Summary
“After” is the finale, a thrilling ending to the story that provides the ultimate answers while also leaving one crumb behind to leave the audience wondering about one more truth.
The main advantages of not reading the original source material are that every aspect of the finale of Defending Jacob was unknown to me. The finale opens with Joanna ringing Andy. He wakes his wife, Laurie, and tells her it is over; Leonard Patz hung himself and left a confession. Joanna is moving for a dismissal first thing in the morning. They head to Jacob’s room and tell him what happened.
The judge dismisses the case and tells Jacob Barber he is a free man. Joanna tells the press that they are thrilled with the outcome. Ben’s father, Dan Rifkin, approaches Jacob and tells him that he knows he killed his son. An old friend of Andy’s father protects Jacob; he has been following the family all this time in the Old Lincoln car. Everything looks to be over in Episode 8, but nothing is that simple.
The Grand Jury Returns
The finale goes back to the grand jury — Andy says there was no “normal” after the case, only a “before and after.”
In the core storyline, Laurie feels guilty for feeling like she was sure about Jacob killing Ben. Andy tries to reassure her, stating that she was under a ton of stress. The family agrees to go on holiday to Mexico. The State Attorney, Lynne, and Andy have a discussion; she thanks him for his professionalism during difficult times and wonders if he could stay. Andy says he cannot do it anymore, not after being on the other side. He asks her to keep Neal: “He’s a good lawyer”.
The State Attorney explains that the Patz case is closed and wrapped up after they had to go over a few details that did not add up. This clearly irks Andy.
Hello Father
Andy meets his father, Billy, in prison and asks him for the truth. Andy read the police report for Patz – he believes his father is linked to the confession. The police report says that an Old Lincoln car with no plates was outside Patz’s house that night.
A flashback shows that Billy’s man forced Patz to write the confession, and then he strangled him with a rope. Billy refuses to admit that he knows anything but says, “Whatever happened was for the best – do you want to throw him back to the wolves?” He tells Andy to be a good father. Billy states that it’s been good to get to know his son, and he knows it will probably be the end of their relationship, but Jacob is free to “come and see his grandpa.” The finale offers a thrilling twist to all this.
Andy Tries To Forget
Strangely, in all series, Laurie has been the one trying to suppress her feelings surrounding the murder, while Andy has remained supportive and on track; however, the Defending Jacob finale switches roles.
Andy tells Laurie that he is ready to move – she tells him that when they return home, they can put the house on the market. Laurie tells Andy that she wishes he had told her about his willingness to move sooner: “No more secrets.” The family heads to Mexico for a holiday, and Andy describes it as paradise, but he does seem to be drinking a lot.
Jacob meets a girl called Hope at the resort, and Laurie is happy that he’s getting to know her. On the holiday, the guilt is getting to Andy.
New Year’s Eve
Back to the grand jury, Neal asks about Jacob and Hope – apparently, he confided in her and became a little celebrity. Neal asks about New Year’s Eve.
In Mexico on New Year’s Eve, Jacob wants to go to a party on the beach. When Andy and Laurie return to the hotel room, Jacob seems despondent, watching the news. They asked where his white shirt was, but he said he had changed and left Hope at the party.
The next morning, the police come to the hotel and want to question Jacob. Hope didn’t return home from the party. At the grand jury, Neal asks when Jacob last saw Hope – Andy said he believed him, but the police thought he was lying, and the family wasn’t allowed to leave the hotel.
Photo: Apple TV+
Laurie Learns The Truth
In Mexico, in the middle of the night, Laurie finds Andy very drunk outside. Andy tells Laurie that Leonard Patz didn’t kill himself; it was his father who killed him with one of his men. Laurie suddenly realizes what it means – Jacob is not innocent. Andy says nobody knows, not yet.
The next day, Hope is found — a teenage boy slipped something in her drink at a party and took her back to his place. Neal asks Andy at the grand jury if Laurie was relieved as well — they left their holiday three days early. Episode 8 reveals the complexities of the feelings the parents face in the finale.
Laurie doesn’t want to talk about what happened, and the trial starts haunting her again. Neal suggests that something changed in Mexico with Laurie – he asks Andy what they were running from and why his wife isn’t here today. In the core story, Laurie tells Andy that she has to “run some errands”. Jacob asks Andy what is wrong with his mother, as she seems quiet.
The Guilt Consumes Laurie Again
Laurie heads to the Rifkin household and sees Ben’s mother crying on the floor while trying to grab a drink, which she drops, blood dripping from her hands from cut glass. She finally returns home, and Andy offers to take Jacob for his haircut, and he raises that they are worried about her – “It’s like living with a ghost”.
Andy raises the point that Laurie looks at Jacob, and he wants to figure out a way to move on.
Laurie takes Jacob to the hairdresser’s the next day, and she tells him that she never asked Jacob directly when it “all started” last year, but Jacob does not seem to be listening, and his smartphone consumes him.
Back at home, Andy notices that Laurie has put Jacob’s baby photo album in the bin. In the car, Laurie asks Jacob if he killed Ben while speeding down the roads, repeatedly asking for the truth. Ben tells Laurie that she’s driving too fast, and then Laurie purposefully crashes the car. The Defending Jacob finale evidently shows how Laurie loved her family but could not live with the guilt and wanted to die with Jacob.
“Whatever It Takes”
At the grand jury, Neal asks Andy again — “Why isn’t Laurie here?”. Neal then brings up the car accident and raises that there were no other cars involved. Andy states she was driving too fast in the rain and lost control.
Neal makes another valid point: Laurie also tried to get in touch with Dr. Vogel and lawyer Joanna before the crash. Neal tells Andy that the truth needs to come out. Neal then tries sympathizing – using another tactic in the courtroom, telling Andy is a victim but that they need the truth: “Help us deliver justice for Jacob, for you”.
Andy repeats the same story, refusing to reveal the truth.
Andy heads to the hospital to see Jacob; he’s on a breathing machine and evidently unconscious. He then sees Laurie, who is awake — he holds her hand. Andy says there is no indictment, which means it will be classed as an accident.
Laurie explains how she read to Jacob today and how the nurses are optimistic – she’s worried that when Jacob wakes up, he will think she caused the accident. Laurie can’t remember what happened that day and wants her family back. Andy returns home, pours a drink, and thinks to himself in the darkness.
If we dissect the last three scenes, I believe there is a hint that Laurie has lost a significant portion of her memory, possibly dating back to before her time in Mexico. Laurie may be unaware of the story Andy told her while on holiday.
The grand jury scenes are also fascinating in the finale; it’s almost like Andy was on his last legs, trying to answer the remaining questions without exposing his family. In the last scene, he’s sitting thinking in the dark, and if you revert to the earlier episodes when he said “whatever it takes”, then this scene solidifies that statement. Andy was willing to do whatever it takes to protect his family, and he succeeded. The truth dies with him.
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