He could have lived with this burden of guilt in the same way that he's lived with this other lie for so long and gone on to live a more or less contented life, but he doesn't.". But before a verdict can be reached, Leonard Patz is found hanging inside of his home, admitting in a suicide note that he killed Ben. **CONTAINS SPOILERS**. Chris Evans, Michelle Dockery and creator Mark Bomback explain what happens and why the series ends on a more ambiguous note than the book. Defending Jacobdeviates from the book's heartbreaking ending. WARNING: Major spoilers concerning the source materials ending revealed below! The Hollywood Reporter is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Youre at the mercy of the narrative in the same way that Andy and Laurie are.. When Laurie sees the henchmans car. Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Jacob, Patz, Derek, Sarah, or even Billys henchman couldve done it. Thats the crux of the problem Laurie is facing: Shell never, ever get the truth. How is the shows finale different from the books ending? Any difficulty or complexity that your child brings into this world becomes a part of your own life. Andy goes to a trial and says that Laurie didnt deliberately crash the car. In Apple TV+'sDefending Jacob, there's a somewhat hopeful ending as the Barbers all survive. While Jacobs trial is going on, Patz commits suicide after confessing to have killed Ben in a letter. Jacob dies instantly in the car crash. This Lincoln car is similar to the one Father OLeary drives. Defending Jacob Ending, Explained | Who Killed Ben? - The Cinemaholic ALSO READ | Homecoming Season 2 Ending Explained | How does Walter gets his final revenge? Photo: Apple TV+. Andy wanted the best lawyer in the town for Jacob's defense, so he approached Joanna Klein, who seemingly shared a good professional relationship with Andy. Ultimately, however, Andy learns that Patz's confession was coerced, and Andy's father (J.K. Simmons)who himself is incarcerated for a decades-old murderordered an accomplice to frame and murder Patz, all to protect the youngest Barber. At the request of his sons lawyer, Andy visits his dad behind bars, who acts indifferent towards Jacobs plight. That is what leads her to distrust her own son and crash the car. As more information came out about him, it was obvious that the child was likely a psychopath and his father (unlike the mother) was in denial, refusing to see the . 4. Jacob keeps declining and Laurie believes he did kill Ben so she crashes the car deliberately. Again, its completely ambiguous. The suicide, confession, and photographs of Ben that Patz deleted from his phone - in episode two - all point towards him murdering Ben. Of course, not everyone is convinced. Who Really Killed Ben Rifkin? - Katie's blog Laurie is now convinced that her son is responsible for both murders, and purposefully crashes her car while Jacob's in the passenger seat to alleviate her guilt. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Jacob may not have inherited the murder gene from his fathers line, but he may have inherited traits from his mother it may be the case that both he and Laurie are capable of murder. 8. If the TV adaptation stays faithful to the book, then viewers will be left guessing when it comes to Jacobs guilt. While both District Attorney Andy (Chris Evans) and teacher Laurie (Michelle Dockery) vacillate on their sons innocence (or lack thereof) throughout the series, the later episodes reveal that both have been complicit in covering up suspicious behavior, and the man who came forward and confessed to the crime was blackmailed into doing so by Andys own criminal father. But I think if you read the book and you like the book, hopefully youll be a little sideswiped by this in a good way., Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day, Inside the business of TV with breaking news, expert analysis and showrunner interviews. Making a splash: A deep dive into the live-action, premise seems like a simple murder investigation, Mark Ruffalo didn't warn Chris Evans about, Chris Evans on why taking the Buzz Lightyear role was similar to playing Captain America. The ending of the series is much more ambiguous than the book in William Landays 2012 novel, the girl Jacob meets on vacation turns up dead, confirming Lauries worst suspicions. However, I have figured out the real killer of Ben Rifkin, at it is none other than: Laurie! When Jacob is officially exonerated, Father O'Learyprotects the Barbers from a still-angry Dan Rifkin (Patrick Fischler),the father of the teenage murder victim, Ben. More:Is Defending Jacob A True Story? AppleTV+s new crime drama Defending Jacob is a twisty turny tale which focuses on a father (Chris Evans) whose 14-year-old son Jacob (Jaeden Martell) is accused of murdering one of his classmates. Jacob, in the book, dies. Well, what am I playing here? We review, recap and give our theories on the ending of Defending Jaco. The revelation that Hope is alive and well is also a deviation from Landay's book, which suggests that Jacob murdered her. . If the Apple TV+ series stays faithful to the book, here's what'll happen to the 14-year-old. Andy admits that his father is a murderer named Billy who is in prison. [This story contains spoilers from the finale of Apple TV+s Defending Jacob.]. Copyright 2023 Distractify. Rosie Fletcher is the UK Editor of Den Of Geek. Flashbacks are shown where he can be seen involved in this, but he refuses it in front of Andy. Laurie tells him to let go but he doesnt. Im more attempting to explore the subjective experience you have of seeing this situation through Andy and Lauries eyes and creating the sensation that they have, which is that you will never know. Offers may be subject to change without notice. In both cases, something happens to a young girl during the vacation. Defending Jacob book ending is also open-ended, with Laurie driving Jacob and crashing the car. Instead, the show leaves it maddeningly ambiguous all the way until the final frameand that, series writer Mark Bomback tells EW, is the point. And to not be able to cope with that, I think the act then becomes about Laurie taking her own life as opposed to the murder of a child. Ashley Lee is a staff reporter at the Los Angeles Times, where she writes about theater, movies, television and the bustling intersection of the stage and the screen. We did that scene quite a lot in the car because if it was too on the nose, it was too obvious that she was doing something that she thought through. Jacob's trial ends with a declaration of innocence, after a pedophile named Leonard Patz (Daniel Henshall) hangs himself and confesses to Ben's murder in a suicide note. Benjamin "Ben" Rifkin was the son of Dan and Joan Rifkin. Is Defending Jacob Based on a True Story. It feels like a confession but, of course, its not, said Bomback. After weeks of twists and turns, Defending Jacobs finale had one final shock up its sleeve. Originally, I wanted an unresolved ending, where Andy, Laurie and Jacob are on the plane home, all three of them knowing what Jacob is, and we simply see them side by side on the plane, and then it cuts to black, said Landay. Jacob does have some other genetic traits, we learn, that make him predisposed towards some anti-social behaviours. The conclusion to the gripping limited series delivers some answers, but also poses more questions. Bens father Dan (Patrick Fischler) confronts the Barbers in a multistorey car park, but is apprehended by the henchman who had supposedly been stalking the Barbers. "What I was most interested in, just as someone doing the writing, was really creating this subjective experience on the viewers' part with the parents. Their car incident is deemed as an accident and Laurie is also hurt gravely. Its not super important to me whether or not the audience gets a definitive answer about that, Bomback explained. Defending Jacob: Differences Between The Show And Book Ending Andy had always suspected Patz, and after the police get the note confirmed to be that of Patz, Jacob is acquitted. ALSO READ | The Vast Of Night Ending Explained: What Happens To Everett And Fay At The End? Andy confronts his father over his apparent involvement. The last episode of Defending Jacob starts with the Assistant District Attorney and Jacobs father Andy Barber getting a phone call from their family lawyer, Joanna Klein, that Leonard Patz had left a notemoments before he had committed suicide. And hes going to look at you and wonder, did you or didnt you? In the book Hope the girl Jacob meets in Mexico (Jamaica in the novel) washes up dead on the beach. Andy admits that his father is a murderer named Billy who is in prison. I like this tragic notion of were in a prison of our own making as were leaving these characters. During this whole show, we didnt even get close to finding out who killed Ben. However, Laurie becomes increasingly preoccupied with the idea of Jacobs guilt and on a drive, crashes the car into a tunnel, killing Jacob and leaving herself in a critical condition. Or are the family just the victims of circumstance? Jacobs fingerprint is on Bens jacket but Jacob says that got there when he found the body but didnt tell anyone. Anyways, Bye. Defending Jacobimplies that Billy framed Patz, but it's also highly likely that Patz did indeed kill Ben and then accepted his fate. Her body turns up several weeks later, and an autopsy discovers that her windpipe had been crushed. The ending connotes how the three Barbers end up isolating themselves because of the accusation. During a car ride withJacob, the internal and external "noise" becomes too much to bear for Laurie. Despite Billy hinting that he wasnt involved, flashbacks show that he was. But since the episode closes with Lauries bedside regrets and Andys quiet moment in Jacobs room, They wind up actually flipping at the end, where Andy seems to be quite aware of what his son might have done, and Laurie is willing to accept a lie to preserve their family and move on. After all Jacob rarely spoke for himself throughout the book, although he was the defendant and it was important to remain in a neutral sense. Did Jacob kill Ben, what does the murder gene have to do with it and what are the differences from the book? Set in Massachusetts, Defending Jacob revolves around the Barber family. And I think for each of them, theyre going to always have a lingering doubt.. Andy goes back home and drinks alone. His grandfather is a convicted killer but his father is an upstanding member of the community, albeit one with a tendency towards reckless behaviour. But it wasnt written with that intention, and its not really something Im actively working on right now.. She cleans the knife in the water and goes home. Hes drunk, and up until now has been completely unwilling to admit that he ever had doubts over Jacobs innocence, even when Laurie expressed her fears. ALSO READ | 'Raktanchal' ending explained: A final face off between Waseem Khan and Vijay Singh. Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox! Jacob says he didnt do it but he also wrote a story which sounded like it could have been a description of what happened. The teenagers plan to spend time together on New Year's Eve, andit's ultimately revealed that Hope went missing, with the implication being that Jacob could be a serial killer. Unsettled, Andy visits Billy, who indeed arranged for a blackmailed confession and suicide. I felt bad for the mom, and Andy, besides being a stick in the mud, had his head buried in the sand at anything to do with his family. Andy knows how tensed Laurie has been earlier, so he decides not to tell her anything. She is the one who helped Andy and Laurie stay calm throughout the process, by giving them tips to avoid the media and attention. But will Laurie ever be forgiven by Jacob, who clings to life in a separate hospital room? In the novel, youre a little more sure Jacob did do it, because of the disappearance of Hope, said Bomback. Laurie and Andy are depicted to be going through a lot as they defend their son. In telling her this, he knows hes potentially destroying his entire [life], says Bomback. Convinced that her son killed both teens, she ultimately sacrifices herself in order to save her sons future victims. Based on William Landay'seponymous 2012 novel and adapted for television by Mark Bomback,Defending Jacob began its eight-episode run on April 24, 2020 and concluded on May 20, 2020. She embraces this lie, you know, it must have been an accident. Chris Evans and Michelle Dockery lead the cast while Jaeden Martell and Cherry Jones also play key roles. The Defending Jacob ending reveals that Billy Barber orchestrated Patz's murder.Specifically, he enlisted a long-time friend known as "Father O'Leary" (William Xifaras) to frame and kill the pedophile, which would allow his grandson, Jacob, to receive legal "proof of innocence." The big reveal is foreshadowed by various meetings between Andy and Billy, with the latter refusing to offer any help. In case you are wondering who killed Ben, we are sorry to disappoint you because theres no evidence presented in the show as to whether Jacob is the killer or not. Billy sent Father OLeary to force Patz to confess to Bens murder, before strangling him to death and making it look like suicide, to prevent Jacob ending up in prison like him. But then Hope show up, unharmed, after being drugged by vacationers. Jacob is set free. Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. He says no, and then he says yes, but neither answer is reliable since hes afraid for his life. But in the series, everythings still up in the air. At the age of fourteen, he blackmailed Sarah Grohl. Laurie is now convinced that Jacob had killed Benand possibly Hope as well. Lastly, it can also be presumed that Andy is thinking about Jacob. She is currently working remotely alongside her dog, Oliver. In both the Defending Jacob show and book, the Barber family takes a vacation after the trail ends. The final scene of the show sees Andy drinking alone in his house while You Were a Kindness by The National plays in the background. It would have to spring from some idea that hasnt occurred to me yet that would really feel as compelling as I hope this season has, he said. We dont know But we can guess. The case becomes more complicated when it is discovered that Andys father is a convicted murderer, serving his sentence in prison currently. And then of course, the tragic irony is, Hope is found and he really never needed to tell [Laurie] any of this. The police suspect Jacob of killing her. But if I didnt, if I went too far the other way, it just looks like shes completely bonkers. Defending Jacob Ending Explained | Who killed Ben Rifkin But later, in the hospital, she doesnt appear to remember what happened, and both she and Jacob will likely recover. She has overheard Jacob talking about being bullied by Ben. And now this murderer is walking free and even though its my own son, its my fault.. Published: Friday, 29th May 2020 at 11:52 am. The finale of Apple TV+s limited series Defending Jacob had more twists and turns than that wet, cold road Michelle Dockerys character drove. Andy then admits to his wife, Laurie (Dockery), that the evidence letting Jacob off the hook for murder was fabricated. He confessed that he was the one who killed Ben. Same blade size, as well as "teeth" on the blade. As the Barbers prepare for a vacation to Mexico, Andy is told by District Attorney Lynn Canavan (Sakina Jeffrey) that the Patzs case had some inconsistencies. Defending Jacob Reader Q&A - Goodreads Here we break down the ending of Defending Jacob, including how it differs from the book. Jacob Owen "Jake" Barber is the titular character of the Apple TV+ limited series, Defending Jacob. Laurie survives and lives to explain what many would consider an unforgivable act. Did Jacob do it? 'Defending Jacob' book, TV endings explained - Los Defending Jacob is an Apple TV+ series that tells a slow-burn tale revolving around a couples attempt to prove their sons innocence with regards to the murder of his classmate. MCU superstar Chris Evans portrays the patriarchal figure, a lawyer named Andy Barber. The car crashes. Driving at full speed on a wet road, she crashes the car into the wall of a tunnel entrance, seemingly killing them both. An alum of the Eugene ONeill Theater Centers National Critics Institute and Poynters Power of Diverse Voices, she leads workshops on arts journalism at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. I was always interested in this idea that you can build your whole life on a foundation that has a lie within it, Bomback continued. Laurie already knows Patz is a suspect, and to make it seem even more believable, she finds the kid Andy talked to before, who then confesses to having a deal with Patz. Laurie is badly injured and Jacob is in a coma. Defending Jacob: Who Is The Real Killer Of Ben Rifkin (Spoiler Alert We never find out for sure whether Jacob is the one who killed Ben and Hope, but we think its safe to assume that either he did it, or he has the absolute worst luck in the world. The book version: The Barbers head off to the Caribbean and Jacob . The 14-year-old, upper-class student has led a seemingly ordinary life, but all of that changes when his classmate is found stabbed to death. RELATED: Defending Jacob Just Dealt the Barber Family a Shocking Blow. Andy gets drunk and revealshis fathers involvement with Laurie. The open-ended show leaves it to the viewers to decide on it. During the car ride, she tries to make him say it, but now she decides to kill herself and Jacob so her crime will be hidden forever. As he visits a hospital after the hearing, its revealed Jacob is in a coma and on life support. The one where EW follows up with the cast. Were entering major spoiler territory from here on out. 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. Defending Jacob is streaming now on Apple TV+ check out what else is on with our TV Guide, Try 12 issues for 1 today - never miss an issue. She decides to go to Billy saying she did it and needs him to help her defend Jacob and they made a plan: If Jacob is found guilty, they get someone to kill and frame Patz. The novel begins with Andy (played by Chris Evans in the show) suspecting the perpetrator to be local pedophile Leonard Patz. He uses Apple products. Andy then confronts his father Billy about this. The story shows how both parents lives are unraveling due to the pressures of not knowing whether their child is guilty or innocent. Jacob told his parents that Ben bullied him, and he did own a knife that he took to school. https://nerdround.com/ Defending Jacob Season Finale Explained | Who Killed Ben Rifkin ?#defendingjacob #whokilledbenrifkin #nerdroundMake Sure To Subscribe . Laurie decides to kill them both by crashing into the side of a tunnel. Cosgrove was one of three Louisville officers who shot their weapons during the botched drug raid on Taylor's home in March 2020. We want people to watch it and say, Holy , Morten Tyldum, who directed all eight episodes, told The Times. Jacobs behaviour and Hopes disappearance convinces Laurie. Laurie - also hospitalised with various injuries - is told by Andy that the jury voted in favour of a car accident, and he heads home to sit quietly in Jacobs room as the credits roll.
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