Black Bird Review: Pilot / We Are Coming, Father Abraham (Season 1 Episodes 1 and 2)

Apple TV+ kicks off its Taron Egerton-led true-crime series with Black Bird Season 1 Episode 1, “Pilot,” and Black Bird Season 1 Episode 2, “We Are Coming, Father Abraham.”

The TV series is based on James ‘Jimmy’ Keene’s memoir, In With the Devil. The book follows Keene as he describes his experience aiding law enforcement to catch a serial killer. 

The source material passes the torch to the show by honoring the uniqueness of the original story and by showcasing the convicted criminal who was instrumental in catching a serial killer while behind bars.

Immediately, what stands out about Black Bird as a true-crime series is its commitment to respecting the victims of these tragedies.

Many true crime dramas fall into sensationalism and lose focus of the fact that these victims are real people. Instead, the show uses small cues, like music and lighting, to demonstrate how it will take a different, more sympathetic approach. 

Much of the first two episodes of Black Bird are carried by Taron Egerton. His charisma shines through in every scene, and Keene doesn’t present himself nearly as interesting in his book.

Egerton paints the bleak picture of a man who peaked in high school, someone who took his immense privilege and squandered it. I don’t mean privilege in the economic sense; I mean as a young white man who would constantly be allowed to fail upwards. 

This characterization makes Keene equally relatable and easy to judge. Whether that is Edgerton himself or how he plays this character, it makes for compelling viewing. 

It’s also intelligent to present Keene’s case as the exception to how drug dealers are treated rather than the rule. Not only is it rare to see this level of accountability being taken by a generic white man, but it’s also made clear that cops are never this nice.

Keene’s adversary, Larry Hall, is incredibly easy to hate.

Whether it’s Paul Walter Hauser tapping into his real-life villainy or that the real man is really among the scum of the Earth, he’s an easily detestable villain from the start.

Playing Hall like a child is the right choice here. It’s a venue to explore how cops will coddle white men, even when faced with criminal activities. Hauser’s baby voice does not garner more sympathy; it just makes his character more disgusting.

It’s interesting how Black Bird is already comparing and contrasting these two characters before they have even met in the show’s context. This will not be a battle of wills, so much as Keene having to really get inside Hall’s head.

Meeting these characters individually before they’re put together is an effective way to let viewers get to know each of them separately. This will give their meeting so much more meaning. 

The fact that this version of Keene sees women as “soft” and otherwise unimpressionable is a venue to explore the sexism of this story from a different angle. The broad spectrum of sexism and misogyny is on full display. 

Black Bird also has an opportunity to examine the rampant racism that pervaded the source material. It’s casual, but it’s no less harmful. Unfortunately, the show seems to have eliminated it so far rather than addressed it head-on.

Even though this lack of critical analysis is disappointing, perhaps this is the right choice if the creators and those involved in the show can’t provide this critique meaningfully. 

A surprising disappointment is Ray Liotta’s portrayal of Keene’s father, “Big Jim.”

In the book, Keene discussed at length what an integral part of his life his father was. However, on the show, there is not much to his character that viewers can gravitate towards.

Another truly unfortunate aspect of Black Bird is its blinding whiteness and lack of characters who aren’t men. That said, Sepideh Moafi is already a stand-out with her ball-breaking cop attitude — the series definitely needs more of her. 

This series is already attempting to be a commentary on policing as an institution, and it’s clear from the first two episodes how ill-equipped every cop is to deal with a giant man-baby serial killer. 

This, too, reflects on the source material and how it took another criminal getting inside Hall’s head to finally dig into the case. Police had little to nothing to do with this resolution.

While the drama series doesn’t say ACAB outright, it makes you think. I’m also here for the one or two geriatric cops who actually do their jobs and care about, you know, solving crime. 

This drama series is off to a strong start with its inaugural episodes. So far, it has struck a balance in telling this almost unbelievable true story while taking artistic liberties to make it engaging.

The moral complexities of the characters we are introduced to will hopefully serve the miniseries well as it moves forward. This is shaping to be a stand-out series for true crime fans and newcomers with its unique take on the genre.

If Black Bird can keep the momentum it has set, viewers are in for an uncomfortable but worthwhile ride.

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What did you think of the first two episodes of Black Bird? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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New episodes of Black Bird stream Fridays on Apple TV+.

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