Laurie becomes convinced again that Jacob killed Ben, even though Hope turns up alive the following day. In the novel which tells the story solely from Andys perspective Hope is eventually found dead, and Laurie never learns of the forced confession. Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter. But then Hope show up, unharmed, after being drugged by vacationers. I like this tragic notion of were in a prison of our own making as were leaving these characters. I would rather leave that to your imagination. Andy comes to know from Lynn Canavan that some eyewitnesses had seen an old blue Lincoln car outside Leonards home the night he had died. Even thoughJacob didn't killHope in Mexico, Laurie becomes more suspicious than ever about the Rifkin murder. Will he think that I tried to kill him or not?'" Any difficulty or complexity that your child brings into this world becomes a part of your own life. Andy confronts his father over his apparent involvement. How Palm Springs ran out Black and Latino families to build a fantasy for rich, white people, 17 SoCal hiking trails that are blooming with wildflowers (but probably not for long! Jacob dies instantly in the car crash. All Rights Reserved. Throughout the season, Laurie has been trying to get to the truth, even if it means destroying herself, while Andy has been trying to protect their son, even if it means lying to himself, said Bomback. Well, what am I playing here? However, towards the end, the pressure gets to them. Andy's drunken emotional breakdowneffectively splits the family apart. In both the Defending Jacob show and book, the Barber family takes a vacation after the trail ends. 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. A.I. Outside, the rain pours and makes navigation difficult. The show keeps you guessing right up to the end (and beyond) about exactly what did happen to Ben (Liam Kilbreth), to Hope (Jessi Case), with OLeary (William Xifaras) and Billy Barber (J.K. Simmons) and of course what the future holds for Andy, Laurie (Michelle Dockery) and Jacob. New episodes of Defending Jacob will be released every Friday through May 29. Set in a small town, the show has a rather atmospheric feel to it. When Jacob becomes a murder suspect, Laurie feels guilty that her son is being accused of the murder she committed. The last episode of Defending Jacob starts with the Assistant District Attorney and Jacobs father Andy Barber getting a phone call from their family lawyer, Joanna Klein, that Leonard Patz had left a notemoments before he had committed suicide. There has been a lot of stress, so why not go relax. The story follows an assistant district attorney named Andy Barber, who's investigating the murder of 14-year-old Ben Rifkin. As it turns out, Father O'Leary never intended to harm Laurie or Jacob. The book version: The Barbers head off to the Caribbean and Jacob . Surely Patz would have struggled, or left other evidence, something in the note perhaps to suggest he was being coerced? Is that red mark on his bathing trunks really ketchup, or could it be blood? He could have lived with this burden of guilt in the same way that he's lived with this other lie for so long and gone on to live a more or less contented life, but he doesn't.". Stabbed three times in the chest, his body was found on a dirt path in Cold Spring Park by Paula Gianetto . When a local teenager named Ben Rifkin is found dead, Jacob quickly becomes the primary suspect due to comments made on social media, both by himself and classmates. And then of course the scene then that follows is open to interpretation. Later when the family are in Mexico Andy drunkenly tells Laurie he thinks his dad was responsible. And with Hope missing, he mightve killed again. Coupled with Lauries memories of a young Jacob almost dropping a bowling ball on another childs head, it was enough to persuade her that he did it. Copyright 2023 Distractify. Jacob's trial ends with a declaration of innocence, after a pedophile named Leonard Patz (Daniel Henshall) hangs himself and confesses to Ben's murder in a suicide note. 38. Defending Jacob is an American crime drama web television miniseries, based on the novel of the same name by William Landay, produced by Apple TV+. Next: Apple TV+ Is Most Divisive Streaming Service. If the Apple TV+ series stays faithful to the book, here's what'll happen to the 14-year-old. 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. Mark Jacob is a journalist, media critic, and former metro editor at the Chicago Tribune. Apple TV+'s Defending Jacob miniseries ends with some closure, but not everything is resolved. Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. Its almost a fitting punishment shared secrets between Jacob and his mother that they both know the other is a killer and neither will ever be believed. 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. 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. Did Jacob kill Ben, what does the murder gene have to do with it and what are the differences from the book? He uses Apple products. [This story contains spoilers from the finale of Apple TV+s Defending Jacob.]. Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey) co-stars as Andy's wife, Laurie, and Jaeden Martell (IT) rounds out the main cast as the couple's 14-year-old son, Jacob. That is what leads her to distrust her own son and crash the car. Laurie decides to kill them both by crashing into the side of a tunnel. The following story contains . Inside, Jacob's continued silencekeeps dark thoughts swirling in Laurie's head. You really feel that shes unraveling, said Defending Jacob director Morten Tyldum of Michelle Dockerys character, Laurie. But logic suggests that he's a quiet teenager who was bullied by classmates, and made some questionable comments for attention. The police pull Jacob in for questioning, and Jacobs parents are again filled with confusion about whether their son is a serial killer. Bens father Dan, however, meets the Barbers in a car park but is stopped by a henchman who was stalking the Barbers. Laurie tells Ben not to mess with her, Ben laughs and twists her arm. ), 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. Jacob refuses again and again. The final scene signifies how the accusation against Jacob eventually made Andy alone. 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. Laurie gets mad and kills him. But when Laurie asks him who else knows he says nobody knows. She's beenforced to sort through Andy's lies about the past, and now can't find clarity in the present. 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. 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. The open-ended show leaves it to the viewers to decide on it. Plus, aside from the girl on vacation, theres another major change: that Andy tells Laurie about his fathers involvement in framing the other suspect. However, Andy finds out that his father had arranged for Patz to be threatened into writing a confession and be killed. Jacob Barber has been accused of murdering his classmate, Ben. Its not super important to me whether or not the audience gets a definitive answer about that, Bomback explained. Thank you for reading this. Michelle Dockery, Jaeden Martell and Chris Evans star in "Defending Jacob," the latest series to mention a "murder gene.". She takes Jacob with her for a haircut but confronts him, to tell the truth. He left the party early after arguing with her, and didnt text her once hed left like he promised. The big reveal is foreshadowed by various meetings between Andy and Billy, with the latter refusing to offer any help. Defending Jacob doesnt confirm whether Jacob murdered Ben, but all signs point towards him doing so. Billy pointedly asks Andy if he is sure, which might be an indicator that he intends to do something about it. Laurie decides to take matters in her own hands. The subsequent car crash suggests that Laurie felt purely isolated from reality - even from her husband and son. The ending of Defending Jacob might not prove to be completely satisfactory for viewers. When a young girl named Hope goes missing under mysterious circumstances, Andy can't help but wonder whether Jacob might be involvedagain. Jacob told his parents that Ben bullied him, and he did own a knife that he took to school. Defending Jacob is streaming now on Apple TV+ check out what else is on with our TV Guide, Try 12 issues for 1 today - never miss an issue. As a character,Billy underlines Andy's life-long guilt. He says no, and then he says yes, but neither answer is reliable since hes afraid for his life. But when a friend of Bens suggests that there was animosity between Ben and Jacob, Andy decides to search his sons room. Chris Evans, Michelle Dockery and creator Mark Bomback explain what happens and why the . The finale of the Apple TV+ declines to answer that question, instead leaving viewers just as in the dark as Andy and Laurie Barber, the parents of the titular character who spend the series defending their eighth-grader against charges that he murdered a classmate. Andy then confronts his father Billy about this. Jacobs classmate, Ben Rifkin, is found stabbed to death in a park. She was speeding. Jacob Owen "Jake" Barber is the titular character of the Apple TV+ limited series, Defending Jacob. For Bomback, it was far more interestingand devastatingfor Jacob to survive and be left unconscious. During the car ride, she tries to make him say it, but now she decides to kill herself and Jacob so her crime will be hidden forever. 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. THE END. In telling her this, he knows hes potentially destroying his entire [life], says Bomback. Andy carries the knowledge that his son may not be innocent all the way until the Barbers go on vacation in an attempt to destress after the trial. Yet nobody knows for sure if Jacobhad anything to do with Ben's death. She offers to pay him even more money if he calls Andy and tells him about this without saying. It would have to spring from some idea that hasnt occurred to me yet that would really feel as compelling as I hope this season has, he said. I do think Jacob was guilty and just had zero remorse for anything. 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. Jacob may not have inherited the murder gene from his fathers line, but he may have inherited traits from his mother it may be the case that both he and Laurie are capable of murder. The Defending Jacob ending reveals that Billy Barber orchestrated Patz's murder.Specifically, he enlisted a long-time friend known as "Father O'Leary" (William Xifaras) to frame and kill the pedophile, which would allow his grandson, Jacob, to receive legal "proof of innocence." The big reveal is foreshadowed by various meetings between Andy and Billy, with the latter refusing to offer any help. He finally got everything back. Yes, she did. The story follows an assistant district attorney named Andy Barber, whos investigating the murder of 14-year-old Ben Rifkin. A $300-million (minimum) gondola to Dodger Stadium? Jacob is installed as the chief suspect by Mexicos police and the Barbers are rigorously interviewed. The case becomes more complicated when it is discovered that Andys father is a convicted murderer, serving his sentence in prison currently. The 50 greatest TV and movie detectives of all time. However, there are some major changes in the series. "That to me was a really interesting and tragic moment that nevertheless felt like a moment of growth for the character. After all Jacob rarely spoke for himself throughout the book, although he was the defendant and it was important to remain in a neutral sense. And as the final episode reveals, Defending Jacob never definitively weighs in on Jacob's guilt or innocence. From there, the book becomes even darker:Laurie's crash results in Jacob's death, and she barely survives. Derek yoo and sara because of the blackmail. The one where EW follows up with the cast. If he killed somebody, she believes shes guilty as well for letting it happen. She cleans the knife in the water and goes home. The ending of AppleTV+'s 'Defending Jacob' series diverts from William Landay's 2012 novel in two key ways. In Landay's source material, the Barbers go to Jamaica (rather than Mexico), and Jacob does indeed meet a girl named Hope Connors. Laurie drives in full speed, crashing the car into a tunnel wall, possibly killing them both. It makes you empathize with Laurie, and the torture that causes her to snap.. During the trial, she is shocked to hear the story because she didnt know about Jacob seeing her there. Jacob put the idea of killing Ben back in Lauries head after Hope went missing too. The Hollywood Reporter is a part of Penske Media Corporation. 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. Andy storms away and decides to not tell anything to Laurie. 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 family go to Mexico for a vacation. one who killed Jacob's classmate, Ben. He was accused of murdering a classmate, Benjamin Rifkin. Andy tells Laurie the truth about Patzs death. Jacob immediately befriends a fellow teenager named Hope who, the morning after a party, has mysteriously gone missing. During the holiday, Jacob befriends Hope Connors - a 16-year-old from Toronto - and the pair go to a New Years Eve beach party together. Chris Evans character Andy learns to own up to everything that hes been trying to conceal, said Defending Jacob creator Mark Bomback. Wes Anderson Directing Star Wars? It was an accident. So what if Jacob was actually innocent all along? Ann Warman I believe that Jacob not only killed Ben, but Hope as well. One of the most attractive features of the Apple TV+ series is certainly its stellar cast. Q.V. Jacob goes to see if he is dead but then he leaves the body and goes to school. The body rolls down the hill and she goes to see if he is dead. While driving, she asks her son to tell her the truth. After weeks of twists and turns, Defending Jacobs finale had one final shock up its sleeve. Making a splash: A deep dive into the live-action Little Mermaid with a new generation's Ariel. Defending Jacob ending has posed a lot of questions about the show and the plot in the minds of the audience. She is currently working remotely alongside her dog, Oliver. On top of that, Jacob can clearly recognize that his own parents aren't convinced of his innocence, which could lead to more awkward behavior as he tries to figure out his place in the world as a 14-year-old. We see Laurie speeding up the car more and more hysterically asking Jacob if he killed Ben. During one last prison chat, Billy admits that he orchestrated thePatz murder, and just so that hisgrandson couldlive a relatively normal life. Other reasons for incriminating Jacob come from the knife he had. ALSO READ | Homecoming Season 2 Ending Explained | How does Walter gets his final revenge? Laurie already knows Patz is a suspect, and to make it seem even more believable, she finds the kid Andy talked to before, who then confesses to having a deal with Patz. Defending Jacob is a limited series made for Apple TV. Winning several awards, it is not surprising that it would become a mini-series giving the audience time to . Though Andy is questioned about the crash, he refuses to cooperate or incriminate Laurie in Jacobs death. The Barbers' trip to Mexico creates various forms of conflict in the Defending Jacob season finale. The Defending Jacobending reveals that Billy Barber orchestrated Patz's murder. Its a different kind of bleak but hopefully, one that feels very much in keeping with the story weve been telling.. Then again, the final image shows Andy sitting in his son's room, still in the dark, which suggests that Jacob's potential off-screen death essentially closes the door on clarity - not only about Ben's murder, but also about whether hecould forgive his own mother, Laurie. Patz because of some pedo infatuation. She angrily confronts him and pleads with him to tell her that he murdered Ben. Its deliberately ambiguous. Apple has a policy that villians in tv shows or movies can't use Apple Products. He was initially spotted by the couple in town, leaving them unsure about his motivations. 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. Still,Laurie becomes convinced that her son is guilty, and tearfully breaks the news to her husband. But then a witness goes missing, and Jacob's fascination with the macabre, like "The . The show never explicitly states whether Jacob (Jaeden Martell) committed murder. However, the tight focus of the shot means that its not possible to see if anyone else is in the room coercing him. Jacob's parents defend him but struggle to ascertain whether their son is actually guilty. Actor (s) Liam Kilbreth. Disappearance At Clifton Hill Ending Explained: How Does Abby Solve The Kidnapping Case. She is disturbed and cannot seem to trust Jacob. When the ending rolls around, Jacob's mother has become convinced of his guilt and attempts to get . On the surface, it allows the family toescape from reality as they contemplate an impending move to Denver. When Laurie wakes up in the hospital, she insists that the crash was an accident, but Andy isn't so sure. Shes been an entertainment journalist for more than 15 years previously working at DVD & Blu-ray. Defending Jacob Episode 7 officially sets Jacob's trial into motion. Offers may be subject to change without notice. An area sex offender who was always the obvious suspect, according to Jacobs father, Andy (Chris Evans) has hanged himself, and left behind a written confession: He was the one who killed Jacobs classmate, Ben. Hope is found safe and Jacob had nothing to do with her disappearance. Laurie remembers an incident from Jacobs childhood when Jacob had nearly hit another kid on the head with a bowling ball. At first, the Barbers are shown attempting to fight the case as best as they can. He is played by Jaeden Martell. The finale of Apple TV+s limited series Defending Jacob had more twists and turns than that wet, cold road Michelle Dockerys character drove. Just like Andy, as a viewer of Defending Jacob, we start to doubt again whether Jacob really killed Ben or not. Jacobs fingerprint is on Bens jacket but Jacob says that got there when he found the body but didnt tell anyone. Ashley Lee is a staff reporter at the Los Angeles Times, where she writes about theater, movies, television and the bustling intersection of the stage and the screen. In both cases, something happens to a young girl during the vacation. 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. Andy had always suspected Patz, and after the police get the note confirmed to be that of Patz, Jacob is acquitted. Bomback says. Jacobs case is dismissed. You can unsubscribe at any time. Conversely though, at the end its his mother who is an attempted murderer. Could Jacob have been responsible? What I was really interested in trying to create for the viewer was this very subjective experience of what his parents are going through. So it took it took a lot of time to fine tune that, and I think theyve done it really well in the edit. He's pulled off the case after his son Jacob, a classmate of the victim, is arrested for the crime. All in all, we dont know if Jacob did it. 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. WARNING: DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED DEFENDING JACOB!!! He had built his marriage on a lie by not telling Laurie about his father being in prison. I wouldnt extend it to another season just to simply spend more time with these characters. 113. Andy cant help but feel suspicious over Leonards death, and learns that his gut feeling is spot-on during another trip to see his father. Apple TV+'sDefending Jacobendingis tragic, but the book handled a bit differently. At the age of fourteen, he blackmailed Sarah Grohl. Ultimately, however, Andy learns that Patz's confession was coerced, and Andy's father (J.K. Simmons)who himself is incarcerated for a decades-old murderordered an accomplice to frame and murder Patz, all to protect the youngest Barber. In the end, it is shown that Jacob is in a coma. After that is revealed, Laurie starts to think that Jacob might have murderous traits as well. Its more just a process of elimination.. https://nerdround.com/ Defending Jacob Season Finale Explained | Who Killed Ben Rifkin ?#defendingjacob #whokilledbenrifkin #nerdroundMake Sure To Subscribe . Here's how the TV show differs from the book ending. His father, Andy, and mother, Laurie, do everything in their power to prove his innocence. The dark truth may be that someone elsein the community just may be the real killer - someone who steadily appears on camera but never exhibits any suspicious behavior. Youre at the mercy of the narrative in the same way that Andy and Laurie are.. Related:Defending Jacob Cast Guide: Where You've Seen The Actors Before. Since the show has Hope alive, the situation is even muddier. Andy storms out but refuses to tell Laurie (Michelle Dockery) what happened. I like that its ambiguous, that it could have been premeditated or that shes trying to put them both out of their misery, Dockery says. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. At the end of the day, Im not super interested in this binary thing of did he do it or didnt he do it? Just as one single thought crushed Andy's psyche in Mexico, a few simple words destroy Laurie's frame of mind, resulting in a near-fatal accident after swerving off the road. Taylor was a 26-year-old emergency room technician and aspiring . Absolute proof that Jacob did NOT kill Ben. 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. 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. But is the high school student really a killer? She herself does not know how to get her own family back. Defending Jacobimplies that Billy framed Patz, but it's also highly likely that Patz did indeed kill Ben and then accepted his fate. 8. Andy sits in Jacobs room quietly as the show ends. Despite Billy hinting that he wasnt involved, flashbacks show that he was. "In a purely storytelling way, I'm not sure a definitive answer one way or the other would have been necessarily any more satisfying," says Bomback, who adapted the show from William Landay's 2012 novel. Published: Friday, 29th May 2020 at 11:52 am. And yet hes living with this one massive lie, which is, we are indirectly responsible for the murder of another human being, and everything you thought at the end of episode seven about our son is back on the table., Says Evans, I think in our version, everyone copes with shame and guilt differently and I dont think Laurie has any of the coping mechanisms necessary to process a life of, once she understands that Father OLeary killed Patz, shes a part of the lies now. After that, all evidence already points towards Jacob so she decides to convince Andy that he is the murderer, since she already has a plan to make sure hes found innocent. The possibility of the murder gene is floated. The novel begins with Andy (played by Chris Evans in the show) suspecting the perpetrator to be local pedophile Leonard Patz. 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. We review, recap and give our theories on the ending of Defending Jaco. 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? In Defending Jacob Episode 7, the trial begins, and the prosecution does not hold back. The one sees the best in the child and the other only sees the worst. His grandfather is a convicted killer but his father is an upstanding member of the community, albeit one with a tendency towards reckless behaviour. Browse our new catalogue to inspire you with homeware, gardening tools, books and more! Halle Bailey, Melissa McCarthy, and director Rob Marshall share the tale behind making their underwater musical with a groundbreaking Disney princess. He confessed that he was the one who killed Ben. At this point, Andy reveals to his wife that his father, Billy Barber, is currently serving a life sentence in prison for rape and murder. We see that Leonard writes the suicide note confessing to killing Ben. Also, Derek Yoo claims that Jacob wrote a story on a website called "Cutting Room" that greatly resembled the murder of Ben Rifkin. At first, it looks like the trial is moving along swimmingly like maybe the defense team will win. He possessed a knife very similar to the one that killed Ben Rifkin. However, Sarah was livid as she doesn't know what he did or what drama he was pulling her into. This conclusion gives the audience a climax and a satisfying sense of finality, while also being true to the idea that, as parents, you cant divorce your own child, author William Landay explained. And is Jacob alive? Jacob does have some other genetic traits, we learn, that make him predisposed towards some anti-social behaviours. Father OLeary, the henchman, was asked to protect the family by Andys father and convicted murderer Billy. This Lincoln car is similar to the one Father OLeary drives. To write an ending that allows Andy and Laurie to slip out of that permanent relationship with Jacob in any way isnt true to the experience of most parents, who are in a permanent relationship with their children whether they like it or not.. He confessed that he was the one who killed Ben. ALSO READ | 'Raktanchal' ending explained: A final face off between Waseem Khan and Vijay Singh. I think it unravels. We want people to watch it and say, Holy , Morten Tyldum, who directed all eight episodes, told The Times. Reply. The next day Laurie drives Jacob to get a hair cut. When Hope disappears she starts to be reminded of killing Ben and she feels so scared and guilty, that when Hope comes back all she wants to do is go home. Andy had initially suspected Patz - a convicted paedophile - and, after the police confirmed Patzs handwriting on the note, Jacob is acquitted as the trial collapses.