The psychological thriller series Black Snow on Stan followed the cold case investigation into the 1994 murder of 17-year-old Isabel Baker in the small town of Ashford, North Queensland. The six-episode first season took many twists and turns before finally revealing what happened to Isabel on that fateful night after her high school formal.
How Did Time Capsule Lead To Reopen Investigation?
At the start of the series, a time capsule is unearthed at the local high school, containing mementos from Isabel and her classmates from 1994. This reopens old wounds in the town and prompts Detective James Cormack (Travis Fimmel) to reopen the investigation into Isabel’s unsolved murder.
As Cormack digs deeper, he uncovers a dark history of exploitation and racism against the Australian South Sea Islander community that Isabel was part of. He learns that Isabel had discovered a secret human trafficking operation using undocumented islander workers, including two missing boys she was trying to help.
Who Killed Isabel And Why?
In a series of flashbacks, we see the events leading up to Isabel’s death after a confrontation with her ex-boyfriend Anton Bianchi (Alexander England) and his racist father Victor (Rob Carlton). Isabel had uncovered that Victor was involved in the disappearance and likely murder of the two islander boys after they were brought in illegally to work on his farm.
On the night of the formal, Isabel gets into an argument with her friend Chloe (Brooke Satchwell) after revealing what she knows about Chloe’s father Steve’s (Erik Thomson) involvement in the human trafficking operation. Isabel tries to retrieve the boys’ passports from Ezekiel, their caretaker, but he has been severely beaten by Steve for threatening to go to the police.
Isabel then goes to Victor’s property to investigate and is caught by him. In a shocking moment, Victor shoots Isabel with a rifle after she flees on a bicycle. Her body is later found by Anton, devastated by her death.
Did Victor Get Caught?
In the present day, Cormack is able to get a confession from the now elderly Victor about killing Isabel to cover up his crimes. He also learns that Anton’s daughter Kalana (Eden Cassady) is actually Isabel’s child too, conceived after a relationship between Anton and Isabel’s sister Hazel (Jemmason Power) in the aftermath of the tragedy.
At Isabel’s memorial service, a sense of closure is achieved for her family and the community. Anton is finally free from his father’s control, having been forced for decades to keep the murder secret.
Black Snow Ending Explained
Cormack receives a potential lead that his long-lost brother Ritchie, who disappeared the same night as Isabel’s murder in 1994, may have surfaced after all these years. This tantalizing thread is left open for a potential second season exploring Cormack’s personal connection to the case.
The ending provides hard-earned resolution to Isabel’s story while still leaving some insightful loose ends to ponder. What really happened the night she died? How will this impact the surviving characters like Hazel and Anton? Will Cormack find his brother after sacrificing so much for this case?
Also Read: A Lot of Nothing Ending Explained
While a compelling psychological thriller, Black Snow is also a deeply emotional examination of grief, racism, family secrets, and generational trauma.
The stellar performances, particularly by Fimmel, Power, and the newcomers like Cassady and Talijah Blackman-Corowa (playing young Isabel), bring an authenticity to the Australian South Sea Islander representation rarely seen on television.
