For weeks, viewers have wondered who the killer at the center of the Apple TV+ series Presumed Innocent might be. The show, which centers on prosecutor Rusty Sabich (Jake Gyllenhaal)—the prime suspect in the murder of one of his colleagues—is based on Scott Turow’s 1987 novel, which was previously adapted into a 1990 film starring Harrison Ford. Thanks to that, a few savvy viewers may have thought they knew who the murderer would be. But instead, the creators of the show used that precedent to play with the viewer up until the very end—and then reveal a completely different killer.
*Warning: Spoilers ahead from the July 24 finale of Presumed Innocent.*
Presumed Innocent follows Rusty’s trial after he’s accused of murdering Carolyn Polhemus (Renate Reinsve), an ambitious prosecutor who worked in his office. Rusty had an affair with Carolyn years ago that had recently restarted. The news devastates his family, his wife Barbara (Ruth Negga) and their two children Kyle (Kingston Rumi Southwick) and Jaden (Chase Infiniti). Rusty’s colleague Tommy Molto (Peter Sarsgaard) serves as the prosecutor for the case, but seems to have a personal issue with Rusty that colors his vision. Given the horrifying way her body was tied up, there’s also the possibility that Carolyn’s murder is somehow tied to a case she worked in the past.
The series takes twists and turns that make it feel like maybe Rusty really did do it, despite the fact that he denies that he had anything to do with Carolyn’s death. It’s revealed that Carolyn had recently found out she was pregnant with his child, and had tried to end the relationship—and that Rusty had an obsession with her. At other times, the evidence leaves questions about whether someone else is responsible for her murder. As Rusty’s trial heats up, it takes a dramatic turn when the previously undiscovered murder weapon (a fire poker) appears on Tommy Molto’s desk, with a threatening note attached.
Most of these plot points echo moments from the book and the 1990 film adaptation. At the end of the film, though, Ford’s Rusty discovers the murder weapon (a hammer) in his own toolshed—then learns that his wife Barbara was the one who murdered Carolyn, after she discovered that he’d started up their affair again. That parallels the book’s ending, which also reveals Barbara as the murderer after Rusty accuses her of the crime.
It would make sense, then, for viewers to assume the series would go the same route. After all, Negga is an Oscar-nominated actress who could deliver a killer (pun intended) monologue confession, much like Bonnie Bedelia did in the original film. And for a moment in the final episode, it looks like the series is, in fact, going that way. Rusty tells Barbara that he knows she killed Carolyn because he had her car tracked, and saw that she was the one who drove to Molto’s house on the night the fire poker was left there. Barbara denies it, with a shocked look on her face. Rusty also admits that he was the one who returned to Carolyn’s home later that night and found her dead. Thinking that Barbara was the one who killed her, he tied Carolyn up to divert attention from his wife as the murderer.
Then the series delivers its final twist, revealing that the murderer was actually Rusty and Barbara’s daughter Jaden. She interrupts her parents’ conversation, saying she was the one who took her mother’s car to Molto’s house. She also admits to going to Carolyn’s home on the night of the murder to beg her to stop having an affair with her father. When Carolyn revealed she was pregnant, Jaden snapped and attacked her with the fire poker.
Presumed Innocent
Michael Becker
In the end, Negga does get to deliver an incredible acting moment, as a mother reacting to her daughter’s murder confession. Rusty tells them they’ll never speak of this again, and takes the blame for having the affair that put all of this in motion. The series ends with the family enjoying a dinner together, and closing this chapter of their lives.
Is that the end of the story? Perhaps not. Presumed Innocent was originally released as a limited series, but after its strong success, Apple TV+ announced that it’s been renewed the series for a second season. It’s not clear if any or many of the first season’s characters will return for the second – all we know so far is the new season will focus on a new case – but we have a feeling the twists and turns will be back for more.
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