Defending Jacob Episode 4 Review: ‘Damage Control’

At the end of episode 3, there was a brief glimpse of Leonard Patz eating and watching another male teenager in the distance, it then jumps to Jacob’s friend, Sarah, pulling out Detective Duffy’s card with information about Ben’s murder (she knows more about what may have happened than she has been letting on) and finally, the deterioration of Laurie’s mental state is evident as she is manically painting over the sprayed words on the garage.

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

At the start of episode 4, Jacob’s defence attorney, Joanna Klein (Cherry Jones) is grilling the teenager with questions, testing whether or not he is able to withstand an interrogation in court, which he clearly is not. Cherry Jones steals the scenes during the opening, as she cooly delivers her calm, steely exterior whilst questioning Jacob. It’s at this point, you realise you would like to see more of her on screen, as she really makes the show. 

This series excels in dropping teasers, making the audience wait to see what drama unfolds next from Derek being brought to the Principal’s office to be questioned by Detective Duffy; Laurie receives mysterious mail that she quickly hides from her family and Andy has flashbacks about his father otherwise known as ‘Bloody Billy Barber’ and his visits to see him in jail.

Perhaps one of the most telling things about the show is how the screenplay makes you think about Jacob and his proclaimed innocence. Even Laurie questions Andy about his thoughts, asking ‘Is there a part of you, even a tiny part, that thinks he might have done it?’ This teases the audience into thinking the same, after all, if his own mother is having doubts about him, then why would we not too?

The next day, this certainly adds fuel to the fire for Andy, as he thinks if Jacob’s mother wonders whether he may be guilty, what hope have they got with the jury? So he presses on with his own personal investigation of Leonard Patz and goes to visit the boy, Matt McGrath (Hale Lytle) he allegedly groped in the library, to no avail. 

Undeterred, Andy continues his mission of proving Patz is connected to Ben’s murder as he takes up one of his traits – stalking. Patz is under surveillance from a determined Andy who is beginning to blur the line between his role as a father and a dismissed Assistant District Attorney to prove that Patz is the guilty party and not his son. 

In the episode, subtle hints are dropped about Jacob’s personality traits and his capabilities to feel empathy, as he continues his tests for the murder gene. Attentive viewers may notice that the teenager is looking at disturbing images of individuals who have been harmed or may be suffering under the supervision of the psychologist whilst having his heart rate assessed and he doesn’t flinch. In fact, he doesn’t really react at all and Jaeden Martell has really nailed his delivery of Jacob in that sense. So cold, emotionless and impassive. Are those the traits of a murderer..?

Throughout this series, your heart breaks for Laurie, as she watches on from a distance as the Spring Gala at her old school is underway, whilst she lies to her husband that she has been invited out for dinner with a friend from work, when she is actually going to a diner to eat alone. She’s looking pale and weary, the pressure is taking its toll and the high calibre of acting from Michelle Dockery effortlessly conveys her mental and physical exhaustion. 

There’s a lot that Laurie has had to contend with and the pressure has grown even more heavily of late. She offloads her feelings to a friendly diner at the restaurant who she begins to enjoy chatting to. The slow, drawn-out pace of this scene makes you think things are not quite as they seem as she reveals facts about her husband and his inability to make friends. As she rambles on, it soon transpires that the person she temporarily befriended is in fact a reporter. Oh, Laurie…

As if that isn’t stressful enough, Jacob decides to ignore the advice of his parents and lawyer and creates a social media account under a pseudonym, all so that he can listen to Sarah’s (Jordan Alexa Davis) songs that she uploads. Oh, Jacob…

AVENGERS fans will have a throwback moment during the final quarter of the episode, as Andy discusses his determination to help Jacob with Laurie whilst in bed, proclaiming ‘My only job now is trying to protect our son. Whatever it takes…’ Yes, Chris Evans has delivered that line before in AVENGERS: ENDGAME and he has done so again on this occasion. That must have brought back memories for the actor when he delivered that line…

For those who have not seen the movie (I doubt that’s many people!), here’s the infamous line that Evans delivers in AVENGERS: ENDGAME:

The next day, in the meeting with the psychologist, director Morten Tyldum has cleverly positioned Andy and Laurie further apart, perhaps this is a symbolic move that shows the gulf is widening between them and as the strength of their relationship is getting tested, they are moving further apart from each other towards opposite sides. It’s during this scene that the most exciting part of the episode takes place – revealing Andy’s father. They need a DNA test not just from Andy and Laurie, but from his dad too – and he is demanding that Andy goes to Connecticut to the prison to ask him personally for the test. Cue the teaser shot in prison, entwined eerily with Atli Örvarsson‘s music as we see J.K. Simmons sitting alone in the cell…

Overall, the fourth episode has probably the slowest movement in storyline of them all. There were no huge cliffhangers or shocks to come out of this one, but it sets up pivotal new characters that will have an effect on the plot as it moves on. There’s the introduction of Leonard Patz’s victim, Matt McGrath and of course we get a sneak peek at Andy’s dad, played by none other than the super talented, J.K. Simmons –  now there’s a reason to be excited about the next episode! 

At the end of episode 4, there will be for the first time a wait for Apple TV+ subscribers before they can watch the next instalment. After the first three episodes dropped, all new ones after this will be available to stream every Friday. With the audience now hooked on the storyline, it will be a long wait for the next episode in the show, but it will definitely be worth it.

Have you watched the fourth episode of DEFENDING JACOB? What do you think of the show so far? 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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