• Latest
  • Trending
Black Cake Review

Black Cake Review: Secrets & Reinvention Flavored with Caribbean Flair

Chronicles of the Wolf Review

Chronicles of the Wolf Review: Forging a Path Through the Past

Surviving Ohio State Review

Surviving Ohio State Review: The Weight of Witness

Countdown Season 1 Review

Countdown Season 1 Review: Assembling the Parts of a Soulless Machine

JDM Japanese Drift Master Review

JDM: Japanese Drift Master Review – When Mechanics Meet Manga

M3GAN 2.0 Review

M3GAN 2.0 Review: When Silicon Valley Nightmares Meet Summer Blockbuster Ambitions

Trainwreck Poop Cruise Season 1 Review 1

Trainwreck: Poop Cruise Season 1 Review: Sensationalism on the High Seas

Head Over Heels Season 1 Review

Head Over Heels Season 1 Review: The Shaman and the Cursed Boy

Blood Bar Tycoon Review

Blood Bar Tycoon Review: A Bloody Good Idea, Poorly Executed

Pushers Review

Pushers Review: Weaponizing Invisibility for Laughs

Grenfell: Uncovered Review

Grenfell: Uncovered Review: The Human Cost of Calculated Neglect

Ironheart Review

Ironheart Review: Science vs. Magic in Marvel’s Moral Labyrinth

28 Years Later 1

Young Fathers Rewrite the Apocalypse With 28 Years Later Score

21 hours ago
  • Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Gazettely Review Guidelines
Thursday, June 26, 2025
GAZETTELY
  • Home
  • Movie and TV News
    28 Years Later 1

    Young Fathers Rewrite the Apocalypse With 28 Years Later Score

    Hitmakers Netflix

    Netflix Tunes Up July Line-up With Songwriter Show ‘Hitmakers’

    Doctor Who

    BBC Faces Backlash Over Early Doctor Who Drops

    The Pavilion

    Sarajevo Picks Mustafić’s Rebel Comedy ‘The Pavilion’ for Opening Night

    Thomas H. Brodek

    Producer Tom Brodek, Master of Stephen King Miniseries, Dies at 86

    BET Paramount

    BET Joins Paramount Layoff Wave as Cable Declines Deepen

    Roofman

    Channing Tatum Drills Into Oscar Season With Cianfrance’s ‘Roofman’

    Mindhunter

    David Fincher Weighs Mindhunter Revival as Film Trilogy

    How to Train Your Dragon

    ‘Elio’ Lands With a Thud as Pixar Records Its Worst Opening Weekend

  • Movie and TV Reviews
    Surviving Ohio State Review

    Surviving Ohio State Review: The Weight of Witness

    Countdown Season 1 Review

    Countdown Season 1 Review: Assembling the Parts of a Soulless Machine

    M3GAN 2.0 Review

    M3GAN 2.0 Review: When Silicon Valley Nightmares Meet Summer Blockbuster Ambitions

    Trainwreck Poop Cruise Season 1 Review 1

    Trainwreck: Poop Cruise Season 1 Review: Sensationalism on the High Seas

    Head Over Heels Season 1 Review

    Head Over Heels Season 1 Review: The Shaman and the Cursed Boy

    Pushers Review

    Pushers Review: Weaponizing Invisibility for Laughs

    Grenfell: Uncovered Review

    Grenfell: Uncovered Review: The Human Cost of Calculated Neglect

    Ironheart Review

    Ironheart Review: Science vs. Magic in Marvel’s Moral Labyrinth

    Found Footage: The Making of the Patterson Project Review

    Found Footage: The Making of the Patterson Project Review: When Satire Suddenly Turns Sinister

  • Game Reviews
    Chronicles of the Wolf Review

    Chronicles of the Wolf Review: Forging a Path Through the Past

    JDM Japanese Drift Master Review

    JDM: Japanese Drift Master Review – When Mechanics Meet Manga

    Blood Bar Tycoon Review

    Blood Bar Tycoon Review: A Bloody Good Idea, Poorly Executed

    Ghost Frequency Review

    Ghost Frequency Review: All Atmosphere, No Conclusion

    Death Stranding 2 On the Beach Review 1

    Death Stranding 2: On the Beach Review – Kojima’s Outback Odyssey

    RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army Review

    RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army Review: The Detective Who Couldn’t Investigate

    Still Wakes the Deep: Siren’s Rest Review

    Still Wakes the Deep: Siren’s Rest Review – Revisiting a Sunken Legacy

    TRON: Catalyst Review

    TRON: Catalyst Review: More Style Than Substance

    FBC: Firebreak Review

    FBC: Firebreak Review: Corporate Chaos and Cooperative Action

  • The Bests
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Movie and TV News
    28 Years Later 1

    Young Fathers Rewrite the Apocalypse With 28 Years Later Score

    Hitmakers Netflix

    Netflix Tunes Up July Line-up With Songwriter Show ‘Hitmakers’

    Doctor Who

    BBC Faces Backlash Over Early Doctor Who Drops

    The Pavilion

    Sarajevo Picks Mustafić’s Rebel Comedy ‘The Pavilion’ for Opening Night

    Thomas H. Brodek

    Producer Tom Brodek, Master of Stephen King Miniseries, Dies at 86

    BET Paramount

    BET Joins Paramount Layoff Wave as Cable Declines Deepen

    Roofman

    Channing Tatum Drills Into Oscar Season With Cianfrance’s ‘Roofman’

    Mindhunter

    David Fincher Weighs Mindhunter Revival as Film Trilogy

    How to Train Your Dragon

    ‘Elio’ Lands With a Thud as Pixar Records Its Worst Opening Weekend

  • Movie and TV Reviews
    Surviving Ohio State Review

    Surviving Ohio State Review: The Weight of Witness

    Countdown Season 1 Review

    Countdown Season 1 Review: Assembling the Parts of a Soulless Machine

    M3GAN 2.0 Review

    M3GAN 2.0 Review: When Silicon Valley Nightmares Meet Summer Blockbuster Ambitions

    Trainwreck Poop Cruise Season 1 Review 1

    Trainwreck: Poop Cruise Season 1 Review: Sensationalism on the High Seas

    Head Over Heels Season 1 Review

    Head Over Heels Season 1 Review: The Shaman and the Cursed Boy

    Pushers Review

    Pushers Review: Weaponizing Invisibility for Laughs

    Grenfell: Uncovered Review

    Grenfell: Uncovered Review: The Human Cost of Calculated Neglect

    Ironheart Review

    Ironheart Review: Science vs. Magic in Marvel’s Moral Labyrinth

    Found Footage: The Making of the Patterson Project Review

    Found Footage: The Making of the Patterson Project Review: When Satire Suddenly Turns Sinister

  • Game Reviews
    Chronicles of the Wolf Review

    Chronicles of the Wolf Review: Forging a Path Through the Past

    JDM Japanese Drift Master Review

    JDM: Japanese Drift Master Review – When Mechanics Meet Manga

    Blood Bar Tycoon Review

    Blood Bar Tycoon Review: A Bloody Good Idea, Poorly Executed

    Ghost Frequency Review

    Ghost Frequency Review: All Atmosphere, No Conclusion

    Death Stranding 2 On the Beach Review 1

    Death Stranding 2: On the Beach Review – Kojima’s Outback Odyssey

    RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army Review

    RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army Review: The Detective Who Couldn’t Investigate

    Still Wakes the Deep: Siren’s Rest Review

    Still Wakes the Deep: Siren’s Rest Review – Revisiting a Sunken Legacy

    TRON: Catalyst Review

    TRON: Catalyst Review: More Style Than Substance

    FBC: Firebreak Review

    FBC: Firebreak Review: Corporate Chaos and Cooperative Action

  • The Bests
No Result
View All Result
GAZETTELY
No Result
View All Result
Black Cake Review

Circle of Danger Review: Tourneur’s Underseen Postwar Gem

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Season Finale Review - The Next Hero of Olympus?

Home Entertainment TV Shows

Black Cake Review: Secrets & Reinvention Flavored with Caribbean Flair

Sinking into the Deceptive Depths of Family Inheritance

Naser Nahandian by Naser Nahandian
1 year ago
in Entertainment, Reviews, TV Shows
Reading Time: 6 mins read
A A
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on PinterestShare on WhatsAppShare on Telegram

Ever wanted a glimpse inside someone else’s family secrets? That’s exactly the slice of drama that Hulu’s new series Black Cake serves up. This limited series takes the rich and mysterious storytelling of an Agatha Christie novel and combines it with the intimate family bonds of This Is Us.

We follow a brother and sister, Byron and Benny, as they unravel the hidden truths about their recently deceased mom Eleanor. Through a series of posthumous recordings she left them, the grieving siblings discover their mom grew up in 1960s Jamaica under a different name—Covey. Turns out, Eleanor wasn’t the woman they thought they knew at all.

As Byron and Benny dive deeper into the tapes, we’re plunged back in time through flashbacks to experience Covey’s coming-of-age story firsthand. From sunny Jamaica beaches to the overcast streets of London, it’s a journey packed with young love, competitive swimming dreams, heartbreaking loss, dangerous gangsters, a mysterious murder, and worlds of personal reinvention.

So pull up a chair and grab a strong cup of tea – the secrets baked inside this family tale are piping hot and best consumed slowly. Savor the rich performances and cinematography as the truth about Eleanor rises to the surface.

Delving into the Layers of Family Secrets

Black Cake quickly pulls us into a family mystery centered around Eleanor, a mother who recently passed from cancer. She left behind cassette tapes unveiling her hidden past for grieving children Byron and Benny to unravel. As they press play, we’re transported back to Eleanor’s 1960s Jamaican childhood when she went by Covey.

Bright swimming talent Covey finds her ambitious dreams darkened when her father marries her off to an older gangster to settle his gambling debts. But the union ends abruptly when someone poisons the groom at their reception. Covey seizes the moment to fake her death and flee the island by stowing away on a ship bound for England.

What follows is a poignant saga of reinvention fueled by survival as Covey sheds her name and identity, enduring tragedy and turmoil as an immigrant in 1960s London. Just when stability seems within reach, another layer of secrets further upends her life.

The series fluidly interweaves Eleanor’s gritty backstory with the present-day perspective of her mourning children. However, the contemporary family drama feels lightweight, failing to resonate as deeply. The exceptions come through nuanced themes around grief, race, and sexual identity that organically emerge through Benny’s character.

But the soul of this series rests squarely on the fiery charisma of Mia Isaac as our heroine Covey. She’s a magnetic force, skillfully evolving from cocky, dream-chasing teenager to reserved, watchful young woman. It’s impossible to peel your eyes away, eager to uncover whatever the next chapter of her thrilling, devastating, inspirationally resilience-filled life will reveal.

So while the murder mystery feels almost irrelevant, it hands us the passport to escape into this rich portrait of one remarkable woman’s globetrotting journey toward freedom and self-discovery.

“Unravel the dark secrets of a family’s past with our The Truth About Jim review. Join Sierra Barter as she embarks on a harrowing journey to expose the hidden truths about her step-grandfather, Jim Mordecai, and confronts the specter of his monstrous legacy. This intimate true-crime portrait promises to captivate and enlighten, shedding light on the survivors’ quest for closure and justice.”

Complex Characters Bring the Story to Life

At the heart of Black Cake’s appeal lies its richly drawn characters, brought vividly to life through standout performances. As our fiercely determined heroine Covey, Mia Isaac displays wisdom beyond her years, injecting the teenage swimmer with an intoxicating blend of grit, passion, and terrified vulnerability as she’s forced to grow up too fast. Despite limited screen time, Isaac’s chemistry with her best friend Bunny (Lashay Anderson) transcends the story’s decade, capturing that rare, fierce loyalty between Black women.

Black Cake Review

In the present timeline, Adrienne Warren channels impressive depth as grief-stricken, messy artist Benny. Warren peels back emotional layers slowly, bringing cathartic new dimension to Benny’s initial unlikeability. As her estranged oceanographer brother Byron, Ashley Thomas showcases intellectual appeal, yet lacks complexity.

While the elder Eleanor remains elusive, Chipo Chung’s gentle narration resonates with bittersweet wisdom. And as family lawyer Charles, Glynn Turman’s gravitas grounds scenes with graceful composure. He represents the patience and understanding all the characters yearn for.

These rich portrayals keep the plot intriguing despite uneven pacing, steering an evocative course through loss, reinvention and the eternal ripples of personal choice.

A Visual Feast with Musical Missteps

Even when Black Cake stumbles narratively, its sumptuous visual language never fails to captivate. We’re treated to dazzling cinematography from start to finish, fluidly gliding from the sun-drenched vibrance of 1960s Jamaica to the cold, shadowy aesthetic of London. The sharp color contrast between these paralleling worlds proves symbolic, underscoring Covey’s jarring transition from carefree teenager to isolated immigrant.

Black Cake Review

Beyond lush scenery, playful editing choices add dynamism to routine scenes. Imaginative transitions, slow motion sequences, and compelling framing mean every moment pops with style. And the extravagant costuming consistently impresses, with era-appropriate ensembles transporting us convincingly through the decades.

If only the music matched the mastery of the show’s visual presentation. While the Caribbean-inspired score adds tropical flavor early on, it soon fades into bland background hums. Quieter dramatic moments beg for the slight addition of poignant strings or gentle piano to accentuate the formidable performances. Yet too often, immense emotional climaxes arrive accompanied by minimal audio atmosphere.

Still, moments where sight and sound fully sync exemplify sublime cinematic storytelling. For the most part, Black Cake remains a feast for the eyes, if not always the ears.

Unpacking the Thematic Layers

At its core, Black Cake is a conceptual feast, serving up insightful commentary on the echoes of personal history through potent themes involving identity, trauma, and truth. By framing Eleanor’s revelations as a “black cake” for her children to unpack, the story itself becomes symbolic of her concealed layers now brought to light. This unique narrative device proves emotionally effective, directly inviting the audience into the catharsis of her cathartic disclosures.

Black Cake Review

We witness Eleanor bury traumatic events in order to survive, adopting new names and personas, only to have the past resurface later in life. It’s a nuanced exploration of compartmentalization – the sacrifices made for self-preservation and fresh starts. Can we outrun our formative experiences? Or do secrets and suppressed identity have an expiration date?

The ocean also flows through the series as an eloquent metaphor, representing the main characters’ connections to meaning and freedom – albeit differently across generations. For Covey, it’s a gateway to chasing dreams and self-discovery. While for her son Byron, it represents habitual escape that cannot quell confrontations about race and self-worth in America.

These reflective narrative layers give the show ballast, steering viewers to contemplate our own relationship with familial inheritance, forgiveness, and restless reinvention.

A Must-Watch Slice of Cinematic Storytelling

At its core, Black Cake is a treat for fans of emotionally driven period drama and charming character studies. While the murder mystery creates crucial momentum, it’s our heroine Covey who steers the voyage, transforming before our eyes from lovestruck teen to guarded stowaway. Mia Isaac brings Covey to life with intoxicating spirit and depth, crafting an Oscar-worthy revelatory performance that alone makes this series a must-see.

Black Cake Review

Yet what makes Black Cake such a delicious viewing experience is how we slowly uncover more than just Covey’s story. Through symbolically potent themes and Eleanor’s “black cake” recordings, the show invites thoughtful engagement with universal truths about family legacies, identity evolution, and personal resilience. Even occasional narrative weaknesses fade to background noise thanks to an abundance of visual splendor, Soul-stirring song choices would lift an already phenomenal production, yet don’t deter from powerful moments.

So pull up a cozy blanket and prepare to savor this rich family portrait studded with secrets. Let Mia Isaac dazzle as Covey while the story marinates in your mind long after the end credits. Because Black Cake serves up the kind of nuanced, culturally resonant fare we could use more of – where dynamic female-led period dramas interweave past and present into one satisfyingly sweet bite.

The Review

Black Cake

8 Score

Black Cake simmers with standout style and performances, serving up an artfully crafted story exploring family bonds, the echoes of personal history, and the resilience of the human spirit. Centered around Mia Isaac’s star-making turn, it makes for a satisfying binge worth savoring.

PROS

  • Captivating lead performance by Mia Isaac
  • Evocative period drama visuals and costumes
  • Thematic depth exploring identity and familial bonds
  • Strong supporting cast (Adrienne Warren, Glynn Turman)
  • Suspenseful unfolding of central mystery

CONS

  • Uneven/slow-paced plotting
  • Underdeveloped present-day family drama
  • Mediocre, forgettable musical score
  • Murder mystery resolution underwhelming
  • Ambitious adapting a complex novel

Review Breakdown

  • Overall 0
Tags: Black CakeCharmaineCrime fictionDramaFeaturedHayley TylerHuluMarissa Jo CerarMysteryNatalia LeiteYasmin Almanaseer
Previous Post

Circle of Danger Review: Tourneur’s Underseen Postwar Gem

Next Post

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Season Finale Review – The Next Hero of Olympus?

Try AI Movie Recommender

Gazettely AI Movie Recommender

This Week's Top Reads

  • Marshmallow Review

    Marshmallow Review: These Woods Hide Unexpected Secrets

    4 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Alma and the Wolf Review: Ethan Embry Shines in a Flawed Fever Dream

    1 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Boglands Review: Shadows and Whispers in the Irish Mist

    2 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Mix Tape Review: A Story Told on Two Sides of a Cassette

    1 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Smoke Review: The Year’s Most Unpredictable and Unsettling Show

    7 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • 7 Biggest Station Wagons on the Market

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Outrageous Season 1 Review: Champagne and Cyanide

    1 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Must Read Articles

Surviving Ohio State Review
Movies

Surviving Ohio State Review: The Weight of Witness

39 minutes ago
Countdown Season 1 Review
TV Shows

Countdown Season 1 Review: Assembling the Parts of a Soulless Machine

1 hour ago
M3GAN 2.0 Review
Entertainment

M3GAN 2.0 Review: When Silicon Valley Nightmares Meet Summer Blockbuster Ambitions

13 hours ago
Grenfell: Uncovered Review
Movies

Grenfell: Uncovered Review: The Human Cost of Calculated Neglect

20 hours ago
Ironheart Review
Entertainment

Ironheart Review: Science vs. Magic in Marvel’s Moral Labyrinth

21 hours ago
Loading poll ...
Coming Soon
Who is the best director in the horror thriller genre?

Gazettely is your go-to destination for all things gaming, movies, and TV. With fresh reviews, trending articles, and editor picks, we help you stay informed and entertained.

© 2021-2024 All Rights Reserved for Gazettely

What’s Inside

  • Movie & TV Reviews
  • Game Reviews
  • Featured Articles
  • Latest News
  • Editorial Picks

Quick Links

  • Home
  • About US
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise with Us
  • Review Guidelines

Follow Us

Facebook X-twitter Youtube Instagram
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Movies
  • Entertainment News
  • Movie and TV Reviews
  • TV Shows
  • Game News
  • Game Reviews
  • Contact Us

© 2024 All Rights Reserved for Gazettely

Go to mobile version