Defending Jacob Review: After (Season 1 Episode 8)

“It’s over.” They are words that the Barber family have been waiting to say and hear for so long now, but on Defending Jacob Season 1 Episode 8, “After,” that sense of closure only sows more uncertainty.

One aspect that’s greatly appreciated early on is that the closure during the opening moments is quickly ripped away. We get the Leonard confession and Jacob’s dismissal of charges, and suddenly everything is back to being great. It’s a little too clean for what the show has been going for up to this point.

It’s what makes those moments of clarity and happiness so potent before the grand fall returns.

Father O’Leary forcing Leonard’s confession is perhaps a little too obvious (it’s a guess in our Defending Jacob Season 1 Episode 7, “Job,” review), but it still hits hard by tying the revelation to Andy.

Part of the devastation is the realization that he may have caused this: he tells his father all about Leonard on the phone.

Billy Barber’s illusion of choice, being a good man or being a good father, is one that will haunt Andy: either he destroys his family or he accepts that he is associated with a murder. It’s lose-lose, as both will haunt him in some form.

It’s a dark moment to end their father-son relationship on, but it’s a powerful one. Andy’s father will never change, and he will always regret giving him even a sliver of a chance, as it now ties him to the darkness that ravages the family.

The trip to Mexico makes a surprise return, and it’s this nice little respite that gives the Barbers that much-needed boost of spirits. The locale is beautifully shot and continues the show’s trend of being a visual treat, which is welcome after the somewhat dreary vistas that encompass the rest of the show.

But like everything else on Defending Jacob, happiness is only temporary (though it’s certainly nice to see the Barbers enjoy themselves for what’s been seven episodes of devastation).

Jacob should know by this point to be less obtuse, and so his strange behavior and quick change of clothes after leaving Hope behind early is an immediate red flag. He is similarly disconnected right after Ben’s death, and so of course the mind immediately jumps to the same conclusion.

But what is so interesting is that the show subverts that conclusion, and it’s almost as though we should feel bad for doubting Jacob again. Like Andy, though, we have the information about Leonard’s false confession, and so the show is cleverly twisting our expectations.

Andy’s drunken confession to Laurie at night about Leonard may not be his bottom point, but it’s where the guilt has finally reached a breaking point. He has spent so long refusing to accept the possibility, and Hope’s disappearance, even if temporary, is that confirmation he is so clearly terrified of facing.

That Hope appears some time later and it’s a false alarm is great news for her, but for the Barbers, the damage is already done. It’s a repeat of emotions that they have already faced, and another humiliation in front of a community.

In a way, it’s as though this will keep happening for the rest of their lives, that Jacob is the prime suspect solely based on the attention and coverage he received (worldwide, from the sounds of things, as Hope is from Toronto and knows all about it).

Laurie is like a ghost once they return from Mexico, and while Andy saying it out loud is a little on the nose, it doesn’t make it any less true. She floats from one thing to another with little emotion, like she’s on autopilot simply to get through the day.

Michelle Dockery plays these scenes so well because of how much pain is in that silence. Watching Ben’s mother squeeze onto the shattered glass just to feel something is that wake-up call, that despite a tidy bow being placed on Ben, the pain and doubt never really leaves.

It’s when she finally gives up and demands answers where that juxtaposition matters most, that the drive with Jacob is this final chance for her to set things straight.

While we can’t be certain if Jacob’s hasty confession to her is legitimate or just telling her what she wants to hear, the uncertainty of it is what makes her careen that car into the tunnel entrance.

Neal, as a character, suffers from whiplash of sorts, trying to act like Andy’s buddy to turn him against Laurie (as we learn the framing device of the series is Neal seeking a grand jury indictment of her). He revels in delivering pain upon Andy and his family throughout the season, and so his pleas of help to Andy ring so hollow.

It’s the point, of course, but shows how different circumstances change his means of attack. There still feels like there is something personal between Andy and himself, but the show doesn’t dig into that even at the end, unfortunately (or maybe it’s simply a workplace jealousy situation).

But these scenes add so much to Laurie’s character through how Neal describes her reaching out to those they have grown close to throughout these events. It’s like a cry for help, and Andy is at a loss as he realizes he missed it all along.

Andy is in a weird sort of hell at the close of the limited series, where he is the only one with the full picture. Laurie has no memory of the accident, and based on how visibly upset she is during that scene, it appears real that she wants everything to go back to normal.

That urge to end Jacob’s life along with her own is locked away, and all that remains is her wish for them to be a family again. It’s a tragic note, with Jacob in a coma (with some optimism) and Andy alone in their big house in total silence.

Their perfect family that started the show is now splintered and will likely never be the same.

All of this comes together to create a fantastic series finale. Our judgments and guesses are just as rooted into us as they are in the characters on the show, and so Defending Jacob wants to use that against us in its story, and does so with complexity.

What we think may be true, or we could be completely wrong. That fear of being wrong makes Defending Jacob Season 1 Episode 8, “After,” such a tragic conclusion. It’s all a matter of opinion, because the truth will likely never come out, and while it could be there in the finale, we don’t know for certain.

That’s the very feeling that haunts Laurie throughout the season, and it’s the feeling that haunts Andy in Jacob’s bedroom during the final scene. He may think it’s a car accident, but just like Laurie, the doubt is like an mind worm.

Defending Jacob makes for a great addition to the Apple line-up, and while there are a couple of incredibly minor stumbles along the way, it’s a series that holds fantastic performances up high and seeds doubt into every nook and cranny. This finale continues that trend and becomes a rather satisfying closer.

 

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Defending Jacob streams Fridays on Apple TV+.

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