Spearheaded by the American Crime Story series, true crime anthology is the latest buzz in the American TV industry, and Unsolved is its newest addition. ‘The only thing more intriguing than the lives of famous people, are their deaths’ seems to be the mantra, and Unsolved dives into the conspiracies and investigations around the murders of 90s’ rappers Tupac Shakur and Christopher ‘Biggie Smalls’ Wallace. Both murders took place a few months apart, and while there was evidence to suggest they may have been related, investigative agencies failed to unearth a link. In fact, both murders remain unsolved to this day.
By its very definition, Unsolved is about botched-up police investigations and failed attempts; you know, at the outset, there will be no light at the end of the tunnel here. Yet, what Unsolved does well is break down the mechanisms of an investigation, twice over. The first, by the Los Angeles Police Department in 1997 after Wallace was shot, and the second in 2007, when the case was reopened by a Special Task Force. Both investigations unfold concurrently, alongside a third track revolving around Shakur and Wallace’s friendship, and eventual parting.
This is a smart, even if complex, storytelling device, and what makes the show stand apart from its competition. Unsolved has neither the depth of the OJ Simpson story, nor the inherent thrill of Manhunt: Unabomber, but it has an infectious verve that keeps you invested, and actors who commit to their parts with ease. The standout among them is Jimmi Simpson (Westworld), playing the socially-awkward and obsessive detective, Russell Poole, working on the Wallace case in the ’97 chapter, and who speaks at all times — it seems — in a whisper.
What Unsolved also benefits from immensely is the involvement of Anthony Hemingway, who directed the OJ Simpson chapter of the American Crime Story series. Hemingway and the other series directors lend a distinct personality to each of the three timelines, shooting them in different hues and palettes, yet binding them together with consistently smooth transitions and seamless plotting.
It takes a couple of episodes to fully grasp the various intermingling strands — the East Coast-West Coast rivalry among rappers in the 1990s; the interdepartmental tension between police forces; the several suspects, some of whose names crop up in both murders — but the narrative begins to settle down nicely once the framework is laid out. A sense of repetition creeps in midway through the season (but that may be by design), as characters go sniffing after new leads but end up right where they started.
The finest police procedurals don’t just obsess over breakthroughs and revelations, but focus on the mundane and dry quality of an investigation before that eureka moment arrives (Bosch, on Amazon, is a shining example). The best moments of Unsolved, too, lie in tired conversations between cops at the end of frustratingly unproductive days, during long lookouts outside suspects’ homes, and at weekend barbecue brunches. Even true crime isn’t always glamorous, and that’s just fine.
The first season of Unsolved is now streaming on Netflix.
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