DEFENDING JACOB

How far would you go to save your family?

REVIEWED BYAshwini Vethakan

What do you get when you bring Captain America and Lady Mary of Downton Abbey together in a miniseries? Well, you get a nail-biting ‘curse-at-the-TV, can’t-look-away-from-the-screen’ experience.

Defending Jacob is the latest series to grace us in this post-lockdown world and with the lack of cinema offerings, I’m glad I paid for my Apple TV+ subscription – the money was well worth it.

Bringing to life William Landay’s New York Times Best Seller, the series delves into the lives of the Barber family. Chris Evans plays the protagonist Andy Barber, Boston’s Assistant District Attorney who is living his worst nightmare when his 14-year-old son Jacob is accused of murdering his schoolmate.

Once considered upstanding and beloved townspeople, the Barbers find themselves in the middle of a media storm. With everyone they trusted and cared about either dropping their alliance like hot potatoes or stirring up rumours with prejudice.

The show has received mixed reviews with many claiming it’s nothing but another TV courtroom drama while others – myself included – have come to love the Barbers and their twisted lives.

That being said, there are shows that you watch and forget about the next day. Defending Jacob is not one of them.

This is the kind of show that you want to read about and get insights from friends; trust me when I tell you that I bugged everyone around me for a good month about this show… until I could pour out my appreciation into this review.

I’ve grown up around a lot of Chris Evans’ movies and by this I mean even before his big break as Johnny Storm in Marvel’s Fantastic Four.

So being able to watch him test his acting style and broaden his choices in characterisation has been quite refreshing.

Evans plays a man who lives in denial. Denial that his family is coming apart at its seams; denial that his son could actually be a stone-cold killer; and instead of facing facts, we see a broken man try his best to salvage his roles as a father and husband.

The same can be said for Michelle Dockery’s performance as Laurie Barber. I had my doubts with her being cast because when you first watch Dockery, you tend to think of the highly proper lady with a sharp tongue who’s quick to fight for her beliefs. Instead, I was proved wrong and left in awe at her performance.

Dockery plays a mother who at the end of it all, is still human. A person who has doubts, who fears the truth and unlike Andy – who will for the sake of holding a family together, shy away from his son’s alleged crime – Laurie’s character is different and will test even your belief about how a mother might react under such circumstances.

We must also sing praise to the young Jaeden Martell, the actor responsible for characterising Jacob Barber. His portrayal of a typical sullen teenaged boy who refuses to listen to plain instructions and his ability to keep a neutral expression when the DA is practically yelling across the courtroom branding him a murderer, are brilliantly executed.

I assure you that you’ll feel his parents’ frustration.

The series is a mere eight episodes (each 45 minutes long) and as the story progresses, so does your blood pressure. To top it all off, Apple TV is also credited for the series’ haunting score, which basically puts the icing on the cake and gives you the perfect whodunit murder mystery.