What Happens to Vince and Jake?

Black Rabbit is a gritty crime thriller, but beneath the chaos, it’s a story about family, love and loyalty.

The Netflix limited series, which premiered Sept. 18, centers around two brothers whose descent into the criminal underworld of New York City threatens to destroy their lives and livelihoods. Jake (Jude Law) is a successful restaurateur with lofty ambitions for his trendy establishment, the Black Rabbit, while his older brother Vince (Jason Bateman) is a troubled addict with a history of bad decisions. Although they started the Black Rabbit together, Vince’s recklessness led to him leaving — or being pushed out — of the business.

“It’s really about these brothers who love each other but don’t match — one’s a screw-up, and the other is much more buttoned up,” Bateman told Tudum. That dichotomy is magnified by old traumas and simmering tensions as they navigate the life-and-death crisis they’re facing.

The series begins in medias res with Jake giving a speech to a crowd gathered for a swanky designer trunk show at the Black Rabbit when suddenly he’s interrupted by a pair of masked and armed robbers demanding all the high-end jewelry from the guests. Black Rabbit then segues into a flashback, taking viewers back in time to unpack the events that led to the heist.

One month earlier, Vince unexpectedly returned to New York after an incident in Reno, Nev., left him with a mountain of gambling debt and no way to pay it back. Of course, as soon as he comes back to town, the dangerous gangsters he owes money to — including crime boss Joe Mancuso (Troy Kotsur), his son, Junior (Forrest Weber) and his associate, Babbitt (Chris Coy) — are ready to collect. He turns to Jake for help and, facing a series of escalating dangers, the two work together to get the money.

“It’s a very interesting world,” Law told Tudum. “At the heart, I hope [audiences] are hooked by the complicated, loving, volatile relationship of these two brothers.”

Here’s everything to know about the ending of Black Rabbit.

Warning: Black Rabbit spoilers ahead!

What happens leading up to the finale?

Throughout the series, there are multiple moving parts and storylines that collide, culminating in the violent robbery featured in the opening. Many of these revolve around the complex interpersonal relationships between Jake and the people in his inner circle — including his best friend, Wes (Sope Dirisu), a famous musician and co-owner of the Black Rabbit, his lover, Estelle (Cleopatra Coleman), an interior designer married to Wes and his head chef, Roxie (Amaka Okafor).

But it’s an incident that occurs with one of his employees shortly before Vince’s return that sets the plot into motion.

After Anna (Abbey Lee), one of his best bartenders, is sexually assaulted by Jules Zablonski (John Ales), a wealthy VIP client of the restaurant, she begins to skip her shifts at the Black Rabbit. Since Jake is initially unaware of what happened, he fires her.

When he eventually learns the truth, he finds surveillance video of the night in question, showing clear evidence of Jules spiking her drink. However, he’s more focused on making sure the Black Rabbit doesn’t incur any bad press. That worry is even more heightened after learning that Anna has been seen talking to a reporter.

Meanwhile, things are ramping up between Vince and the two bookies he’s indebted to. When threatened by Junior and Babbitt, he ends up suggesting that Anna is the reason he and Jake don’t have the money as a way to save his own skin.

This turns out to be a big mistake. Junior and Babbitt go to her apartment to intimidate her, but when trying to force their way inside, they end up killing her by accident. To prevent Vince and Jake from tying them to her death, they plan to kill the brothers.

With a gun to his head, Jake makes a dangerous bargain: he tells Junior and Babbitt about the upcoming jewelry showcase, promising them an easy robbery resulting in a big payday.

At the same time, the police investigation into Anna’s death is a problem for Jules, so his lawyer, Campbell (Morgan Spector) comes to Jake with a lucrative offer: $500,000 in exchange for him deleting the surveillance footage. After accepting the bribe, Jake goes to Mancuso with the money and gets him to call the robbery off.

Who was involved in the robbery?

The robbery may have been his idea, but it still comes as a shock to Jake when it actually happens.

Although he and Mancuso called it off, Junior decides to go against his father’s clear instructions and do it anyway. Babbitt, on the other hand, not wanting to get on his boss’s bad side, opts out.

With his partner in crime unavailable, Junior solicits Vince. Coming on the heels of a heated argument with Jake, Vince agrees to be his accomplice. Despite having a concrete plan, the heist quickly goes awry.

They were supposed to steal the jewelry from the safe prior to the guests arriving, but by the time they got there, the party was already underway. Vince tries to convince Junior that it’s too late, but he doesn’t listen.

They charge the Black Rabbit with guns drawn, and as Junior begins collecting the showcase pieces, Vince goes straight for Jake’s watch. While it’s (likely) a fake, it was a gift from their dad, who died when they were kids.

Before realizing the burglar is his brother, Jake refuses to hand it over, leading to a chaotic scene that leaves two people shot: Tony (Robin de Jesús), one of the restaurant chefs, and Wes.

As Junior prepares to kill Jake, execution-style, Vince shoots him to save his brother.

What happens to Vince at the end of Black Rabbit?

After shooting Junior, Vince flees the scene with the bag of jewels. Knowing Mancuso will be coming after him for killing his son, he plans to sell the stolen goods and go on the run. He makes it to the buyer when Mancuso catches up to him, leading to a heart-pumping chase through New York.

Vince escapes with the cash, but unbeknownst to him, Babbitt has taken his daughter, Gen (Odessa Young) and is holding her hostage. Using Gen, Mancuso and Babbitt get Jake to find out where Vince is headed. Jake makes the call, but as soon as Gen is safe, he goes to rescue his brother.

Another chase ensues, this time by car, and, once again, Jake bends his moral code to save Vince’s life. He calls Campbell and blackmails him into getting Vince out of the country. Despite their earlier deal, Jake kept a copy of the footage of Anna and Jules.

In the series finale, Jake and Vince finally open up to one another as they’re waiting for Campbell at the Black Rabbit. Vince tearfully reveals that he killed their dad when they were kids, and Jake confesses that he’s known all along, telling him, “You are not a bad person, and I am not leaving you.”

Realizing that his brother will never stop trying to protect him, no matter what the cost, Vince decides to set him free and jumps off the roof to his death.

What happens to Jake?

Following Vince’s shocking suicide, Jake gives the security footage of Anna to the detective. No longer burdened with keeping his brother safe, he can do the right thing for his former employee and friend. Although he and his family are out of danger, his relationship with Estelle is not.

Wes died in the hospital after the robbery, but Jake’s guilt for his role in it left him unable to offer her any comfort. At Vince’s funeral, they say goodbye, knowing that they can’t get past everything that happened.

How does Black Rabbit end?

Black Rabbit ends on a bittersweet note. After Vince’s death, Jake comes to realize that his ambition is unhealthy and destructive and he takes a step back.

“It’s about reckoning. It’s about realizing when you evaluate your life whether you’re living someone else’s dream or your own dream,” Law told Netflix about the underlying theme of the show. “I think that’s the essence of Jake’s journey.”

The Black Rabbit is closed, and instead of opening a new restaurant, Jake ends up working as a bartender. He’s no longer in charge, but he has more time to spend with his family.

Meanwhile, Roxie opens a restaurant of her own called Anna’s in honor of her friend. Tony survived the shooting and works with her, and in the final moments, Jules is arrested.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7.