Defending Jacob Episode 2 Review: ‘Everything is Cool’

Episode 2 picks up where the first episode left off with Andy having to share the worrying knife discovery with his wife, Laurie. Once again, the teenager is cool, calm and collected. In his eyes it’s no big deal. Preceding this scene, eagle-eyed viewers may have noticed that Jacob was watching some disturbing footage of a group of teenagers hurting another. This is already a very subtle nod that he is not perturbed by violent acts and it’s something he voluntarily watches.

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

An unsettling feeling may quite rightly grow in the stomachs of the audience, as Jacob is not perplexed that he had been caught out with a weapon and even asked for it back.

The plot is already evoking the audience to have a judgement on what Andy has done. Would you throw the knife away to protect your son or would you hand it in?

Meanwhile, Leonard Patz, who has had a previous conviction, has been pulled in for questioning with regards to the murder of Ben. Daniel Henshall plays the role brilliantly with props due for the way he carries himself with somewhat of a nervous disposition, the inability to look questioning detectives in the eye and the way he delivers the stuttering, mumbling mutterings of Patz when put under pressure. 

To keep the different stages of time in play, the script cleverly jumps back to the court scene with Andy in the chair being questioned by former friend and colleague Neal Loguidice (Pablo Schreiber) about the knife that Andy threw away two months later. Once again, the audience will have a million questions they will be desperate to have answered by this point – the main one being is Andy on trial for hiding potential evidence or for misconduct? Unfortunately for viewers of the series, the purpose for his being in court is not revealed for some time yet… 

The dark, moody tones to the scenes continue to feel suffocating in each scene of the episode and the cinematography emphasises the bleakness of the situation, which has only got worse for Andy and Jacob. Unsurprisingly, Andy is pulled off the case as there is a conflict of issues after it is revealed that Jacob’s fingerprint was found on Ben’s jacket and of course, his rival Neal is taking over the case. Evans delivers his distressed dad role brilliantly in the meeting with his superior, as he chokes saying, ‘You’re ruining his life, you know that? You’re going to destroy it.’

The pace picks up for the first time in this episode, as Andy races to get back before the police officers enter his house with a search warrant, but to no avail, Jacob has gone missing after seeing the police outside of his house. He is later found by officers sitting alone on a swing before revealing to the officer that he did discover Ben dead but didn’t tell anyone because he was scared. Martell shines at this point, for the first time showing that he is genuinely is distressed as the tears role down his face. Jacob is vulnerable as he breaks down asking for his dad, something which hasn’t been seen before.

The episode ends on yet another intriguing cliffhanger that jumps to Leonard Patz sitting in a cafe late at night. He is staring at his phone… at photos he has taken of Ben from a distance without his consent. That’s it. That’s how it ends. Straight away, the show has teased you into watching the next episode with your brain screaming, ‘he did it!’ 

Thankfully for Apple TV+ subscribers, you can watch episode 3 straight away to see if your suspicions are correct…

Overall, the second episode has thrown up a few surprises, with Andy’s instinct to throw away the knife, he has also been thrown off the case, Jacob is thrown into questioning about his involvement and the teenager has also thrown a spanner into the works by admitting he did see Ben’s body and he was there at the park, but he stresses that he still didn’t do it. There’s enough there in the script to keep the audience hankering for more and no doubt it will entice subscribers of Apple TV+ to watch the next episode immediately. 

Have you watched the second 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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