‘Snowfall’ starts strong, but meanders
Crack’s story should’ve focused on one plotline
“How Crack Began” is the tagline for John Singleton’s new FX drama, “Snowfall.”
The “Boyz n the Hood” director, who influenced a generation of black filmmakers (“Straight Outta Compton” and “Dope” likely wouldn’t exist without him), returns to South L.A. circa 1983 for the beginnings of the crack cocaine epidemic.
“Snowfall,” which premiered Wednesday, paints a picture very different from that of today’s opioid crisis. Back then, urban communities were the target, the drug of choice couldn’t be had at a clinic and there was little sympathy from the media or lawmakers for those who became hopelessly addicted.
In the best moments of “Snowfall,” Singleton takes a story familiar to Hollywood — drugs, urban crime, etc. — and reframes it, peeling away the tired gangster tropes and looking instead at the toll on the community.
Franklin Saint (Damson Idris) is the beating heart of “Snowfall.” The teen lives in South L.A. but attended high school in an upscale part of the San Fernando Valley. He works part-time as a stock boy at the local Korean-owned liquor store and makes a little money on the side dealing weed with his Uncle Jerome (Amin Joseph).
But when he’s introduced to the lucrative world of cocaine through a wealthy former schoolmate, Franklin sees an opportunity to expand his financial outlook.
The problem is, he’s a good kid with a loving mom (brought to life by talented “Wire” alum Michael Hyatt). Franklin has the smarts but not the ruthlessness required to run drugs on the mean streets of L.A.
And oh, the neighborhood. The vivid depictions of life there are often the best moments in “Snowfall.”
Sunlight streams though the narrow, palm tree-lined streets. Kids ride colorful banana-seat bikes down cracked sidewalks. Teens blast their boom boxes on the RTD bus. Crime happens, but not half as much as the normal everyday stuff. It’s a tight neighborhood, not a war zone.
But we know what they don’t — that converging forces are about to rip them apart, and that’s the driving tension here.
If only all of “Snowfall” were as compelling.
The problem is that the series is split among three narratives, and the time spent on the other characters dilutes a story that could have been told through Franklin. They are given equal time but half the depth.
Lucia Villanueva (Emily Rios) was born into a Mexican drug cartel, and she is plotting to expand the family empire. Teddy Mcdonald (Carter Hudson) is a sidelined CIA agent, reassigned from an important mission overseas to L.A.
Lucia’s back story is as shallow as her motivations.
As for Teddy, the best guess is that he’s surveying L.A.’S cocaine trade when he uncovers a clandestine CIA operation.
If they’d stuck with one story — Franklin’s — “Snowfall” would be another strong FX series. But as is, the drama is often as scattered and aimless as its title.