After a 10-year hiatus, Unsolved Mysteries returned to our screens on 1st July. The fifteenth season (titled ‘Volume 1’) is the first to stream on Netflix and acts as a reboot of the long-running series. It consists of six episodes, each with their own self-contained mystery. The streaming service has confirmed an initial 12-episode order, so there are more to come over the next few months.
But how do the first six stack up? While Volume 1 is fairly strong across the board and makes for casual yet compelling viewing, certain episodes definitely stand out. Despite an instalment about UFOs and alien abduction, the 2020 series feels somewhat grounded in reality and resists silly exaggerations in its storytelling. And this may be why some of the stories fare better than others – because the slightly less intriguing tales don’t seem to take liberties with the information presented for the sake of ‘better’ TV.
Without further ado, take a look at our definitive rankings for every episode Netflix’s new Unsolved Mysteries – and let us know what you think in the comments!
6. Missing Witness
Focusing on the sudden disappearance of mother and sibling Lena Chapin, episode six explores a dark family secret involving murder and adultery. It’s not without its intrigue and the escalation of the matriach’s sordid and violent actions is certainly disturbing, however it’s crystal clear what happened and where the story is going almost immediately. There’s very little here for the viewer to figure out or stew on, and that’s why the sixth instalment comes in at the bottom.
5. No Ride Home
This tragic story of a 23-year-old man reported missing after a house party is a horrible reflection of issues still plaguing society 16 years later. Alonzo Brooks was later found dead in the tiny city of La Cygne, Kansas. With the circumstances surrounding his death indicating a hate crime, there are major questions that remain unanswered about the exact details of the night it happened and who he interacted with. But there’s no denying it was systemic racial problems that led to his death and caused the subsequent failings in the searches and inquiries.
4. Berkshires UFO
In a mystery fit for Mulder and Scully, ‘Berkshires UFO’ takes us back 51 years to 1969 with interviewees recounting visitations from a flying saucer. While some people are likely to roll their eyes at the mere mention of aliens, these tales of bright lights, missing time and possible abductions are head-scratchers – especially considering the numerous unconnected eye witness accounts of peculiar goings on in this Massachusetts county. To this day, the true nature of these events is yet to be uncovered…
3. 13 minutes
The episode title says it all. Episode three rests precisely on 13 minutes of the day hair salon owner Patrice Endres vanished. Years later, her son is still searching for answers. Things take an even more sinister turn when the controlling and arguably abusive behaviour of Patrice’s husband is revealed. He makes some unbelievably incriminating and downright disturbing comments about his thoughts and actions before and after her death. Quite how it all fits together is perhaps for you to decide, with different suspects and uncertain eye witness accounts obfuscating the truth.
2. House of Terror
When an entire family (including pets) are uncovered beneath a patio, police begin searching for father and husband Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès – a member of French nobility. As all the evidence places responsibility squarely on his shoulders, Xavier flees across France. He cares little for the trail of breadcrumbs he leaves behind, suggesting it could all be part of an elaborate ruse. His whereabouts are still unknown, and you’ll be left speculating how he could have possibly disappeared never to be seen again.
1. Mystery on the Rooftop
Claiming the top spot is episode one. Packed full of all the essential elements of the ultimate mystery – disappearance, murder, betrayal and conspiracy – the story and ‘suicide’ of Ray Rivera is left almost entirely unresolved. There are no definitive answers to be found – nothing adds up and there are lots of reasons to suspect something much bigger at play. Did he uncover something he wasn’t supposed to? Was he killed because he knew too much? You’ll have to make your own mind up…
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Featured Image Credit: Netflix (fair use)
(An episode’s position in no way reflects the importance or seriousness of the stories they document)
