Black Snow season 2 episode 4 ending explained: Who becomes the prime suspect by the end? 

Black Snow season 2 episode 4 aired on May 8, 2025, on AMC+ in the United States. The show's creator, Lucas Taylor, wrote the episode titled Control. The fourth installment of the gripping murder mystery confirms that Zoe was killed in 2003 and her body was dumped in the boot of the car found in Xanadu.

Following the latest developments, James and Samara look for possible motives for the murder. They zero in on her romantic partners, Joseph and Sean, as the suspects. However, by the episode's end, the detective duo considers Sean the prime suspect in Zoe's death as they believe he was obsessed with her and killed her as revenge for rejecting him.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for Black Snow season 2 episode 4.

Why do James and Samara suspect Sean in Black Snow season 2 episode 4?

Black Snow season 2 episode 4 confirms that the car pulled out in Xanadu belonged to Zoe and, more importantly, its trunk contains human remains. James informs Samara that they have found a medical plate, which she mentions was Zoe's, as she had broken her arm in the mosh pit of the 1999 Warped Tour.

Upon hearing that Zoe's dead body has been found, Leo begins wailing. But Nadja remains defiant, saying she will only believe it once DNA evidence confirms the same, which will take a few weeks.

Samara tells James that she has been receiving calls from a burner phone every year for the last eight years on the date Zoe disappeared. James decides to officially trace the number as he suspects the killer is trying to manipulate Samara into thinking Zoe is still alive.

During his interrogation, Joseph lies about his last meeting with Zoe and denies selling her a packet of ecstasy. However, when he learns that Zoe's remains were found in Xanadu, his genuine reaction convinces James that he did not know Zoe visited Xanadu the night she was killed.

Furthermore, the search team at Xanadu finds a wad of cash amounting to $15,000 in the car's jack compartment, which is $10,000 less than the amount she inherited. They also find a digital camera, which Samara recognizes as belonging to Sean Cosgrove.

The n*ked picture found in Zoe's backpack was taken from a digital camera, making Samara suspect that Sean was obsessed with her. Nadja also confirms that Sean was blackmailing Zoe with the picture. She angrily confronts Sean at his mother's fundraising event for killing Zoe after she rejected him, and vows to prove his crime.

Due to the mounting evidence, James gets a search warrant for Sean's house. He and Samara confiscate Sean's laptop while he is away from home. Before leaving, James learns that Sapphire Futures purchased Xanadu four months after Zoe was killed and buried there. They conclude that Sean must have been behind the purchase, as Joseph could not afford to buy the place.

Sean enters the driveway but takes a swift U-turn after seeing James and Samara at his house and drives away.

Also read: Black Snow season 2 complete release schedule: All episodes and when they arrive

Zoe deals with a personal crisis in the flashback scenes from Black Snow season 2 episode 4

After catching Joseph and Melody having s*x in episode 3, Zoe maintains her distance from him in the flashback scene from Black Snow season 2 episode 4. Instead, she helps Gita sort out the VIP list for the party she is organizing to celebrate Mont Vista's groundbreaking.

Zoe loses her cool after noticing that one of the guests is the CEO of LGV Developments, the company that seized Cody's land and left his family homeless. But Gita explains that they later acquired the land from the investment firm Sapphire Futures.

Zoe meets Cody's mother, Mandy, at work and reminisces about the time Cody helped her after she had broken her arm at a concert. Worried about Cody's memories still haunting Zoe, Mandy suggests that she leave the town and make a fresh start elsewhere.

Zoe heads to Samara's house to apologize for failing to cover for her while she spent the night with Alex. But her best friend is in no mood to listen.

In the morning, she finds an envelope with a n*ked picture of herself left in her car, which was secretly taken when she went skinny dipping at the dam in Xanadu. Zoe is convinced that Sean is behind the picture and confides in her mother. Together, they visit Sean's mother, Julie, hoping to get some help, but she blames Zoe's character and her fling with Joseph instead.

Forced to take matters into her own hands, Zoe breaks into Sean's house and steals the digital camera containing her n*ked picture. While leaving, she watches Julie hand over an envelope of cash to a guy for his services with Sapphire Futures.

Also read: Black Snow season 1 recap: All to know before watching season 2

The fates of other characters explored in Black Snow season 2 episode 4

In Black Snow season 2 episode 4, Daisy despairs after her rent assistance claim is denied. But Nadja assures her that she will take care of her and her unborn child so long as she does not return to her abusive husband. She accepts Will's offer of a residential flat to help Daisy out.

Nadja runs into her son, Seb, after nearly a year and tries to reconcile their differences. However, she keeps getting interrupted by an urgent call and rushes home to find that Daisy has been forcefully taken away by her husband.

Meanwhile, James reads Richie's psychiatric evaluation file from his time at the youth detention center. He is shocked to discover that Richie suffered from a host of mental health issues, ranging from depression, substance abuse, and suicidal ideation as a result of experiencing long-term trauma.

James and Tommy accost the man who worked with Richie, shifting cargo from the Brisbane docks to Dubbo. They find out that Richie stole his car and ran away with the cash. James takes down his license plate number and plans to track down his brother.

During their brief time together, Tommy comes clean to his son about his violent past, admitting that his own father and brother physically abused him. James reminds Tommy that he was no different, as he used to burn him with cigarettes for fun. But his father states that he has changed now and wants to protect James from the same darkness that plagued him.

Moreover, Dr. Nina suggests letting another doctor evaluate James, as their last encounter at the bar was highly unprofessional. In order to change her mind, James admits that he has been struggling to control his rage around his father and worries that he may hurt Tommy someday.

Watch all episodes of Black Snow season 2 on AMC+ exclusively in the United States.

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