Defending Jacob Season 1 Episode 7 Review: Job
Paul Dailly
at
.
Neal Loguiduice is a piece of work.
Defending Jacob Season 1 Episode 7 was the best episode of this Apple TV+ series to date, and it was all down to the tension inside the courtroom.
Who could have guessed all of the revelations that came to light would happen in front of everyone?
Pablo Schreiber is killing it as Neal. He's the character we love to hate, but his obsession with taking Andy down is becoming too obvious.
His actions on "Job" will have caused irreparable damage to his career, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him ousted from the world of law.
Johanna did the right thing by making sure Andy's father could not be brought up because that would have derailed the entire case from the jump.
The last thing I expected was for Andy to bait Pam into telling the court about Andy's father. I let out the loudest gasp at that moment.
Neal is good at his job, sure, but what is more fascinating about this is that Andy taught him the tricks he's using against him.
There was a friendship between them at one point, but something went sour along the way, and I'm starting to get the feeling Neal's obsession could turn deadly.
Even though Andy has done some terrible things to secure his son's future, Neal is trying to make him look worse in the eyes of the law -- and he's not even the person on trial.
Would it have been better if Andy steered away from the case? Sure, but his son's future is on the line here, and he's not going to be able to forgive himself if he does the wrong thing.
We know Andy struggles to have friends, and that could be attributed to his father being a cold-blooded killer, but the way Neal is using everything against him is only going to push him further away from making lasting connections with potential friends.
Pam understandably feels terribly for what she said to Andy about them not being friends, but she's going to feel even worse after being baited into telling the jury about Andy's father.
As things stand now, Jacob looks as guilty as sin. From the graphic story about murdering Ben to the porn site, he's keeping way more secrets than we could ever have anticipated.
Multi-layered characters are great, and I appreciate the way pace in which the reveals are coming. The show is doing well to keep viewers on their toes.
Jaedenn Martell is playing the role well, to the point that I'm still wondering whether Jacob could be the killer. It's a little bit convenient how Leonard Patz confesses to the murder after all of those revelations in the courtroom.
My best theory for that is that Patz has been coerced into confessing.
Why would he suddenly decide to confess after professing his innocence? Maybe we're to assume that the subpoena made him realize the jig was up, but I'm still not sure he's the killer.
Boys make mistakes. But we’re adults, with a grave responsibility before us. A child is dead, don’t destroy another child’s life to make up for it. That isn’t justice, that’s just another tragedy.
Joanna
With one episode remaining, there will likely be another wave of revelations about Jacob and his family, but it's likely they will start to drift apart.
Laurie has been questioning Jacob's innocence from the jump, while Andy's mind started to waver after learning about the story. There's so much this kid is keeping from everyone.
The standout theme recurring throughout Defending Jacob Season 1, and it's communication. Laurie, Andy, and Jacob do not communicate in the way they should as a family.
They tell each other things on a need to know basis, and that's why they all act shocked when something new gets revealed. Laurie said some harsh things to Jacob, but this is a woman who learned that her husband's father is a murderer while her son was on the hook for a killing.
Out of everyone, Laurie has been hit the hardest. Andy has a good poker face, while Jacob sometimes resembles a deranged serial killer when he blankly stares at his parents when they question him.
The Barber family does not seem like it will be able to bounce back from this, and quite frankly, Laurie deserves better. She feels like the last 20 or so years have been a lie and thinks she's raising the spawn of Satan.
What do you want me to say, Laurie? You’re right? Our marriage is a lie. Our whole f*cking family is based on a fairytale, built on nothing. And our son’s a murderer. Is that what you want to hear?
Andy
Defending Jacob started slow with many meandering storylines, but it found its groove quickly and has been giving viewers the right amount of reveals at the right time.
Now, all eyes are on Defending Jacob Season 1 Episode 8 to see whether the show can stick the landing.
There is a lot to wrap up, but some of the minor storylines could be overlooked if the main arc surrounding Jacob's innocence and the effect it has on the Barbers comes to fruition.
What did you think of the latest twists and turns in the case? Were you surprised Billy had a gangster follow the family to offer up protection?
Do you think Neal went too far in his quest to take down Andy?
Hit the comments below.
Defending Jacob Season 1 Episode 8 airs Friday, May 29 on Apple TV+.
Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.
