Andy's drunken emotional breakdowneffectively splits the family apart. By Defending Jacobepisode 7, the Barberfamily history becomes an issue in court. Making a splash: A deep dive into the live-action Little Mermaid with a new generation's Ariel. Here's what the science says. But is the high school student really a killer? The show never explicitly states whether Jacob (Jaeden Martell) committed murder. Crucially, Andy doesn't tell Laurie about Billy until a family trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Jacobs comatose status arguably leaves the story open for a second season. It stars Chris Evans, Michelle Dockery, Jaeden Martell, Cherry Jones, Pablo Schreiber, Betty Gabriel, and Sakina Jaffrey. 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. Offers may be subject to change without notice. The conclusion to the gripping limited series delivers some answers, but also poses more questions. The Defending Jacobending reveals that Billy Barber orchestrated Patz's murder. Bomback says. The Hollywood Reporter is a part of Penske Media Corporation. The ending of AppleTV+'s 'Defending Jacob' series diverts from William Landay's 2012 novel in two key ways. During a car ride withJacob, the internal and external "noise" becomes too much to bear for Laurie. And sometimes you really have to leave it up to the people around you and take that pressure off yourself, and then it will all unfold onscreen., For his part, Evans says he doesnt think the crash was a hugely premeditated move: I do believe its born of a subconscious choice. ALSO READ | 'Raktanchal' ending explained: A final face off between Waseem Khan and Vijay Singh. Unable to hide the truth any longer, Andy gets drunk and tells Laurie about his fathers involvement. We learn that Jacob does not have this gene, but his grandfather and father do. 3. The following story contains spoilers from the eighth and final episode of Defending Jacob, After.. The revelation allows Jacob to walk free. This event echoes the ending of the 2012 book on which the show is based. Despite Billy hinting that he wasnt involved, flashbacks show that he was. Jacob, afraid of his mothers gradual speeding on such a rainy day, says, Fine, I killed him, OK? Andy has kept his feelings bottled inside for years, whether protecting Jacob throughout his trial or lying about his father's incarceration, but the disappearance of Hope is the thing that finally breaks him, and he tells Laurie the truth about Patz. Could Patz really have been forced to write that suicide note without more pleading, or force on screen? 'Defending Jacob' on Apple TV mentions 'murder gene.' Is it real? - Los Fox Says Battle With Parkinsons Disease Keeps Getting Tougher: Im Not Going to Be 80, TV Premiere Dates 2022: The Complete Guide, Broadcast TV Unscripted Scorecard 2022: Whats New, Renewed and Canceled, TV Pilots 2022: The Complete Broadcast Guide, The Definitive Voice of Entertainment News. Well, what am I playing here? Jacob comes and sees what is happening. Inside, Jacob's continued silencekeeps dark thoughts swirling in Laurie's head. 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. 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. Who do you think killed ben? : r/DefendingJacob_TV - Reddit 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 has overheard Jacob talking about being bullied by Ben. Defending Jacob Plot Summary: Jacob's classmate, Ben Rifkin, is found stabbed to death in a park. I would rather leave that to your imagination. The Family is all about DEFENDING JACOB - Patch The viewer is meant to feel the frustration of never really knowing if he is guilty or innocent. As more information came out about him, it was obvious that the child was likely a psychopath and his father (unlike the mother) was in denial, refusing to see the . Landay never had a problem with the idea of making changes from the novel. Not Quite, Apple TV+ Is Most Divisive Streaming Service. Thank you for reading this. The Den of Geek quarterly magazine is packed with exclusive features, interviews, previews and deep dives into geek culture. The car crashes. Defending Jacob is a limited series made for Apple TV. While driving Jacob to get his haircut, Laurie asks him if he killed Ben. Wes Anderson Directing Star Wars? Laurie - also hospitalised with various injuries - is told by Andy that the jury voted in favour of a car accident, and he heads home to sit quietly in Jacobs room as the credits roll. At first, the Barbers are shown attempting to fight the case as best as they can. At first, the premise seems like a simple murder investigation: A local Massachusetts boy named Ben Rifkin is found stabbed in a suburban park, and assistant district attorney Andy Barber (Chris Evans) takes up the case. Absolute proof that Jacob did NOT kill Ben. : r/DefendingJacob_TV - Reddit Defending Jacob is an Apple TV+ series that tells a slow-burn tale revolving around a couples attempt to prove their sons innocence with regards to the murder of his classmate. The final scene signifies how the accusation against Jacob eventually made Andy alone. Im more attempting to explore the subjective experience you have of seeing this situation through Andy and Lauries eyes and creating the sensation that they have, which is that you will never know. But you dont have anything conclusive. She is currently working remotely alongside her dog, Oliver. Andy storms out but refuses to tell Laurie (Michelle Dockery) what happened. Its more just a process of elimination.. The open-ended show leaves it to the viewers to decide on it. And if hes guilty? Jacob Barber has been accused of murdering his classmate, Ben. stated whether Jacob really did kill . The story follows an assistant district attorney named Andy Barber, whos investigating the murder of 14-year-old Ben Rifkin. Jacob is set free. Andy and Laurie both remember that Jacob wrote a bizarre story online in which he seemingly confessed to Ben's murder, and now they're confronted with yet another tragedy, it seems, that forcesAndy to confess the truth about his father. The book and the show end differently but both come with a crushing blow. ALSO READ | Disappearance At Clifton Hill Ending Explained: How Does Abby Solve The Kidnapping Case? At the end of this, now hes going to be the one living with it did they or didnt they? She cleans the knife in the water and goes home. And then of course the scene then that follows is open to interpretation. The novel Defending Jacob hit the shelves in 2012 and became an immediate best-seller. Defending Jacob ending has posed a lot of questions about the show and the plot in the minds of the audience. Andy and Laurie seem to believe that nobody knows who they are in Puerto Vallarta, when in fact a 16-year-old girl named Hope Connors (Jessi Case) immediately recognizes Jacob. In the novel, youre a little more sure Jacob did do it, because of the disappearance of Hope, said Bomback. Jacob is innocent because. Jacob reveals that he found Ben's body and didn't tell anyone. Could Jacob have been responsible? With the amount of context involving what Jacob said regarding the murder, it does not persuade me to believe that he did actually kill him. Why is Frank McCourt really pushing this? But later, in the hospital, she doesnt appear to remember what happened, and both she and Jacob will likely recover. The revelation that Hope is alive and well is also a deviation from Landay's book, which suggests that Jacob murdered her. During this whole show, we didnt even get close to finding out who killed Ben. Copyright 2023 Distractify. Yes, she did. Its deliberately ambiguous. One of the most attractive features of the Apple TV+ series is certainly its stellar cast. Andy confronts his father over his apparent involvement. In case you are wondering who killed Ben, we are sorry to disappoint you because theres no evidence presented in the show as to whether Jacob is the killer or not. According to Billy, Andycan either be a good man or be a good father; hegets to "choose." We don't yet know the story behind Tucker Carlson's firing. The finale of Apple TV+s limited series Defending Jacob had more twists and turns than that wet, cold road Michelle Dockerys character drove. 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. Despite his discovery, Andy believes Jacob is innocent, as does his wife Laurie (portrayed on screen by Michelle Dockery). But then a witness goes missing, and Jacob's fascination with the macabre, like "The . His father, Andy, and mother, Laurie, do everything in their power to prove his . When Jacob is officially exonerated, Father O'Learyprotects the Barbers from a still-angry Dan Rifkin (Patrick Fischler),the father of the teenage murder victim, Ben. Chris Evans, Michelle Dockery and creator Mark Bomback explain what happens and why the series ends on a more ambiguous note than the book. ALSO READ | Homecoming Season 2 Ending Explained | How does Walter gets his final revenge? For more information, please see our Just like Andy, as a viewer of Defending Jacob, we start to doubt again whether Jacob really killed Ben or not. Though, the book does lean towards suggesting that Jacob might be the actual killer. On the surface, it allows the family toescape from reality as they contemplate an impending move to Denver. Jacobs classmate, Ben Rifkin, is found stabbed to death in a park. Chris Evans character Andy learns to own up to everything that hes been trying to conceal, said Defending Jacob creator Mark Bomback. The show is based on a novel of the same name by William Landay. What I wanted to leave you with is the same sensation the parents have, which is, 'We'll never really know.'". And then look at their partner and really talk about the question were asking: Is unconditional love bigger than our own morals?What happened in the last episode? The following story contains . 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. Andy admits that his father is a murderer named Billy who is in prison. Andy is at a crossroads where he can do the right thing and come forward with this information, which will mean his sons arrest again, or he can swallow it, says series writer and creator Mark Bomback. The final irony is that everybody seems to know what Laurie did - in fact, there are even witnesses whosaw her failed suicide-murder attempt. She then swerves and crashes them headlong into the side of a bridge. https://nerdround.com/ Defending Jacob Season Finale Explained | Who Killed Ben Rifkin ?#defendingjacob #whokilledbenrifkin #nerdroundMake Sure To Subscribe . Laurie, in the hospital, tells Andy that she wants her family back. Halle Bailey, Melissa McCarthy, and director Rob Marshall share the tale behind making their underwater musical with a groundbreaking Disney princess. Jacobs behaviour and Hopes disappearance convinces Laurie. Q.V. The ending of Defending Jacob might not prove to be completely satisfactory for viewers. The ending of the series is much more ambiguous than the book in William Landays 2012 novel, the girl Jacob meets on vacation turns up dead, confirming Lauries worst suspicions. one who killed Jacob's classmate, Ben. Jacob's parents, Laurie and Andy, try to help get him out. Jacobs fingerprint is on Bens jacket but Jacob says that got there when he found the body but didnt tell anyone. I felt like the ending was really interesting largely because I thought the show was highlighting her ability to see Jacob's darkness because of some darkness within herself. Also, Derek Yoo claims that Jacob wrote a story on a website called "Cutting Room" that greatly resembled the murder of Ben Rifkin. One similarity between the book and the series that remains intact is how its never explicitly stated whether Jacob really did kill Ben. However, Andy finds out that his father had arranged for Patz to be threatened into writing a confession and be killed. Andy wanted the best lawyer in the town for Jacob's defense, so he approached Joanna Klein, who seemingly shared a good professional relationship with Andy. But what starts as a cut-and-dry procedural soon turns personal, as Andy's own son, Jacob (Jaeden Martell), is arrested and charged with the murder. Jacob is installed as the chief suspect by Mexicos police and the Barbers are rigorously interviewed. A few days later Jacob writes a story about what happened between Laurie and Ben, calling Ben Brent and changing Laurie to a boy called Jason. The Barbers' trip to Mexico creates various forms of conflict in the Defending Jacob season finale. I think thats far more interesting and leaves a lot more to examine in terms of how we are able to survive when we learn harsh realities. Andy had always suspected Patz, and after the police get the . Defending Jacob doesn't confirm whether Jacob murdered Ben, but all signs point towards him doing so. If the Apple TV+ series stays faithful to the book, here's what'll happen to the 14-year-old. He is played by Jaeden Martell. It was an accident. So what if Jacob was actually innocent all along? The show starsChris Evans,Michelle Dockery,Jaeden Martell,Cherry Jones,Pablo Schreiber,Betty Gabriel,Sakina JaffreyandJ.K. Simmons. 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. The 50 greatest TV and movie detectives of all time. I dont think Laurie had any sort of calculated master plan. ), 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. All in all, we dont know if Jacob did it. Andy is understandably angry, believing Jacob wouldve cleared his name in court if given the chance. Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox! Shes been an entertainment journalist for more than 15 years previously working at DVD & Blu-ray. Same blade size, as well as "teeth" on the blade. Althougheverything points out the fact that he committed the murder. Im not kidding. But whereas the TV series reveals thatHope merely disappeared, the book ends with her corpse being discovered on a beach, and that she'd likely been strangled to death. Hes drunk, and up until now has been completely unwilling to admit that he ever had doubts over Jacobs innocence, even when Laurie expressed her fears. Did Jacob do it in 'Defending Jacob'? 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? This was one of the most critical scenes because you have to believe that a mother is able to kill herself and her own son, that the uncertainty and the guilt becomes too much, said Tyldum. At the end Andy is alone at his home. The Barbers happy ending, though, is cut short when new information comes to light.