‘Black Snow’ Review: A Murder Mystery in the Heart of Australia

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Murder mysteries have been doing pretty well on several platforms. HBO, Netflix, and even Apple have proven that the formula is just good enough that every single story is one you have to finish. Netflix recently had a big hit with Glass Onion, the new Rian Johnson film inspired by the novels of Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes, and Raymond Chandler. Black Snow is here to bring us another cool murder mystery that will leave us scratching our heads and collecting clues until we can put all the pieces together and see if we were right or wrong.

Black Snow is a series created by Lucas Taylor and is part of the Stan Original series. The show stars Travis Fimmel, Brooker Satchwell, Kestie Morassi, Gulliver McGrath, Talijah Blackman-Corowa, and Alexander England. It tells the story of Isabel Baker, who was murdered in the 1990s. However, when her project for a time capsule is finally unearthed, it brings with it new clues about her death that push the authorities to open the case once again. Detective James Cormack attaches himself to the investigation, as he seems to share a strange connection with the case.

The murder mystery boom continues with this Stan production. For some reason, maybe because it comes all the way from Australia, or because it feels like it is tapping into a setting that is not often seen on this side of the ocean, Black Snow feels fresh. Something that quickly grasps your interest in finding the answers. However, as the story progresses, you realize that the series is not doing anything new at all. It is just telling a compelling and interesting murder mystery in the best old-fashioned way.

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Black Snow’s season consists of only six episodes. They are enough to set up the setting, introduce the characters, and then little by little get to know them. Like in any murder mystery, this is vital because understanding the characters, who they are, and what motivates them will become extremely important to find the answer to the mystery. Very early on in the season, new information reveals that Isabel feared for his life because she knew something she wasn’t supposed to. This mystery is strong enough to propel the show through its entire runtime.

Travis Fimmel appears once again on our TV screens, and the actor brings with him all the charisma that served him so well during his run with the Vikings. However, here in Black Snow, Fimmel’s performance is a bit more subdued and serious than we are used to seeing from him. There is still a bit of that maniacal energy that we love so much, but he knows how to turn it down a bit for this much darker story. His detective is quickly established as someone who is also hiding something from the audience, and finding the answers to that mystery as well is fascinating.

So, there is a mystery to solve, and the person who is supposed to solve it is a mystery unto himself. The mystery is one of the great engines of storytelling. People will continue to turn the pages just to find the answers they want. Black Snow is ready to do that, but it also hopes to give enough character so that the answers are not the only thing pushing the plot forward. Apart from Fimmel, the rest of the actors do a great job. Talijah Blackman-Corowa is among the standouts and serves as a great co-lead, as her character tries to find out what happened to her sister.

The series does something many movies and TV shows have been doing lately. It creates two timelines and jumps back and forth between them. At this point, this narrative resource isn’t the most unique one. Nevertheless, it does give plenty of opportunity to know the characters as they were when the crimes were committed and as they are now, with decades of distance from the crime. Seeing how people change is always interesting. It is something that we as audience members also experience, so it becomes a good device to make characters feel relatable.

In terms of visuals, the Australian landscapes help a lot in creating a unique setting that feels very different from other murder mysteries set in America or the many set in parts of Europe. However, the direction is not doing anything spectacular most of the time. The visuals try to be effective in delivering information and less impactful in terms of style. It is fine, but a bit more flourish is always welcome.

In the end, Black Snow serves as a good and entertaining murder mystery. The visuals are on point but lack style and the story is definitely not trying to prevent the wheel, but it doesn’t have to. If you are looking for a new mystery to solve, Black Snow seems to be the ideal series for it.

SCORE: 8/10

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