D.B. Cooper: Where Are You?!
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D.B. Cooper: Where Are You?!
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that D.B. Cooper: Where Are You?! is a true crime docuseries about investigations into the unsolved 1971 hijacking of Northwest Orient flight 305. Discussions about criminal activity, including what happened during this event, and during other, more violent hijackings, are had, and there's news footage of an exploding plane. Drinking and smoking on airplanes is visible, drug dealing and use is talked about, and on occasion strong language (including some curses) is used. Archive footage of airline advertising contains mild sexual innuendo, and topics like sexual harassment of airline attendants, and how media contributes to the popular myths surrounding D.B. Cooper, are discussed. All of this is offered in an informative context.
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What's the Story?
D.B. COOPER: WHERE ARE YOU?! is a true crime miniseries about investigations surrounding the only unsolved commercial airline hijacking in U.S. history. On November 21, 1971, a man flying under the pseudonym of Dan Cooper quietly hijacked Northwest Orient flight 305 as it flew from Portland to Seattle. After his demands for $200,000 and parachutes were met, and the unsuspecting passengers removed, the hijacker forced the crew to take the plane back into the air so that he could jump out and never be seen again. Fifty years later, writer and consultant Tom Colbert talks about the years he has put into solving this cold case and his efforts to keep the investigation alive. Meanwhile, Flight 305 passenger Mike Mitchell, with the help of actor reenactments, talks about what he experienced during the flight, while interviews with other true crime authors, academics, journalists, and experts like former CIA agent Jonna Mendez share insights about the identity and whereabouts of the hijacker, who seemed to simply disappear. Archive media helps contextualize these conversations, and highlights how D.B. Cooper became, and continues to be, a legend in U.S. popular culture.
Is It Any Good?
True crime will appreciate this deep dive into the facts -- and the hype -- surrounding the hijacking of Northwest Orient flight 305. Directed by The Way Down's Marina Zenovich, D.B. Cooper: Where Are You?! uses archive footage, witness interviews, and input from true crime enthusiasts focused on the case to reconstruct and contextualize what happened on November 21, 1971, within the commercial airline industry culture of the time. It also discusses how the case went cold, despite the location of slightly over $5,000 of the cash, due to limited information, false leads, and the identification of wrong suspects. A significant piece of the documentary also revolves around the efforts of writer Tom Colbert to convince the U.S. government that the hijacker was a (now deceased) Vietnam veteran by the name of Robert Rackstraw. Like many true crime series, the narratives presented in D.B. Cooper: Where Are You?! are mostly speculative, and do not give definitive answers about who the hijacker is, or whether he survived. But what makes the series interesting is what it reveals about the role media continues to have in making the dramatic story even more sensational, and how it created a legendary figure who continues to be the subject of multiple conspiracy theories.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how media impacts the way people think about and recall major news events. What effect does this have on the way we think about our history and our cultural values?
Why are true crime TV series so popular? Does D.B. Cooper: Where Are You?! offer anything different from other true crime stories? Or do the strange facts of the case make it seem different?
TV Details
- Premiere date: July 13, 2022
- Cast: Tom Colbert, Mike Mitchell, Jonna Mendez
- Network: Netflix
- Genre: Reality TV
- Character Strengths: Perseverance
- TV rating: TV-14
- Last updated: July 18, 2022
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