It's difficult to believe that someone could be so cruel. 

Defending Jacob Season 1 Episode 5 welcomed the superb J.K. Simmons into the fold as Billy Barber, and boy, he's a piece of work. 

Billy made his bed when he murdered a young woman, so the very notion that he feels his son has failed him by not getting his sentence reduced was absurd. 

What should have been a father pleading with his son for forgiveness was a man pulling strings because he was in a position of power. 

Andy is understandably affected by his childhood, mostly because of that visit with his father in prison. There's resentment from Andy because he feels like his father robbed him of a childhood. 

Defending Jacob plays with expectations, and it was refreshing that the creative minds behind the show zeroed in on how wicked Billy is. 

He baited Andy on multiple occasions. He wanted a reaction from his son, and holding the DNA sample over his head was horrible. 

Billy: You gonna say something? You're sitting there like somebody's got a gun to your head.
Andy: You wanted me to come, I'm here.
Billy: So, that's how it is, huh?
Andy: What did you expect?
Billy: I don't know. I mean, I spent my whole life, almost and not once did you ever come visit. What kind of a son turns his back on his own father like that, huh? What kind of a man? I know I'm a fuckin' bad guy and all, but I'm still your father.

• Permalink: I don't know. I mean, I spent my whole life, almost and not once did you ever come visit....

Any hope of Andy letting his father back into his life was dashed at that moment, and that's okay. Andy is a product of his father's sins. He's an introvert who struggles with letting people in, and that also helps to explain why he's never had any close friends. 

Andy will vehemently defend his son, and that's only natural. He gives his son unconditional love, while Billy thinks everyone should drop everything for him ... even if he's been the absent father. 

I'm starting to get the sense that Andy is so worried about his relationship with Jacob breaking down that he's pushing himself head-first into finding evidence to make Jacob look innocent. 

Indeed, the DNA sample will go along way in giving Jacob's defense a boost, but the sample will likely be the thing that makes up Laurie's mind on whether her son is a killer. 

She's second-guessing everything she knows about Jacob. That's not a bad thing. Unlike Andy, Laurie is entertaining the possibility that her son is a killer. 

That's why she wanted the test completed. It would go a long way in putting her mind at ease. Wouldn't it make for a wild turn of events if she stopped supporting Jacob if he does have the gene? 

She's struggling physically and emotionally, and that was flawlessly illustrated in her comments to the undercover journalist. Of course her words were going to have an inflammatory effect on Jacob's case. 

While it seemed to everyone that she got Billy to agree to the test so that she could help the case after hindering it, it was nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt at learning more about her son's machinations. 

The opening episodes of Defending Jacob were slow, with a lot of meandering plots, but the show hit its stride with this installment. That's thanks in large part to the compelling storylines. 

Sarah revealing her side of things was needed to advance the plot. She's popped up here and there, and it's been frustrating because she clearly knew some more about the days leading up to the murder than she was telling anyone. 

Ben telling everyone about the supposed oral sex from Sarah was horrible, but instead of making Jacob look worse, it gave Derek a motive for murder. 

That's not to say Jacob is off the hook. The details about the violent porn website Jacob was using were disturbing, to say the least.

How do we know the two boys didn't coordinate the killing? 

They were in Jacob's home after the death, and Derek was clutching his bag like it was filled with a million dollars. Yes, it could have been Ben's phone in the bag, but there's more to this story than meets the eye. 

Which brings me to the Matt of it all. 

I've been wavering on whether Leonard has been innocent all along and been brought in as a red herring, but if those phone calls from Matt are any indication, there's a lot of drama still to come before we get our killer reveal. 

Matt is clearly struggling to come to terms with what happened. He's calling Andy in the dead of night, as well as self-medicating with drugs. 

Introducing Matt and his mom on Defending Jacob Season 1 Episode 4 was intentional. He is a crucial piece of the puzzle in unmasking the killer. 

Whether Andy will be able to trust him, I don't know, but we already know Andy is leaving no stone unturned in his pursuit of freedom for his son. 

The more intriguing aspect to me, however, is how Laurie will react to this news. If Jacob is ruled innocent, will she feel terrible about ever thinking he's the villain in this tale? 

Billy: You came out big. She must have fed you good.
Andy: She did fine. With everything.
Billy: I heard the cancer got her.
Andy: What do you care?
Billy: I don't.
Andy: Then don't talk about her.

• Permalink: Then don't talk about her.

There are so many questions and very little answers. With three episodes left, we should be getting some meaningful progression. 

What are your thoughts on the lengths Andy is going to? Do you sympathize with Laurie? What was your reaction to Billy being the wickedest father on all of TV?

Hit the comments below. 

Defending Jacob continues Fridays on Apple TV+.

Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.