By: Ava Rogha
Defending Jacob (2020) is an American crime drama on Apple TV+, that explores the story of a 14 year old boy Jacob Barber (Jaeden Lieberher), who is accused of murdering his classmate Ben Rifkin (Liam Killbreth).
When Detective Barber is investigating the case of a 14 year old boy who was brutally stabbed to death, he has no idea that his own son could be a potential suspect. However, when he does some digging in the case, he finds out that his son Jacob owned a weapon that matched the one that was used to murder Ben.
Jacob was also accused by another classmate on social media, which gave the police and his parents some space for concern.
"Our memories are often less reliable than we think, particularly in moments of stress."
Jacob is a quiet kid and doesn’t open up much to his parents. You don’t really see him spending much time with other kids either, which is quite odd for a 14 year old.
However, he does spend some time with a classmate, Sarah Grohl (Jordan Alexa Davis), who appears suspicious to the audience from the start of the show. But perhaps that’s just a way to turn away attention from the actual killer.
Despite the horrible accusations by the police and soon the public media, Jacob’s parents are convinced he’s innocent. They do confront him about the knife and the social media posts, but Jacob has an explanation for everything and gives his parents enough reasons to believe he’s not involved in the murder of Ben Rifkin in any way.
"I just want our family back."
What’s interesting about this show, however, is that even though his parents Andy (Chris Evans) and Laurie Barber (MIchelle Dockery) defend Jacob, and do everything they can to prove his innocence – Laurie is having doubts and is deep down fearing that her son might be capable of murder.
It’s easy to start connecting dots in a twisted situation, which is why Laurie is conflicted whether or not Jacob is really innocent when she starts remembering her son’s most violent childhood moments.
And to strengthen the case against Jacob, we learn that his grandpa whom he’s never met, is serving time in prison for the murder of a young girl. I don’t want to give everything away, but after hearing the news, Jacob has to be tested for what is called “the murder gene” to determine whether or not he’s really capable of such vicious crime.
"What do you want me to say, Laurie? You’re right? Our marriage is a lie. Our whole f*cking family is based on a fairytale, built on nothing. And our son’s a murderer. Is that what you want to hear?"
And although nothing is certain, Jacob and his family have to suffer the harsh consequences of being a part of this horrific case, including being exposed to strong hatred by a lot of people and especially Ben’s mourning parents.
As the show goes on, more and more hints are revealed and we get closer to finding the murderer of Ben Rifkin.
However, nothing can be predicted and you will be left with many questions all the way to the end.
Although this is a crime drama, I would recommend the show to thriller fans as well due to the high level of tension and excitement in it.
"Before we begin, I want to make something clear. A kid your age charged with first-degree murder is tried as an adult."
I bet you’re already familiar with the cast of the show including Chris Evans, who played the popular Captain America from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (2011-2019) and English actress Michelle Dockery from Downtown Abbey (2010-2015).
And to tempt you even more, Defending Jacob is directed by Norwegian Morten Tyldum, who is famous for his masterpiece The Imitation Game (2014).
You will be able to finish this mini-series of eight episodes in just a few days!
So if you’re tired of desperately browsing Netflix for a new show to watch, spare yourself the hassle and check out Apple TV+ for some fresh content including our most recent favorite, Defending Jacob!
Watch Defending Jacob here!
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