who really killed ben in defending jacob

It's up to Andy and his wife, Laurie (Michelle Dockery), to protect their son from a firestorm of media attention, combative prosecutors, and neighborhood gossipall while privately questioning whether their own child could be capable of the unthinkable. He confessed that he was the one who killed Ben. Laurie is even asked not to return to her job temporarily. And if hes guilty? Even in the book on which the show is based leaves it open for interpretation. Its more just a process of elimination.. When a local teenager named Ben Rifkin is found dead, Jacob quickly becomes the primary suspect due to comments made on social media, both by himself and classmates. Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. Its officially been ruled an accident in court after Andy testifies saying, It was raining. So thats what I was going for, and it is different than the book. She angrily confronts him and pleads with him to tell her that he murdered Ben. ProsecutorNeal Logiudice (Pablo Schreiber) finds a way to connect Andy's father being in prison with Jacob's trial. 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. Here we break down the ending of Defending Jacob, including how it differs from the book. Defending Jacob doesn't confirm whether Jacob murdered Ben, but all signs point towards him doing so. Jacob Barbers fingerprint is found on Bens sweater and Jacob is arrested. The finale of Apple TV+s limited series Defending Jacob had more twists and turns than that wet, cold road Michelle Dockerys character drove. Making a splash: A deep dive into the live-action Little Mermaid with a new generation's Ariel. He was accused of murdering a classmate, Benjamin Rifkin. Defending Jacob Review: Chris Evans Stars in a Twisty Crime Drama, Den Of Geek Book Club: Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children, Always Sunny to Talking Sopranos: The Best TV Rewatch Podcasts Hosted By Cast & Creators, The Star Trek Story Bridging the Gaps Between Deep Space Nine and Picard, Taskmaster and The Underrated Comic Genius of Kiell Smith-Bynoe. Andy gets drunk and revealshis fathers involvement with Laurie. Dr. Vogel concludes that Jacob does not have the murder gene as it is passed maternally but does show genetic traits of manipulation and violence. WARNING: Major spoilers concerning the source materials ending revealed below! She freaks out because she is becoming more and more paranoid that someone will find out she killed Ben. Voting closed. 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. Are his wife and son both murderers? Conversely though, at the end its his mother who is an attempted murderer. Defending Jacob is a limited series made for Apple TV. Defending Jacob Cast Guide: Where You've Seen The Actors Before, Is Defending Jacob A True Story? 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. 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. Yes, she did. Jacob is installed as the chief suspect by Mexicos police and the Barbers are rigorously interviewed. The book and the show end differently but both come with a crushing blow. The big reveal is foreshadowed by various meetings between Andy and Billy, with the latter refusing to offer any help. Copyright 2023 Distractify. The Barbers' trip to Mexico creates various forms of conflict in the Defending Jacob season finale. Its almost a fitting punishment shared secrets between Jacob and his mother that they both know the other is a killer and neither will ever be believed. Why is Frank McCourt really pushing this? I wouldnt extend it to another season just to simply spend more time with these characters. Billy confesses to hiring a hitman to kill Leonard and make it look like a suicide so that Jacob doesn't suffer the same fate he did. But you dont have anything conclusive. The next morning, Hope cant be found. Trailer Mimicking Filmmakers Style Divides Social Media, On the Set of The Masked Singer: How the Team Produced the Show Safely During the Pandemic, This Is Us Star Sterling K. Brown and Writer-Director Kay Oyegun on Crafting an Emotional Story About Randalls Birth Mom, The Crown: All the Details About Its Final Three Seasons, 'Awards Chatter' Podcast Chris Evans ('Defending Jacob'), How Boston-Based 'Defending Jacob' Landed Hometown Hero Chris Evans, John Oliver Mocks Matthew McConaugheys Five-Hour Virtual Motivational Seminar, The Morning Show Snags Early Season 4 Renewal at Apple TV+, Barry Star Sarah Goldberg on Sallys Point of No Return: Its the Final Nail in the Coffin, Succession Director on Filming That Surprise Cameo and Tying Up Her Kendall Trilogy, Melanie Lynskey Says Cate Blanchett, Sarah Paulson Lent Their Trailers on Mrs. But when a friend of Bens suggests that there was animosity between Ben and Jacob, Andy decides to search his sons room. Rosie Fletcher is the UK Editor of Den Of Geek. Well, what am I playing here? 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. In the end, it is shown that Jacob is in a coma. Defending Jacob ending explained: Here is a detailed explanation of what happens at the end of the limited miniseries Defending Jacob starring Chris Evans. If I have a new narrative that took this as a starting point, Id be happy to explore it. He confessed that he was the one who killed Ben. I like that its ambiguous, that it could have been premeditated or that shes trying to put them both out of their misery, Dockery says. Billy confesses to Andy that he hired a hitman to force Patz to confess then kill him. Wes Anderson Directing Star Wars? The viewer is meant to feel the frustration of never really knowing if he is guilty or innocent. Michelle Dockery, Jaeden Martell and Chris Evans in Defending Jacob, which ended with a twist-filled episode. Absolute proof that Jacob did NOT kill Ben. I loved it you really feel that shes unraveling, recalled Tyldum. Apple TV+ From left, Chris Evans stars as Andy Barber, Michelle Dockery as Laurie Barber and Jaeden Martell as Jacob Barber in the miniseries "Defending Jacob," streaming on Apple TV+. 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. Jacob put the idea of killing Ben back in Lauries head after Hope went missing too. A few days later, he was murdered. 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. Jacob dies on impact and Laurie suffers critical injuries. The Defending Jacobending reveals that Billy Barber orchestrated Patz's murder. "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. But then Hope show up, unharmed, after being drugged by vacationers. You probably are pretty sure he did it, but theres no real way of knowing, and its possible he didnt. On the surface, it allows the family toescape from reality as they contemplate an impending move to Denver. But it wasnt written with that intention, and its not really something Im actively working on right now.. America So She Could Breastfeed Privately, Michael J. 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. Cookie Notice And I think for each of them, theyre going to always have a lingering doubt.. For Bomback, it was far more interestingand devastatingfor Jacob to survive and be left unconscious. Andy had always suspected Patz, and after the police get the . Andy goes back home and drinks alone. 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. But in the series, everythings still up in the air. 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. The Apple TV+ crime drama web series - based on Willian Landays novel - has had viewers wondering whether Jacob Barber (Jaeden Martell) killed Ben Rifkin or not. "That to me was a really interesting and tragic moment that nevertheless felt like a moment of growth for the character. Reply. As a character,Billy underlines Andy's life-long guilt. 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. It was an accident. So what if Jacob was actually innocent all along? this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. Thats one of the plot points thats been altered from the book more on that later. His father, Andy, and mother, Laurie, do everything in their power to prove his . "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. When a young girl named Hope goes missing under mysterious circumstances, Andy can't help but wonder whether Jacob might be involvedagain. Andy sits in Jacobs room quietly as the show ends. Jacob told his parents that Ben bullied him, and he did own a knife that he took to school. Privacy Policy. 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. In telling her this, he knows hes potentially destroying his entire [life], says Bomback. Andy storms away and decides to not tell anything to Laurie. Perhaps, Andy starts to feel that it could be his fault. But when Laurie asks him who else knows he says nobody knows. Laurie survives and lives to explain what many would consider an unforgivable act. The discussions of empathy or lack of empathy coming from the parents was also interesting on this point. 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. In the novel, youre a little more sure Jacob did do it, because of the disappearance of Hope, said Bomback. She herself does not know how to get her own family back. 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. Here's how the TV show differs from the book ending. Her body turns up several weeks later, and an autopsy discovers that her windpipe had been crushed. She visits the Rifkin household to seemingly confess to Jacobs guilt but, after seeing Bens mum Joan (Megan Byrne) struggling to cope, decides to take matters into her own hands. Benjamin "Ben" Rifkin was the son of Dan and Joan Rifkin. 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 had always suspected Patz, and after the police get the note confirmed to be that of Patz, Jacob is acquitted. arsy80 3 yr. ago. That is what leads her to distrust her own son and crash the car. One of the most attractive features of the Apple TV+ series is certainly its stellar cast. The ending of AppleTV+'s 'Defending Jacob' series diverts from William Landay's 2012 novel in two key ways. Stabbed three times in the chest, his body was found on a dirt path in Cold Spring Park by Paula Gianetto . Jacob's parents defend him but struggle to ascertain whether their son is actually guilty. Andy decides not to tell Laurie and Jacob. The show starsChris Evans,Michelle Dockery,Jaeden Martell,Cherry Jones,Pablo Schreiber,Betty Gabriel,Sakina JaffreyandJ.K. Simmons. Since the show has Hope alive, the situation is even muddier. 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. Winning several awards, it is not surprising that it would become a mini-series giving the audience time to . She was speeding. The case becomes more complicated when it is discovered that Andys father is a convicted murderer, serving his sentence in prison currently. MCU superstar Chris Evans portrays the patriarchal figure, a lawyer named Andy Barber. 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. OLeary is his right hand man on the outside and we know hes been tasked with looking out for the Barber family but that does not mean he murdered Patz. Hence, he is possibly thinking about how his sons life and teenage years got ruined because of the accusation. Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey) co-stars as Andy's wife, Laurie, and Jaeden Martell (IT) rounds out the main cast as the couple's 14-year-old son, Jacob. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Laurie begins to think that Jacob is really Ben's killer. Joanna Klein. THE END. Its not super important to me whether or not the audience gets a definitive answer about that, Bomback explained. In an attempt to put this whole ordeal behind them, the family heads to Mexico for a quiet vacation. He tries to forget about this, but the truth comes out. "Now we have this new thing that they're both going to live with, which is: 'When [Jacob] wakes up, what will he think? Or are the family just the victims of circumstance? 8. Landay never had a problem with the idea of making changes from the novel. She is disturbed and cannot seem to trust Jacob. Yep, once again, we dont know! And now this murderer is walking free and even though its my own son, its my fault.. Also, Derek Yoo claims that Jacob wrote a story on a website called "Cutting Room" that greatly resembled the murder of Ben Rifkin.

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