Defending Jacob
Starring: Chris Evans (8 episodes), Michelle Dockery (8 episodes), Jaeden Martell (8 episodes), Cherry Jones (8 episodes), Pablo Schreiber (8 episodes), Betty Gabriel (8 episodes), Sakina Jaffrey (8 episodes), Daniel Henshall (7 episodes), Ben Taylor (7 episodes), Jordan Alexa Davis (6 episodes), Megan Byrne (5 episodes), J.K. Simmons (5 episodes), Patrick Fischler (4 episodes)
Directed by: Morten Tyldum (8 episodes)
Rating: TV-MA
Genre: Drama, Mystery
2020
Seasons Seen:
Tim: 1
Summary: An Assistant District Attorney (Chris Evans) is devastated when his son (Jaeden Martell) is arrested and charged with the grisly death of a high school classmate.
Review:
Tim: I tried out Apple TV+'s fledgling service in October/November 2020. There really wasn't much content there, but one of the crown jewels of the service was the miniseries, Defending Jacob. I'd never read the book, but I enjoyed this look at a shocking crime in a Boston suburb. It has some flaws, but it's an entertaining, memorable series.
The series puts you into the middle of this fractured family coping with a devastating turn of events. A boy is murdered in the woods near their house and their son is arrested as the murderer. The series does a terrific job of keeping you guessing. There's a lot of evidence that he's guilty, but much of it is circumstantial. There's certainly some warning signs about the boy, but having issues isn't the same as being a coldblooded killer. At various points, I was convinced he was guilty of the crime, and at others, I was sure he was innocent. That's what the series does best- it really creates this powerful family mystery and as the series progresses, you learn more and more information that pieces together the puzzle. It drives you on, wanting to get to the end to see how the story ends.
One of the great aspects of the story is that the boy's father is the Assistant D.A. This adds some wonderful complexity to the story. He's obviously involved in the case before he knows his son has been accused, which complicates things. Afterwards, though, his knowledge of the legal system is a benefit, as he works to free his son. This intricate look at the legal system and how it intersects with the police was fascinating. I loved being immersed in this world. It was interesting that this occurred in Massachusetts, not far from where I lived. It was entertaining seeing this story take place where I live (it also does hurt the series in at least one way- the characters always have easily accessible parking, which is ludicrous given this area).
The cast is excellent. I have to applaud Chris Evans for his role. I've always liked Evans, but early in his career, I wasn't convinced of his acting talent. I've since changed my mind. He obviously grew incredibly during his years as Captain America, but he's refined his craft. This is a straight up dramatic role and Evans nails it. He's likeable, but has some rough edges. He felt authentic in this part. Evans' performance is one of the best reasons to see this movie. It's interesting, I knew nothing about Michelle Dockery a short time ago, but enjoyed her performance in The Gentlemen, and then obviously got to know her here. She had a bit of a hard role and I'm not sure I loved her performance. She was good, but uneven. Whereas Evans wins you over to his side, Dockery always felt like she was at a distance. She closes off, makes a series of questionable decisions, and yet we never really understand what's happening inside her head. She's good, but the series would have been better had she been able to help us understand the inner workings of her character better.
Jaeden Martell gives a really strong performance as well. I've been a fan of his for a while (going back to his Jaeden Lieberher days). He gave great performances in both It movies, Midnight Special is one of my favorite movies ever, and he was solid in Knives Out. He's good here, too. What's fascinating is that he can play likeable characters, but he also has this ability to creep you out. His performance was wonderful and kept me on edge the entire time. There's something innocent and naive about him, but also something disturbing that leads to distrust. This series was bolstered by his strong performance.
The supporting cast was great- Cherry Jones adds an effortlessly excellent supporting performance. It's hard to describe the feeling whenever she's on screen. You just feel confident that she's going to deliver an incredible performance and she never disappoints. She's wonderful. I straight up love Pablo Schreiber and I'm so happy he was in this series. He is supposed to be unlikable, but he does it so well here. He was a great addition to the cast. I'll always love seeing the great J.K. Simmons and while his role is small, he gives a large performance that makes that character come to life. Betty Gabriel added a strong supporting performance as well. The cast really was top notch, I applaud them.
The series is helped by Morten Tyldum directing all eight episodes. He has some real talent as a director. I wish more series would give the reigns to one director. He's able to build consistency between each of the episodes and it does feel like it's all coming from one source. That was a big plus. The one downside to the series (and it's fairly big) is that the story gets stretched too far in eight episodes. There's some truly compelling moments, but the series has more than a few dull stretches. The reality is that the series probably should have been six episodes. The story is stretched too thin, which doesn't always create sufficient interest in the story. That's really my big complaint.
Despite that, I really enjoyed Defending Jacob. It put Apple TV+ on the map for me (not that I'll keep my monthly subscription, but will probably sign up again at some point in the future). It's an entertaining, solid piece of work. It's a good reminder of how some of the most exciting work is being done on the small screen these days.
Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A
If You Enjoyed This Series, We Recommend: Mindhunter, I'll Be Gone in the Dark, Little Fires Everywhere