This article includes discussions of suicide, rape, and abuse. Please proceed with caution and use the provided hotlines as necessary.
Spoilers for Black Rabbit are ahead!
Netflix’s thriller Black Rabbit explores the relationship between two brothers who are equally damaged in different ways, leading to an ending that offers hope for healing. A-list actors Jason Bateman and Jude Law come together to play the deeply dysfunctional brother duo Vince and Jake Friedkin in the Netflix thriller.
Vince, a gambling addict who’s deeply in debt and beholden to a crime boss, comes back into the life of Jake, a restaurateur and bar owner, asking for help. The crime boss, Mancuso, and his sons are threatening to kill Vince if he doesn’t pay them back, making Black Rabbit a perfect Ozark replacement.
Rather than leave him to his own fate, Jake intervenes. They find themselves in increasingly shocking situations that could land them both in jail. By the end of Black Rabbit, it becomes clear that trauma leads to trauma leads to more trauma. However, it does offer a small glimmer of hope in the last few minutes.
How Jake Escapes Trouble In Black Rabbit
Throughout Black Rabbit, Vince is Jake’s undoing. Vince gets into monetary and legal trouble, and Jake tries to swoop in like a white knight, committing crimes he thinks will fix Vince’s problems. Unfortunately, Jake is in just as much trouble as Vince because of the fact that the police caught him in multiple lies, and coworkers spoke out against him.
Unfortunately, Jake escapes trouble in Black Rabbit after his brother Vince’s death by taking the blame legally and ending his life. He calls the police to admit to them that he was responsible for all the deaths, embezzlement, and robbery. Then, he takes his life. Suicide is never the answer, but it’s the only option Vince can see.
If you or someone you love is experiencing suicidal ideation, please call 988 (US) or visit 988Lifeline.org (US) or FindAHelpline.com (International) for help. It gets better.
Since Vince admits to the crimes, Jake goes free, despite his involvement in multiple crimes. They attribute all the crimes to the deceased brother, meaning Jake can move forward with expanding his business and supporting his family at the end of the Netflix original show.
The Identity & Motive Of The Robbers
Before a party at the Black Rabbit, a robbery takes place to steal millions of dollars’ worth of jewelry. The event is initially suggested and planned by Jake, but he backs out of the plan, thinking it won’t continue without him. However, Junior and Vince decide to continue with the plan, going into the restaurant with masks and guns.
While the money seems like the most obvious motivation, both Junior and Vince have underlying explanations. Junior wants to prove to his father that he’s not a failure. He messed up big time by going against his father’s wishes and making a deal with Vince. This led to over $100,000 of debt.
Meanwhile, Vince wants to prove that he is not a failure and can fix his own mistakes. At this point, his own brother, the one person who constantly has his back, is starting to lose faith in him. He just wants to fix his mistakes.
Why Jake Hid The Evidence Of Anna’s Rape
While Vince is the more obvious villain of the two brothers in Black Rabbit, Jake is just as much of a liar, cheater, and social climber as his brother. He just doesn’t make it as obvious to the world. The prime example of this is the fact that Jake has evidence of Anna’s rape but hides it.
If you or someone you love has experienced sexual assault, there is help. Please call 1-800-656-4673 (US) or visit Rainn.org (US) or FindAHelpline.com (International) for help.
Jake knows that the sexual assault of Tanya and the rape of Anna happened at his own restaurant and bar, but he barely does anything about it. He says Jules can’t come into the restaurant after the Anna incident. Then, he doesn’t enforce the rule. He doesn’t turn over the video evidence. Then, he lies to the police about it.
Ultimately, this does two things for the story. Firstly, as mentioned, it reveals that Jake is just as much of a villain as his brother. Secondly, it shows that Jake cares more about his money and reputation as a restaurateur and bar owner than he does about the well-being of his employees or customers.
What Really Happened To Jack & Vince’s Father Explained
Early in Black Rabbit, Jack and Vince briefly mention that they were raised in their father’s bar. However, Dick is rarely mentioned, and we don’t know why he hasn’t been around in Jack and Vince’s lives until they return to their childhood house. At this point, they discuss him being an alcoholic, a gambler, and an abuser.
In episode 7, the show finally shows onscreen what happened to Dick. Jack and Vince’s father was killed by Vince when the boys were young because their father was beating and trying to rape their mother.
If you or someone you love is experiencing domestic violence, please call 800-799-7233 (US) or visit TheHotline.org (US) or FindAHelpline.com (International) for help.
When Vince stood at the top of the stairs and begged him to stop, the father threatened to beat the child next. To protect his mother and himself, he grabbed a bowling ball and dropped it on top of his father’s head, killing him.
How Vince Got Involved With Mancuso
Later in the same episode, Black Rabbit reveals how Vince became involved with Mancuso. After Vince killed his father, his mom comforted him on the couch and promised she would take care of it. Then, Mancuso arrives to get rid of the body and fake the story about him hitting his head on his bar while drunk.
It’s heavily implied that Dick was in debt to Mancuso, as there’s no other reason his mom would have known to call him. This started the relationship between Mancuso and Vince.
It’s unclear whether Vince maintained a relationship throughout his entire life. However, either way, Vince repeated his father’s patterns by getting into debt with Mancuso, who is an organized crime boss.
The True Meaning Of Black Rabbit’s Ending
Black Rabbit feels like a representation of the Cain and Abel parable of sorts. Both sons are trying to move forward from the sins of their family of origin, initially working together on the bar positively before their paths diverge. Ultimately, when they come back together, they experience the relatable, mutually assured destruction that comes from a toxic relationship.
Vince felt like the only way to save his brother was to take all the blame from the cops and die by suicide. He felt that dying would end the problems, though that should never be the answer. However, his death only passed the trauma and violence along to his brother.
Luckily, the very end of Black Rabbit includes a montage that shows that the cycle can be broken. In the last five minutes of the show, we see moments of Jake upset, broken, happy, and everything in between.