Black Bird Season 1 Episode 6 Review: You Promised

Black Bird Season 1 Episode 6, “You Promised,” is a finale that distills everything this true crime miniseries has been from the beginning. 

Any ending is an opportunity to retroactively reflect on a series or a season as a whole. From the beginning, Black Bird has offered a unique take on the true crime genre, and the finale exposes both the strengths and weaknesses of this drama.

It has to be acknowledged that this show was always going to struggle to reach the emotional heights of Black Bird Season 1 Episode 5, “The Place I Lie.” Nevertheless, the finale makes a valiant effort. 

Keene and his relationship with the prison system is a glaringly obvious plot point that doesn’t work for this episode. His relationship with ‘CO Charlie’ in particular is a confusing one.

It would be one thing if the series set these relationships up as critical components of Keene’s story. Unfortunately, even though Keene addresses the guards somewhat in his memoir, the show never fully fleshes out these characters.

Black Bird has had every opportunity to interrogate the American prison system. Yet, while it certainly brings up some important points during this episode, vis-à-vis the trauma of solitary confinement, the show never entirely goes there. 

It’s also important to note that the mafia storyline could have been eliminated from the series. Unfortunately, despite this being an essential part of Keene’s real-life prison experience, the show leaves it squarely in the background, which is disappointing.

There have been many opportunities to capture the claustrophobia Keene describes when having to maintain his focus on his mission while being waylaid by real-life mob boss Vicent Gigante. But, sadly, Black Bird largely shelves this dynamic. 

Tony Amendola’s performance ultimately saves the mafia story from complete ruin. It’s surprising to get such an emotionally rich moment from a character that viewers have hardly gotten a chance to know. 

This performance only highlights what could have been. Amendola could have had such rich chemistry with series lead Taron Egerton. There was potential for a back-and-forth spent too often on Black Bird‘s leads. 

Likewise, Larry Hall’s brother Gary gets a small chance in the spotlight.

This character truly could have gone either way. In Keene’s memoir, Hall’s impact on his brother is clear, but Black Bird fails to give him any meaningful development.

However, if this character was only going to add to the rampant sexism and misogyny chronicled throughout this series, perhaps he should never leave the background. 

It’s also bittersweet to see Ray Liotta playing Big Jim as he should have been played from the beginning of the series. It’s a shame that the show waits until the end to let Liotta be at his best. 

Even in his brief moments on-screen, Liotta proves what has always made him enthralling to watch. His performance here is a reminder of how sorely missed he is. 

This finale is a compelling reminder of what makes this series so captivating when it’s at its best.

The performances, from the leads to the background characters, prevent this series from descending into the mundane.

Egerton, in particular, brings home his emotional performance in a way that’s difficult to look away from. Black Bird has been a phenomenal venue to showcase his acting talents, and he rises to the occasion right until the end. 

In lesser hands, Keene as a character could have been portrayed as a self-serving, self-righteous former convict who takes advantage of a real-life tragedy for his gain.

However, the nuance that Egerton adds to this role makes Keene more human and thus more relatable. He brilliantly captures the visceral sense of emptiness Keene describes in his memoir when faced with the technical failure of his mission.

The finale also makes clear that the character of Larry Hall is only ever worth watching when put against Egerton’s Keene.

Hauser brings his character to his lowest point, and seeing him in this light is satisfying. Keene’s final confrontation with Hall is a stand-in for us all. The visceral disgust Egerton captures is so deeply gratifying to see play out on-screen.

Black Bird has largely given Larry Hall far too much credit regarding the complexity of thought, motivations, and trauma. Here, he’s presented as he always was in real life; a sick, pathetic serial killer who deserves nothing less than to rot in a jail cell.

While imperfect, the Black Bird finale distills the series as a whole.

It’s an examination of the series’ strengths and flaws. Thus, as an adaptation, not everything about this series works; not everything translates from page to screen.

It’s clear that the performances tie everything about this series together.

For true crime fans, this may represent your next binge-worthy watch. But, for those like this writer, uninitiated into the genre until now, Black Bird makes for a compelling, sobering TV experience.

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Black Bird is now available to stream on Apple TV+.

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