My recent trip to New Zealand has fuelled my interest in things Antipodean, and although I've never been to Australia (one of these days, possibly) when I came across Black Snow, a six-part series set in Queensland, I decided to give it a go. And I'm glad I did, even though the show is a mixed bag, with flaws as well as strengths.
Let's start with the positives - and there are quite a few of them. This is a story about a cold case in a hot climate. The trigger for the action in the small town of Ashford is the opening of a time capsule that was sealed 25 years ago, at the time a 17 year old girl called Isabel was murdered, a crime that was never solved. Eerily, her voice has been recorded, saying: 'In 2019 I predict Ashford will still be full of predators disguised as friends.' It soon becomes obvious to cop James Cormack (Travis Fimmel) that someone local was responsible for the murder.
The story follows a twin timeline. We see events in 1994 in the lead-up to the murder as Cormack, a decent man with (naturally) a number of personal demons, painstakingly tries to establish the truth. There are some absolutely beautiful scenes, not least of the sugar cane fields (the title refers to the ash from burning sugar cane). It's a very well-made series and I learned about the South Sea Islander community, about which I was previously ignorant.
The trouble with Black Snow is that, like so many contemporary TV shows, it's far too drawn-out for its own good. I lost count of the number of times Isabel's message was repeated; it became a blunt instrument. Even worse, from a relatively early point, it's pretty obvious who the murderer will turn out to be. This is because the scriptwriters are clearly writing with an agenda (and it's not a bad agenda at all) which necessitates a particular outcome. This might be ok in, say, a 90-minute show. In a six-hour series, it's a major weakness. Which is a pity, because Black Snow does have a lot going for it - other than pace.
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