In the latest twist of “Black Rabbit” Episode 5, titled “Trailblazer,” the show dives deeper into the Friedkin brothers’ chaotic world. Remember that intense flash-forward from the series premiere, where a wild VIP party at the Black Rabbit turns into a brutal armed robbery? The story has been building toward it, and this episode brings us closer while piling on the drama for Jake and Vince Friedkin.
Cash is tight for the brothers as they run their struggling New York bar and restaurant. After a shady fundraiser and a staff overdose shook things up in Episode 3, Episode 5 ramps up the tension. Jake connects with custom jeweler Ben Baller—known for crafting bling for celebrities—setting up a high-stakes event at the Rabbit. Think Tupperware party, but with six-figure jewelry and watches on display. It’s a nod to that future heist, but tragedy strikes first for Anna, the VIP bartender who’s doomed from the start.
Anna meets a grim end in her apartment. Thugs Junior and Babbitt break in, she runs to the bathroom, slips, and hits her head on the tub. The killers plot to cover their tracks, but they might’ve left evidence behind—and a witness named Campbell spots them fleeing. Detective Ellen Seung (played by Hettienne Park) shows up at the Rabbit with tough questions, breaking the news of Anna’s death to Jake and Vince. As cops close in, the brothers turn to crime for quick money.
Vince pitches the idea: stage an electrical fire at their mom’s house and cash in on the insurance. Jake hesitates at first but jumps in when he sees no other way out. They rope in a crooked building inspector and fire marshal, proving once again that in “Black Rabbit,” nothing’s ever a “sure thing” without risks. The plan revolves around a sketchy 1970s space heater, but it works. While setting it up, the brothers share a joint of old-school weed and open up about their dad, Richard—or “Big Dick,” as his cursive-embroidered bowling bag called him. He’s the gambler, bar owner, and alcoholic who passed down his flaws. Jake quips to Vince, “You’re a degenerate, and I’m a fake.” Their fights always end with them realizing they’re two sides of the same messed-up coin, burning their past—literally—to chase a better future.
Meanwhile, Estelle wants to level up her affair with Jake and buy him out of the Rabbit. But her blowout fight with Wes reveals she’s just desperate for an escape. She blasts Wes for letting his music dreams and big personality overwhelm their life, telling him, “You are good. I’m not.” Wes fixates on how many times she’s hooked up with Jake—thanks to gossip from Roxie—and then texts the chef in rage: “Let’s take him out.” Roxie’s back at the Rabbit too, plotting to oust Jake and needing Wes’s cash to make it happen.
The arson payout clears their debt to mobster Mancuso, and things look up briefly. At Hunter’s birthday bash, they roll out a Barclays Center-shaped cake, pricey New York City Ballet tickets, and even some family warmth—Gen warms to Vince and invites him to a Mets game. But they gloss over their indirect role in Anna’s death, and Junior and Babbitt aren’t letting that slide.
The goons celebrate by kidnapping the brothers at gunpoint and driving them to the river for an execution. They fear the Anna investigation could trace back to Mancuso. With a gun to his neck, Jake pitches a desperate save: In two nights, a million dollars in jewelry hits the Rabbit with minimal security. “Walk in, take it, it’s yours.” Has Jake just set up his own business for the heist that kicked off the series?
The thugs buy it and spare them, but as Jake and Vince trudge back to the city in their underwear, their bond cracks. Jake snaps, “I knew you’d do it to me. Everything wrong in my life roots in you.” It’s not entirely fair—Vince’s return and gambling debts just exposed Jake’s own buried mistakes. As the brothers chase shiny new fixes, their unresolved issues keep bubbling up.
DJ Booth for Black Rabbit Episode 5 (“Trailblazer”)
Music takes a backseat in this arson-heavy episode, with Jake and Vince joking about the movie “Backdraft” instead of spinning tracks. But at their mom’s house, scratchy old recordings play of young Vince on drums. We learn their band name, Black Rabbits, riffs off their original group, The Playboys, inspired by the magazine’s famous bunny logo.
The brothers grab a box of vintage cassette tapes before torching the place and gift them to Hunter for his birthday. “Black Rabbit” teases us by not revealing the bands or albums inside—what a cliffhanger for music fans.
And farewell to Vince’s “Death to the Pixies” T-shirt? He’s rocked the vintage tee multiple times this season, but the goons make them strip before the botched execution, tossing it into the East River with their clothes. Looks like that monkey’s headed to heaven for good.
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