Defending Jacob Review: Wishful Thinking (Season 1 Episode 6)

Hope is a dangerous thing. Giving too much of it only leads to a larger sense of hopelessness, and there’s a lot of that going around on Defending Jacob Season 1 Episode 6, “Wishful Thinking.”

Andy’s journey on the episode is one of possibly confirming the pattern of violence and anger that the family is trying to cover up. He’s aggressive with his confrontation with Neal, Leonard, and the man in the blue car, where violence feels like it’s only a beat away.

It’s certainly the stress of the situation and feeling powerless that is leaving Andy to lash out, but at the end of the day, it feels like shooting himself in the foot to add public anger as another weapon against them.

The helplessness he feels comes with the ticking clock of the trial, and so it’s becoming his last stand to prove Jacob’s innocence, leaving a firm hand as somewhat needed. It all doesn’t end up getting the expected results, but it digs deeper into what makes Andy tick, and how short his fuse is, a great device before the trial potentially sets him off.

His conversation with his father, though, feels like a poor choice on his part. Billy Barber is definitely not a good person, but his attempt to reach out is layered with innuendo about how he isn’t talking, almost like he’s insinuating he could be talking (potentially to Neal or reporters) if he wanted.

The best thing Andy could do is keep in his father’s good books, at least until the trial is over, as he could easily end up blowing up the entire situation, either as a witness in the trial or by talking to the press. Billy has a lot of power, more than Andy is willing to admit, and could easily be their undoing more than Neal’s case. Scoring points may feel right in the moment, but the long game is needed at this point.

One scene that stands out over the rest is Andy, Laurie, and Joanna meeting with Dr. Vogel to discuss Jacob’s results. Laurie has a look on her face as she reads it over as though it’s confirming all of these deep fears she’s been pushing down as much as possible. But the more interesting aspect isn’t that it’s confirming it not only for Jacob, but for Andy, as well.

Laurie’s accidental comments to the reporter plants the seeds of uncertainty she has about certain aspects of Andy, like his lack of friends that borders toward antisocial behavior, while the moment outside where Andy grabs the tire iron and confronts the man in the car also confirms the violent pattern potentially in all three generations of Barber men. While the tire iron moment happens after this scene, it does feel like a confirmation.

There’s this need for Laurie to confirm her son’s innocence on paper, and the results are not what she expects. She looks to Dr. Vogel for answers, but unfortunately, she doesn’t have them. Laurie has been treating Vogel as a safe haven of sorts, a final place to escape to, but this moment is almost like another betrayal to her, that all of this time has led to partial answers, or answers she isn’t ready for.

Taken into context with the threat of being followed in a car while she’s jogging, this episode takes the last two safety nets away from Laurie, something that’s been happening piece by piece over the season.

Where this all leaves Jacob is also rather interesting. He appears resigned to his fate of public destruction, almost a ghost now that Sarah is gone from his life and that meme he’s created is out in the open. The show is still smartly playing up the angle of us never being completely sure if he’s lacking emotion or just hollow from everything, and this episode turns that on its head with the behavioral results that worries Laurie.

While the episode may be titled “Wishful Thinking,” Laurie may have her worries confirmed while Andy desperately swings one last time to prove the opposite.

More focus, even if a little, for Betty Gabriel’s Pam Duffy and Pablo Schreiber’s Neal helps to show the relentless pace that comes with the trial approaching. They both hold an important role for the investigation and the trial, but up until now they have been largely absent other than a scene here and there.

“Wishful Thinking” fixes this by tying both Duffy and Neal back into the story in a smart way, with more focus landing on Leonard as a last ditch effort. Matt’s story and the arrow starting to point back towards Leonard may turn out to be a false hope, at least so far, but it does allow for the supporting characters to shine a little bit more.

But there’s also the wish that some foundation could have been laid ahead of time. There’s clearly something between Andy and Neal, but all we see is bickering and the anger they both hold for each other. Is there more to it, or simply two big personalities clashing in a highly competitive office? Neal’s mention of Andy’s father feels rather personal, more than just gloating.

There’s also Duffy, who has come around and is more of a friend to Andy. Their relationship has certainly been more aligned toward a work one than a friendly one, and Duffy has been the first to point it out. She proves to be a support for the Barbers now, which is great to see.

It’s not explicit, but it happens after Neal pushes Andy’s buttons and she reveals her own family situation, and so it could be that this situation is bonding them through familial hardships.

This does go toward a point that’s become prevalent as Defending Jacob continues on: there is this feeling that the show is missing little bits and pieces. Duffy helps Andy with the case before the trial, but it’s only shown via a brief shot (and comes after she refuses to help him on Defending Jacob Season 1 Episode 5, “Visitors,” which makes us have to put the pieces together ourselves over what possibly changed).

We only get a quick mention that Leonard doesn’t have a knife, when it should feel like a major plot point. It’s similar to the random knife found in the woods a couple of episodes back, where it turns out to be a dead end and isn’t given much attention.

There’s a sizable build-up for something, only for it to be dismissed casually in conversation rather than shown. It’s a narrative choice, but does feel like speeding through important pieces of information.

There’s also this new character in the car. He has the look of a private eye, and his disinterest in Andy’s threatening tone doesn’t even bother him. Could this be one of Neal’s investigators, or something far more sinister?

Defending Jacob Season 1 Episode 6, “Wishful Thinking,” gets the Barber family’s hopes up, but the trial has finally arrived. The episode does an admirable job to get to this point, continuing to hold onto the emotions of the family over a more plot-heavy route, and it works well for the most part.

But there is the concern that the trial, a plot-heavy tool, will be filled to the brim with exposition to fill in the pieces the plot overshadowed for emotion’s sake. The show has done so with those outside of the Barber family, and so the concern is it will continue into the most integral piece of the story.

This episode, though, takes what has come before and rips the hope out of it. There may be hope at the start of the episode, but it’s more gone than before by the end. The episode ends with Andy, Laurie, and Jacob dressed up for the trial, but they look more suited for a funeral.

 

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Defending Jacob streams Fridays on Apple TV+.

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