Binge on This - Black Rabbit: Realistic Restaurant Weirdness
Some shows are closer to real life than others. After finishing a series about organized crime groups in Mexico, I took up a recommendation of @riverflows and watched the mini-series Black Rabbit. Even though Narcos offered a story that followed the historical account (supposedly) quite closely, it was still pretty far away from the life experiences of everyday normal folks. Black Rabbit in contrast tells the story of a pair of brothers in the setting of a bar-restaurant. Sure, the place is a bit high-flung in New York City, but other than that, it's much more relatable. After all, I'm sure most of you have known someone who worked in the restaurant business...
Slow Start, but Gradually Captivating
I have to admit, the first two episodes seemed a bit slow and annoying for me. The everyday stress of working in a restaurant, serving drinks or making the best burgers in town, and from the management's point of view the constant threat of dancing on the verge of collapse, in spite of the long lines of customers every evening. Yeah, I get it. I've seen it, and I've even gotten a bit of a taste of it myself... which is why I have always preferred entering restaurants as a customer.
There is also a bit of crime in the story. At the beginning a robbery is announced taking place a month after the story starts. And as we get to know the protagonist's brother, we are treated to a wonderful example of disorganized crime - so far away from the cold and calculated drug cartels, buying cops and politicians. So during the first two episodes I was not too sure about even finishing this fairly short series of eight episodes in total. But then, towards the end of the second episode something happened that made me want to know more. So we continued, and I'm pretty happy about it. In the end it turned out to be an amazing show.
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People With Flaws
One of the most memorable lines from the series was someone pointing out how Vince, one of the two brothers, was an addict. This included mostly gambling, but also a good amount of drugs and alcohol. In response, the other person pointed out how his brother Jake was also one. This sounded a bit strange, since he was shown to be the epitome of responsibility. But then they explained: "He's addicted to his brother." And it was a beautiful way to sum up Jake's personality, the relationship between the two, and in fact everything the series was about. Yes, Vince was the screw-up, while Jake held everything together. However, both seemed to be prone for bad decisions, and on Jake's part it all came from his deep caring for Vince. It would be so beautiful, it wasn't so ugly...
Really Unreal
As the story progresses, various criminal incidences pile up in connection with the restaurant. They include an overdose, sexual harassment / rape, several cases of insurance fraud, in addition to the robbery introduced at the beginning. All these events would make it seem that someone would notice, and that the place would get closed down. Eventually it does, but before that happens the plot takes a couple of interesting turns. One may react to it incredulously, since this is a fictive story that may not be considered precisely realistic. However, the show was based on the real-life example of a happening New York City gastropub called The Spotted Pig. And while the TV series was not meant as a documentary, it seems like there were certain parallels between life and fiction.
Well Tied Up Ending
When we were about halfway into the show I was already quite captivated, and when the eighth episode came to an end, I had become a huge fan. Most of all, I liked the ending. It addressed all the issues raised in the story, and brought it all nicely together. It was by no means pretty, and it did not have a happy ending for everyone. However, the worst characters got what they deserved and in general justice was served. As for the issue of the protagonist brothers, it was also resolved. Once again, not in a pretty way, but also not without hope, and certainly realistically. - That's right, I'm not giving away spoilers, watch it for yourself! If you're interested, here's the trailer to start you off with:
I'm glad you liked it. The first two episodes were a slog, but Jason Bateman and Jude Law carried them along well enough - I did like those two together, though it was wierd Jude Law didn't have his British accent. Did you notice all the band tshirts? That was kinda well done too - not cringey, as it can sometimes be.
I know, his accent was not British. And yes, not just the T-shirts but there was also a music video included. Very cool.
Oh, and now I'm watching 'Task', which is pretty good!
Not sure if we'll get around to that, at least around now. But let met check it out and come back to it later...
interesante historia, buen post
interesting story, good post
gracias, chido que te gustó.