Netflix's I Will Find You confirmed whether or not Adam is truly a bad guy in Episode 6, but there's a catch about his betrayal. Harlan Coben's new trending thriller series introduced Adam Mackenzie (Jonathan Tucker) as David Burroughs' childhood best friend and the godfather to his son, Matthew.
Adam was also the son of prison warden Philip Mackenzie, a longtime ally of David's family. Adam, a Boston Police sergeant, supported David when he learned that Matthew might be alive after he pointed out the photo that Rachel Mills gave him during her prison visit was real.
Is Adam Really a Bad Guy In 'I Will Find You'?
I Will Find You established Adam as a loyal man in a story infused with betrayal, desperation, and obsession. However, as the plot unraveled, his allegiances posed a complex complication, prompting viewers to ponder whether he is truly a bad guy.
Adam risked his career to help David Burroughs escape from Briggs Penitentiary, working with his father, who was also the warden, to stage the ruse. On the surface, this move positioned him as a good guy, considering that he broke the law for a friend he believes is innocent.
I Will Find You Episode 5, and later expanded in Episode 6, unpacked Adam's true allegiance. As it turned out, he had been secretly working for Nicky Fisher (played by Marvel, Star Wars, & DC actor Clancy Brown), the presumed suspect behind the disappearance of Matthew Burroughs and the same man who manipulated the trial to send David to prison for a long time.
There is actually a compelling reason why Adam pledged his loyalty to Nicky. When a hit was put out on his father and David's father (former detectives who arrested Nicky's son, Liam, in the past), Adam intervened, offering himself as Nicky's inside man in the Boston Police Department in exchange for sparing both of their lives and the safety of those around him.
Adam's motivations aren't purely selfish or evil. He protects his father, David's father, Lenny, and by extension, David himself. While this deal with Nicky was messy from the get-go, it was seen as a desperate bid to save lives when direct confrontation wasn't viable. As a result, Adam is not truly bad; he is a good guy who is forced to make the hard decision to protect those around him.
However, Adam's actions of working for Nicky make him complicit in illegal activities like corruption, enabling violence, and using the system to help Nicky evade law enforcement.
Adam's One Act In 'I Will Find You' Episode 6 Proved He Is a Good Person
I Will Find You Episode 6 unpacked the truth about Nicky Fisher's involvement in Matthew Burroughs's disappearance. Following the reveal of Adam's allegiance, Nicky forced David into an impossible choice: choose between killing his terminally ill father, Lenny, in exchange for information about Matthew's whereabouts.
When David hesitated, and Nicky ordered both to be killed, Adam intervened decisively, pulling his gun and pointing directly at Nicky, threatening him to back down and protect the people he cares about. Nicky eventually revealed that it was a test, and he was not involved with Matthew's abduction (it was actually Hayden Payne who orchestrated the whole thing).
This one act humanized Adam and tipped the scales toward viewing him as redeemable rather than a full-blown villain. Similar to how he risked his career for his friends and family, Adam risked everything by turning on his powerful mob benefactor in the moment.
The fact that he was badly outnumbered and could easily have stayed silent or sided with Nicky to protect his own deal and safety. Instead, he chose to intervene, showing his loyalty to David and his father ran deeper than his corrupt arrangement. Ultimately, Adam's entire arc in I Will Find You stemmed from a desire to safeguard family and chosen family, proving that he is not really a bad guy.
At the end of the series, Adam was booted out of the Boston P.D., but his actions ultimately exposed the truth, and he stepped away from Nicky to start his own private investigation firm for a fresh start and reinvention.
