• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.106-116
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• 2016

What made stand out among these police procedurals was its focus on the importance of history to understand both the past and contemporary society and culture. Many of the cases involve aspects of history that are not part of mainstream narratives and constitute the unfinished business of America. The flashback sequences throughout the show visually and affectively transport the viewer back to an earlier historical moment. What all the victims have in common is that they refused to be silent or passive in the face of circumstances they believed were wrong, or they refused to conform to dehumanising and destructive social and cultural expectation. Those promoting these lies have the power to establish their version as the power to establish their version as the "truth" of what happened in context, but viewers are positioned to see the truth as the victims experienced it and to identify with them and against the power abusers. The Cold Case detectives pursue the ghosts of American history, restoring to our view stories of lives and experiences rendered invisible and unspeakable by dominant forms of knowledge and power. The series invites viewrs to empathize with the victim and to develop an ethical commitment to social justice in the future.