Defending Jacob Episode 1 Review: ‘Pilot’ – A great opening of the series

Defending Jacob is an Apple TV+ miniseries based on the bestselling novel of the same name by William Landay. The screenplay has been penned by Mark Bomback and in the director’s chair for this one is Morten Tyldum.

Defending Jacob tells the story of the Barber family, whose lives are irreparably disrupted when the son is accused of murdering a fellow classmate in this dramatic legal thriller. Chris Evans (who also serves as the Executive Producer of the show), Michelle Dockery and Jaeden Martell star in the TV adaptation. 

***You can read our full series review of Defending Jacob here***

Atli Örvarsson‘s score eerily opens each and every episode of Defending Jacob and the mood perfectly combines the grey, blue and gloomy saturation that envelopes each scene throughout the episodes.

The show opens up with Chris Evans, who plays Andy Barber, at a grand jury proceeding undergoing an investigatory process about an event which doesn’t fully become clear until the final episode. As the hearing is taking place after Jacob’s trial (with no clue at all towards the verdict), it makes it clear to the audience that more things are under investigation than just the murder trial. He’s looking sleep deprived and exhausted, teasing a hidden cause for this that won’t be exposed for several episodes. Has he done something wrong? Already the show is drawing questions out of its viewers and if that is the sort of show you like, then you are on to a winner.

The time then flips to ten months earlier, where we meet his son Jacob (Jaeden Martell) and wife, Laurie (Michelle Dockery). The family appear very functional; the son is revising for a test, his parents are involved and questioning him and they’re even discussing travel plans to Mexico. It all seems rosy and quite normal. They’re blissfully unaware of what the day holds for them all and if you have not read the book before, then you will be unfamiliar with the events that are about to erupt too. They’re both well respected members of society with Andy working as a District Attorney and Laurie at local school. What could possibly go wrong for their family?

It’s worth mentioning here that the casting is great for the family unit. Evans and Martell convincingly play their roles father and son roles respectively and it’s endearing to see the affectionate ways in which Andy refers to his son with ‘pal’ and ‘buddy’ often mentioned. Their connection feels genuine. 

That same day, Benjamin Rifkin, a 14-year-old boy was stabbed three times on his way to school. He was found dead near a local running trail at Cold Spring Park with no effort made to conceal his blood-soaked body. The neighbourhood is in shock and they want answers.

In the aftermath of this, it’s the first of Andy’s nightmares, where he is transported back to a time where he is frightened and a man is holding a knife. This cleverly teases audiences that he too has been exposed to something, but the slow-paced, enticing screenplay just won’t give the game away just yet.

All of a sudden, as the investigation gets underway led by Jacob’s father as the Assistant District Attorney, it transpires that all may not be what it seems. Jaeden Martell is very convincing at playing the unaffected teenager about the news of the death of his classmate. He is very blasé in his manner. He clearly has nothing to hide…

During the school interviews with the deceased’s classmates, the screenplay draws out suspicions as to why all children keep asking if Andy’s ‘Jacob Barber’s dad’. The suspense is subtle in creation; the children know something that Andy and the viewers may not at this stage. Still, Jacob doesn’t have any to hide… right?

Wrong! Andy is distracted by a potential lead on the possible murderer named Leonard Patz and he is enjoying spending some quality bonding time with his son, appreciating the fact that he is lucky enough to still have him around. Jacob, however, returns home and is spending his time on social media, berating his classmates for posting melancholic messages about Ben. Tipped off by an anonymous email, Andy investigates the social media post where he discovers Jacob has a knife and has brought it into school to show his friend Derek and others. 

Immediately, Andy sneaks through Jacob’s belongings whilst he’s obliviously sleeping and finds the weapon. The gloomy lighting here is very apt, very appropriate for the mood that is being created and the musical score in the background accompanies the scene perfectly.

The episode ends on an intriguing cliffhanger that will leave the audiences in suspense and questioning all the events so far. Whose knife is that? Is it the knife used to kill Ben? If it is, why would he keep it hidden in his bedside drawer? What is Andy going to do now? The list could go on and that is where the show is so successful – it takes you along with the storyline and makes you question everything. Already audiences will want to dive back in for more because of the need to know what happens next.

Thankfully for Apple TV+ subscribers, the first three episodes have all dropped on the same day, so you can watch one straight after the other. I’m sure you are already thinking about watching the next one right now…

Overall, the first episode is a great opening to the show and it sets up the expectations, pace and delivery accurately. The drama isn’t going to explode as quickly as a balloon popping, but the slow burning candle of drama will be burning bright in the upcoming episodes.

Have you watched the first episode of DEFENDING JACOB? What do you think of the casting for the series? As always, we like to know what you think, so let us know your thoughts below, tweet us @filmandtvnow or leave a comment on our Facebook page.

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