‘Defending Jacob’ Recap: ‘Job’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM. YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

It really is quite fascinating how quickly things can go south in our lives. Because truly, just like that, all the good will and effort we put into something supremely important just disappears right before our eyes, and we are left in utter shock as we try to figure out how to move forward, and really that is the most important part of this particular twist in life. Because we can either hold our heads high and forge ahead as we make every effort to put the pieces back together again, or we can let the frustration of failure consume us in a negative manner, and this is sadly, a choice that Andy and Laurie Barber were forced to make in the next episode of Defending Jacob.
 
For ‘Job’ saw the trial of their lives get underway and what made this episode so incredibly fascinating, is the sheer fact that at first glance, it seemed as though Andy and Laurie weren’t going to have to face that frustrating choice. Because right out of the gate, things were going their way in court. For the prosecution wasn’t going to be allowed to use the murder gene angle in the case, forcing them to rely upon the circumstantial evidence they assembled for the trial and that gave Jacob’s team the upper hand. Because all of that evidence was sloppy for certain, to the point where the jury began to have obvious doubts about what Neal and his team were presenting to them.
 
But that sure didn’t stop Neal from trying to pull out all of the stops, even going so far as to try and sneak the whole murder gene defense into an examination, something that straight up prompted the judge to warn Neal that any further mention on such matters would result in a mistrial. If anything, it really did seem for a moment there, that the defense was going to soundly win this case and they weren’t the only ones who realized this. Because Ben Rifkin’s father was visibly distraught one day at the trial, as he pondered aloud upon Neal’s incompetence and the very real possibility that Jacob was going to walk free and well, that’s when the wonderful feel-good vibes in this tale disappeared.

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​Because just like that, a stunning surprise on the prosecution’s part changed everything in this case. For when Derek took the stand to speak of the unsettling relationship that Jacob and Ben shared, he dropped quite the bombshell. Specifically, that Jacob liked to hop on a violence fantasy website and write twisted stories about people under the pen name ‘Job’ and he just so happened to write a story about Ben’s death three days after the body was found, and well, what he put to digital paper was quite devastating. For every detail present in this grisly and disturbing tale, made it seem as though Jacob knew far more about the murder than he was letting on, despite pleading otherwise. In fact, it more or less read like a confession. Which of course, shifted momentum to the prosecution.
 
But what matters more, is that this discovery is what forced the Andy and Laurie to face the choice that we discussed a little bit ago and unfortunately, Laurie decided to go with the more negative option. Which brought every doubt she’s had about her son bubbling to the surface, and for the first time ever; she admitted out loud that she questioned Jacob’s claims of innocence because she was genuinely starting to believe that he committed this heinous crime. An admission that rattled Andy, who stood by Jacob and simply believed a new strategy would win them this case. But that kind of honestly simply speaks to the fact that Laurie has lost all faith in well, everything at this point, and there may be no coming back from her words or her doubts and that puts the family in a supremely precarious place, since they have clearly reached their breaking point.
 
Which truly made it seem as though all hope was lost at this point. But as this series is wont to do, it offered up quite the stunning surprise in its closing moments, one that could change everything for the case going forward. But while we wait to see how that plays out, in the meantime, it is best we simply we simply take a moment to celebrate one moving and powerful tale. Because this one really did take us on quite the emotional rollercoaster ride since there was joy and hope robbed from us in an instant and it also featured powerful performances to add gravity to the twist and turns. And truly, the wait for next week’s finale is going to be a difficult one. For we are all desperate to know how this harrowing story is going to come to an end, especially after that incredible surprise. Until next time.   

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