Jacob Owen "Jake" Barber is the titular character of the Apple TV+ limited series, Defending Jacob. The bleaker ending is that hell know what she did, shell know he knows, and Andy will continue to willfully refuse that it was anything but an accident. Althougheverything points out the fact that he committed the murder. During one last prison chat, Billy admits that he orchestrated thePatz murder, and just so that hisgrandson couldlive a relatively normal life. And no one dies in the crash as Laurie recovers in the hospital, with Jacob in a coma, Andy has been on the witness stand, asserting that Lauries sudden swerve was an accident. Anyways, Bye. While that is completely understandable as a parent, that is the turning point.. The book and the show end differently but both come with a crushing blow. The finallesson reinforces the underlying theme of faith in Defending Jacob. Patz commits suicide and leaves a note confessing to killing Ben. However, Sarah was livid as she doesn't know what he did or what drama he was pulling her into. Jacob was not a suspect to begin with and his father, Andy Barber, worked on the case and Leonard Patz was a suspect initially . All Rights Reserved. If the central question of Defending Jacob is what happens when your child is accused of a horrific crime, the natural follow-up lingering in the background of every episode is potentially even more important: Did he do it? But later, in the hospital, she doesnt appear to remember what happened, and both she and Jacob will likely recover. The eighth episode, which premiered Friday, begins with a big development: The murder charges that troubled teen Jacob (Jaeden Martell) had been facing all season are suddenly dropped. Jacob is innocent because. And thats exactly the point. Instead, the show leaves it maddeningly ambiguous all the way until the final frameand that, series writer Mark Bomback tells EW, is the point. She may not have specifically been trying to kill him or indeed both of them but the crash wasnt an accident. In Landay's source material, the Barbers go to Jamaica (rather than Mexico), and Jacob does indeed meet a girl named Hope Connors. arsy80 3 yr. ago. The next day, she realises that Billy followed their plan earlier than usual and thanks the henchman. Ultimately, however, Andy . While both District Attorney Andy (Chris Evans) and teacher Laurie (Michelle Dockery) vacillate on their sons innocence (or lack thereof) throughout the series, the later episodes reveal that both have been complicit in covering up suspicious behavior, and the man who came forward and confessed to the crime was blackmailed into doing so by Andys own criminal father. The discussions of empathy or lack of empathy coming from the parents was also interesting on this point. The Barbers were on a holiday when Jacob meets Hope Connors. And what do I believe? Taylor was a 26-year-old emergency room technician and aspiring . He finds a knife fitting the description of the murder weapon and, in his shock, hastily gets rid of it, but Jacob is arrested when his fingerprint is found on the inside of Bens sweater. We learn that Jacob does not have this gene, but his grandfather and father do. The 50 greatest TV and movie detectives of all time. It's up to Andy and his wife, Laurie (Michelle Dockery), to protect their son from a firestorm of media attention, combative prosecutors, and neighborhood gossipall while privately questioning whether their own child could be capable of the unthinkable. She is currently working remotely alongside her dog, Oliver. Laurie and Andy are depicted to be going through a lot as they defend their son. The novel Defending Jacob hit the shelves in 2012 and became an immediate best-seller. The revelation allows Jacob to walk free. Fox doesnt think hell live to be 80: Every day its tougher, Jerry Springer kept his aggressive cancer a family secret in his final months. For Bomback, he says he wanted to write Jacob as a far more sympathetic, normal teen and as less of a psychopath-in-waiting, so he chose to focus the show primarily on Ben Rifkin's murder instead of Hope's. His father, Andy, and mother, Laurie, do everything in their power to prove his . Were entering major spoiler territory from here on out. I like this tragic notion of were in a prison of our own making as were leaving these characters. Its the result of such a frayed, eroded sense of youre just at your wits end.. In addition, Andy discovers a knife in his son's room - a possible murder weapon - which is what kicks off the story, as the Barbersaren't fully convinced their sonis innocent. She asks Jacob about it while they are in a car. Defending Jacob Review: Chris Evans Stars in a Twisty Crime Drama, Den Of Geek Book Club: Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children, Always Sunny to Talking Sopranos: The Best TV Rewatch Podcasts Hosted By Cast & Creators, The Star Trek Story Bridging the Gaps Between Deep Space Nine and Picard, Taskmaster and The Underrated Comic Genius of Kiell Smith-Bynoe. The one sees the best in the child and the other only sees the worst. If Jacob survives (and thats not a given) he will know that his mother believes hes a murderer and tried to kill him. Thank you for reading this. The ending of AppleTV+'s 'Defending Jacob' series diverts from William Landay's 2012 novel in two key ways. When the ending rolls around, Jacob's mother has become convinced of his guilt and attempts to get . He's also the founding editor at Vague Visages, and has contributed to RogerEbert.com and Fandor. Billy confesses to Andy that he hired a hitman to force Patz to confess then kill him. She freaks out because she is becoming more and more paranoid that someone will find out she killed Ben. The car crashes. I was always interested in this idea that you can build your whole life on a foundation that has a lie within it, Bomback continued. It's another change from Landay's original novel: In the book, Jacob dies in the crash. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. The show never explicitly states whether Jacob (Jaeden Martell) committed murder. Apple TV+'sDefending Jacobendingis tragic, but the book handled a bit differently. Sad times, we dont know! Jacob is targetedbecause he's a social outcastwith obvious communication issues. Flashbacks are shown where he can be seen involved in this, but he refuses it in front of Andy. Apple TV+ From left, Chris Evans stars as Andy Barber, Michelle Dockery as Laurie Barber and Jaeden Martell as Jacob Barber in the miniseries "Defending Jacob," streaming on Apple TV+. However, Laurie becomes increasingly preoccupied with the idea of Jacobs guilt and on a drive, crashes the car into a tunnel, killing Jacob and leaving herself in a critical condition. What Actually Happened: Laurie goes for her morning run and sees Ben. Jacob does have some other genetic traits, we learn, that make him predisposed towards some anti-social behaviours. Andy storms out but refuses to tell Laurie (Michelle Dockery) what happened. Despite Jacobs protestations that he didnt, Laurie refuses to believe him. Laurie gets distant from Andy and Jacob and goes to Rifkin's'to confess about Jacob. Q.V. Jacob comes and sees what is happening. As a character,Billy underlines Andy's life-long guilt. Andy decides not to tell Laurie and Jacob. However, there are some major changes in the series. Not Quite. Jacob, Patz, Derek, Sarah, or even Billys henchman couldve done it. She decides to go to Billy saying she did it and needs him to help her defend Jacob and they made a plan: If Jacob is found guilty, they get someone to kill and frame Patz. Andy finds out that a pedophile named Leonard Patz may have killed Ben. Defending Jacob book ending is also open-ended, with Laurie driving Jacob and crashing the car. Laurie starts to believe that Jacob might have killed Ben after Andy tells her about his finding. I wouldnt extend it to another season just to simply spend more time with these characters. ), At Willie Nelson 90, country, rock and rap stars pay tribute, but Willie and Trigger steal the show, Concertgoer lets out a loud full body orgasm while L.A. Phil plays Tchaikovskys 5th, James Corden gets a star-studded send-off on his final Late Late Show, Kim Kardashian is catching shade from Patti LuPone and Sharon Stone for AHS casting, Jonathan Majors accuser gets full temporary protection order ahead of court date, Review: The Russo brothers spy thriller Citadel has plenty of action and little else, Former Springer bouncer Steve Wilkos pays tribute to TV mentor Jerry Springer. Crucially, Andy doesn't tell Laurie about Billy until a family trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. When a young girl named Hope goes missing under mysterious circumstances, Andy can't help but wonder whether Jacob might be involvedagain. This Lincoln car is similar to the one Father OLeary drives. At the end of this, now hes going to be the one living with it did they or didnt they? https://nerdround.com/ Defending Jacob Season Finale Explained | Who Killed Ben Rifkin ?#defendingjacob #whokilledbenrifkin #nerdroundMake Sure To Subscribe . Whether Laurie remembers her own motivation for the crash is also up in the air, but creator Bomback says its much more likely shes decided to go along with Andys version of events that it was a horrible accident than the truth that its something she purposefully (though potentially subconsciously) did. She embraces this lie, you know, it must have been an accident. But you dont have anything conclusive. The tragic irony is, he didnt have to, and Hope is found.. Naturally, Laurie panics about the reveal, and once again believes that her son is indeed a killer. Specifically, he enlisted a long-time friend known as "Father O'Leary" (William Xifaras) to frame and kill the pedophile,which would allow hisgrandson, Jacob, to receivelegal "proof of innocence." The following story contains spoilers from the eighth and final episode of Defending Jacob, After.. Jacob is initially surprised, and then frightened as his mother drives erratically. The following story contains . Onscreen, Hope turns up alive. Dockery says that its clear Laurie is in a fog of her own trauma, and the ambiguity about her decision took a lot of work to calibrate correctly. She cleans the knife in the water and goes home. The lack of confidence in Jacob shatters both parents; they can't know for sure if their son is innocent. Andy - who has been questioned by fellow attorney Neal Loguidice (Pablo Schreier) at a hearing about the accident throughout the series - refuses to implicate Laurie. Andy finds out that a pedophile named Leonard Patz may have killed Ben. The possibility of the murder gene is floated. Michelle Dockery, Jaeden Martell and Chris Evans star in "Defending Jacob," the latest series to mention a "murder gene.".