Presumed Innocent Season 1 Episode 6 Review: The Elements

Even though the show is close to its final episode of the season, Ray’s possible death derails the trial. It makes the audience focus on someone other than Rusty on Presumed Innocent Season 1 Episode 6, “The Elements.”

As much as one may have believed Ray fainting is a tactic because they might be losing the trial, the lack of pulse and Lorraine freaking out shows us he is truly about to die. That particular cliffhanger helps everyone forget for a moment about Carolyn’s murder.

But could that be enough to delay the trial? Could Raymond’s death be what saves Rusty?

Tommy may have great evidence against Rusty, but Raymond is definitely the superior lawyer. Pretending he has no questions for the medical examiner to come back with questions that contest what he introduced is the perfect play.

Throughout the entirety of the trial, we watch him push everyone’s buttons the right way. He gets under Tommy’s skin, pushing him to question the M.E. further and getting in trouble.

He questions the prosecution’s witness in a way that makes his testimony beneficial for Rusty. And he is smart enough to use Eugenia’s testimony to create reasonable doubt.

However, when he faints, we begin to wonder if the pressure of the trial has been too much on him. From the beginning, he has been afraid to fail Rusty.

If Rusty went to jail, it would be on him. He would have failed his best friend.

But if Rusty was guilty and he managed to set him free, he would have failed Carolyn and the job he loves the most.

Presumed Innocent does a great job of making us question Rusty’s innocence. There is a perfect balance between moments in which, as viewers, we believe he is the killer and those that make us wonder if he is being set up.

Starting the episode with Rusty watching everyone and then going off on the M.E. is the perfect way to re-introduce his violent traits. These traits match the description of the violence used in Carolyn’s murder.

When Barbara tells him about Clif, his hypocrisy stands out but is immediately followed by violence. Could he have had the same reaction with Carolyn the night of her murder because she said something he didn’t like?

Eugenia’s testimony makes him sound like a stalker. She describes him as obsessive, losing himself in Carolyn without thinking how it affected him. It is maybe that obsession that drove him to kill her.

His own daughter questions his innocence by asking about his memory. As she learns about trauma, disassociation, and loss of memory, she wonders if that is what is happening with her dad.

All of these instances on “The Elements” keep us on the edge, making assumptions and deciding that Rusty did, in fact, kill Carolyn.

On the other side, there are instances in which the audience is ready to confirm he isn’t guilty of murder. Much of this belief is thanks to Raymond.

He is the one who questions Tommy’s witness and leads the jury to know that the DNA found in Carolyn that belonged to Rusty could also have been transferred by a kiss or a sexual encounter.

Since there is no evidence in the rope and the witness insinuates this could be a coverup, could it also be a setup? Could somebody be trying to use this evidence to make Rusty fall for the murder?

This idea goes hand in hand with Eugenia’s testimony, making Tommy a suspect, too. Since Carolyn complained to HR about Tommy, one could assume he is the man her son says she was afraid of.

Isn’t that enough to create reasonable doubt?

But it is Jaden who truly represents the audience’s feelings. At times, she believes her dad is guilty. But then she has moments, like when she offers to go to court with him, in which she believes he is innocent.

She represents the audience’s POV. It is confusing and changes constantly.

From the beginning, Presumed Innocent has mentioned that Rusty was obsessed with Carolyn. He mentions several times that the evidence found in his phone and computer would label him a stalker.

Barbara herself tells Lorraine that the night of Carolyn’s murder, Rusty texted her 30 times. She mentions this because she refuses to go to court that day since they will review what is on his computer and hers.

She goes as far as to say that evidence is the most damning in the entire case, and yet that is the one day in court we don’t get to see.

If this is the strongest evidence Tommy has against Rusty, why don’t the viewers get to see those messages? We have yet to find out what he was texting her that night.

Hopefully, those messages will be revealed before the end of the season. That might finally help viewers make up their minds about Rusty.

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Presumed Innocent streams Wednesdays on Apple TV+.

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