What I’m Watching: Defending Jacob

Defending Jacob: Season 1, Episode 4 “Damage Control” (B)

It’s frustrating to watch Andy continue to do things that he knows he shouldn’t, and that he would hold against anyone he might be prosecuting if his son wasn’t on trial for murder. It was strange to see a moment of levity from him with his hipster pizza joke, and that attitude clearly doesn’t hold up through when he takes the stand and gets grilled by Neal about how he always worried her might turn into his father. His search for answers took home to a very accent-heavy part of town, a firm reminder to anyone who forgot for a moment that this show is set in Boston. Jacob’s behavior hasn’t changed at all, inviting friends over to play more shooting video games in his room and generally failing to take anything seriously except for the moments where the reality of his situation actually sets in thanks to the no-nonsense rundowns from Joanna. Laurie was having the toughest time of all, unable to grapple with their new normal that means they can’t be seen out anywhere. Going somewhere she hadn’t been and being able to be anonymous while eating a meal was a comfort, especially when the other diner didn’t appear to recognize her at first. Being targeted for an interview was almost worse than being yelled at as the mother of a murderer since it was an invasion of privacy from a seemingly nice stranger. The whole experience shook her so much that she didn’t even respond to the question of whether she wanted anything off the record, which is unfortunate.