fact, this science is so revolutionary, it is changing how we enjoy crime themed stories, and it is even giving rise to tales that revolve around the justice that is conducted when new forensic science solves ancient cold cases that some deemed unsolvable, as evidenced by a new series on Sundance Now. For Black Snow is a show that revolves around a crime in this vein and well… that allows for a powerful and unique series premiere to come to life.

Because ‘Unfinished Business’ is an incredibly different kind of crime story. One that revolves around a crime from twenty-five years ago. Wherein a young woman named Isabel Baker was brutally murdered on a calm night after a school event. But there was no supporting evidence to really uncover who committed this heinous crime, so her family and the community did their best to move on. But when the local high school’s time capsule is opened to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the school, the community quickly remembers Isabel. For she wrote a blurb in her contribution to the capsule about how she thought her hometown was filled with monsters and murderers. Which gets the attention of James Cormack. A detective that specializes in cold cases such as these and now… it will be up to him to see if he can crack this long-standing and brutal mystery that has haunted a small community for ages. 

Which is a supremely refreshing and original plot on its own. Since it is indeed about a cold case and a murder that deserves to be solved because of the brutal nature of it and because there was no justice for Isabel. But what truly allows for this fascinating premiere to deeply draw us into the mystery, is the sheer fact… that it isn’t flashy or edgy. It’s a down home exploration of how death impacts a small community, and how the loss of a life really does create a lasting void that doesn’t fade over time. Making this a supremely human series premiere, one that we can relate to and one that we want to see come to its conclusion. So that there is justice for this poor soul that was at the very beginning of her life and had that robbed from her. But this series compels us further to continue the journey for reasons that go far beyond our need to see evil vanquished.

For this is also a series that is clearly going to explore the trauma that people experience from crime and loss, and how one reconciles that decades after it rocked their world. Which means we are in for a supremely intimate and unsettling journey. One that will leave no stone unturned regarding the case and the why behind the murder and… that is going to be incredible to watch. Since it will in essence, thumb its nose at what the crime drama normally stands for and do something exciting and new and you simply cannot go wrong with that, and it will be quite interesting to see what we learn about this case and the people of this town as James digs deep into one ugly cold case, and a troubling past that someone desperately wants the world to forget. Until next time.

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