"Knew that the brothers were involved": Black Rabbit creators on why the Netflix thriller opens with that intense robbery and the shocking finale

If Black Rabbit left you struggling for breath, that's precisely what creators Zach Baylin and Kate Susman wanted! The Netflix thriller instantly pulls you into its world, a hybrid of crime saga and family drama. More so, it slams the door with a high-risk theft, then takes you right into the seedy underbelly of New York before finishing with an awful yet oddly positive finale.

The story's outline wasn't random for Baylin and Susman, the husband-wife pair making their first TV show after years in film.

The creative couple told The Hollywood Reporter:

“We knew that it was going to start with that robbery (...) We knew that the brothers were involved in it (...) and we knew what was going to happen on the roof.”

Naturally, that roof is the location of Vince's (spoiler alert!) final sacrifice. His death marks Jason Bateman's crude portrayal of Vince as one of his most haunting roles to date. Jake (played by Jude Law), the restaurateur who covers up as much chaos below the surface, is left broken but, in a way...free.

Why did Black Rabbit have to begin with violence?

It takes more than adrenaline to start a series with a robbery. Baylin and Susman used it as an excuse to eliminate the belief that Jake had a perfect life.

Susman explained,

"We also wanted to make it very clear that this was a show where the artifice of the restaurant was going to get shattered."

The two wanted their audience to know that Black Rabbit would not be a long family melodrama, so they began with a disaster. Instead of being a prestige soap, it would be a tale like Uncut Gems. The robbery evolves into a crucial moment; the final two episodes introduce us to the following days, while the first few episodes show how the Friedkin brothers got into their situation.

Black Rabbit Episode 6, "Attaf--Kinboy" (inspired by Rashomon), defines the robbery from the POVs of Jake, Vince, Junior, etc. When all roads come closer that night, the audience sees more than a crime. Long before they fired their weapons, they looked at the collapse of two cursed brothers.

The Black Rabbit finale that (almost) wasn’t

Baylin and Susman were thinking of other endings besides the one we got: Vince dying on a Brooklyn rooftop while covered by the bridge's glow.

In a somber bow to his past addiction, the creators meant for Vince to overdose on a poisoned bag of cocaine for quite some time. However, the writers changed their minds when production designer Alex de Orlando looked at the restaurant's rooftop with its stunning bridge view.

This roof was clearly symbolic, said Susman.

"There was the idea of having finally reached the top and then letting go."

A brother's sacrifice creates an emotional yet dramatic ending. It then becomes an analogy for ambition and references Black Rabbit's central theme --- that no matter how far you get, you will never overcome your blood.

However, the sadness doesn't entirely ruin the Black Rabbit finale. In a dreamlike coda, Jake gives up his façade to Ella Fitzgerald's Manhattan. He bears the scars while talking to his son on the subway.

"Obviously, it’s a tragedy, but we wanted to end with some hope," Susman explained.

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