“Presumed Innocent” (season 1 finale) episode 8 is finally available on Apple TV+. The penultimate episode of this season followed Rusty’s trial as he agreed to testify for himself. Tommy and Nico made their best attempts to prove that Rusty was guilty. In Raymond’s absence, Rusty decided to defend himself. His self-centered decisions made Mya furious at him. Eventually, Tommy managed to prove that Rusty was capable of impulsive violence. Then, Tommy returned home to find a metal rod on his kitchen counter and a threatening note attached to it. Now, the final episode of its first season follows Rusty leading the jury toward a reasonable doubt to weaken the prosecution’s case. In the end, the verdict of Rusty’s trial and the truth behind Carolyn’s murder is revealed.
Spoilers Ahead
Presumed Innocent (Season 1 Finale) Episode 8 “The Verdict” Recap:
“Presumed Innocent” season 1 finale begins right where the previous episode left us. After the trial, Tommy (Peter Sarsgaard) returns home to find a metal rod with a threatening note attached to it on his kitchen counter. Then, the cops show up at his house, looking for evidence. But they find no concrete proof of DNA or else. In the courtroom, Tommy tries to pin it down on Rusty (Jake Gyllenhaal) and claims Rusty did this out of contempt. While Rusty gets furious, Raymond (Bill Camp) pacifies him and notes that the threatening note can be used against the defense team.
Regardless, the prosecution decides not to use the metal road as evidence. Barbara (Ruth Negga) worries that the prosecution would leak the evidence. But Rusty thinks Tommy won’t do that since he doesn’t want a mistrial. In the courtroom, Rusty is determined to prove a reasonable doubt in the prosecution’s lack of sufficient evidence. Later, in the countroom, Raymond claims an issue with Dr Kumagai’s report, through a pathologist’s testimony. This pathologist believes Carolyn could not have died at the time Kumagai claimed since it would take longer for the food to digest.
The Biased Testimonies
Tommy asks the pathologist whether she can positively conclude that Carolyn ate the meal she ordered. Since she can’t, Tommy disapproves of the validity of Raymond’s rebuttal. With the lesser options in hand, Barbara hopes to testify to prove where Rusty was the night of the murder. Mya (Gabby Beans) is against this idea because Barbara’s testimony will be inherently biased. So, the prosecution will try to tear her apart. Then, Rusty says he will present his closing statement. Raymond opposes this idea, considering their delicate situation. But Rusty insists he will close the case himself.
The Closing Statements
At night, while Rusty prepares for his closing statement, Jaden (Chase Infiniti) tries to convince him against giving the statement. But Rusty considers it his best chance to beat the charges. Later, in the courtroom, Rusty tries to convince the jury of a reasonable doubt in the prosecution’s case. There is no direct evidence connecting him to the murder. So, he points out how someone like Michael (Tate Birchmore), Dalton (Matthew Alan), or Liam Reynolds (Mark Harelik) could have also committed the murder. He admits he was in love with Carolyn but states that a motive isn’t enough on its own to prove his guilt.
Rusty points out how Tommy has been fighting the case plainly motivated by contempt. After Rusty’s closing statement, Tommy makes the jury reconsider the gruesome details of Carolyn’s murder and Rusty’s obsession. He also points out that Rusty hid the details of his relationship with Carolyn and his presence at her house when he was working on this case. Tommy tries to manipulate the jury’s emotions by making them consider Rusty’s duality behind his charming persona. It puts Rusty in distress and he wonders whether Tommy’s words will work against him. Barbara, Jaden, and Raymond are as distressed as he is.
Presumed Innocent (Season 1 Finale) Episode 8 “The Verdict” Ending Explained:
What is the verdict of Carolyn’s case?
The first season’s finale follows the final verdict of Carolyn’s murder case. After hearing the closing statements by Rusty and Tommy, the jury hands out their final verdict. They conclude that Rusty is ‘not guilty’ in the case and he didn’t murder Carolyn. Raymond, Mya, and everyone else on Rusty’s side cherish this moment. However, Rusty doesn’t seem satisfied or in the mood for celebration. Instead, he looks surprisingly nonchalant about this verdict. It feels like he is taking some time to process his legal victory.
Is Rusty found guilty in Carolyn’s murder?
Rusty is found not guilty of Carolyn’s murder. He returns home with his family, who are happy that he is out of this public trial. Rusty speaks with the press about Tommy’s irresponsible handling of the case. He also notes that the actual murderer is still out there and hopes to capture the culprit. Later that night, Rusty finds Barbara’s packed suitcase and wonders what she is up to. She reveals she is following her therapist’s advice and planning to leave him, fearing his impulses may destroy their family in the future.
Who is responsible for Carolyn’s murder?
At the end of the first season of ‘Presumed Innocent,’ we learn who is responsible for Carolyn’s murder. Rusty realizes Barbara is planning to leave him, fearing he might destroy their family in the future. So, he gets furious and shares a crucial truth. On the fateful night, he returned to Carolyn’s house after she was murdered. He noticed Carolyn was deeply injured and suspected Barbara hurt her. So, to implicate someone else for Carolyn’s murder, he tied Carolyn’s dead body the way Liam tied Bunny Davis’s body. Then, Rusty tried to make it look like Liam assaulted Carolyn or made someone else do it.
In the present, Rusty gets aggressive at Barbara and claims that he snapped at Carolyn for trying to break their family. He also tracked Barbara’s car to find it outside Carolyn’s house on the night of her death and at Tommy’s house on the night of the threat-note incident. Upon hearing that, Jaden confesses the truth. It was Jaden who drove up to Carolyn’s house in Barbara’s car. She told Carolyn to stay away from her family. But Carolyn revealed that Rusty is at fault. She also mentioned that she is pregnant with Rusty’s child. So, Jaden snapped and hit her with a metal rod.
After accidentally killing Carolyn, Jaden rushed back home, cleaned the bloodstains in Barbara’s car, and hid the murder weapon. Then, she left it at Tommy’s house with a threatening note. Upon hearing that, Rusty tells Jaden & Barbara that they must keep mum about it.
How is the Apple TV+ series different from the ‘Presumed Innocent’ movie?
In Alan J Pakula’s 1990 adaptation of “Presumed Innocent,” Barbara is revealed to have killed Carolyn Polhemus. Still, Rusty admits it is primarily his fault since his affair with Carolyn led Barbara to take such a drastic step. So, he decides not to press any charges against her. Now, in the Apple TV+ series, Rusty and Barbara’s daughter, Jaden, is revealed to be the murderer. Also, in this case, Rusty decides not to disclose any details and tells his family to do the same. They resume their lives, promising they will not utter a single word about the case. He accepts the blame for Carolyn’s murder since his emotionally immature actions led to her unfortunate death.
