Unsolved Mysteries (Netflix)

[Thomas]

The American Crimewatch is back.

I didn't know it existed, but it's back. Running since 1987, Netflix have picked up the latest series - or "season" - and given it a swish makeover. Fascinating, well-presented stuff. Frequently horrifying. Murders and disappearances. Rural US weirdness. One filler episode about

Spoiler alert

a UFO

[close]

.

The tragic Alonzo Brooks case speaks to the sort of racism that is currently receiving renewed focus, and the final episode is absolutely shocking. Seriously, watch that last episode. It's astonishing what happens in those isolated rural communities.

I hope that the publicity of this series might encourage some answers. I believe the FBI have reopened the Brooks case since it went out, with a sizable award attached. Not sure they'll get any tip-offs about the

Spoiler alert

UFO

[close]

, though.

I'll watch or listen to anything with 'Unexplained', 'Unsolved', or 'Mystery' in the title, and this doesn't disappoint. Except for the

Spoiler alert

UFO

[close]

episode.

[Icehaven]

Have you listened to The Vanished podcast? I've only recently discovered it so I'm working my way through but some are intriguing. Agree about what apparently goes on in rural communities though, particularly with what the police get away with (not) doing.

[Emma Raducanu]

After reading about the golden state killer discussed in another thread, I was wondering about decent documentaries about serial killers. I'm fascinated by them

[Replies From View]

That's because you ARE ONE




(a serial killer, not a golden gate bridge)

[Phil_A]

I'm extremely disappointed they've gone for a standard Netflix documentary format for this revival. UM really needs a needs a gruff/grizzled authority figure to anchor it. A spectral visitation from Robert Stack during the credits just ain't enough!

Incidentally I've just come across a youtube channel that's been uploading the early pre-series specials with Raymond Burr and Karl Malden presenting. Just need someone to put up all the episodes that had segments cut for legal reasons now, which turns out is quite a lot.

[BlodwynPig]

Watched the first one, loads of holes, but enjoyable enough.

[Pearly-Dewdrops Drops]

UM really needs a needs a gruff/grizzled authority figure to anchor it.

But you simply cannot replace Robert Stack. It would have been as bad as the mid-2000s Denis Farina version they attempted. Robert Stack is too unique and too iconic, so they definitely made the right decision.

That said, the Unsolved Mysteries label is obviously just marketing. I'm still enjoying it so far, but other than the theme song and brief attempts at the cheesy reenactment style of the original, there is very little connecting this to the original show as opposed to any number of other true crime/paranormal docuseries.

(The theme song is so good it is still getting me into the old Unsolved Mysteries mood though.)

[willy crossit]

if you've got amazon prime, all twelve series of the original are on there at the moment.

[Phil_A]

if you've got amazon prime, all twelve series of the original are on there at the moment.

It's not the original episodes as broadcast unfortunately as tons of stuff was removed on legal grounds and other segments moved around to fill in the gaps

[Moribunderast]

While I wouldn't necessarily call this reboot "good" it was a very easy watch and that theme music tickled my nostalgia glans real nice. I liked the first episode and thought the Alonso episode and the finale could be important in hopefully bringing new eyes to the cases and obtaining some justice down the line. The last episode is quite mental, just the open secrets of hideous crimes in a small-town. Poor

Spoiler alert

Colter doesn't stand a chance, does he? Home-schooled by a maniac with a giant countdown clock to him finding out the person he thinks is his Mum actually killed his real Mum.

[close]

Fucking bleak.

[Thomas]

The cinematic theme tune is brilliant, a great bit of horror music in its own right. So good that I could tell it hadn't just been knocked up for the new Netflix series.

Have you listened to The Vanished podcast? I've only recently discovered it so I'm working my way through but some are intriguing. Agree about what apparently goes on in rural communities though, particularly with what the police get away with (not) doing.

I hadn't heard of that, I've subscribed now. Thanks, icehaven.

[Puce Moment]

Although they have taken on stylistic elements of Netflix docs that I am completely boredy by, the short runtime for each case seems to be an innately un-Netflix thing to do. They wring the shit out of any case, extending it to ten episodes if they can. This is refreshingly brief.

SPOILERS

So what about episode 1? Was the chap killed by Russians who wanted investment or the mafia who were burned by buying their stocks? Also, a pertinent question that they skirt around is whether he had his legs broken before he was thrown (if it wasn't suicide). I reckon this one is the most likely case for suicide.

[BlodwynPig]

Although they have taken on stylistic elements of Netflix docs that I am completely boredy by, the short runtime for each case seems to be an innately un-Netflix thing to do. They wring the shit out of any case, extending it to ten episodes if they can. This is refreshingly brief.

SPOILERS

So what about episode 1? Was the chap killed by Russians who wanted investment or the mafia who were burned by buying their stocks? Also, a pertinent question that they skirt around is whether he had his legs broken before he was thrown (if it wasn't suicide). I reckon this one is the most likely case for suicide.

How did he end up going through the roof at that spot? Full of holes

[Armin Meiwes]

Not watched this yet but was disappointed to see it just seems to be bog standard crime stuff, when I saw it advertised I thought it would be your proper mystery mysteries, like Somerton Man or Dyatlov Pass or that hijacker that jumped out of the aeroplane with a million dollars never to be seen again, stuff like that. I mean maybe not those ones as those have been done to death but something along those lines would make for a good series.

[Pearly-Dewdrops Drops]

Not watched this yet but was disappointed to see it just seems to be bog standard crime stuff, when I saw it advertised I thought it would be your proper mystery mysteries, like Somerton Man or Dyatlov Pass or that hijacker that jumped out of the aeroplane with a million dollars never to be seen again, stuff like that. I mean maybe not those ones as those have been done to death but something along those lines would make for a good series.

There's some variance. I haven't seen all 6 episodes yet, but a couple were more straightforward "unsolved murders" and one was a possible crime that was nonetheless very weird and borderline occult. There's also a UFO episode.

One of the advantages of the original show was that you would get a variance within each episode. A murder, a bigfoot, and DB Cooper. (The downside being that you would have to sit through "Lost Love" segments.)

[Puce Moment]

How did he end up going through the roof at that spot? Full of holes

I only saw one hole.[nb]oh come on[/nb]

I thought the programme did a really good job of using a drone to really show the dimensions of the hotel and car park.

My take from it is this. It was either a straight-forward suicide, given that he could easily have been going through all sorts of financial irregularity shit, hence why his company applied gag orders. The fact that he wasn't generally suicidal means very little in an impulsive situation.

OR

And this is a bit wild and biggy I will admit but, is there a chance he was tortured and killed inside the room itself? Given that they only found his highly decomposed body because one person noticed a small hole in the roof, I can imagine this was an almost completely unused part of the hotel. That seems extremely coincidental to me. He could have jumped from just about any vantage point in that hotel and he would have been seen/found immediately. Yet, his body managed to find the roof of a room that was not only unused, but also must have somehow kept out the stench of his body (fire doors?).

The size of the hole points to him hitting the roof in an almost perfectly vertical stance. Possible, but could have also been a hastily fabricated scenario to make it look like suicide. Was the hole examined for cloth or skin? Was the floor in the room examined for impact? A human body travelling so fast that it bullets through a roof, plus the damage done to the body, would leave SOMETHING notable on the floor, surely?

[BlodwynPig]

Are you wilfully ignoring my question - how could he jump vertically into that hole from the hotel roof, the only place he could have managed was from those big chimney stacks that looked impossible to get too. Maybe the ledge if he was being purposefully silly.

[Puce Moment]

Are you wilfully ignoring my question

Read it back - it wasn't very clear.

how could he jump vertically into that hole from the hotel roof, the only place he could have managed was from those big chimney stacks that looked impossible to get too. Maybe the ledge if he was being purposefully silly.

That's a better question. What do you think of my scenario 2? It's quite outlandish but at least does deal with the possibility that the hole was faked.

[Icehaven]

I hadn't heard of that, I've subscribed now. Thanks, icehaven.

You're welcome! Some of the early episodes aren't that great quality but it gets a lot better.

[BlodwynPig]

Read it back - it wasn't very clear.

That's a better question. What do you think of my scenario 2? It's quite outlandish but at least does deal with the possibility that the hole was faked.

That was my first thought, but a bit contrived to create a hole - although not impossible, chuck something heavy off the roof, then place the body where the thing lands hoping no-one saw or heard the thing crash into the building

[imitationleather]

Seems like a lot of effort to go to for no apparent reason.

I guess possibly maybe they wanted their murder to be featured on Unsovled Mysteries one day?

[jobotic]

I couldn't understand why the chimney things weren't mentioned. They did seem to be in the right place and at the right height. Perhaps he climbed onto them and jumped in a desperate attempt to escape someone.

If it was suicide what was the phone call about? "Come on, you're late for topping yourself".

[imitationleather]

He was dropped off a black helicopter that was hovering at just the right height.

[Viero_Berlotti]

There's a weird fucking creep sociopath husband straight from the top drawer in the second episode. No way he wasn't involved, too many red flags.

[Enzo]

There's a weird fucking creep sociopath husband straight from the top drawer in the second episode. No way he wasn't involved, too many red flags.

Spoiler alert

Definitely. The hatred he had for her son, making the undertaker put her skeleton back together and then sleeping with her ashes

[close]

he is a wrong un

[BlodwynPig]

The Nantes one - where was the unsolved bit? It was a thoroughly linear, if somewhat titillating story. They threw us a hook with the friend and lawyer denying he could have done it - then after it was obvious, you didn't get any follow-up. Very bad storytelling.

[Pearly-Dewdrops Drops]

The Nantes one - where was the unsolved bit? It was a thoroughly linear, if somewhat titillating story. They threw us a hook with the friend and lawyer denying he could have done it - then after it was obvious, you didn't get any follow-up. Very bad storytelling.

One of the staple genres of Unsolved Mysteries has always been "help us find this fugitive" cases.

Spoiler alert

Though based on his leisurely jaunt through the South of France I would bet that guy simply topped himself somewhere remote.

[close]

I thought that was a very chilling episode. A success.

[Keebleman]

The Nantes one - where was the unsolved bit? It was a thoroughly linear, if somewhat titillating story. They threw us a hook with the friend and lawyer denying he could have done it - then after it was obvious, you didn't get any follow-up. Very bad storytelling.

I disagree.  It was well told, just didn't quite fit the brief of the show.  The only mystery is

Spoiler alert

the culprit's whereabouts

[close]

.

[Cerys]

Did anyone else have a fleeting suspicion that the oldest kid was fathered by the dad's friend?

[surreal]

Apparently there's another 6 episodes of this to be released soon-ish, they've just split it in two.

I enjoyed it on the whole - seems to be a lot of people online quite freaked out by the UFO episode.  I'm guessing this is more because the whole interest in UFOs is nowhere near as prevalent as it was a couple of decades ago, so maybe the whole weird phenomena thing is due a resurgence.  I've often thought that the internet took that sense of wonder away from a generation or two - I used to be all over the unexplained stuff when growing up but it only now seems to be making a comeback but for different reasons - more as part of the whole conspiracy theory thing.