who really killed ben in defending jacob

He confessed that he was the one who killed Ben. Inside, Jacob's continued silencekeeps dark thoughts swirling in Laurie's head. She was speeding. When Andy asks his father if he did it, he repeatedly denies all knowledge albeit in a slightly stilted way. The peace Laurie found when the charges against Jacob were dropped is irreversibly disturbed. 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. Jacob says he didnt do it but he also wrote a story which sounded like it could have been a description of what happened. By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. Possibly, but unlikely. It's another change from Landay's original novel: In the book, Jacob dies in the crash. Jacobs parents, Laurie and Andy, try to help get him out. Jacob keeps declining and Laurie believes he did kill Ben so she crashes the car deliberately. Halle Bailey, Melissa McCarthy, and director Rob Marshall share the tale behind making their underwater musical with a groundbreaking Disney princess. The ending connotes how the three Barbers end up isolating themselves because of the accusation. 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. Andy storms away and decides to not tell anything to Laurie. Andy and Laurie both remember that Jacob wrote a bizarre story online in which he seemingly confessed to Ben's murder, and now they're confronted with yet another tragedy, it seems, that forcesAndy to confess the truth about his father. 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. Distractify is a registered trademark. I dont think Laurie had any sort of calculated master plan. One day after Laurie notices a peculiar red stain on her sons bathing suit, Hope is declared missing. However, Andy finds out that his father had arranged for Patz to be threatened into writing a confession and be killed. and our During the holiday, Jacob befriends Hope Connors - a 16-year-old from Toronto - and the pair go to a New Years Eve beach party together. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. As a character,Billy underlines Andy's life-long guilt. Any difficulty or complexity that your child brings into this world becomes a part of your own life. The Barbers were on a holiday when Jacob meets Hope Connors. Not Quite. Driving at full speed on a wet road, she crashes the car into the wall of a tunnel entrance, seemingly killing them both. Laurie survives and lives to explain what many would consider an unforgivable act. At a party on New Years Eve, Hope goes missing and Jacob leaves his shirt at the beach. Andy confronts his father over his apparent involvement. Warning: This article contains major spoilers for the final episode of Defending Jacob. Jacob tells police that he tried to revive Ben after spotting his body in the woods, which would explain the presence of his fingerprint, but they still keep him in jail overnight. Since the show has Hope alive, the situation is even muddier. We learn that Jacob does not have this gene, but his grandfather and father do. Fox doesnt think hell live to be 80: Every day its tougher, Jerry Springer kept his aggressive cancer a family secret in his final months. Defending Jacob Cast Guide: Where You've Seen The Actors Before, Is Defending Jacob A True Story? Yet nobody knows for sure if Jacobhad anything to do with Ben's death. The finale of the Apple TV+ declines to answer that question, instead leaving viewers just as in the dark as Andy and Laurie Barber, the parents of the titular character who spend the series defending their eighth-grader against charges that he murdered a classmate. The finale of Apple TV+s limited series Defending Jacob had more twists and turns than that wet, cold road Michelle Dockerys character drove. Now that the explosive and heart wrenching eighth episode has aired, we have the answers some of them, at least. WARNING: Major spoilers concerning the source materials ending revealed below! 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. Andys journey has been this challenge to own up to everything that hes been trying to conceal: He comes clean about who his father is, and he tells Laurie the truth [about the forced confession], even if it means destroying everything hes been fighting to preserve this whole time. Jacob told his parents that Ben bullied him, and he did own a knife that he took to school. Jacob refuses again and again. "He finally got away with this one crime, and now he's going to quickly, within the matter of six months, kill somebody else. 3. 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. Its told through Andys eyes and its not clear whether the crash is an accident or not, though Andy refuses to incriminate Laurie at all. On its surface, Defending Jacob looks a lot like your traditional whodunnit. Laurie drives in full speed, crashing the car into a tunnel wall, possibly killing them both. The eighth episode, which premiered Friday, begins with a big development: The murder charges that troubled teen Jacob (Jaeden Martell) had been facing all season are suddenly dropped. "The book has one or two clues that suggest that Jacob might've done something to [Hope], and then we're really talking about someone who was a burgeoning serial killer," Bomback says. How is the shows finale different from the books ending? The Barbers' trip to Mexico creates various forms of conflict in the Defending Jacob season finale. We see that Leonard writes the suicide note confessing to killing Ben. A.I. Hes pulled off the case after his son Jacob, a classmate of the victim, is arrested for the crime. The conclusion to the gripping limited series delivers some answers, but also poses more questions. The family goes home immediately. Due to the finding of Jacobs fingerprints on Bens body and the discovery that Jacob used to carry a knife to school, he (Jacob) becomes the prime suspect. The series was created and written by Mark Bomback and directed by Morten Tyldum. Yes, she did. Sad times, we dont know! She is currently working remotely alongside her dog, Oliver. Distraught after learning about the cover-up, Laurie drives her car into a wall with Jacob inside. The Hollywood Reporter is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Jacobs online habits are pretty odd, its true, but liking weird stuff on the internet does not make you a killer. But if I didnt, if I went too far the other way, it just looks like shes completely bonkers. ALSO READ | 'Raktanchal' ending explained: A final face off between Waseem Khan and Vijay Singh. 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. The dark truth may be that someone elsein the community just may be the real killer - someone who steadily appears on camera but never exhibits any suspicious behavior. "In fact, he's going to now be having the same doubts about his mom that she's been harboring about him throughout the entire story.". This we do know in the TV show at least. Convinced that her son killed both teens, she ultimately sacrifices herself in order to save her sons future victims. But later, in the hospital, she doesnt appear to remember what happened, and both she and Jacob will likely recover. 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. In the car while they wait for Andy and their lawyer, Laurie decides to tell Jacob the truth, unaware he saw the whole thing. 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. In Landay's source material, the Barbers go to Jamaica (rather than Mexico), and Jacob does indeed meet a girl named Hope Connors. If the Apple TV+ series stays faithful to the book, here's what'll happen to the 14-year-old. Disappearance At Clifton Hill Ending Explained: How Does Abby Solve The Kidnapping Case. And so, the argument can be made for both Jacob and Patz. She freaks out because she is becoming more and more paranoid that someone will find out she killed Ben. Retiring to their room after a romantic meal, Andy and Laurie find Jacob back earlier than expected - without Hope or the white shirt hed worn. "In a purely storytelling way, I'm not sure a definitive answer one way or the other would have been necessarily any more satisfying," says Bomback, who adapted the show from William Landay's 2012 novel. We see Laurie speeding up the car more and more hysterically asking Jacob if he killed Ben. Rosie Fletcher is the UK Editor of Den Of Geek. Jacob dies instantly in the car crash. 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. And I think for each of them, theyre going to always have a lingering doubt.. Youre at the mercy of the narrative in the same way that Andy and Laurie are.. As Laurie begs Jacob to tell her the truth, she pushes the car to go faster and faster, ultimately crashing and seriously injuring them both. Hope is found safe and Jacob had nothing to do with her disappearance. On the surface, it allows the family toescape from reality as they contemplate an impending move to Denver. The novel Defending Jacob hit the shelves in 2012 and became an immediate best-seller. For Bomback, it was far more interestingand devastatingfor Jacob to survive and be left unconscious. 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. Andy is understandably angry, believing Jacob wouldve cleared his name in court if given the chance. Perhaps, Andy starts to feel that it could be his fault. Another suspect in the case is Leonard Patz. Her body turns up several weeks later, and an autopsy discovers that her windpipe had been crushed. I thought it was true to this idea that parenting goes on after the end of the book and the end of childhood.. The discussions of empathy or lack of empathy coming from the parents was also interesting on this point. Its officially been ruled an accident in court after Andy testifies saying, It was raining. She's beenforced to sort through Andy's lies about the past, and now can't find clarity in the present. Apple TV+'sDefending Jacobendingis tragic, but the book handled a bit differently. The bleaker ending is that hell know what she did, shell know he knows, and Andy will continue to willfully refuse that it was anything but an accident. Again, its completely ambiguous. And hes going to look at you and wonder, did you or didnt you? During the trial, she is shocked to hear the story because she didnt know about Jacob seeing her there. This Lincoln car is similar to the one Father OLeary drives. 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. Though police say there were some anomalies at the scene of Patz death they do rule it a suicide and Jacob is exonerated. Was it a split-second decision, or did she plan it? Do you need the cleansing of truth or can you compartmentalize and find a balance just being a little bit darker?. The next morning, Hope cant be found. Over the course of its eight episodes, the AppleTV+ limited series carefully doles out many of the hallmarks of a standard murder mystery, from red herrings and tense trials to more than a few shocking twists. Crucially, Andy doesn't tell Laurie about Billy until a family trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. In Apple TV+'sDefending Jacob, there's a somewhat hopeful ending as the Barbers all survive. After that is revealed, Laurie starts to think that Jacob might have murderous traits as well. Defending Jacob ending explained: Here is a detailed explanation of what happens at the end of the limited miniseries Defending Jacob starring Chris Evans. Andy tells Laurie the truth about Patzs death. Reading the case file, Andy finds out from eyewitness accounts that an old blue Lincoln car - the same one Father OLeary drives - was seen outside of Patzs apartment complex on the night he died. He had built his marriage on a lie by not telling Laurie about his father being in prison. His father, Andy, and mother, Laurie, do everything in their power to prove his . Andy's drunken emotional breakdowneffectively splits the family apart. Its more just a process of elimination.. New episodes of Defending Jacob will be released every Friday through May 29. In the end, it is shown that Jacob is in a coma. Why is Frank McCourt really pushing this? this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. He finally got everything back. It makes you empathize with Laurie, and the torture that causes her to snap.. A few days later Jacob writes a story about what happened between Laurie and Ben, calling Ben Brent and changing Laurie to a boy called Jason. Andy is at a crossroads where he can do the right thing and come forward with this information, which will mean his sons arrest again, or he can swallow it, says series writer and creator Mark Bomback. Assistant District Attorney and Jacobs father Andy Barber (Chris Evans) receives a phone call from family lawyer Joanna Klein (Cherry Jones) to tell him that Leonard Patz (Daniel Henshall) left a note, moments before committing suicide, confessing that hed killed Ben. The one where EW follows up with the cast. They go out on a romantic meal together, but Andy and Laurie see Jacob back home earlier than expected and not in the same white shirt that he had worn. Jacobs comatose status arguably leaves the story open for a second season. Andy then confronts his father Billy about this. But then a witness goes missing, and Jacob's fascination with the macabre, like "The . When Laurie sees the henchmans car. 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. So thats what I was going for, and it is different than the book. The story shows how both parents lives are unraveling due to the pressures of not knowing whether their child is guilty or innocent. Everything changes when a local pedophile namedLeonard Patz (Daniel Henshall) kills himself andadmits that he killedRifkin. 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. But in Defending Jacob, Jacob is shown to be using . RELATED: Defending Jacob Just Dealt the Barber Family a Shocking Blow. One could argue that Jacob'sodd behaviorimplies that he did indeed kill his classmate, Ben. But in the series, everythings still up in the air. Jacob immediately befriends a fellow teenager named Hope who, the morning after a party, has mysteriously gone missing. The body rolls down the hill and she goes to see if he is dead. Episode eight follows on immediately from episode sevens ending. "Now we have this new thing that they're both going to live with, which is: 'When [Jacob] wakes up, what will he think? The car crashes. The story follows an assistant district attorney named Andy Barber, who's investigating the murder of 14-year-old Ben Rifkin. Apple has a policy that villians in tv shows or movies can't use Apple Products. She takes Jacob with her for a haircut but confronts him, to tell the truth. 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 . Ann Warman I believe that Jacob not only killed Ben, but Hope as well. Defending Jacobdeviates from the book's heartbreaking ending. The kid that ran away. She is disturbed and cannot seem to trust Jacob. Its not super important to me whether or not the audience gets a definitive answer about that, Bomback explained. Chris Evans, Michelle Dockery and creator Mark Bomback explain what happens and why the series ends on a more ambiguous note than the book. Fox Says Battle With Parkinsons Disease Keeps Getting Tougher: Im Not Going to Be 80, TV Premiere Dates 2022: The Complete Guide, Broadcast TV Unscripted Scorecard 2022: Whats New, Renewed and Canceled, TV Pilots 2022: The Complete Broadcast Guide, The Definitive Voice of Entertainment News. Laurie decides to take matters in her own hands. That is what leads her to distrust her own son and crash the car. Andy decides not to tell Laurie and Jacob. The subsequent car crash suggests that Laurie felt purely isolated from reality - even from her husband and son. Were entering major spoiler territory from here on out. Jacob because of the bullying. Laurie gets distant from Andy and Jacob and goes to Rifkin's'to confess about Jacob. So it took it took a lot of time to fine tune that, and I think theyve done it really well in the edit. Jacob, in the book, dies. The big reveal is foreshadowed by various meetings between Andy and Billy, with the latter refusing to offer any help. In an effort to put that whole nightmare behind them, the Barber family goes on vacation to Jamaica, where Jacob hits it off with a girl named Hope. He may have told local bad boy Matt McGrath (Hale Lytle) that he was interested in someone called Ben while he was propositioning Matt but Matts hardly a reliable witness having already lied to the police once, and he doesnt turn up for Jacobs trial. Wes Anderson Directing Star Wars? Lemme explain. You probably are pretty sure he did it, but theres no real way of knowing, and its possible he didnt. Did Jacob kill Ben, what does the murder gene have to do with it and what are the differences from the book? However, there are some major changes in the series. Then again, the final image shows Andy sitting in his son's room, still in the dark, which suggests that Jacob's potential off-screen death essentially closes the door on clarity - not only about Ben's murder, but also about whether hecould forgive his own mother, Laurie. Apple TV+'s Defending Jacob miniseries ends with some closure, but not everything is resolved. If you havent watched every episode, youll want to turn back now. arsy80 3 yr. ago. Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter. I felt like the ending was really interesting largely because I thought the show was highlighting her ability to see Jacob's darkness because of some darkness within herself. Father OLeary, the henchman, was asked to protect the family by Andys father and convicted murderer Billy. 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. A later deposition reveals that Laurie began the day by calling attorney Joanna Klein early in the morning, along with Dr. Vogel. There has been a lot of stress, so why not go relax. She asks Jacob about it while they are in a car. 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. He finds a knife fitting the description of the murder weapon and, in his shock, hastily gets rid of it, but Jacob is arrested when his fingerprint is found on the inside of Bens sweater. This Is What Went Down in the Last Ever Episode of 'Modern Family', Here's Who Kills the Mom on Lifetime's 'A Killer Among Us'. Chris Evans character Andy learns to own up to everything that hes been trying to conceal, said Defending Jacob creator Mark Bomback. Jacob is targetedbecause he's a social outcastwith obvious communication issues. This event echoes the ending of the 2012 book on which the show is based. The final irony is that everybody seems to know what Laurie did - in fact, there are even witnesses whosaw her failed suicide-murder attempt. Andy tells his father Billy over the phone that he thinks Patz did it. Chris Evans and Michelle Dockery lead the cast while Jaeden Martell and Cherry Jones also play key roles. According to Billy, Andycan either be a good man or be a good father; hegets to "choose." 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. Related:Defending Jacob Cast Guide: Where You've Seen The Actors Before. Could Patz really have been forced to write that suicide note without more pleading, or force on screen? Flashbacks are shown where he can be seen involved in this, but he refuses it in front of Andy. 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. But logic suggests that he's a quiet teenager who was bullied by classmates, and made some questionable comments for attention. Plus, aside from the girl on vacation, theres another major change: that Andy tells Laurie about his fathers involvement in framing the other suspect. Benjamin "Ben" Rifkin was the son of Dan and Joan Rifkin. Andy had always suspected Patz, and after the police get the note confirmed to be that of Patz, Jacob is acquitted. Whatever you want, just slow down, please., This is what Laurie, and the audience, have been waiting to hear, and yet its validity is still in question. one who killed Jacob's classmate, Ben. Since the Apple TV+ series strays from the source material and doesn't provide absolute clarity, viewers may be wondering what it all means, and whether the titular character is indeed a cold-blooded killer. 4. His grandfather is a convicted killer but his father is an upstanding member of the community, albeit one with a tendency towards reckless behaviour. It stars Chris Evans, Michelle Dockery, Jaeden Martell, Cherry Jones, Pablo Schreiber, Betty Gabriel, and Sakina Jaffrey. For Bomback, he says he wanted to write Jacob as a far more sympathetic, normal teen and as less of a psychopath-in-waiting, so he chose to focus the show primarily on Ben Rifkin's murder instead of Hope's. Whether Laurie remembers her own motivation for the crash is also up in the air, but creator Bomback says its much more likely shes decided to go along with Andys version of events that it was a horrible accident than the truth that its something she purposefully (though potentially subconsciously) did. During one last prison chat, Billy admits that he orchestrated thePatz murder, and just so that hisgrandson couldlive a relatively normal life. Jacob Barber has been accused of murdering his classmate, Ben. 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. 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. He confessed that he was the one who killed Ben. 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. She confronts him about bullying her son but Ben doesnt care. Still,Laurie becomes convinced that her son is guilty, and tearfully breaks the news to her husband. Their car incident is deemed as an accident and Laurie is also hurt gravely. The revelation allows Jacob to walk free. When Laurie wakes up in the hospital, she insists that the crash was an accident, but Andy isn't so sure. The viewer is meant to feel the frustration of never really knowing if he is guilty or innocent. In both the Defending Jacob show and book, the Barber family takes a vacation after the trail ends. Conversely though, at the end its his mother who is an attempted murderer. Bomback opted to change the ending because this felt more true to the story we were telling over these eight hours, whereas in the book, Laurie is in the dark, and [the crash] is more a reaction to the realization that Jacob killed another person and might become a serial killer. Due to the finding of Jacob's fingerprints on Ben's body and the discovery that Jacob used to carry a knife to school, he (Jacob) becomes the prime suspect. Jacob meets a 16 year old girl called Hope. Andy storms out but refuses to tell Laurie (Michelle Dockery) what happened. 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. At first, the Barbers are shown attempting to fight the case as best as they can. Offers may be subject to change without notice. In addition, Andy discovers a knife in his son's room - a possible murder weapon - which is what kicks off the story, as the Barbersaren't fully convinced their sonis innocent. The show starsChris Evans,Michelle Dockery,Jaeden Martell,Cherry Jones,Pablo Schreiber,Betty Gabriel,Sakina JaffreyandJ.K. Simmons. THE END. Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. Defending Jacobimplies that Billy framed Patz, but it's also highly likely that Patz did indeed kill Ben and then accepted his fate. And now this murderer is walking free and even though its my own son, its my fault.. Your next true crime obsession has arrived! Would it really be that easy to fake a mans suicide by hanging? In Defending Jacob Episode 7, the trial begins, and the prosecution does not hold back. The monster cannot be killed. Anyways, Bye. And no one dies in the crash as Laurie recovers in the hospital, with Jacob in a coma, Andy has been on the witness stand, asserting that Lauries sudden swerve was an accident.
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