WARNING: Spoilers for this week’s episode of Snowfall will be found below.
Season six of Snowfall is underway and it’s beyond clear that turmoil is at its highest in Los Angeles. In episode one, the Saint family is at war after Franklin stole more than $3 million from Jerome and Louie, a decision that was made after they refused to help Franklin after he had $73 million stolen from him. After failing to convince Franklin to return the funds, Jerome brutally attacked and killed Black Diamond as retaliation to begin the season.
In episode three, “Door Of No Return,” things begin with Leon and Wanda in Ghana. The couple left Los Angeles in the season five finale to escape the growing chaos in their home. In Ghana, Leon and Wanda are happier than they’ve ever been and they even got married. However, as the saying goes, home is where the heart is and Leon gets the increasingly loud call in his mind to return home and do what he can to fix and free both his friends and hometown. Upon his return to Los Angeles, Leon learns that Jerome killed Black Diamond after Franklin robbed him and Louie. Leon also discovers that Franklin’s war with Jerome and Louie has resulted in both sides being targeted as well as their places of business, their friends, families, and, associates. Leon tries to be a peacemaker, but neither side is receptive and because he has close ties to both sides, Leon is now left to make a decision: pick a side or stay far away from the whole war.
Here are some of the biggest takeaways that we have after season six’s episode one, “Door Of No Return.”
You Can’t Run From The Truth Because The Truth Will Find You
Leon’s departure from Los Angeles at the end of season five was most likely rooted in his desire to make it out of the mess alive and well. He no longer wanted to participate in the drug game, and with his longtime lover Wanda feeling the same way, an exit from it made perfect sense. However, during his time in Ghana, Leon realizes that he contributed heavily to the problem that ravaged Los Angeles. He sees a quote from Ghanaian president Jerry Rawlings during his time in the country and it reads, “The errors of the past must be corrected in order to reestablish the confidence of our people in a secure future.” He later visits an old slave castle and learns that some Africans took part in slave trade, something he likens to his participation in the drug game in Los Angeles. The truth is that Leon is very much a notable contributor to the mess in Los Angeles, and though he tried to escape the problem he helped cause, the truth about it followed him to Ghana and reminded him in a way that was too loud to ignore.
Peace And War Cannot Coexist
The Saint family has their hands in a lot of the bloodshed that is all over Los Angeles as a result of their drug operation. Franklin refuses to back down and so do Jerome and Louie, so as far as either side is concerned, the war will continue until someone falls down. Bless Leon’s heart as he returns to Los Angeles with the goal of getting the Saint the resolve their disagreements. Maybe it’s due to his absence, but Leon absolutely underestimates the severity of the war within the Saint family. This isn’t a simple disagreement that requires a conversation. Matter of fact, Jerome and Franklin tried that and it only made things worse. Leon desperately wants peace due to his love for the parties involved and for the fact that it will be the first step towards bettering the community. However, Franklin, Jerome, and Louie are so dead set on trading shots that it seems likely that the war will have to reach its most gruesome days before the desire for peace can even come into play.
Freedom Requires The Chance, The Will, And The Environment
One of my favorite moments from this episode comes after Leon and Wanda complete their tour of the old slave castle. After hearing stories about how some Africans contributed to slave trade, Leon realizes that it’s similar to his participation in the LA drug game and the pain it caused in his community. He then goes on to say that he believes it’s easier to escape slavery than it is to escape the hold crack can have on someone. He adds, “If you gave a slave an opportunity for freedom, he’ll take that and never look back. If you gave the same opportunity to a crackhead, they may always look back.” At this moment, Leon truly sees the grip that drug addiction can have on a single person, and the effects are amplified when it’s an entire community. Through his conversation, he seems to understand that gaining freedom requires the chance, the will, and the environment. The thought or the opportunity to be free from something must arrive, something that isn’t always present, especially to a drug addict. Then, the desire to go through with it must be there which is always a taller feat than expected. Lastly, the environment around you must allow you to achieve and maintain that, something that’s damn near impossible in LA where the government is the one putting the drugs into the communities. For Leon, he found freedom in Ghana but he failed to maintain it as his will to do so deteriorated in favor of returning to his true home and doing whatever he could to give them that freedom he briefly enjoyed.
Revenge Proves Its Own Executioner
Most of “Door Of No Return” is focused on Leon’s return to Los Angeles, his discoveries upon arrival, and his changed relationship with those he once considered close. However, in brief moments throughout the episode, we see interactions between Franklin and Jerome and things reach new levels that prove the war isn’t over yet. The two meet to discuss squashing things, but it only ends with Franklin disrespecting Louie in Jerome’s face, Jerome returning the favor by slapping Franklin, and Franklin retaliating by pulling a gun on Jerome (that now makes two Saint family members that Franklin has pulled a gun out on). Though Franklin, Jerome, and Louie are completely in their right to defend themselves, this back and forth is self-damaging just as much as it is hurtful to their new enemy. Franklin’s real estate office is riddled with broken glass and other damage, as is Louie and Jerome’s club. Franklin and Kane have lost people in the war and so have Jerome, Louie, and Deon. Though the war continues, the battles proves that Franklin, Jerome, and Louie are to blame for their own battle scars just as much as they are for the damage done on the other side.
New episodes of ‘Snowfall’ are available on FX on Wednesdays at 10pm EST/ PST.