Abhiroop Das
In Netflix’s ‘Black Rabbit,’ two brothers who represent two very different kinds of lifestyles come together to face the darker shades of New York City. However, this doesn’t erase their own faults, which are significant contributors to their predicaments. While Jake Friedken is the owner of a rapidly growing restaurant business, his inner life is marred by a string of poor decisions. For his elder brother, Jake Friedken, the situation is even more dire, as he turns out to be in bed with more dangerous people than he can count. As the line between the two characters begins to blur, the people around them are often forced to pay the consequences. Anna Davis is one such presence within the narrative, who begins as a bartender at Black Rabbit, but soon transforms into a pivotal element of this crime thriller show, with her ultimate fate bringing clarity about the evil that humanity is capable of. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Anna Becomes a Victim of the Cruelty of the Criminal Underworld
At the end of episode 4 of ‘Black Rabbit,’ titled ‘No More F**k-Ups,’ Anna Davis is killed by Junior and Babbitt in a cruel turn of events, mere moments before leaving the city behind. This marks the conclusion to one of the most harrowing arcs in the show, exploring how various criminal systems can gradually eat an innocent life inside out. Anna’s story begins with her time as the bartender at Black Rabbit, which takes a turn for the worse when Jules Zablonski, one of the most influential patrons of the restaurant, sexually assaults her. Later in the story, the CCTV footage confirms that he spiked her drink that night, which lines up with Anna’s account of things. On top of the traumatic experience she has to endure, what makes the situation even more terrible is the aftermath, which involves Jules hiring a man named Campbell to bury the incident in the ground.
Campbell employs a variety of methods to make sure that Jules’ secret doesn’t come out, but his trump move turns out to be threatening Anna herself. Once inside her apartment, he pressures her to get on the next flight out of the city, and with that, he bids goodbye to any possible chance of bringing her abusers to justice. Realizing that she is trapped between a rock and a hard place, Anna takes Campbell’s money and prepares to leave. However, at this point the parallel plot that has been concocting so far crosses paths with her. Junior and Babbitt, representing the mob boss Joe Mancuso, are furious at Vince for not repaying his debts. In a move that is part desperate and part accidental, he slips up on the fact that Anna, and the potential media buzz around what happened to her, is proving to be a hiccup in the process of collecting money. Hearing this, the criminal duo makes its way to her apartment, hoping to scare her into submission.
Things go south when Junior, not knowing what has transpired in the apartment moments before, barges in. Fearing for her life, Anna tries to lock herself in the washroom, but a struggle for dominance ensues, and the two men gain the upper hand in no time. However, this backfires, as the force propels Anna backwards, and she hits her head during the fall. It is this injury that takes Anna’s life, and even though Junior and Babbitt did not have murderous intent, it is their direct actions that lead to her demise. Anticipating the consequences, the two run out of the house, leaving Campbell in shock at the inexplicable turn of events. However, in a cruel play of fate, Anna’s death takes the immediate target off Jules’s back, seemingly giving that plot thread an anticlimactic end. The event nonetheless serves as a watershed moment, triggering a long chain reaction that results in the downfall of many powerful figures in the narrative, including the protagonist himself.
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Anna’s Death Comes as a Wake-Up Call to Everyone Involved in the Playing Field
Jake Friedken’s response to Anna’s sexual abuse operates on two levels, as he is not only insensitive to it but also actively involved in covering up incriminating evidence. This sheds light on the crueler ends of his character, which perceives the world with a tint of self-interest. Things get even more convoluted when he comes face-to-face with Campbell and refuses to entertain the idea of harm befalling Anna. This contradictory behaviour suggests that while a part of him wants to be a better person, his own shortcomings keep him from improving. Over time, we learn that he had previously abused Anna as well, which further highlights the systemic nature of what she faces. Her only outlet comes in the form of Roxie, her peer and the head chef at Black Rabbit. However, this too becomes a largely futile direction, as Roxie is unable to contribute to any significant change despite learning the truth.
The aftereffects of Anna’s death ripple through the entire narrative, accelerating every plot thread in one go. Although Mancuso tries his best to get Junior to safety, the latter becomes responsible for his own undoing and soon meets his death. Roxie has an awakening of her own and brings the full truth to the Police. Although the law enforcement’s initial assessment is that Anna had a natural death, the new elements at play put things in a new light, and before long, a line is formed connecting her to the Friedken brothers and Jules. In the end, it is Jake himself who hands over the footage to the police, which leads to Jules’ arrest. While that may be the case, it does not change the fact that Anna had to die a brutal death, and to that end, Roxie tries to remember her friend the best way she can: by opening a restaurant in her name.
