This piece marks the fifth (and probably final) time I’ll write about FX’s Snowfall. Created by the legendary John Singleton, Eric Amadio and Dave Andron, and starring Damson Idris, the series has become a powerhouse in its own right. Snowfall follows the story of Franklin Saint, a young man who, during the 1980s L.A. crack epidemic, changes the lives of himself and those around him by becoming a narcotics kingpin. Now that the snow is falling for the last time, I am once again giving this series the royal treatment it deserves during the most epic of swan songs -- its final season.
For the uninitiated: Snowfall has chronicled Franklin's career in the illicit drug business, while also shedding light on the true impact of the '80s crack epidemic on Black people and the culture at large. At the end of the show's penultimate season, Franklin was extremely desperate after his now ex-partner, CIA agent Teddy McDonald (Carter Hudson), stole all his money and product. This desperation led him to rob his Uncle Jerome (Amin Joseph) and Aunt Louie (Angela Louis), which of course, puts some bad blood between them, to say the absolute least.
This season we are seeing the fallout of those decisions, which includes entanglements with the KGB, collusion with the DEA, and the Saint family's violent descent into all-out war. Not to mention, Cissy's (Michael Hyatt) unrelenting vendetta against Teddy, who killed her husband (Franklin’s dad) Alton at the end of season four. The momentum of every episode this season has been kinetic and unyielding, as if we're watching a car speed towards a wall in slow motion. We know whatever happens next won't be good for anyone involved, so the only real question is, who's going to make it out alive?
The way that this show's inherit nature leaves space for a light, suspenseful tension in almost every scene, while also satisfying even the most built up of situations in a fulfilling way, every time, is seriously the mark of a truly great vibe that not many shows, if any at all, are likely to successfully reproduce.
In thinking about Snowfall and its impact on both the industry and the culture, what I end up pondering most is its inevitable absence. I'm not saying that it should go on forever -- no show should -- but once that final curtain does come to a close, what's next? What new show will bring us this level of authenticity and swag, while constantly riding the line between enthralling, culturally relatable drama and intense cathartic release? Never mind the fact that no one else has made the '80s look this good since, well, ever.
Speaking of swag, and intensity for that matter, Jerome (who definitely has the best damn wardrobe of the entire series, fight me) has been pretty volatile this season, which is saying a lot, because everyone's been pretty crazy so far. Amin Joseph's ability to give us a Jerome who is both deeply conflicted and hurt, but at times also ruthless and unforgiving, is on par with what we've come to expect from this cast as a whole. Cissy, in particular, also has a depth to her that reeks of both seething rage and deep melancholy. The fact that these feelings all stem from a place of love -- whether it be scorned, or vengeful, or both -- has been a cornerstone of every poignant performance we’ve seen so far.
One sequence that really stands out is the final scene of episode two, "The Sit Down."
After Cissy reaches out to Jerome about trying to work things out with Franklin, the two men meet at a small diner. For a minute, it looks as though things might be okay. "I hit you. You hit me. Let's call it square," Franklin says. "Stay out of each other's way. Everybody lives."
In response, Jerome tells a story about how he took great pride in stepping into a father-type role for his sister's son when Alton was in the throes of his alcoholism. "Instantly I had love. I had purpose," he says, getting a little choked up. "For the longest time, I thought that by lifting you up … watching the man that you were gonna become, that that might be the greatest thing to ever happen in my life."
Like I said … for a minute. Because at that point things take a dark turn. "And now I look at you and wonder, how did I fuck up so bad?" Jerome continues. "Is it my fault that you've become the scandalous, cutthroat, bitch-made nigga that you are right now?"
Now, while the epic chill of this moment may not be reading the same in writing as on screen, I assure you, this was one of the most The Godfather-esque, Scarface-level moments in the entire series.
Think about it. The generation that Jerome comes from is the one before the version that was popularized by movies like Singleton's Boyz in the Hood. Before the guns and the crack, there were still gangs, but these O.G.s settled their differences with non-lethal fighting -- not unlike how Leon (Isaiah John) had to reassert himself in his neighborhood once he and Wanda (Gail Bean) returned from Ghana (see episode five). Since Franklin and the introduction of crack, however, the violence has taken a much more fatal turn, and that's without including the damage that the drug itself is doing to the community. Now there are shoot outs in the street, regular drive-bys, and women and children don't seem to be off limits anymore, at least not around this type of violence. I mean, how much collateral damage can there be around a fist fight? A lot less than around a gun fight, I presume.
The point here is that, to Jerome, for Franklin to behave this way -- stealing from his own family, putting a gun in Louie's face, poaching their clientele, and consorting with their enemies -- means that he's lost his way. He's no longer pumping like the men that Jerome grew to be like and respect, and like any decent father figure, he's both heart-broken and furious about it.
The metaphorical fuse has been lit on this dramatic stick of dynamite, and it's been burning lower and lower with every gripping episode. It's been an immense pleasure writing about one of the most instantly iconic shows, Black or otherwise, to grace our screens in a long time. Snowfall’s emotional nuance, top-notch talent, and ability to focus on the culture in a real way without making every episode feel like a history lesson, are just three of the countless reasons that this thing grew into something that I'm sure John Singleton would be positively beaming with pride over if he were still with us.
Snowfall is telecast Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on FX.
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