In today’s television landscape it seems like there is a new streaming service almost every other week. The rise of streaming titan Netflix has seen the emergence of several competitors, some more successful than others, including Amazon Prime, Disney+ and most recently, Apple TV+. The latter has been treading water for a few months now and with its initial lineup offering little hype for the service, consumers have been left wondering just when we’d see some more genuinely exciting, must-watch content. Well that wait is over with the release of Defending Jacob, Apple’s latest crime-drama limited series starring none other than Chris ‘Captain America’ Evans in a role far removed from his super-hero alter-ego. Whilst it may not be the must-see series that turns people onto the service, Defending Jabob is nevertheless an engaging, if familiar at times, legal procedural/murder mystery which is raised above other similar series by stellar performances from Evans, Michelle Dockery, Jaeden Martell and J.K Simmons.
Defending Jacob begins as former District Attorney Andy Barber (Chris Evans) takes the stand to be questioned at a trial. The circumstances of the trial are not clear to us but the series of questions asked of Barber serve as the impetus for flashbacks retelling the main series of events. The book on which Defending Jacob is based, written by William Landay, utilises legal transcripts as a framing device to take the reader back to this trial. It’s an inventive concept in the medium of a book but in terms of a crime-procedural television series, it unfortunately doesn’t come across this way and feels clichéd given this device’s prevalence in the genre. Within these flashbacks we focus on the murder of a young boy named Ben Rifkin (Liam Kilbreth), a classmate of Andy’s teenage son Jacob (Jaeden Martell). Initially in charge of investigating the case, Andy is unceremoniously removed when Jacob is accused of the murder and taken into custody. From here on out we follow the Barber family, including matriarch Laurie (Michelle Dockery), as they prepare for a trial to prove Jacob’s innocence, uncovering a web of secrets and lies that haunt the Barber name and which threaten to destroy the peaceful Massachusetts community of Newton and the show’s well meaning, seemingly ordinary family.
Whilst the framing device of the trial might not be the most original, what differentiates Defending Jacob within the genre is the decision to focus not on the murder itself per se, but on the psychological aspect of committing a murder. How does one commit such a despicable act and do Andy and Laurie really believe that their son is capable of such a thing? It’s a fascinating route to go down and creator Mark Bomback and series director Morten Tyldum play with viewers’ expectations in giving you almost all the details of the case and the factors that are at play from the outset. The series doesn’t rely on cheap twists (for the most part) and instead presents a deep dive into each of the three members of the Barber family, making you question whether you really know any of them at all at one point or another. Evans and Dockery are fantastic (we’ll get to them later) but the central cog in the wheel here is Jacob himself, Jaeden Martell. He’s so perfect in the role as what some might consider the typical annoying teenager but he takes it a step further, switching gears constantly to make you feel for the terrified boy thrown in the deep end and facing life in prison but who also seems to be harbouring a darker side – just off-kilter and dark enough to give you serious doubts about his innocence. It’s a difficult juggling act to keep you so invested without making you feel he is completely innocent, completely guilty or so unlikeable that you don’t care anymore and the young actor pulls it off with a finesse that many veteran actors would be unable to achieve.
The series’ decision to let the story breathe and just sit with these characters for so much of the show might just be audiences’ biggest problem with it. While it allows for rich development of the characters, the series often introduces plot lines, seemingly to fill some of the air time, often leaving them unfinished and potentially leaving some viewers feeling cheated. The series doesn’t necessarily abandon these plot lines however, so much as it leaves them open-ended for interpretation. Take the characters of Ben’s parents for example: they have just lost their only son and are obviously struggling under the ridiculous weight of such a traumatic event. Tyldum and Bomback revisit these characters periodically throughout the show as an examination of how people cope with these situations and to illustrate the impact of the murder on the wider community outside of the Barber family. Other, less psychologically reflective storylines which are left unanswered can confuse and frustrate the audience, just as the characters in the series are confused and frustrated. This feels more like an intentional choice which works wonders to invest you and put you in the shoes of the characters, rather than to fill run time with unfinished storylines.
Despite its weekly episodic role-out, Defending Jacob is very much suited to the binge-watching streaming era, and this is the way I would recommend you watch it. Continuous immersion in the story and characters only deepens your investment and for a show that wants to make you think and potentially reflect on your own life, the longer it can keep you thinking that way the more successful and impactful it is. Whilst the ending may be polarising to some (no spoilers) it is very much in line with what has come before and your satisfaction with it will likely be elevated if you have continuously lived with these characters and their struggles.
The other key element which elevates Defending Jacob from a mundane crime drama is the phenomenal cast, led by Evans, Dockery and Martell. Evans is amazing here, given the chance to do something wholly different to Captain America: a suburban father with a dark past who has buried feelings of guilt and anger deep within himself and finds himself flung into the spotlight, forced to reflect on his life; bringing long buried emotions to the surface. It’s a quiet measured role, with Evans taking the full span of the series to unfurl Andy’s motivations and worsening emotions as the screws tighten around the family. Whilst his chemistry with Dockery isn’t anything particularly special, he is clearly in command of his own character and through his facial expressions and carefully considered dialogue we feel for the Barber patriarch, who is either undergoing a particularly bad spell of luck or is receiving his just desserts, depending on which way you look at it.
Dockery, similarly, is great; given more of a chance to show her character’s emotions outwardly, her response to certain secrets and revelations is truly heartbreaking and you feel that this is a woman in the terrible situation of having to confront the fact that she may not know who her son is; that he may be far more evil than she ever could have imagined given their seemingly enviable suburban life. Last but certainly not least is the great J.K. Simmons, who plays the small but integral role of Billy Barber, Andy’s incarcerated father whose involvement in the case is seemingly limited at first but comes to have more significance than expected. Simmons is outstanding as the slightly unhinged estranged grandfather to Jacob who has been absent his whole life. There is a sadness behind his eyes as his attempts to reconcile with Andy are batted away and Simmons displays an extraordinary ability to switch between that sadness and a blinding fury in the blink of an eye.
While it may not be enough on its own to entice you to subscribe to Apple TV+, Defending Jacob is nonetheless an outstanding slice of courtroom drama/crime procedural television which is given significant weight and purpose through outstanding performances from the entire cast, led by Chris Evans, and the director and creator’s willingness to deviate from the norm and explore an aspect of these stories that is often underdeveloped or forgotten about entirely. Despite some clichéd story beats which have become a staple of the genre and a lack of chemistry between Dockery and Evans, Defending Jacob is still an engrossing watch that will introduce you to a new side of Chris Evans, and if this is any indication of things to come, then the former star-spangled Avenger’s future looks bright.
Defending Jacob stars Chris Evans, Michelle Dockery, Jaeden Martell, Cherry Jones, Pablo Schreiber, Betty Gabriel & J.K. Simmons – Streaming on Apple TV+ now.