(WARNING: Spoilers for this week’s episode of Snowfall will be found below.)
There are many acceptable answers for what the theme of season six of Snowfall could be. In a Rolling Stone interview, Damson Idris himself said the theme was the “fracturing of the family,” which I can’t argue against. Some may say it’s the slow fall of the empire and its king, which again, I have no pushback against. However, to go a little bit further, we have to ask, what caused this once-impenetrable family to fracture? What caused this empire to fall? The answer is greed and not being able to say enough is enough.
A post on Twitter called for fans’ favorite scenes from the Snowfall series, and one user shared a clip of a season five conversation between Franklin and drug and weapons dealer Avi. Speaking about Franklin, he says, “This young man can do anything he wants, and that’s the biggest curse a man can have.” A befuddled Franklin questions Avi’s choice to call it a curse and Avi explains that Frankin’s unlimited skill set allows him to be and do anything he sets his mind to. He could be a teacher, a businessman, a rabbi, or a drug dealer. Avi has only been and will only be a weapons and drug dealer so that is what he set his mind on as he journeyed from war to war. As for Franklin, he predicted that the many things he can be would spark a war inside his mind.
That war is on full display in the season six finale of Snowfall. Truthfully, it’s something that dates back to season five. In a perfect world, Franklin could be the breadwinner for his family, a great father, a successful businessman, and a drug dealer who took his earnings and left the dangerous life. However, as we’ve seen in the final episodes of Snowfall the conflict within those aforementioned positions didn’t allow him to be successful at all of them. In the final episode, that theme of not knowing when enough is enough is more alive than ever. In his endless search to recoup some of the $73 million that the now-slain Teddy took from him, Franklin disrespects his best friend Leon in a way he hasn’t before, he threatens his wife and nearly assaults her, and he belittles his mother who sacrificed herself to save him. In the end, Franklin finds himself at a low point that few of the main or recurring characters on Snowfall have experienced. From being at the top of the world to beneath the bottom. It’s not the ending many of us had in mind for Snowfall, but it’s also one that we should’ve seen coming.
Here are some of the biggest takeaways that we have after season six’s final episode, “The Struggle”:
Franklin Forgot It Was Never A One-Man Show
In the series finale of Snowfall, Franklin goes to great lengths to retrieve whatever bit of money he can from people around him. It’s all in an attempt to recover from the $37 million loss that he experienced in episode nine. His attempts to get money turn into a rampage tour in which he visits friends and family members to try and force them to give him money or not make him lose anymore. He starts with Leon, by asking him for $3 million in exchange for a stake in his real estate business that he would later be bought out of for 5-10 times the price. Then it was with his girlfriend Veronique who he threatened and nearly assaulted for taking offers to the Spring Street building in order to make some money for themselves. Lastly, it ended with his mother Cissy, who he lashed out at for refusing to sign over ownership of the house he bought her so that he could sell it. In each case, Franklin reminded them that everything they received was from him which meant that he could take it away as fast as they got it. What he did forget is that he didn’t receive all these things through his own solo doing. Leon, Veronique, and Cissy helped him in different and important ways. It was never a one-man show for Franklin and it’s unfortunate that he forgot that at his lowest point.
Leon Loved Cissy Like A Mother, And She Loved Him Like A Son
One of the most beautiful parts of this finale came during conversations between Leon and Cissy. Leon seems to be the only one who has some understanding of why Cissy shot Teddy and stopped him from transferring $37 million to Franklin. It’s this understanding that’s behind Leon’s decision to not give Franklin money when he demands it from him. “She didn’t want you to have that money and I ain’t gonna disrespect what she did by giving you something she didn’t want you to have,” he says in the episode. At that moment, the respect Leon has for Cissy couldn’t be any clearer, and a few scenes later, their love for each is put on full display. Leon stops at the L.A. County Jail to visit Cissy and give her an update on the outside world and see if there’s anything she needs. She begs him to go to Ghana and reunite with Wanda and figure out what he wants to do with his life. She also calls him her “greatest surprise,” a compliment that speaks to Leon’s maturity over the six seasons of Snowfall. With tears running down their eyes, Cissy and Leon say “I love you” to each other and depart from each other with Cissy knowing she has someone that treats her like the true mother she is and with Leon knowing that someone loves him like a son.
Franklin Is A Lot More Like Teddy Than We Might’ve Thought
When Franklin looked Leon in the eye and said, “I’m the reason y’all n****s got this f*cking money in the first place,” I couldn’t help but think, “Wow, that sounds a lot like what Teddy said to Franklin as he was tied up.” When Franklin looked Veronique in the eye and said, “I built it, right? And if I want to tear it all down then that’s what the f*ck I’m gonna do,” I couldn’t help but think, “Wow, that sounds a lot like what Teddy said to Franklin as he was tied up.” When Franklin visited Cissy and second time and said, “You ended my f*cking life after everything I f*cking did for you,” I couldn’t help but think, once again, “Wow, that sounds a lot like what Teddy said to Franklin as he was tied up.” When Teddy told Franklin that he could take all his money away from him because he allowed Franklin to have it, Franklin looked at him with absolute disgust and questioned him in more ways than one about his thought process. Lo and behold Franklin has that same mindset and approach to his family. To his family and us on the outside, it’s clear that Franklin is drowning, and though there’s a small boat he can get on to save himself, Franklin is insisting on waiting for the expensive yacht. Veronique, Leon, and Cissy have all accepted their fates in the small boat, but they aren’t going to wait for Franklin to do the same so they make their exit and save themselves. Franklin thought he owned these people, just as Teddy believed he owned Franklin, however, this entitlement means nothing when you can’t stay afloat and fend for yourself. At that point, you become just as “weak” as the people you think you’re above.
No One Wanted It To End This Way, And It Didn’t Have To
I thought Snowfall would end with Franklin salvaging some aspects of his empire and escaping to a new life where he reminisced about what could’ve been. Some people thought he would be killed and really bring a true end to everything that was built in Snowfall. Louie is gone, Jerome is dead, Cissy is in jail, and Leon flees the country. Franklin’s death would’ve marked the absolute end of an era. Instead, we watch the Franklin that we once knew and fell in love with spiral into something unrecognizable at the end of 6 months, then 1 year, and finally 2 years. Franklin turns into an alcoholic with nothing left to his name except his mother’s house, a few clothes, a bottle of liquor, and his pride. The thing is, it didn’t have to end this way. Franklin could’ve escaped this life with less than $73 million $37 million to his name. Veronique wiped his accounts of $800,000 and ran off after he put his hands on her, but if not for him threatening her like that, he could’ve started all over with that $800,000 to his name. There were many exits for Franklin on this journey, but he refused to take them as he believed that the light at the end of the tunnel lay his pot of gold. In the end, there was nothing left for him. The snowball (or snowfall) effect came ran its full course by the end of Snowfall, and still, Leon came back to extend one last hand to help Franklin pick himself back up. Once again, denied the help. No one wanted it to end this way, and truthfully, it didn’t have to.
All seasons of ‘Snowfall’ are available to watch on Hulu.