Defending Jacob (TV Mini Series) After (2020) User Reviews

People really don't want to read between the lines, do they?

[iliaskymusic · 8/10 · 7 June 2020]

Overall, a great show...not awe inspiring, but a good watch.

To all those whining that it was never explained whether Jacob was the killer or not (neither in the book nor in the movie). It is not about WHO really killed him. It is about trust, it is about an appearance and public opinion that sticks to you no matter what. It is about self deception and delusion. As far as we are concerned, a totally different person killed Ben. Not Jacob and not Leonard Patz...but one character decided to take justice into his hands and exonerate his grandson...another character decided to close his eyes and find rational for everything even if it is completely irrational...

To those complaining about Laurie's decision being irrational and that the book gives more reason for her to attempt to kill Jacob (because of Hope turning up dead), miss the intricacy of the decision that the show creators made. This difference shows an arc of a woman who lost control long ago, but kept a straight face until she couldn't anymore. This entire show is about it...bottling emotions, turning away from your fears...smiling and saying "everything is fine" while the house is on fire. THAT'S what it is about...not about who actually killed Ben. I admit...I did not read the book, but I don't think that there was not enough reasoning for Laurie's character to make that decision. In the book, I guess it is a more calculated decision while in the series it is more of an impulsive one from a woman who lost self control. Both are valid story arcs.

The fact that the show runners left Laurie alive, also makes Andy's arc even stronger. He never redeemed himself. He kept lying to himself until the very last moment. He DID think Jacob is guilty, but convinced himself he didn't. He DID know that it wasn't a car accident yet convinced everyone it was. Everyone, except himself. That's why the show ends with him alone in the room. That's it...he finally removed the protective screen from all the lies he told himself. All in all a very good ending in my opinion. I doubt there will be more seasons. This ends...where it should.

Fantastic finale

[brandonmckay8 · 9/10 · 10 July 2021]

What a truly remarkable performance from everyone involved. The finale not quite as good as the previous episode in my opinion but it was still incredible. Another edge of your seat thriller as some questions answered & a lot left up to the viewer to read between the lines or interpret your own conclusion. Chris Evans range of acting is so underrated, a true star. Highly recommend checking this one out, some great, some slow episodes but it will all be worth it in the end.

Ends how it needs to make a point but wished it was different

[derek_hammeke · 7/10 · 29 May 2020]

Without spoiling it many will not be happy with the way it ends. I think the ending strengthens the point the show it's trying to make but looses payoff in the process. I still love the show and what it was meaning. The acting is great as well. Looking forward to more Chris Evans not wearing a Captain America suit. Some scenes/deliveries of his in this series will stay with me.

Amazing Tv Show

[diegoandres-63463 · 10/10 · 29 May 2020]

I know that the ending is kinda disappointing, but we have to remember that the ending of the book is kinda the same, they never tell us if Jacob really killed Ben or not, so they did a great job with the ending of the mini series, the only revelant difference between the book and the tv show is that Jacob dies after the accident, in the series he stays in coma, in conclution, is up to us to decide and to make a conclution if Jacob really killed Ben or not.

I really liked this mini series is one of my favorites, Chris Evans was so good doing his character as Andy, I hope to see him again in another series, and I loved how Michelle Dockery as Laurie lost her mind asking her own son if he killed Ben and even risking their life, Jaeden Martell was great too acting like a weird psycho kid, but we will never know if he was psycho or not, that's up to us. Anyway, congrats for this amazing cast and for Apple Tv+ I really hope to see something similar in this streaming service soon!

Loved it.

[elvis-11986 · 10/10 · 29 May 2020]

Loved the last episode of Defending Jacob. It was so shocking especially if you're not familiar with the book. Book is lously based on a similar real life case. This series basically ends like the book. Except Jacob dies after the crash. And the book doesn't explain whether he did it or not. It's left for the viewers/readers them self's to decide. Besides that's how usually mini series end without answering all questions.

High production values, amazing acting and writing. That's what I like about mini series. I have to say it's becoming my favorite format of tv series. Watching it I always had real chills like it felt really real all the emotions and stuff. Definitely one of my favorite mini series. Chris Evans was did an amazing job. He's so forking great actor and I hope to see him doing more tv series.

An absolutely crazy episode

[Joshumms · 9/10 · 1 February 2022]

This one is a weird one and I know a lot of people don't like the ending, but I think it perfectly does what it wants to do. The pacing in this one with the constant reveals is pretty jarring but the over arching theme that is hammered in with it is very good and I really like that it was unclear if Jacob killed Ben. I am conflicted between the endings of the book and the show because on one hand in the show it is very clear Jacob doesn't kill hope which makes it kind of stupid that Laurie was still so convinced Jacob did it, but on the other hand in the book It's heavily implied he killed hope which makes Jacob's innocence way less ambiguous. In the end it isn't whether Jacob did it or not, it's a character driven story and it's meant to show their emotions rather than give a conclusive ending.

Yes, I loved the ending

[noromgorom · 10/10 · 29 May 2020]

A lot people are saying they don't like the ending because it doesn't state clearly who's the murderer or what's the motive behind it. But I think that's okay cause it's a drama show mainly. And you're here to watch drama not a whodunit murder mystery. I loved the show. Seeing cevans act is something truly beautiful. All the actors were great as well.

Next Level

[finlayfox-87281 · 10/10 · 2 June 2020]

Although the ending may have seemed too open-ended days later it is still on my mind, and I have rewatched the crash numerous times. This is the exact feeling they wanted to leave us with: the same feelings Laurie and Andy felt, they wanted to put us in their shoes. This was most certainly achieved. An ending that I will remember, and likely rewatch a multitude of times in the future! A fitting end to one of the best shoes I have ever watched.

Fantastic ending!!!

[betofranca · 10/10 · 29 May 2020]

Not sure where the dissapointment is coming from, final episode was full of twists and turns, excitement and true to the book. Acting was superb as the entire series! Congrats Apple on the great work!!

Forgettable ending to a great show

[drpock · 7/10 · 29 May 2020]

I really liked this show, the actors were all brilliant but I expected something different for the finale. After everything that's happened all the storylines got a very quick closure and the ending was forgettable. I think they should have used more than one episode to wrap-up the plot, that way we'd have a more satisfying ending. Still a very pleasant and gripping miniseries!

Overall, great show. Finale was good up until the last 10 mins

[liljoey90 · 8/10 · 30 May 2020]

I read the book before the show. This series followed the book pretty well for the most part. A couple minor changes obviously, but overall I thought they did a very good job. Here's where I thought it went off the rails a bit.

SPOILERS AHEAD....

In the book, both Jacob and Laurie die in the car crash. Maybe they thought people wouldn't like that on TV, but it obviously makes the most sense. How could people survive slamming into brick driving 70-80 miles an hour? It makes no sense IMO. If you're going to change the most important part of the book, at least have it make sense. Maybe some people like Laurie surviving, with possible hope for Jacob... but not only did it not follow the book, it just seems completely corny to me that she walked away from that with a few scratches on her face. Overall, I thought it was a very good series, Chris Evans was top notch. Music, cinematography, characters (besides Laurie), etc, were all very good. I definitely recommend reading the book to those who haven't. I just wish the ending would've made more sense, or simply just followed the book.

Poor Ending

[rajashakaziz · 4 June 2020]

Fantastic first 7 episodes, but what the hell was this? It was completely not needed. Disappointed with the ending.

FROM GREECE.

[kolliopoulosandreas · 7/10 · 4 February 2021]

Was ready to vote 10 for the episode and 9 for the series. Disappointing end. The last ten minutes. If you know what i mean. But! A very good series. It took it ten minutes to be perfect...

Ending is pathetic

[suryasays · 5/10 · 30 May 2020]

This is how you bring down a great show and great book. The entire motivation for Laurie to do what she did was justifiable in the book. And you take that important justification away and simply show her as some psychotic person lost in her own delusions and attempt murder her son is simply unacceptable on any scale. Not just unacceptable but completely illogical.

All 7 episodes writers were completely loyal to the book and as if somehow the writers decided amongst themselves - wait, let us give a shocking surprise to all the viewers who read the book and think they know the ending. Simply pathetic!

And keeping Jacob in a comatose state, making Laurie say I want our family and Andy not saying much just having dinner alone and of course not really revealing who killed Ben Rifkin anyway - what are creators hoping, to bring all these 3 characters back for a Season 2?

Defending this series

[TheBabayaga · 8/10 · 29 May 2020]

Defending Jacob is a gripping legal thriller and not, as you might have expected, a traditional murder mystery. But for those who didn't read the novel, I can understand the frustration and why you may feel cheated by the show's ominous (and different) ending, especially since episodes 5-6 suffer from cliched family melodrama and a lack of progression.

However, just like the book we are left to speculate as to what really happened to Ben Rifkin; and we assume it was (probably) Jacob that murdered him. This was indeed, an interesting drama, complete with a good score, stellar acting and moody cinematography, all of which helps to elevate Defending Jacob above other crime dramas.

The shocking ending however, is remarkably different from the book, a clear creative decision perhaps; It will be interesting to see whether Apple decides to renew this for a second season in a fashion similar to Big Little Lies, especially as Defending Jacob is the studio's first big hit following several misses since it's launch in November. I'm just not entirely sure if I would watch it...

Brilliant Show, (Disappointing final episode)

[kingjordandvmanutd · 9/10 · 29 May 2020]

Penultimate episode was the best of this first season. Usually makes the final episode pale in comparison, they could've written a more gripping episode, with more closure, or a cliffhanger. All in all this series is brilliant. Very original.

Great ending

[keremelmaci · 10/10 · 29 May 2020]

People are saying that the finale is disappointing and that it's very different from the book. Well, I think the differences are quite justified. Don't continue reading my review if you don't want any spoilers from the book. So in the book, the girl dies. Andy sees the blood stains in Jacob's shorts. And this makes Jacob look extremely suspicious. Even though the book doesn't give a definite answer just like the show, I'm sure %95 of the readers believed that Jacob was guilty, because all the evidence lead to that conclusion. On the other hand, the Jacob that we see here, is quite different. The girl isn't killed. There is no blood stains. We can't be totally sure. I think this ending is so powerful that it totally makes you question if he did it or not. On the other hand, I was quite sure about the fact that Jacob was the killer in the book. All in all, I think the show ended even better than how the book did and I think it nailed its uncertain ending.

8/10 for the whole show.

[leorzinati · 8/10 · 31 May 2020]

The show was a great show, and the finale was great until the end. They should have answered the question of who killed Ben. Would have been a much better ending if Jacob did it for sure and then died in the crash (like in the book)

Disappointing Finale!

[nedzod · 8/10 · 29 May 2020]

Fantastic build up but disappointing ending! We should have been privy to who actually did the killing. It just made the whole build up from episode 2 seem a total waste of time and weeks of watching.

Unbelievable Disappointment

[stefanzoll · 8/10 · 29 May 2020]

Honestly everything about this series is fantastic - it was incredibly well filmed and the soundtrack was deeply profound! The acting was great and the story was very strong throughout. I just can't help feel let down by the ending! It was an incredible disappointment! I just can't believe they put so much effort into the series only to leave it so open ended. It really deserved a more definitive ending. It is very watchable though and perhaps your opinion will differ to mine.

Truly Disappointing Ending

[rolandkis · 29 May 2020]

The show was built up well, with new possibilities of who the true killer was arising in every episode. However, the ending was stupidly open ended, in a way that gave no satisfaction to viewers. I wish a well justified killer would have been given, and the death of Ben Rifkin could therefore have been shown for the first time.

Instead we got a quite lousy ending, which could have been interpreted in multiple ways. Yes, Jacob said "I killed him" but he could just have been saying it to please his mother, (which was also alluded), therefore we still know nothing about the true identity of the killer.

All in all having watched the show now seems pointless.

After

[bobcobb301 · 7/10 · 30 May 2020]

This show was solid overall, but this wasn't the ending I wanted or expected. I think it is good to surprise us, but it went too far in the other direction.

Interesting at times, but a little disappointing.

ADAPTATION

[felipeandresch · 8/10 · 30 May 2020]

Here we go again! This is an ADAPTATION, it is okay if is not exactly like in the book. I personally love the end, apple did a great job here.

LOVED the show, ending I wanted more

[mnester-48895 · 7/10 · 30 May 2020]

Ok this was my favorite Apple TV series of all time but the last 30 minutes of this episode did just not do it for me. I wanted more and I wanted answers. That's fine the girl in the end was found alive by getting drugged blah blah that's fine. But what could have happened to make it so much better: parents realize he's crazy on the balcony and he scares the s*** out of them and tries to kill them or something. Another way: they come back and there is a huge revelation of how Ben got killed and it gives the viewers answers. I loved the show and was obsessed with it but I just really needed closure.

Why would you change the book ending?

[jason_13 · 5/10 · 30 May 2020]

I'll never understand why shows do that and why the writers agree. This ending includes major differences, compared to the book. For one, Hope does end up dead which puts Laurie's decision in a much different light. After the second victim she is sure her son is mentally sick and potentially dangerous to anyone he comes in contact with. The show makes it seem like, despite the Hope scare, nothing really happens and Laurie simply decides to kill her son, because she doesn't believe him and refuses to live with constant doubts. Sorry, but that's not good enough.

Also, the show tries to rush the family drama into basically two 60-minute episodes after having 8 episodes of classical tense court drama/mystery and it feels tonally uneven. They should've focused on this element earlier in order to develop it properly. The family feud seems rushed, even weird at times. I mean last week they all of a sudden talked about how their marriage only depends on Jacob. What?! How, why, when did that happen? There were literally no clues beforehand. A minor disagreement here and there, sure, but considering the situation, they looked like a pretty solid couple overall.

I get that having Hope alive further underlines the message that Jacob will forever be viewed as a guilty person, but that was a pretty obvious plot point 2-3 episodes ago, they didn't need to change a major part of the book to spoonfeed it to the average viewer.

Overall, great acting and great episodes for the most part, but changing the original, much more meaningful ending for no apparent reason was hardly the wisest decision on behalf of the writers staff.