Looking to find an interesting TV series that will have you gripping the bottom of your seat? Then “Snowfall” may be the one. “Snowfall” is a crime drama series created by the late John Singleton, first debuting on FX July 5, 2017.
The TV series revolves around the first crack epidemic in Los Angeles in 1983 and the impact that the drug caused on the culture in the city. Franklin Saint, a 19-year-old drug dealer played by British actor Damon Idris, is striving to rise through the ranks of his drug organization and gain more power by transitioning from selling marijuana for his uncle Jerome, to selling hard crack called “the rock.”
In the first season of “Snowfall,” Franklin Saint sold cocaine to his friends in the valley. When Franklin’s friend from the valley gives him the “Plug,” an Israeli crime kingpin named Avi Drexer, Franklin seeks help from his family and friends. Franklin was led to Oakland where he received a recipe to turn what was then called “free base coke” into a money making drug that changed his whole community.
Season 2 is all about power. Saint’s business continued to grow, and became more sophisticated. Saint and his close friends Leon and Kev learned how to cook the product, increasing both demand and his established networks north and south of the border. Saint is also known as smart and creative with his ideas taking possession of a food truck and disguising his drug transactions in bags of chips. But as savvy as Saint was, it didn’t stop the chatter of him having large amounts of money, leading to men breaking into his home being shot and killed. The bodies were disposed by Saint’s crew because of the drugs, money, and suspicion from law enforcement. Calling the police was not an option.
When Saint’s plug Avi’s house was raided by the feds, Franklin became skeptical about Avi being a snitch because he was released from jail right away. While looking for a new person to get his product from, Franklin was T-boned and knocked out by CIA operative Teddy McDonald, who is running from a dark past and begins an off-the-books operation to fund the Nicaraguan Contras. Teddy was preparing to receive drugs with no one to sell them, so he used Franklin as his pond.
While seasons one and two built the characters and their worlds, season three didn’t waste any time getting straight to the point. In season three, the young kingpin grows increasingly cutthroat as he makes choices that alter the lives of everyone in his path. The expansion of Saint’s business draws the attention of Los Angeles Police Department Sgt. Andre Wright, his neighbor who is eager to take Saint down because of the damage he’s causing in South Central. Saint also has an intimate relationship with Sgt. Wright’s daughter Melody. Saint and Sgt. Wright began to become enemies and were at war due to Sgt. Wright stopping at nothing to get Saint off the streets, especially once his daughter Melody is affected by the drug causing her not to attend college at Spelman.
In retaliation, Wright led a police raid onSaint’s operation and family. The young kingpin then hires a woman to lure Wright into a hotel, drug him, take his gun and badge and get Wright suspended from the force. While knowing the history of their complicated relationship, the two men turned their battle into a chess game.
After pulling Melody out of a crack house, Saint begins to see the devastation of the drugs and how it is affecting someone he loves. Although Melody Wright’s addiction was a tragedy to see in the TV series, the reality of it makes it more haunting. Wright was determined to bring Saint down by any means, however, Wright was unsuccessful after he was shot in the head at close range by Saint. Although Melody suffered from drug addiction, she wanted revenge for her father’s death — leaving jaws hanging after shooting Saint multiple times, believing the young kingpin was responsible for her father’s death.
“Snowfall” is returning for a new season on Feb. 24, taking viewers to 1985 when the crack epidemic was at an all-time high.