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Nice video! I really got the idea the Jacob ended up dying in the end, because of the way Andy was sitting on Jacob's bed, just like Ben's father used to do after his death.
I truly think Jacob did it. He showed his psychopathic tendencies in watching the cutter websites, writing about killing Ben, and making a joke of the case by photoshopping an axe in his hands and getting excited about the fan clubs for him. Joanna Klein mentioned trauma can cause inconsistencies in memory, but Jacob actively watches gore and enjoys it. He also shows no empathy towards Ben’s death; it didn’t impact him whatsoever. Derek recalled he was in a fantastic mood that day. The pedophile was a sick and twisted man, but his Mo was never violent. His victims stated he had never turned to violent actions. His mother seems to carry the “murder gene” she actively tried to kill him, and his father is a confirmed carrier of many sociopath gene variants. His therapist even stated that it was clear he rehearses lines to sound more empathetic because he rarely if ever feels empathy. Kid either did it or he’s the unluckiest sociopath to ever exist
I found an awesome "Easter Egg", the vocabulary words he was studying described all of Jacob's characteristics. Perspicacious: Having a keen understanding Cursory: he definitely lacks depth Myopic: He has a very narrow view Recalcitrant: defying authority - he spent the entire movie doing this. Also, it was the one word he did not know. In the end all three displayed these characteristics!
@@justsaybobby He didn't have a dad growing up. So that probably made it hard for him to know how to engage Jacob. They also showed that he didn't really have any real friends. He was just obsessed with his work and relied on Laurie to be the backbone. Once she snapped, he had to be the one to hold the pieces together.
Nostalgic Bliss I thought about that...but it’s hard to get into Chris Evans head about his acting choices. He just seemed distant and nonchalant in his actions but not dialogue. I guess I just wanted to see a scene where they had a heart to heart and hugged it out. Sure they went fishing but again his mannerisms were more like a cool aging millennial than a mature father figure. The slouching in the chairs idk. I just wasn’t feeling it.
@@justsaybobby I don't know what makes you think he's horrible as a father. He loves his family. He's all right. I'm sure he's better than many fathers. As a husband, maybe he's terrible . Because he always keeps thing secret to Laurie. But, I wouldn't call him a horrible husband too.
I personally think the answer to the mystery is more complicated: Jacob is most likely innocent and merely used the murder of a boy he absolutely hated to write out a cathartic fantasy roleplay online. He didn't kill the boy, but perhaps he wished he had. Maybe when he found the body he was shocked, but also pleased/relieved. And how could he ever express/explain that feeling to anyone else? Except maybe Sarah. Remember, it was heavily implied by his doctor that he lacked a degree of empathy. That doesn't automatically make him a psycho, just anti-social and emotionally awkward. But the point of the show was for us to see everything from the parental POV. So Jacob and his motives remain an enigma to us as he did to them. I think the ambiguity is the point of the show. The parents can never know 100% for sure. They can suspect; they can analyze; they can question; but in the end they can never know the absolute truth. And that is what tortured the mother into a murder-suicide attempt. The show puts us in the position of the parents throughout and leaves us there, suspecting the boy but never being able to know for certain. And the final question they leave us with is: can they live with not knowing? To me, the actor who played Jacob played the boy as innocent but emotionally repressed and awkward. As teenage boys can be. His final scene with his mother in the car was a boy genuinely frightened and telling the truth. When he realized his mother wouldn't accept that truth, he tried the old "tell me what I want to hear" trick. But she didn't believe that either. Didn't matter what he said. She couldn't live with the not knowing...
In the book, Hope is found dead and there is a red stain on Jacob's shirt that he left at the beach. Also, in the car crash, he dies while Laurie survives. This ending really tries to turn us to him being the killer. Personally, the book ending is much better
I found that Hope part a litle bit random., to be honest. It seems too random how she came back. It seemed to serve only as the reason Andy would tell Laury the truth. Also is it possible that in the end Jacob actually ends up dying in the end? I thought of that because of the way Andy sits on Jacob's bed, just like Ben's father did in his son's funeral when he was talking to Andy.
I totally agree!! I want a season 2 for sure !! There are plenty of storylines to carry this series for 2 or 3 seasons!!! The acting by ALL of the cast was absolutely INCREDIBLE!!!
@@anewwayhomeoxendine6314 exactly! I lovedddd the show so much. I still don’t think it was Jacob but I’m 50/50. Honestly in season 2 they should have Jacob wake up and Remember what his mom did. And they still need to completely rule out Derek.
I loved this show as well, but I feel like if they made another season and filled the plot holes in the ending I wouldn't love it as much. This show is extremely effective in making us nit only feel for the characters but feel with them. we have to decide what we believe to be the truth, because the purpose isn't to know who did it, its to watch Laurie and Andy internally struggle with their morals and loyalties.
For most of the show I was 100%sure that he did it.after reading out the story ,i had not doubt in my mind.but it stated to change a bit when Hope was found.a lot of the show he was really awkward and nervous and emotionless when someone asked him about ben. So when the parents asked him if he had seen Hope and he seemed like he was lying(what Jacob normally sounded like when asked a question)and he ended up not killing her.it confirms it was his normal behaviour when asked about something awkward.the thing that cemented my belief that Jacob was innocent.was the car scene.jacob full well knew his mum was going to crash the car.thats why he was screaming at her to stop.so why moments before what he believes to be death, he says he’s guilty but then immediately says what ever it takes for her to stop.why would he still maintain innocence when he believes he’s about to die.
I’ve known liars that take the lie with them to the grave, sometimes an act can be so heinous that you can’t admit it to yourself let alone aloud. But as for the rest I agree.
I watched all 8 episodes today, damn what a good serie, not my favorite ending but damn. Edit; they also said the murder gene was given through by the mothers
Yes! I was looking for someone who noticed that. And I thought that was going to be there ironic twist, that the one most concerned about it was the only one that had it.
Same! I literally watched the series all in one day and was kind of upset about the ending. I also do believe that Laurie passed the murder gene to Jacob.
Yeah I’m the same, just seems like the entire point of it was to show him getting away with it and his family knowing that he did it which I definitely think they delivered upon. Thanks for the comment
I don’t think it’s supposed to be a “Come to your own conclusions” thing. I think we’re supposed to be left in the dark, the same why the parents are. They’ll never know the truth for sure and neither will we.
@@marianne5055 I think you're right on the money! Although i believe Patz did it, it's clear to me that this series isn't about figuring out who killed Ben there's just too much misdirection to be confident in any conclusion.
honestly i dont think Jacob did it. yes he had “physcopathic tendincies” but that doesnt mean anything, and the car scene when he says he did it doesnt sound genuine at all. Whenever he did admit something during the show his eyes would lose eye contact fast and he would look at the ground being very figity and he would get dead silent but during the car he didnt. He didnt go quiet at all and said “whatever you want, but slow down”. The way he said it sounded more like someone who was desperate because he was scared that he was gonna die, anyone who was in that scary position would do anything and say anything just to save themselves even if it isnt true.
In the book, Hope is found dead and there is a red stain on Jacob's shirt that he left at the beach. Also, in the car crash, he dies while Laurie survives. This ending really tries to turn us to him being the killer. Personally, the book ending is much better
Little detail I found interesting was that in Jacob's story he said that "Jason" said at "Brent" - "stop, you're hurting me" - and the witness on the prosecution's stand also said he heard those exact words shouted in the park. It's weird as it is that Jacob would even write that phrase from his perspective kinda convincing me that he used his imagination a to change up the narrative. And like they said, the story was accurate to the info that was was all common knowledge and on the news 3 days post-murder. By the way Jacob acts and speaks throughout the show, he's generally not the type to talk loudly, shout, give exclaimed responses to even the most stressful situations like when his father's yelling at him. So how on earth would a witness in the park hear that from a distance? Jacob seems like the type of personality that if he were to hurt someone, it wouldn't be through an altercation like that. He does not portray any violent behaviours, no outbursts, tantrums or anything at any point. idk, it's just weird. this show fcked me up lol
He doesn’t portray outbursts or tantrums at all ON SCREEN for us to see, but we do know that he was extremely tantrum prone as a child and wouldn’t stop crying as a baby. He was also very possibly prone to violent tendencies i.e. the bowling alley as a child.
I feel that a second season is actually needed. I want to see how Jacob fights with his psychotic mom and feeling actually exposed in his own family. I wait for someone of Andy’s Job to read the report. If you guys remember Andy reported the lincon and in Patz report was the existence of a Lincon parked infront of the house. This show takes the scent of the book, but Im not sure that Jacob is guilty here. The writters have a lotttt of things to clear up, so I hope there is another season .
Actually in book Jacob actually killed hope after killing Ben I mean it’s not proved in both cases but both were killed and there was quit evidence that he was responsible
Divyank Singhal Yes! I have the same opinion, but as in the show he didn’t killed hope, I thought that maybe they took another direction (as a distraction) . We don’t have things clear because we don’t know if the producers sticked to the book or not. They are a lot a books that have like the same idea but different perspective in the show/movie.
I noticed that too!!!!!! And i’m not sure if it’s true but if it is then we know jacob has an iphone and patz has a samsung so i don’t know if that proves anything but i’m glad someone else noticed it!
Perhaps it's less about hero / villain, but more into characters that don't share Apple's values. There are definitely characters that has done bad things that are using iPhones (The Morning Show for example), but the misdemeanor isn't something that was purposefully and selfishly done, if you get my drift. Sure you don't want a pedophile using Apple Product, but is okay with someone who got publicly blamed by his acts of a sexual violence (such as Mitch Kessler from The Morning Show).
I am still not convinced that Jacob did it, simply because he did not admit the murder even after his mother drives so fast and he knows she could kill them both, had he really killed Ben, he would have told the truth then
This show mastered misdirection. I'm pretty sure Leonard killed Ben, but that's clearly not the point of series. In my opinion the writers want you to be just as confused about the murder as the characters. And the whole murder gene thing is irrelevant, it was just used as another device of misdirection.
I think it was Derek. Sure pats was a sick man, but not a murderer. He had committed sexual crimes but nothing of the sort of committing a murder against a boy he had no motive for killing Ben but Derek did.
@@dapthepcplug patz does not have the guts to fight matthew, let alone murder ben which appears to be "tough" like matthew. So definitely patz did not do it
In an episode it is revealed that patz was sexually interested in Ben. He said to that other kid that he found another boy named Ben & he is into him. So maybe that's why he kept his photos. So we can't Ensure that he Killed him right! 🤔
Malayali Girl no, we can’t. I actually believe that patz was quite distraught by everything that happened. This infatuation with Ben, him describing the boy as “beautiful”, so if anything, maybe he saw something that day, but I don’t think, despite how twisted he is, he killed ben
I mean its crazy the outcomes are endless, and one idea leads to another idea. Literally he could've (not saying he did or did not). For god knows he could've raped him and killed him. PLUS do we know who maybe associated with? Or rather where is Sarah in this case, or that other kid he paid to get touched by. outcomes just lead to another. the show is interesting and leaves us in the dark just like how Jacobs parents feel. No one ever knows.
@@anny7408 Thanks Anny. Thinking more about your theory. I kind of like yours better now : ) I hope there's a season 2, just to see where they decide to take it. Imagine it was really Sarah and Jacob was protecting her. Wow Anny! OR...imagine it was Sarah and Jacob doesn't know yet that she did it. Lots of good potential drama to come too. What they will need to face as a family after the hospital. The Derek, Sarah, Jacob love triangle and of course Chris Evan's character and his dad (J.K. Simmons). Curious if they have Jacob meet with the grandpa??? That would be something. Perhaps at the end of the last episode of Season 2 they meet and at the very end they both smile and wink at each other for only the audience to see. Fun stuff! Can't wait!
At the end of this video, you said Andy didn't do anything dark. I think him throwing the knife away was pretty dark. Considering that he was the Assistant DA, he knew that he was possibly getting rid of a major piece of evidence
Very true!! Good point. AND he lied to his wife for 17 years about never knowing his father. He never told her about his father being in prison for life for killing a girl.
@@anewwayhomeoxendine6314 In my mind I feel like that was forgivable. He was a child when the dad went in, and he wasn't much of a dad. If the Jacob situation didn't arise I think could've lived their whole lives peacefully not knowing about the grandad
I don't think he did it. At least not with the poor evidence that was presented. The knife? We'll never know if that was it since Andy got rid of it. Motive? Sure, he had motive, but so did everybody else that Ben bullied. He was at the scene of the crime on the day of, but that doesn't mean anything, plenty of people went through that park. As for the fingerprint, that is not evidence, not even in the slightest. I also want to mention that the knife Andy found (Jacob's) was squeaky clean, like it had never been used. Jacob was smart, but in such crime of passion, I don't think he would have been able to clean it that well. As for the story, we've all wished death to someone we hate/hated. The only thing that made me think he was guilty (for a moment) was the story; The way it's told would explain how Jacob's fingerprint got on Ben's jacket. Other than that, there isn't much. No DNA at all, no fibers present at the scene, and no footprints, either. Now that I think about it, they never mentioned any footprints on the show (I think?). If Jacob had gone down the slope to check on Ben, he would have left some sort of footprint. Again, that doesn't prove much, because all of the barber's family lied at some point.
I think you’re just trying to excuse jacob because maybe you see some of yourself in him. To me, the show pretty much spells it out for you that jacob did it. Why would there be damage on the knife? He even says in his little story that stabbing him felt like stabbing air because of how easily it went in. Unless he hit bone, there wouldn’t be damage to the knife. Also, he admitted only after they found his finger print that he WAS at the scene, but just didn’t report the murder. Dude, he did it.
Regarding the footprints, they said the lady that found the body & reported it messed up the crime scene because she climbed backwards up the slope out of shock.
I really don’t think Jacob did it. I just think he was saying that he did it to Laurie because he just wanted his mum to slow down. He just doesn’t really show any signs of guilt to me. Even when he tells laurie he killed ben, he even says ‘whatever’ because he will say ‘whatever’ to make her slow down.
If he shows no signs then maybe he is a psychopath or sociopath one of those two. And it would make complete sense why he would kill someone and show no empathy or emotion. But in all honesty I dont know if he did it or not.
I think this show has a hidden message. If we don't acknowledge the mistakes of our past (past - bloody bill) and act responsibly (Andy accepting that Jacob wasn't normal), our future (Jacob) will be horrific. So we need to protect our future by acting responsibly . Hence the title Defending Jacob (Protecting Future). Just my thought.
Yes. We all need to hold our loved ones accountable if they have bad behavior or get them help. Don’t just enable them to continue behaving badly or else you may end up with a situation like in this series.
My thoughts exactly. Even though it looks like they were dealt a second chance at starting over again with a clean slate, this family will always be disjointed because they are living a lie. I understand that the lie was to "protect the family," and they use that as a good reason to justify their choices and actions. However, what does that create within a family? Because they all have suffered a trauma...and they are suppressing it...can they keep pretending everything is okay?
Very thoughtful analysis as always. I agree that it’s evident that Jacob is guilty. It’s very common that the first signs of psychopathic begin around the time of puberty. The issue of being a good man or a good father is clearly the theme of the story. In structural terms the antagonist protagonist relationship is between the parents with the father being the protagonist. Whether aJacob is guilty or not is almost irrelevant; the story is about the conflict of values between the parents and how it tests their marriage. That’s why leaving his guilt ambiguous makes the point of the story even more impactful. The author uses the tradition and clichés of the “who done it” story to engage us in the dilemma of the parents in our own uncertainty of his guilt. The forced confession and murder in the other suspect ultimately destroys any hope they ever have of knowing the truth. Tragic all around but still very engaging.
I read a theory about Sarah being the killer and it was really well thought. She is around Jacob when NO ONE wants to come near this family. Everybody rejects them after Jacobs prison except her. She is worried since the beginning to ask if Jacob spoke about the murder with anyone. She is always around. She was beinf blackmailed. He always wanted to protect her and got mad when discovered she sent Ben a nude. When she tells Andy about the photo she said “Jacob will hate me”. Even though he was about to lose the trial he did not want her involved. She knew he had a knife and carried it with him. She probably confronted Ben and asked Jacob to be with her. Jacob covers for her. It makes sense and it would be a nice plot!
Loved the show, the ambiguity left me unsure about my feelings of the show. Its more about the parents and their conflicting reality of living with the unknown and whether Jacob did it or not, which is still a valid and centralized question of the show. I don’t usually watch shows or movies that would leave me in a state of high level of ambiguity but I guess I was drawn to this show because of the lead characters
Finally someone who agrees with me. I think Derek did it and he told Jacob word for word what happened that same day he went back to school and Jacob wanted to tell someone about what Derek did but he was scared and so he wrote it down on that website to just get it out of his mind. I think Derek did it because he was jealous of Ben and Sarah as he was known to be obsessed with Sarah. I think yeah maybe Leonard Patz is kind of also guilt because he had pictures of Ben on his phone but I think that's because he was planning to find Ben and do some horrible stuff he's done to some of his past victims before but before he could do anything, Derek killed Ben. I think Jacob was just too scared to say anything because he's just a shy and awkward kid in general and he just sadly ended up getting blamed for everything because that's how Derek twisted the story of it all so no one suspects him. But bitch, that's where you're wrong. I suspected you Derek. I always knew you were guilty!! 😂
Jacob acts strange because he knows who did it, because he was there. He’s protecting the girl who stepped up to defend him when he got bullied by Ben.
I think this is true maybe Jacob didn't kill ben but maybe he saw who did it but at the same time maybe the person who killed ben threatened him to not say anything
oh shit thats a really good point and that may have been also why he has an idea abt the details of the death (story). he mightve even checked if ben was really dead aftr what happened. hence the fingerprint.
Im starting to think the same too , i think he was there ... he saw it but didnt do it .Its a movie for sure why is the police not investigating that nude puctures blackmailings of Sarah , some real investigation about here whereabouts that day , what time she got to sxool and that kid who stole the phone...this is some sloppy man
I also really liked the lines between Jacob and his dad when they are playing that game at the table the night before the car crash. His dad says, "I cant find a move" and Jacob replies, "that's because you don't have any" I think that is another clear indicator that Jacob is guilty but at that point in the story nothing could be done about it... except what his mom tries doing the following morning.
@@gamelakuwa7739 lines with double meaning sometimes hint at stuff in movies. The entire line shows that he’s a calculating person and the line “you don’t have any (moves)” is like him saying to his dad that he is out of moves in the case, not just the game.
@@yvonneshanson1525 at the beginning of the show there where multiple ways to prove that jacob is innocent (patz,derek,..) but all these theories are proven wrong (from andys perspective) and the only thing that is left is that his son is guilty. Jacob saying “you dont have any moves” is supposed to mean andy has run out of means to continue to delude himself into thinking jacob is innocent (and that he needs to accept reality)
I still felt bad for Jacob. He had awful luck. He was accused for Ben's murder (if he didn't do it), accused of being responsible for Hope's disappearance, tried to be killed by his own mother, and finally ended up in a coma. If the series followed the book, I would've felt less bad
Why would you feel bad for him? Anyone who can find a freshly murdered body (bully or not) is not right in the head in many similar ways as murderers aren’t. I still think he killed ben.
I kinda have a different take on the show. After finishing the show, i honestly don't think the show is about solving the crime, n like many real life cases, none of us will ever truly know who actually commit the crime bcoz we just don't have enough solid evidence(?), everything is implied n kinda situational. You can see it this way or that, but no matter how you view it, it tends to say more about your beliefs n perspective as a person more than what actually did happen. It is very unsatisfying. But so are real life. I feel like my take is probably an unpopular one, as i personally believe that Jacob didn't do it n his mother did not lie about not remembering what happened, but that's personally kinda irrelevant to me. I think the show focus a lot on human psychology and also sociology. It analyse what can influence us n breaks us. How a certain belief can completely change a family dynamic. How when something or someone that we strongly believe in n r fundamental in our lives starts to change, or in this case, when our views on them change, it can really break us n turn our world upside down. It also showed that social media n press also shape how we view someone, n sometimes we believe the conclusion we come to from those sources to be true even though it is not. How different narrative in media and our personal experience in life shape our views on others. I think the show question us on whether our subjective views of others and personal observation of a situation is ever good enough to correctly judge anyone or anything, ever. Finally, it showed us the choices we make when we are in a moral dilemma n the kind of consequences we have to live with (andy's choices through out the show n especially in the end). Just my take on the story. I think many ppl dislike the final episode. But i really like it. Overall, it's a great show if one likes a drama that is focus on character study. The plot might be slow for some but i thoroughly enjoyed it.
This show really made me analyze EVERYTHING. I watched the series when it first came out and then recently rewatched it. At first, I thought Jacob did it but now I’m not so sure. Leonard Patz would have been the obvious choice but I don’t think he would have done it. He did have pictures of Ben on his phone but again, too obvious of a suspect. Sarah is kind of suspicious and there’s a lot of reasons why she could have done it. Ben alluded to blackmailing Sarah if she didn’t do certain acts with him. Also Derek(omg this drives me crazy to not know for sure who did it ugh) is sooooo quick to point the blame to Jacob and expose a lot of sites he goes on and is very obviously upset by what Ben did to Sarah. He’s the ONLY teenager to agree to testify against Jacob and not even Sarah does. So my theory is that Derek killed Ben because of what he did to Sarah. If I remember correctly, Derek has feelings for sarah and is apparently kinda obsessive over her. He knows “dark details” about Jacob and exposes them to the police to put the blame on Jacob. Ben clearly bullied Jacob and several other people but I don’t think Jacob killed him. He’s clearly socially awkward and just very withdrawn but that doesn’t make someone a killer or suspect.
derek seemed suspicious to me the whole show idk, everyone was so shocked at jacob for visiting those sites but no one asked why derek was on the cut up room reading jacob's stories, it seems like they were both guilty of weird fantasies. i wouldn't want another season though, i like the ending as ambiguous as it is since the main point of the show was never to found out who really did it.
Sarah did it. His grandfather went to extremes and lied to protect Jacob. Andy went to extremes and lied to protect his wife. And Jacob as well was protecting someone. And someone close enough who told him what happened so he could write that story. The only two close friends he had was Derek and Sarah. Derek wrote that comment so he can't be it. It was Sarah. Only she had the motive as she was being harassed. She was the one that sent Derek's comment to Andy. Her sudden hanging out at Jacob's house was probably an attempt to be closer to the details of what's going on. Derek says in court that Jacob only showed his knife to a couple of close friends. So basically only Jacob and Sarah knew the exact knife. She could have easily bought it from the army store. Probably put the idea in Derek's head too that Jacob did it.
Sarah didn't do it. You can tell that especially when you note her reaction after Derek stole Ben's phone in which there was a picture of her Ben was trying to use to blackmailher. She literally freaked out and told Derek she didn't want to have anything to do with it. If that's her reaction, how then could she possibly go further and kill Ben? Unless we put it that she too cooked that story she gave Andy.
The witness said she heard it "...Stop, your hurting me..." And in that short story that Jake published on the website he says "...but Brent just laughed and grabbed him by the arm, twisting it back like he'd done so many times before, *Stop your hurting me* Jason said...". That's the confirmation that he killed Ben
But wouldn't that prove it was self defense? If Brent was hurting him (which legally would be assault) fighting back even with a knive would be legal. And Brent had a history of aggresion towards him, and sexual violence towards Sarah (blackmailing someone to have sex with you is rape), brent was an absolute bastard and i find hard to feel bad that he died. In the unlikelly case he was convicted he would have probably gotten the minimum possible sentence for third degree murder, except the whole point of the show was to make you question if jacob was a monster or not, so self defense wasn't an option narrativelly and it needed to be high stakes, first degree murder, which is way harder to prove and the prosecution had no real evidence to convince the jury of it.
This show was so epic. At first I thought patz did it because he had Ben’s pictures but then the Forest Story made me think it was Jake but then Hope situation made me think it wasn’t lol. Great show and final episode!
@@heavyspoilers - What did you really like about the ending? That a killer is free? I don't care whether or not he gets hurt, unless they would have hinted that he is going to be disabled for life, which then I would feel the author punished him somehow instead of being in prison. it seems like you also believed Jacob was the killer, that's why I am surprised you liked the ending.
The reason I feel Jacob did it was the difference in his reactions after hope vs Ben. He had a very dull attitude after leaving Hope which contrasted the way he went to school after he found Ben.
@@soullesssenpai1900 no she was there in the house always remember the police did interrogate them they won't let her go just like that if she was out .
The reason was the difference in his reactions after hope vs Ben?? That makes no sense lol of course he had a dull attitude after leaving hope. Because hope ditched him at that New Year’s Eve party she invited him to for some dudes that wanted to rape her. Would you be happy about that??
The scene where Derek told Andy that you don't know Jacob that his son has a dark side... led me to think if his innocence. For him to write that story 3 days after Ben's body was found and for him to post that image with an axe is confusing. I'm also baffled by the way he called Sarah a Slut when Sara was the only person who talked to him. Then after a brief moment, Sara texted him back in the middle of the events of the trial Jacob acted like, everything was okay and didn't apologize for calling Sarah a slut. I'm still in the mix whether or not he killed Ben.
He did. Why does his story of how he found ben has holes in it? How can you forget something like that. And who see a dead body of someone they know and go to school and make jokes?
My favourite bit of the show was that school... Ain't nobody friends, ain't nobody answering the cops questions, ain't nobody like Ben... What were those kids doing
I think that the mom is just like a perfectionist and now that she can’t make a perfect family she throws the baby album away in hope that she can make a new baby to replace Jacob after she killed him :/ idk this is what I believe
I preferred the book's ending. I get what they did...and why. But, there was something tragically poetic, honest, and brutally blunt about the book's ending.
even being a son of a lawer jacob isn't capable of clearing too much details from the killing spot. only just a fingerprint? i think he didn't killed ben because killing a boy of same age soo smoothly is iimpossible even for a evil child.. if jacob done it why he left 1 finger print?? and if he is so smart to kill ben so easily why he hide the knife in his bed drawer.. which is soo foolishness. i think this show is just for giving a head pressure. pardon my english stay home stay safe Love from Bangladesh
I completely agree. I do know from interviews with the cast that they tried to make Jacob less brooding and more palatable in the TV series, so that combined with some of the changes that the show made from the book makes his innocence more ambiguous. I don’t think we know at the end who did it, which is exactly what Andy has to live with. In the book, it’s more that Jacob is basically guilty, and there’s no real way to refute it, so Andy has to deal with knowing that his bloodline’s violence made it past him into his son, and looking back on memories of Jacob trying to rationalize it all.
Rebecca Stokem also I think the car scene with his mom at the end is more impactful if he’s actually innocent. Like it makes more sense for the arc of self destruction the mom went through.
Danny C. Yes, definitely! I actually love that ending car scene in the show, from an acting and script perspective, specifically because you can feel Jacob’s real fear over what’s going to happen. Jaeden Martell did such a great job of making the audience resonate with Jacob in that moment, looking at his mother and desperately trying to say anything to prevent the inevitable. In the book, we only get the crash from Andy’s imagination, which is still tragic, but I liked getting a more omniscient view of it all.
The reason I thought Jacob was innocent throughout the show was an outside detail: Apple has made it clear that they do not allow “bad guys” in movies and TV shows to use Apple products-it’s bad publicity. Jacob is seen using various Apple products throughout the show. In fact, it’s emphasized. Leonard Pats, on the other hand, used an Android phone. Maybe this is insignificant, but I took this as a pretty notable piece of outside evidence in Jacob’s favor, seeing as how it is an Apple original production.
I wish they would’ve looked more in to Derek”s obsession with Sarah and his anger from the photo she sent to Ben. Is this it for the show ?? Or will it renew for another season. It’s so many unanswered questions, this was good!!
Jacob didn't kill Ben. He never had the guts for it - he always escaped into the world of fantasy where he imagined him hurting Ben. He always ran into his dark world when Ben bullied him at school. His response to stress was writing dark stories. Additionally, Jacob was angry when he discovered that Ben had been killed by someone - because he had never stood up to him and never managed to show Ben how much he hated him. That's why he wrote a short story in which he kills him - because he was disappointed and angry with himself that he himself never had the courage to stand against him in real life. Also, Jacob's lack of courage is shown in the final episode as he runs away from dating a girl in Mexico - he was never brave for certain things. He always ran away into his world of games or fantasies. He was a strange child, but not a murderer.
Interesting that you interpreted Andy sitting in the dark as him being the only one who doesn't know the truth that Jacob and Laurie know about each other- I saw it as her maybe genuinely not remembering what happened, that Jacob might never wake and if he does probably won't remember, and Andy knows the truth - that Laurie tried to kill Jacob at least, but is choosing not to believe it. He's willfully blind, symbolised by him choosing to go sit in the dark. Being "in the dark" as a common phrase for not knowing something that is evident to others.
Incredible series!! Chris Evans deserves an Oscar- Academy some type of award for his role! Michelle Dockery as well!!! I have to say I believe Jacob did it. I believe if the trial would have ended up in the Jurors hands I believe they would have found him guilty or a hung jury
I think he didn't ...all the scenes where real showing the past and the present no hallucination so the scene showing jakob finding Ben was proof that he didn't he was in the wrong place in wrong time...
I think trying to determine whether he Jacob killed Ben or not is a fruitless endeavour and not the purpose of the show. The point is can you live with not knowing or at least never being certain, Andy throughout most of the show has far more reason to believe Jacob is guilty (since he knows about the hit on Leonard earlier than Laurie) but he is able to live with that for the most part. Laurie isn’t and the proof there is that even when he confesses she doesn’t believe him, no amount of evidence can convince her one way or the other and it’s the not knowing which makes her attempt the murder suicide, I don’t think it’s just because she believes he did it.
I personally believe he didn't do it. I've faced so many guys messing around like him and this behavior doesn't mean he did it at any extent. But maybe your view has another point: when Lori doubts Jacob being sincere, Andy tell her that it is impossible to act so good. And maybe that's why he believe in Lori's words of not remembering the crash P. S. the final song You were the kindness by The National brings additional sense to the scene, walking in Jacobs room and sitting on his bed and lyrics "don't leave me here alone". "Everything's weird and were always in danger. Why would you shatter somebody like me" -- Andy thinking of why Lori tried to kill Jacob. And as you noticed "there's a radiant darkness upon us" - he is left in the dark
Gideon Disu but why do you think so? And maybe if they changed her death and his death in the car crash they wanted to make people more likely to think he didn’t do it?
@TOASTED NETWORK it could've also been Derek who did it because of what Ben had on Sarah. Also Ben also bullied Derek. The only reason he wasn't a suspect is because he doesnt have a murderer for a grandfather, he didnt have a knife, and he wasn't in the woods. How would it make senes for Jacob to keep the knife in such a easy place to find.
the whole show got me doubting if Jacob did it or not, but at the end when Hope was found alive, for me that was the turning point, I don't think Jacob did it.
Well, after the incident with Hope, his indifferent behavior, his stammering, uncoordinating sorry, I was certain he had killed the girl... but wow, she showed up alive. I then realized that it was possible that Jacob didn't kill Ben. Maybe he's just a delusional kid that doesn't know how to show emotion. Oh well.. I guess we'll just never know. For all we know Pats could have done it, what if that was an honest confession, however, he had to be killed because if he was left alive, he could report the ordeal to the police and things would turn against Andy and Jacob.
I think Laurie went crazy and took the extreme "Mama Bear" measure and tried to kill Andy in order to protect him from the "Outsiders" aka the Law, the judges, Ben´s family, literally anyone else.
Now, in the book Laurie actually loses her memory after the crash and I think they tried to incorporate that in the show.. Though Andy knows she did it deliberately, he knows her condition and acts along not wanting to put his family go through more than what they've already been through.. and so he agrees to Laurie saying ' I just want my family back'..
All I could think while watching it was: I LOVE YOU CAPTAIN AMERICA! xD (And how Laurie reminded me of TWD Laurie and are they the same actress? No, they're not, but they kinda look alike xD) It was very entertaining...J.K. Simmons was the cherry on top. I need a second season, I want to know what happened to Ben. I don't think a 15 y/o would have the capacity to keep this secret. Their brains are underdeveloped and incapable to manage this degree of stress and deception. Laurie just cracked, since she was under a lot of stress as well. Plus all they had was 1 fingerprint and a creepy story. That is nothing. No DNA whatsoever. Jacob going on social media and being careless was just him being a stupid teenager. Not really grasping the scope of it all and the possible consequences. I actually think Sara had something to do with it or the other kid, Eric? There's something weird there.
I am still majorly undecided whether or not Jacob did it but there is something suspicious that makes me lean towards that he did it. During the trial there is a man who was in the park a few minutes or something before the murder and he said that he heard a boy's voice saying "Stop. You're hurting me" and then later when Derek is reading the story that Jacob posted on that cutter site, it says that the boy whose arm was being twisted was pretending to be hurt and said " Ow, you're hurting me" just to sell it. I mean, come on, yes there is a one word difference but it's basically the same sentence. That can't just be Jacob's imagination or a coincidence or just a 'stupid story'.
I absolutely loved this review. I watched some of the show but I get irritated quickly when a show like this has a “did he or didn’t he” type vibe. It was great coming here and you explained the rest of the show and what it all meant to you.
If Andy wasn't such an innate lyer, lying to Laurie throughout their marriage, she would not have finally cracked. In the book Jacob kills Hope, so yeah he is guilty.
I am very mad at the producer of the TV show who was playing identity politics by changing things from the book to make some people look better than others. And I am not talking about Jacob, Jacob obviously killed Ben as there were more hints to that throughout the book.
Actually with the way Jacob is described even in the book, it’s highly unlikely he killed Hope. Unless something was dropped on her throat to cause the crushed windpipe - we’re never told in the book HOW it is crushed - he couldn’t have. At least not with his bare hands. Even for kids that age it would take an adult to crush a windpipe with their hands. We are told he has something on his swimsuit but again we’re never told how her windpipe was crushed. So without the details, we can’t assume he actually killed Hope in the book.
What a great review! I love how you got straight to the point and focused your assessment of the show on hints revealed throughout to draw your conclusion.
In the end, Laurie is no better herself. Acts righteous with regard to believing what her son might’ve done but then goes and tries to take a life herself. She knows very well she tried to kill Jacob but is hiding behind possibly being delirious from stress. Trying to strategically worm her way out of it.
I definitely feel like Jacob didn’t do it yes he wrote in that violence website about him killing Ben but i think it’s just a sick fantasy a story nothing more. The evidence was just a finger print and I truly believe Jacobs story that he moved Ben to see if he was okay. And when he “confessed” he was under serious pressure from his “mother” and wanted her to slow down so he told her what she wanted to hear but Laurie didn’t believe him and tried to murder herself and her son. What type of mother does that?
I thought at first that Jacob died in the end because of Andy sitting in Jacob’s room with the drink in the dark like the boy who died dads did when they were at his house
Pre Law Yes. I think they changed some stuff from the book to the series so they would be able to make a 2nd season. In the book hope was killed, and Jacob also died at the end of the book
I think Jacob’s mom killed Ben Rifkin. Ep 1 shows her coming home from a morning jog. Is it possible she was has having an inappropriate relationship with Ben Rifkin and he threaten to tell and she met up with him in the park and stabbed him. He said “stop your hurting me” sounds like something you would say to someone you are close too knowing they are acting out of character. She could’ve changed her clothes and the fact she was comfortable committing vehicular manslaughter (almost) is a HUGE red flag. I’m probably the only one who thinks this but there’s so many scenarios, suspects and theories that are tied to Ben Rifkins murder. Awesome show doe wow I am so invested
You explained this so well! I haven't watched the show yet because I don't have apple tv. One day I will watch it, sadly today I'll just have to stick to watching spoilers and having someone else explain it to me
I read the book and can't wait to see the movie. For what I understood from reading the book, Jacob was guilty. We know in depth what the dad is thinking the whole time, and even get a tiny bit of the mom's thoughts, but we never know what Jacob is thinking.What a great book. I love the trial explanations. Usually movies are never as good as books. I will let you know. But you definitely should read the book. It is very well written and emotional.
With how things unfolded in the last episode, I am inclined more to the theory of Jacob being the murderer. Jaeden acted really well, I mean his face depicted no emotions in the entire series that left me wondering whether or not he is guilty. I also totally understand the mom's POV, she went through a lot and I can't blame her for wanting to kill her son and herself.
Andy is the only innocent one here. It's sad because he tried really hard to keep his family together and also had to deal deal with his own misgivings. The man never even shed a tear despite it all and I know from the ending shot, he probably feels like he failed his family.
I found an awesome "Easter Egg", the vocabulary words he was studying described all of Jacob's characteristics. Perspicacious: Having a keen understanding Cursory: he definitely lacks depth Myopic: He has a very narrow view Recalcitrant: defying authority - he spent the entire movie doing this. Also, it was the one word he did not know. In the end all three displayed these characteristics!
Ok I just finished watching this series about an hour ago. So the whole story is still fresh in my mind. I read about 30 or so of the subsequent comments following this video and it has just enhanced the desire I've been having to write a screenplay abundantly. Now here's my take on the whole thing... Your comments on this presentation are being said like this were an actual event. Like something taken from the 6pm news. It also appears that at least 3 suspects are still at large in your thoughts. Now I'm not complaining about that. I enjoy a good drama, mystery myself and I also love getting lost in them as though they were actual real life events too. But here is where I become frustrated... Ask any DA in the country and they can tell you the number of murder cases that go unsolved every year. One is too many but the figure is much higher. This leaves thousands of grieving family members grieve even more with the lack of closure. It's a terrible thing but it's REAL LIFE. Something we must all deal with daily. But many murder cases are solved and the people who commit them are prosecuted lawfully and punished accordingly. That's the real life that Hollywood used to always give us. A chance to see justice served. A chance for all of us vicariously living movie watchers to feel good about what we just watched. But when the the door is left so wide open I feel like the writers have done me an injustice. I watch movies to feel them and I love the metaphorical door slamming shut on the case. In this story that didn't happen and left me unfilled after the 8 hour watch. I have nothing negative to say about the acting or pace of the story. But in my opinion a good solid ending is really more important than anything else in a movie or TV show.
We all know the series is different from the book, the latter being clearer in its ending. Since it is a series, they had to keep things open and hanging to have a possibility of season 2. In the end, it’s about business for Apple
Let us know if you agree with our conclusion or if you have another theory. If you enjoyed this video then please subscribe to the channel ua-cam.com/channels/q3hT5JPPKy87JGbDls_5BQ.html
Never seen a vid with only 1 dislike
Nice video! I really got the idea the Jacob ended up dying in the end, because of the way Andy was sitting on Jacob's bed, just like Ben's father used to do after his death.
I truly think Jacob did it. He showed his psychopathic tendencies in watching the cutter websites, writing about killing Ben, and making a joke of the case by photoshopping an axe in his hands and getting excited about the fan clubs for him.
Joanna Klein mentioned trauma can cause inconsistencies in memory, but Jacob actively watches gore and enjoys it. He also shows no empathy towards Ben’s death; it didn’t impact him whatsoever. Derek recalled he was in a fantastic mood that day.
The pedophile was a sick and twisted man, but his Mo was never violent. His victims stated he had never turned to violent actions.
His mother seems to carry the “murder gene” she actively tried to kill him, and his father is a confirmed carrier of many sociopath gene variants. His therapist even stated that it was clear he rehearses lines to sound more empathetic because he rarely if ever feels empathy.
Kid either did it or he’s the unluckiest sociopath to ever exist
Oh God, it's unreal how basic and superficial your conclusions are. Is this really what the show left you with? 0,5mln subs, unbelievable.
I found an awesome "Easter Egg", the vocabulary words he was studying described all of Jacob's characteristics.
Perspicacious: Having a keen understanding
Cursory: he definitely lacks depth
Myopic: He has a very narrow view
Recalcitrant: defying authority - he spent the entire movie doing this. Also, it was the one word he did not know.
In the end all three displayed these characteristics!
This is a great platform for Chris Evans to show his acting chops. Good for him.
yeah he smashed it, such a good actor
He was horrible as a father. More like a cool uncle, but not someone’s father.
@@justsaybobby He didn't have a dad growing up. So that probably made it hard for him to know how to engage Jacob. They also showed that he didn't really have any real friends. He was just obsessed with his work and relied on Laurie to be the backbone. Once she snapped, he had to be the one to hold the pieces together.
Nostalgic Bliss I thought about that...but it’s hard to get into Chris Evans head about his acting choices. He just seemed distant and nonchalant in his actions but not dialogue. I guess I just wanted to see a scene where they had a heart to heart and hugged it out. Sure they went fishing but again his mannerisms were more like a cool aging millennial than a mature father figure. The slouching in the chairs idk. I just wasn’t feeling it.
@@justsaybobby I don't know what makes you think he's horrible as a father. He loves his family. He's all right. I'm sure he's better than many fathers. As a husband, maybe he's terrible . Because he always keeps thing secret to Laurie. But, I wouldn't call him a horrible husband too.
This show is massively underrated
I want to watch it, but I already have Netflix and I’m not trying to buy another streaming service!
Bacall McElroy you can watch all of it on soap2day
kynsie horn or torrent
Bacall McElroy it’s rly good I’d say it’s worth the purchase
kynsie horn 😏😉
I personally think the answer to the mystery is more complicated: Jacob is most likely innocent and merely used the murder of a boy he absolutely hated to write out a cathartic fantasy roleplay online. He didn't kill the boy, but perhaps he wished he had. Maybe when he found the body he was shocked, but also pleased/relieved. And how could he ever express/explain that feeling to anyone else? Except maybe Sarah. Remember, it was heavily implied by his doctor that he lacked a degree of empathy. That doesn't automatically make him a psycho, just anti-social and emotionally awkward. But the point of the show was for us to see everything from the parental POV. So Jacob and his motives remain an enigma to us as he did to them.
I think the ambiguity is the point of the show. The parents can never know 100% for sure. They can suspect; they can analyze; they can question; but in the end they can never know the absolute truth. And that is what tortured the mother into a murder-suicide attempt. The show puts us in the position of the parents throughout and leaves us there, suspecting the boy but never being able to know for certain. And the final question they leave us with is: can they live with not knowing?
To me, the actor who played Jacob played the boy as innocent but emotionally repressed and awkward. As teenage boys can be. His final scene with his mother in the car was a boy genuinely frightened and telling the truth. When he realized his mother wouldn't accept that truth, he tried the old "tell me what I want to hear" trick. But she didn't believe that either. Didn't matter what he said. She couldn't live with the not knowing...
In the book, Hope is found dead and there is a red stain on Jacob's shirt that he left at the beach. Also, in the car crash, he dies while Laurie survives. This ending really tries to turn us to him being the killer. Personally, the book ending is much better
wow i totally agree
I found that Hope part a litle bit random., to be honest. It seems too random how she came back. It seemed to serve only as the reason Andy would tell Laury the truth. Also is it possible that in the end Jacob actually ends up dying in the end? I thought of that because of the way Andy sits on Jacob's bed, just like Ben's father did in his son's funeral when he was talking to Andy.
@@cannonfodder15 always is
Many people think that Jacobs friend is the killer but I think that no one related to him killed Ben,
Even captain America can’t help the kid
He’s basically Bucky
Lol... Right
Andrew steven barber can 🔥
This show is really good that I want a 2nd season. Chris Evans, Michelle Dockery and Jaeden Martell’s acting is phenomenal!
I totally agree!! I want a season 2 for sure !! There are plenty of storylines to carry this series for 2 or 3 seasons!!! The acting by ALL of the cast was absolutely INCREDIBLE!!!
@@anewwayhomeoxendine6314 exactly! I lovedddd the show so much. I still don’t think it was Jacob but I’m 50/50. Honestly in season 2 they should have Jacob wake up and Remember what his mom did. And they still need to completely rule out Derek.
I loved this show as well, but I feel like if they made another season and filled the plot holes in the ending I wouldn't love it as much. This show is extremely effective in making us nit only feel for the characters but feel with them. we have to decide what we believe to be the truth, because the purpose isn't to know who did it, its to watch Laurie and Andy internally struggle with their morals and loyalties.
@@sophiemcdoogal6691 I think it would be interesting to see their reactions when they know that Jacob was the killer.
@@dapthepcplug I was convinced that it was Jacob because of the detailed story that he posted
Season 2 Defending Laurie
Season 3 Offending Andy
Season 4 Defending Patz
@@spacey-cat
season 5 defending father O'Leary for killing Patz
@@aligmal5031 season 6 defending Billy
Lol
For most of the show I was 100%sure that he did it.after reading out the story ,i had not doubt in my mind.but it stated to change a bit when Hope was found.a lot of the show he was really awkward and nervous and emotionless when someone asked him about ben. So when the parents asked him if he had seen Hope and he seemed like he was lying(what Jacob normally sounded like when asked a question)and he ended up not killing her.it confirms it was his normal behaviour when asked about something awkward.the thing that cemented my belief that Jacob was innocent.was the car scene.jacob full well knew his mum was going to crash the car.thats why he was screaming at her to stop.so why moments before what he believes to be death, he says he’s guilty but then immediately says what ever it takes for her to stop.why would he still maintain innocence when he believes he’s about to die.
Fair enough, that does make a lot of sense
I’ve known liars that take the lie with them to the grave, sometimes an act can be so heinous that you can’t admit it to yourself let alone aloud. But as for the rest I agree.
ben smith book is better than the show ?
@@chrisell7419 right but this dude is still a kid, like hes 14. what 14 year old is not afraid to die? even if he lowkey a psycho?
ben smith In the book, Hope dies and there’s red on his white shirt
After knives out Chris Evans adopted Jaeden Martell
Damn his cousin became his son😂
@@maytheforcebewithu792 jaeden is belong actors family???
@@ganeshgunjal9236 nope, in this series jaeden became chris evan's son
Yeah!😂
@@maytheforcebewithu792 Hollywood industry have nepotism?? Like Bollywood
I watched all 8 episodes today, damn what a good serie, not my favorite ending but damn.
Edit; they also said the murder gene was given through by the mothers
Yes! I was looking for someone who noticed that. And I thought that was going to be there ironic twist, that the one most concerned about it was the only one that had it.
I guess Laurie did have the murder gene
Same! I literally watched the series all in one day and was kind of upset about the ending. I also do believe that Laurie passed the murder gene to Jacob.
But the psychiatrist said Jacob doesn't have that gene.
But Laurie did it for a good reason she didn’t know what to believe and her son was a murderer and she thought he was gonna kill more people
I think the show wanted us to decide for ourselves whether Jacob did it or not. As for me am very sure he did it
Yeah I’m the same, just seems like the entire point of it was to show him getting away with it and his family knowing that he did it which I definitely think they delivered upon. Thanks for the comment
I don’t think it’s supposed to be a “Come to your own conclusions” thing. I think we’re supposed to be left in the dark, the same why the parents are. They’ll never know the truth for sure and neither will we.
@@marianne5055 I think you're right on the money! Although i believe Patz did it, it's clear to me that this series isn't about figuring out who killed Ben there's just too much misdirection to be confident in any conclusion.
No he didn't
@hanny panny he very much did it
honestly i dont think Jacob did it. yes he had “physcopathic tendincies” but that doesnt mean anything, and the car scene when he says he did it doesnt sound genuine at all. Whenever he did admit something during the show his eyes would lose eye contact fast and he would look at the ground being very figity and he would get dead silent but during the car he didnt. He didnt go quiet at all and said “whatever you want, but slow down”. The way he said it sounded more like someone who was desperate because he was scared that he was gonna die, anyone who was in that scary position would do anything and say anything just to save themselves even if it isnt true.
In the book, Hope is found dead and there is a red stain on Jacob's shirt that he left at the beach. Also, in the car crash, he dies while Laurie survives. This ending really tries to turn us to him being the killer. Personally, the book ending is much better
I also think like that.
He did it
@@cannonfodder15 this isn’t the book lady
Why would he be calm and “figity” while his mom is speeding at 100mph. He definitely did it. The show’s directors pretty much spell it out for you.
Little detail I found interesting was that in Jacob's story he said that "Jason" said at "Brent" - "stop, you're hurting me" - and the witness on the prosecution's stand also said he heard those exact words shouted in the park. It's weird as it is that Jacob would even write that phrase from his perspective kinda convincing me that he used his imagination a to change up the narrative. And like they said, the story was accurate to the info that was was all common knowledge and on the news 3 days post-murder. By the way Jacob acts and speaks throughout the show, he's generally not the type to talk loudly, shout, give exclaimed responses to even the most stressful situations like when his father's yelling at him. So how on earth would a witness in the park hear that from a distance? Jacob seems like the type of personality that if he were to hurt someone, it wouldn't be through an altercation like that. He does not portray any violent behaviours, no outbursts, tantrums or anything at any point. idk, it's just weird. this show fcked me up lol
He doesn’t portray outbursts or tantrums at all ON SCREEN for us to see, but we do know that he was extremely tantrum prone as a child and wouldn’t stop crying as a baby. He was also very possibly prone to violent tendencies i.e. the bowling alley as a child.
I feel that a second season is actually needed. I want to see how Jacob fights with his psychotic mom and feeling actually exposed in his own family. I wait for someone of Andy’s Job to read the report. If you guys remember Andy reported the lincon and in Patz report was the existence of a Lincon parked infront of the house. This show takes the scent of the book, but Im not sure that Jacob is guilty here. The writters have a lotttt of things to clear up, so I hope there is another season .
Hell no
Me too
Actually in book Jacob actually killed hope after killing Ben I mean it’s not proved in both cases but both were killed and there was quit evidence that he was responsible
Divyank Singhal Yes! I have the same opinion, but as in the show he didn’t killed hope, I thought that maybe they took another direction (as a distraction) . We don’t have things clear because we don’t know if the producers sticked to the book or not. They are a lot a books that have like the same idea but different perspective in the show/movie.
They confirmed a second season. Jacob slices lauries head off and it ends with him finding a hockey mask
I know what I learned from this show if you did something or not: Stay the hell off of social media!!!
dont tell heavy secrets to female
And if it's your kid, take his phone and computer away!
I read apple won’t let villains use apple products in films I don’t know if it true
I noticed that too!!!!!! And i’m not sure if it’s true but if it is then we know jacob has an iphone and patz has a samsung so i don’t know if that proves anything but i’m glad someone else noticed it!
Patz is the one
Lol yeah I also thought about that
Derek and pats both have samsungs
Perhaps it's less about hero / villain, but more into characters that don't share Apple's values. There are definitely characters that has done bad things that are using iPhones (The Morning Show for example), but the misdemeanor isn't something that was purposefully and selfishly done, if you get my drift. Sure you don't want a pedophile using Apple Product, but is okay with someone who got publicly blamed by his acts of a sexual violence (such as Mitch Kessler from The Morning Show).
Can’t wait for a video called: ‘Defending ‘Defending Jacob’
Then when that video gets a lot of hate: ‘defending ‘defending ‘defending Jacob’
@@dannyc.2039 and the chain will go on
I am still not convinced that Jacob did it, simply because he did not admit the murder even after his mother drives so fast and he knows she could kill them both, had he really killed Ben, he would have told the truth then
Imagine if they do a second season where he goes on to college and becomes a serial killer lol
OFFENDING JACOB 🔪
😂😂
Mia Wallace genius
@D
Feel me tho?? Gimme some on that one! 👊🏼
he become Dexter )))))))))) 8seasons
This show mastered misdirection. I'm pretty sure Leonard killed Ben, but that's clearly not the point of series. In my opinion the writers want you to be just as confused about the murder as the characters. And the whole murder gene thing is irrelevant, it was just used as another device of misdirection.
I think it was Derek. Sure pats was a sick man, but not a murderer. He had committed sexual crimes but nothing of the sort of committing a murder against a boy he had no motive for killing Ben but Derek did.
@@dapthepcplug patz does not have the guts to fight matthew, let alone murder ben which appears to be "tough" like matthew. So definitely patz did not do it
Read the book, it makes it more clear that Jacob did it. Also in the book Hope ends up dead
what about patz deleting those pictures of ben?
In an episode it is revealed that patz was sexually interested in Ben. He said to that other kid that he found another boy named Ben & he is into him. So maybe that's why he kept his photos. So we can't Ensure that he Killed him right! 🤔
Malayali Girl no, we can’t. I actually believe that patz was quite distraught by everything that happened. This infatuation with Ben, him describing the boy as “beautiful”, so if anything, maybe he saw something that day, but I don’t think, despite how twisted he is, he killed ben
I mean its crazy the outcomes are endless, and one idea leads to another idea. Literally he could've (not saying he did or did not). For god knows he could've raped him and killed him. PLUS do we know who maybe associated with? Or rather where is Sarah in this case, or that other kid he paid to get touched by. outcomes just lead to another. the show is interesting and leaves us in the dark just like how Jacobs parents feel. No one ever knows.
I always had a feeling that sarah did it, and jacob was “protecting” her
Me too tbh
Anny nope
Good theory but I think it could be Derek and she knew what he did and that’s why she was so nice to Jacob
Jack John yesss thats also a good one
@@anny7408 Thanks Anny. Thinking more about your theory. I kind of like yours better now : ) I hope there's a season 2, just to see where they decide to take it. Imagine it was really Sarah and Jacob was protecting her. Wow Anny! OR...imagine it was Sarah and Jacob doesn't know yet that she did it. Lots of good potential drama to come too. What they will need to face as a family after the hospital. The Derek, Sarah, Jacob love triangle and of course Chris Evan's character and his dad (J.K. Simmons). Curious if they have Jacob meet with the grandpa??? That would be something. Perhaps at the end of the last episode of Season 2 they meet and at the very end they both smile and wink at each other for only the audience to see. Fun stuff! Can't wait!
At the end of this video, you said Andy didn't do anything dark. I think him throwing the knife away was pretty dark. Considering that he was the Assistant DA, he knew that he was possibly getting rid of a major piece of evidence
Very true!! Good point. AND he lied to his wife for 17 years about never knowing his father. He never told her about his father being in prison for life for killing a girl.
@@anewwayhomeoxendine6314 In my mind I feel like that was forgivable. He was a child when the dad went in, and he wasn't much of a dad. If the Jacob situation didn't arise I think could've lived their whole lives peacefully not knowing about the grandad
I don't think he did it. At least not with the poor evidence that was presented.
The knife? We'll never know if that was it since Andy got rid of it.
Motive? Sure, he had motive, but so did everybody else that Ben bullied.
He was at the scene of the crime on the day of, but that doesn't mean anything, plenty of people went through that park.
As for the fingerprint, that is not evidence, not even in the slightest.
I also want to mention that the knife Andy found (Jacob's) was squeaky clean, like it had never been used.
Jacob was smart, but in such crime of passion, I don't think he would have been able to clean it that well.
As for the story, we've all wished death to someone we hate/hated.
The only thing that made me think he was guilty (for a moment) was the story; The way it's told would explain how Jacob's fingerprint got on Ben's jacket.
Other than that, there isn't much.
No DNA at all, no fibers present at the scene, and no footprints, either. Now that I think about it, they never mentioned any footprints on the show (I think?).
If Jacob had gone down the slope to check on Ben, he would have left some sort of footprint.
Again, that doesn't prove much, because all of the barber's family lied at some point.
I think you’re just trying to excuse jacob because maybe you see some of yourself in him. To me, the show pretty much spells it out for you that jacob did it. Why would there be damage on the knife? He even says in his little story that stabbing him felt like stabbing air because of how easily it went in. Unless he hit bone, there wouldn’t be damage to the knife. Also, he admitted only after they found his finger print that he WAS at the scene, but just didn’t report the murder. Dude, he did it.
i think his friend did it
Regarding the footprints, they said the lady that found the body & reported it messed up the crime scene because she climbed backwards up the slope out of shock.
theres also a knife found during the search with the many people but they never mentioned any investigations about it, or so I might've missed it
I really don’t think Jacob did it. I just think he was saying that he did it to Laurie because he just wanted his mum to slow down. He just doesn’t really show any signs of guilt to me. Even when he tells laurie he killed ben, he even says ‘whatever’ because he will say ‘whatever’ to make her slow down.
If he shows no signs then maybe he is a psychopath or sociopath one of those two. And it would make complete sense why he would kill someone and show no empathy or emotion. But in all honesty I dont know if he did it or not.
I think this show has a hidden message. If we don't acknowledge the mistakes of our past (past - bloody bill) and act responsibly (Andy accepting that Jacob wasn't normal), our future (Jacob) will be horrific.
So we need to protect our future by acting responsibly . Hence the title Defending Jacob (Protecting Future).
Just my thought.
Yes. We all need to hold our loved ones accountable if they have bad behavior or get them help. Don’t just enable them to continue behaving badly or else you may end up with a situation like in this series.
My thoughts exactly. Even though it looks like they were dealt a second chance at starting over again with a clean slate, this family will always be disjointed because they are living a lie. I understand that the lie was to "protect the family," and they use that as a good reason to justify their choices and actions. However, what does that create within a family? Because they all have suffered a trauma...and they are suppressing it...can they keep pretending everything is okay?
Very thoughtful analysis as always. I agree that it’s evident that Jacob is guilty. It’s very common that the first signs of psychopathic begin around the time of puberty. The issue of being a good man or a good father is clearly the theme of the story. In structural terms the antagonist protagonist relationship is between the parents with the father being the protagonist. Whether aJacob is guilty or not is almost irrelevant; the story is about the conflict of values between the parents and how it tests their marriage. That’s why leaving his guilt ambiguous makes the point of the story even more impactful. The author uses the tradition and clichés of the “who done it” story to engage us in the dilemma of the parents in our own uncertainty of his guilt. The forced confession and murder in the other suspect ultimately destroys any hope they ever have of knowing the truth. Tragic all around but still very engaging.
Agreed and good point about serial killers starting at puberty, wish I’d added that to the video
One of the best comments very well put ✊
I read a theory about Sarah being the killer and it was really well thought. She is around Jacob when NO ONE wants to come near this family. Everybody rejects them after Jacobs prison except her. She is worried since the beginning to ask if Jacob spoke about the murder with anyone. She is always around. She was beinf blackmailed. He always wanted to protect her and got mad when discovered she sent Ben a nude. When she tells Andy about the photo she said “Jacob will hate me”. Even though he was about to lose the trial he did not want her involved. She knew he had a knife and carried it with him. She probably confronted Ben and asked Jacob to be with her. Jacob covers for her. It makes sense and it would be a nice plot!
Loved the show, the ambiguity left me unsure about my feelings of the show. Its more about the parents and their conflicting reality of living with the unknown and whether Jacob did it or not, which is still a valid and centralized question of the show. I don’t usually watch shows or movies that would leave me in a state of high level of ambiguity but I guess I was drawn to this show because of the lead characters
I literally watched every single episode today. I couldn’t stop! This show was perfectly made. Personally, I think Derek did it though.
Finally someone who agrees with me. I think Derek did it and he told Jacob word for word what happened that same day he went back to school and Jacob wanted to tell someone about what Derek did but he was scared and so he wrote it down on that website to just get it out of his mind. I think Derek did it because he was jealous of Ben and Sarah as he was known to be obsessed with Sarah.
I think yeah maybe Leonard Patz is kind of also guilt because he had pictures of Ben on his phone but I think that's because he was planning to find Ben and do some horrible stuff he's done to some of his past victims before but before he could do anything, Derek killed Ben.
I think Jacob was just too scared to say anything because he's just a shy and awkward kid in general and he just sadly ended up getting blamed for everything because that's how Derek twisted the story of it all so no one suspects him.
But bitch, that's where you're wrong. I suspected you Derek. I always knew you were guilty!! 😂
Jacob acts strange because he knows who did it, because he was there. He’s protecting the girl who stepped up to defend him when he got bullied by Ben.
I think this is true maybe Jacob didn't kill ben but maybe he saw who did it but at the same time maybe the person who killed ben threatened him to not say anything
oh shit thats a really good point and that may have been also why he has an idea abt the details of the death (story). he mightve even checked if ben was really dead aftr what happened. hence the fingerprint.
Im starting to think the same too , i think he was there ... he saw it but didnt do it .Its a movie for sure why is the police not investigating that nude puctures blackmailings of Sarah , some real investigation about here whereabouts that day , what time she got to sxool and that kid who stole the phone...this is some sloppy man
I also really liked the lines between Jacob and his dad when they are playing that game at the table the night before the car crash. His dad says, "I cant find a move" and Jacob replies, "that's because you don't have any" I think that is another clear indicator that Jacob is guilty but at that point in the story nothing could be done about it... except what his mom tries doing the following morning.
Wait can u explain why that line indicates that’s he’s guilty I’m honestly confused
@@gamelakuwa7739 lines with double meaning sometimes hint at stuff in movies. The entire line shows that he’s a calculating person and the line “you don’t have any (moves)” is like him saying to his dad that he is out of moves in the case, not just the game.
@@VerifiedB still I don't see the relevance..
@@yvonneshanson1525 at the beginning of the show there where multiple ways to prove that jacob is innocent (patz,derek,..) but all these theories are proven wrong (from andys perspective) and the only thing that is left is that his son is guilty. Jacob saying “you dont have any moves” is supposed to mean andy has run out of means to continue to delude himself into thinking jacob is innocent (and that he needs to accept reality)
wow.
I still felt bad for Jacob. He had awful luck. He was accused for Ben's murder (if he didn't do it), accused of being responsible for Hope's disappearance, tried to be killed by his own mother, and finally ended up in a coma. If the series followed the book, I would've felt less bad
Why would you feel bad for him? Anyone who can find a freshly murdered body (bully or not) is not right in the head in many similar ways as murderers aren’t. I still think he killed ben.
Yep we are supposed to feel bad for him because he didn’t do it
It’s much more clear in the book that Jacob did in fact kill him.
Thank you for this analysis, you're a blessing. That finale was ridiculously confusing and bad for what was a good watch
Thank you
In no way was it confusing lol. Pretty easy to follow.
Check out the book, the ending is similar but more definite in my mind.
I don't think Jacob or Leonard did it. I think it is someone else that has been hiding in plain sight. I think it was Derek😑😶😮
I think it was Sarah!
Sarah
I think it's Sarah
Sarah
Yeah me too or atleast he had something to do with it
This is an interesting show.
I kinda have a different take on the show.
After finishing the show, i honestly don't think the show is about solving the crime, n like many real life cases, none of us will ever truly know who actually commit the crime bcoz we just don't have enough solid evidence(?), everything is implied n kinda situational. You can see it this way or that, but no matter how you view it, it tends to say more about your beliefs n perspective as a person more than what actually did happen. It is very unsatisfying. But so are real life.
I feel like my take is probably an unpopular one, as i personally believe that Jacob didn't do it n his mother did not lie about not remembering what happened, but that's personally kinda irrelevant to me.
I think the show focus a lot on human psychology and also sociology. It analyse what can influence us n breaks us. How a certain belief can completely change a family dynamic. How when something or someone that we strongly believe in n r fundamental in our lives starts to change, or in this case, when our views on them change, it can really break us n turn our world upside down.
It also showed that social media n press also shape how we view someone, n sometimes we believe the conclusion we come to from those sources to be true even though it is not. How different narrative in media and our personal experience in life shape our views on others. I think the show question us on whether our subjective views of others and personal observation of a situation is ever good enough to correctly judge anyone or anything, ever.
Finally, it showed us the choices we make when we are in a moral dilemma n the kind of consequences we have to live with (andy's choices through out the show n especially in the end).
Just my take on the story. I think many ppl dislike the final episode. But i really like it. Overall, it's a great show if one likes a drama that is focus on character study. The plot might be slow for some but i thoroughly enjoyed it.
I think that Patz is the murderer because he don’t have an iPhone (bad people in movies can’t use anything that with apple logo on it)
Interesting take
The saddest part in this series is that Jacob never got his haircut
As his name is JACOB BARBER 😂
This show really made me analyze EVERYTHING. I watched the series when it first came out and then recently rewatched it. At first, I thought Jacob did it but now I’m not so sure. Leonard Patz would have been the obvious choice but I don’t think he would have done it. He did have pictures of Ben on his phone but again, too obvious of a suspect. Sarah is kind of suspicious and there’s a lot of reasons why she could have done it. Ben alluded to blackmailing Sarah if she didn’t do certain acts with him. Also Derek(omg this drives me crazy to not know for sure who did it ugh) is sooooo quick to point the blame to Jacob and expose a lot of sites he goes on and is very obviously upset by what Ben did to Sarah. He’s the ONLY teenager to agree to testify against Jacob and not even Sarah does. So my theory is that Derek killed Ben because of what he did to Sarah. If I remember correctly, Derek has feelings for sarah and is apparently kinda obsessive over her. He knows “dark details” about Jacob and exposes them to the police to put the blame on Jacob. Ben clearly bullied Jacob and several other people but I don’t think Jacob killed him. He’s clearly socially awkward and just very withdrawn but that doesn’t make someone a killer or suspect.
This is the reason we need a second season! There a still so many questions… and I miss the cast of defending Jacob 🥲🥲
@@7on1sASMR I highly doubt they would come out with another season. In the book it even ends this way.
derek seemed suspicious to me the whole show idk, everyone was so shocked at jacob for visiting those sites but no one asked why derek was on the cut up room reading jacob's stories, it seems like they were both guilty of weird fantasies. i wouldn't want another season though, i like the ending as ambiguous as it is since the main point of the show was never to found out who really did it.
Sarah did it. His grandfather went to extremes and lied to protect Jacob. Andy went to extremes and lied to protect his wife. And Jacob as well was protecting someone. And someone close enough who told him what happened so he could write that story. The only two close friends he had was Derek and Sarah. Derek wrote that comment so he can't be it. It was Sarah. Only she had the motive as she was being harassed.
She was the one that sent Derek's comment to Andy. Her sudden hanging out at Jacob's house was probably an attempt to be closer to the details of what's going on.
Derek says in court that Jacob only showed his knife to a couple of close friends. So basically only Jacob and Sarah knew the exact knife. She could have easily bought it from the army store. Probably put the idea in Derek's head too that Jacob did it.
Yeah I think Sarah did it
Sarah didn't do it. You can tell that especially when you note her reaction after Derek stole Ben's phone in which there was a picture of her Ben was trying to use to blackmailher. She literally freaked out and told Derek she didn't want to have anything to do with it. If that's her reaction, how then could she possibly go further and kill Ben?
Unless we put it that she too cooked that story she gave Andy.
Finally I'm satisfied by ur conclusion 😂
The witness said she heard it "...Stop, your hurting me..." And in that short story that Jake published on the website he says "...but Brent just laughed and grabbed him by the arm, twisting it back like he'd done so many times before, *Stop your hurting me* Jason said...". That's the confirmation that he killed Ben
They later say no detail he included in the story wasn’t already reported in the news.
But wouldn't that prove it was self defense? If Brent was hurting him (which legally would be assault) fighting back even with a knive would be legal. And Brent had a history of aggresion towards him, and sexual violence towards Sarah (blackmailing someone to have sex with you is rape), brent was an absolute bastard and i find hard to feel bad that he died.
In the unlikelly case he was convicted he would have probably gotten the minimum possible sentence for third degree murder, except the whole point of the show was to make you question if jacob was a monster or not, so self defense wasn't an option narrativelly and it needed to be high stakes, first degree murder, which is way harder to prove and the prosecution had no real evidence to convince the jury of it.
This show was so epic. At first I thought patz did it because he had Ben’s pictures but then the Forest Story made me think it was Jake but then Hope situation made me think it wasn’t lol. Great show and final episode!
Captain America defending B..B..Billy 😂 nice video but with dissapointed finale
Ah I quite liked it, felt like a different show but I did enjoy it, thanks for the comment
@@heavyspoilers will second season happen or this is the end?
@@heavyspoilers - What did you really like about the ending? That a killer is free? I don't care whether or not he gets hurt, unless they would have hinted that he is going to be disabled for life, which then I would feel the author punished him somehow instead of being in prison. it seems like you also believed Jacob was the killer, that's why I am surprised you liked the ending.
Great Video, I was not a big of the ending but I still liked the show.
The reason I feel Jacob did it was the difference in his reactions after hope vs Ben. He had a very dull attitude after leaving Hope which contrasted the way he went to school after he found Ben.
I don't understand ur theory but I'm interested plz explain
Jacob's mother did it.
Yeah seems like two totally different people
@@soullesssenpai1900 no she was there in the house always remember the police did interrogate them they won't let her go just like that if she was out .
The reason was the difference in his reactions after hope vs Ben?? That makes no sense lol of course he had a dull attitude after leaving hope. Because hope ditched him at that New Year’s Eve party she invited him to for some dudes that wanted to rape her. Would you be happy about that??
The scene where Derek told Andy that you don't know Jacob that his son has a dark side... led me to think if his innocence. For him to write that story 3 days after Ben's body was found and for him to post that image with an axe is confusing. I'm also baffled by the way he called Sarah a Slut when Sara was the only person who talked to him. Then after a brief moment, Sara texted him back in the middle of the events of the trial Jacob acted like, everything was okay and didn't apologize for calling Sarah a slut. I'm still in the mix whether or not he killed Ben.
He did. Why does his story of how he found ben has holes in it? How can you forget something like that. And who see a dead body of someone they know and go to school and make jokes?
@@christophersterling836 because he was a kid and was in panic maybe?
@@christophersterling836 actually it's very common for people to forget things like that just from shock
You forgot the story he wrote about the murder... he wrote stop it you hurting me.... like the witness says he heard
But he already knows about it i mean he wrote it after 3 days.
Yeah, someone said all the details in the story were already leaked by the time it was posted.
My favourite bit of the show was that school... Ain't nobody friends, ain't nobody answering the cops questions, ain't nobody like Ben... What were those kids doing
I think that the mom is just like a perfectionist and now that she can’t make a perfect family she throws the baby album away in hope that she can make a new baby to replace Jacob after she killed him :/ idk this is what I believe
This show had me and my husband losing our minds!!! Like WDF!!!
I preferred the book's ending. I get what they did...and why. But, there was something tragically poetic, honest, and brutally blunt about the book's ending.
I need to check it out, hearing nothing but good things about it
even being a son of a lawer jacob isn't capable of clearing too much details from the killing spot.
only just a fingerprint?
i think he didn't killed ben
because
killing a boy of same age soo smoothly is iimpossible even for a evil child..
if jacob done it why he left 1 finger print??
and if he is so smart to kill ben so easily why he hide the knife in his bed drawer.. which is soo foolishness.
i think this show is just for giving a head pressure.
pardon my english
stay home stay safe
Love from Bangladesh
So who did it?
Nah, he didn’t do it.
Sure maybe he did in the book, but in the show world I don’t think so
Was thinking this too, probably was jaedens portrayal, definetely made Jacob seem more human, twisted and dark for sure, but not the killer
I completely agree. I do know from interviews with the cast that they tried to make Jacob less brooding and more palatable in the TV series, so that combined with some of the changes that the show made from the book makes his innocence more ambiguous. I don’t think we know at the end who did it, which is exactly what Andy has to live with. In the book, it’s more that Jacob is basically guilty, and there’s no real way to refute it, so Andy has to deal with knowing that his bloodline’s violence made it past him into his son, and looking back on memories of Jacob trying to rationalize it all.
Rebecca Stokem also I think the car scene with his mom at the end is more impactful if he’s actually innocent. Like it makes more sense for the arc of self destruction the mom went through.
Danny C. Yes, definitely! I actually love that ending car scene in the show, from an acting and script perspective, specifically because you can feel Jacob’s real fear over what’s going to happen. Jaeden Martell did such a great job of making the audience resonate with Jacob in that moment, looking at his mother and desperately trying to say anything to prevent the inevitable. In the book, we only get the crash from Andy’s imagination, which is still tragic, but I liked getting a more omniscient view of it all.
Danny C. Yes he did, he killed hope also, just not in this story, but in the book he did. Jacob was a serial killer.
The reason I thought Jacob was innocent throughout the show was an outside detail: Apple has made it clear that they do not allow “bad guys” in movies and TV shows to use Apple products-it’s bad publicity. Jacob is seen using various Apple products throughout the show. In fact, it’s emphasized. Leonard Pats, on the other hand, used an Android phone. Maybe this is insignificant, but I took this as a pretty notable piece of outside evidence in Jacob’s favor, seeing as how it is an Apple original production.
Ah true that’s a very good point haha, well done, I remember that being a big part of knives out
Doesnt mean anything what u said. They didnt reveal who the murderer actually was so even the actual murderer could have hold an iphone.
I wish they would’ve looked more in to Derek”s obsession with Sarah and his anger from the photo she sent to Ben. Is this it for the show ?? Or will it renew for another season. It’s so many unanswered questions, this was good!!
Could it be possible that Jacob was trying to protect someone?
Maybe Sarah.
the outcomes are endless. its crazy...
I thought the same thing!
Thank you for this because i just watched the final episode on Saturday and I’m really confused
Hope this clears things up a bit, thanks for the comment
Jacob didn't kill Ben. He never had the guts for it - he always escaped into the world of fantasy where he imagined him hurting Ben. He always ran into his dark world when Ben bullied him at school. His response to stress was writing dark stories. Additionally, Jacob was angry when he discovered that Ben had been killed by someone - because he had never stood up to him and never managed to show Ben how much he hated him. That's why he wrote a short story in which he kills him - because he was disappointed and angry with himself that he himself never had the courage to stand against him in real life. Also, Jacob's lack of courage is shown in the final episode as he runs away from dating a girl in Mexico - he was never brave for certain things. He always ran away into his world of games or fantasies. He was a strange child, but not a murderer.
wow i'm 100% agree
My name is Jacob it felt good to hear Chris Evans say my name
Interesting that you interpreted Andy sitting in the dark as him being the only one who doesn't know the truth that Jacob and Laurie know about each other- I saw it as her maybe genuinely not remembering what happened, that Jacob might never wake and if he does probably won't remember, and Andy knows the truth - that Laurie tried to kill Jacob at least, but is choosing not to believe it. He's willfully blind, symbolised by him choosing to go sit in the dark. Being "in the dark" as a common phrase for not knowing something that is evident to others.
My brain hurts after watching the show-
How did you miss the symbolism of the final shot: Andy sat in Jacob’s room the same way he found Ben’s dad sitting in his room.
Incredible series!! Chris Evans deserves an Oscar- Academy some type of award for his role! Michelle Dockery as well!!! I have to say I believe Jacob did it. I believe if the trial would have ended up in the Jurors hands I believe they would have found him guilty or a hung jury
They Don't give oscars for series bruh🤷
I think he didn't ...all the scenes where real showing the past and the present no hallucination so the scene showing jakob finding Ben was proof that he didn't he was in the wrong place in wrong time...
fair enough, that makes sense with the way they used flashbacks
I think trying to determine whether he Jacob killed Ben or not is a fruitless endeavour and not the purpose of the show. The point is can you live with not knowing or at least never being certain, Andy throughout most of the show has far more reason to believe Jacob is guilty (since he knows about the hit on Leonard earlier than Laurie) but he is able to live with that for the most part. Laurie isn’t and the proof there is that even when he confesses she doesn’t believe him, no amount of evidence can convince her one way or the other and it’s the not knowing which makes her attempt the murder suicide, I don’t think it’s just because she believes he did it.
I personally believe he didn't do it. I've faced so many guys messing around like him and this behavior doesn't mean he did it at any extent.
But maybe your view has another point: when Lori doubts Jacob being sincere, Andy tell her that it is impossible to act so good. And maybe that's why he believe in Lori's words of not remembering the crash
P. S. the final song You were the kindness by The National brings additional sense to the scene, walking in Jacobs room and sitting on his bed and lyrics "don't leave me here alone". "Everything's weird and were always in danger. Why would you shatter somebody like me" -- Andy thinking of why Lori tried to kill Jacob. And as you noticed "there's a radiant darkness upon us" - he is left in the dark
Listen to the story wrote analyse it properly he 100% guilty
from the books..he did and he actually killed a second person. the girl he met on vacation...the show changed that
Gideon Disu but why do you think so? And maybe if they changed her death and his death in the car crash they wanted to make people more likely to think he didn’t do it?
ENVER ISMAIL I listened and I’m sure he didn’t do it
@TOASTED NETWORK it could've also been Derek who did it because of what Ben had on Sarah. Also Ben also bullied Derek. The only reason he wasn't a suspect is because he doesnt have a murderer for a grandfather, he didnt have a knife, and he wasn't in the woods. How would it make senes for Jacob to keep the knife in such a easy place to find.
the whole show got me doubting if Jacob did it or not, but at the end when Hope was found alive, for me that was the turning point, I don't think Jacob did it.
Well, after the incident with Hope, his indifferent behavior, his stammering, uncoordinating sorry, I was certain he had killed the girl... but wow, she showed up alive. I then realized that it was possible that Jacob didn't kill Ben. Maybe he's just a delusional kid that doesn't know how to show emotion. Oh well.. I guess we'll just never know. For all we know Pats could have done it, what if that was an honest confession, however, he had to be killed because if he was left alive, he could report the ordeal to the police and things would turn against Andy and Jacob.
Honestly I related to the his show to Jacob being accused of something he didn't do
I love watching your analysis even though I don't watch the show lol I just enjoy hearing explainations
Ah thank you I guess 😂
I think Laurie went crazy and took the extreme "Mama Bear" measure and tried to kill Andy in order to protect him from the "Outsiders" aka the Law, the judges, Ben´s family, literally anyone else.
Let’s remember that they actually find a knife in the woods and it was not the one that Jacob had
Now, in the book Laurie actually loses her memory after the crash and I think they tried to incorporate that in the show.. Though Andy knows she did it deliberately, he knows her condition and acts along not wanting to put his family go through more than what they've already been through.. and so he agrees to Laurie saying ' I just want my family back'..
All I could think while watching it was: I LOVE YOU CAPTAIN AMERICA! xD (And how Laurie reminded me of TWD Laurie and are they the same actress? No, they're not, but they kinda look alike xD)
It was very entertaining...J.K. Simmons was the cherry on top. I need a second season, I want to know what happened to Ben.
I don't think a 15 y/o would have the capacity to keep this secret. Their brains are underdeveloped and incapable to manage this degree of stress and deception. Laurie just cracked, since she was under a lot of stress as well. Plus all they had was 1 fingerprint and a creepy story. That is nothing. No DNA whatsoever. Jacob going on social media and being careless was just him being a stupid teenager. Not really grasping the scope of it all and the possible consequences. I actually think Sara had something to do with it or the other kid, Eric? There's something weird there.
THIS SHOW WAS FILMED IN MY CITY!
This show is very underrated :/
WHY THE HELL DID THEY LEFT US HANGING
I am still majorly undecided whether or not Jacob did it but there is something suspicious that makes me lean towards that he did it. During the trial there is a man who was in the park a few minutes or something before the murder and he said that he heard a boy's voice saying "Stop. You're hurting me" and then later when Derek is reading the story that Jacob posted on that cutter site, it says that the boy whose arm was being twisted was pretending to be hurt and said " Ow, you're hurting me" just to sell it. I mean, come on, yes there is a one word difference but it's basically the same sentence. That can't just be Jacob's imagination or a coincidence or just a 'stupid story'.
I absolutely loved this review. I watched some of the show but I get irritated quickly when a show like this has a “did he or didn’t he” type vibe. It was great coming here and you explained the rest of the show and what it all meant to you.
If Andy wasn't such an innate lyer, lying to Laurie throughout their marriage, she would not have finally cracked. In the book Jacob kills Hope, so yeah he is guilty.
I am very mad at the producer of the TV show who was playing identity politics by changing things from the book to make some people look better than others. And I am not talking about Jacob, Jacob obviously killed Ben as there were more hints to that throughout the book.
It’s a series not a movie and Chris Evans was actually one of the executive producers
Actually with the way Jacob is described even in the book, it’s highly unlikely he killed Hope. Unless something was dropped on her throat to cause the crushed windpipe - we’re never told in the book HOW it is crushed - he couldn’t have. At least not with his bare hands. Even for kids that age it would take an adult to crush a windpipe with their hands. We are told he has something on his swimsuit but again we’re never told how her windpipe was crushed. So without the details, we can’t assume he actually killed Hope in the book.
Shes dumb both ways. U cant accuse someone of being a murder just because his father was. “Murder genes” which is bs lol
What a great review! I love how you got straight to the point and focused your assessment of the show on hints revealed throughout to draw your conclusion.
In the end, Laurie is no better herself. Acts righteous with regard to believing what her son might’ve done but then goes and tries to take a life herself. She knows very well she tried to kill Jacob but is hiding behind possibly being delirious from stress. Trying to strategically worm her way out of it.
This entire show should teach one thing. EVERYTHING you do can be brought up in court.
I just finished watching and damn. Hell of a story. I honestly don’t know what the truth really is. I really hope there is a second season.
Maybe laurie has something dark in her, that she fears jacob inherited. It seems laurie knows her own son, and realize they're alike
It would’ve been so cool if the murder gene test showed positive then because it’s only passed down maternally.
@@giantsalamander8139 i thought it was? Another comment said the show said it was from the mother's side??
@@meghanhixon3241 yes it’s passed down maternally but Jacob didn’t test positive
finally someone mentioned this!
I definitely feel like Jacob didn’t do it yes he wrote in that violence website about him killing Ben but i think it’s just a sick fantasy a story nothing more. The evidence was just a finger print and I truly believe Jacobs story that he moved Ben to see if he was okay. And when he “confessed” he was under serious pressure from his “mother” and wanted her to slow down so he told her what she wanted to hear but Laurie didn’t believe him and tried to murder herself and her son. What type of mother does that?
I thought at first that Jacob died in the end because of Andy sitting in Jacob’s room with the drink in the dark like the boy who died dads did when they were at his house
A second season is absolutely needed. The story seems incomplete
Check out the book, the ending is similar but more definite in my mind.
@@drinkerofalltheteas Does the book indicate that Jacob did it?
Pre Law
Yes. I think they changed some stuff from the book to the series so they would be able to make a 2nd season. In the book hope was killed, and Jacob also died at the end of the book
I think Jacob’s mom killed Ben Rifkin. Ep 1 shows her coming home from a morning jog. Is it possible she was has having an inappropriate relationship with Ben Rifkin and he threaten to tell and she met up with him in the park and stabbed him. He said “stop your hurting me” sounds like something you would say to someone you are close too knowing they are acting out of character. She could’ve changed her clothes and the fact she was comfortable committing vehicular manslaughter (almost) is a HUGE red flag. I’m probably the only one who thinks this but there’s so many scenarios, suspects and theories that are tied to Ben Rifkins murder. Awesome show doe wow I am so invested
You explained this so well! I haven't watched the show yet because I don't have apple tv. One day I will watch it, sadly today I'll just have to stick to watching spoilers and having someone else explain it to me
Seriously?? How can you live this way lol. Download dramatics it’s on there for free 😉
I read the book and can't wait to see the movie. For what I understood from reading the book, Jacob was guilty. We know in depth what the dad is thinking the whole time, and even get a tiny bit of the mom's thoughts, but we never know what Jacob is thinking.What a great book. I love the trial explanations. Usually movies are never as good as books. I will let you know. But you definitely should read the book. It is very well written and emotional.
I wonder Chris Evan could be a better more darker Thomas Wayne is we ever have a Flashpoint Batman Movie in the future...ig.
With how things unfolded in the last episode, I am inclined more to the theory of Jacob being the murderer. Jaeden acted really well, I mean his face depicted no emotions in the entire series that left me wondering whether or not he is guilty. I also totally understand the mom's POV, she went through a lot and I can't blame her for wanting to kill her son and herself.
Andy is the only innocent one here. It's sad because he tried really hard to keep his family together and also had to deal deal with his own misgivings. The man never even shed a tear despite it all and I know from the ending shot, he probably feels like he failed his family.
I found an awesome "Easter Egg", the vocabulary words he was studying described all of Jacob's characteristics.
Perspicacious: Having a keen understanding
Cursory: he definitely lacks depth
Myopic: He has a very narrow view
Recalcitrant: defying authority - he spent the entire movie doing this. Also, it was the one word he did not know.
In the end all three displayed these characteristics!
i just finished the serie and honestly it was so freaking good!!!
Ok I just finished watching this series about an hour ago. So the whole story is still fresh in my mind. I read about 30 or so of the subsequent comments following this video and it has just enhanced the desire I've been having to write a screenplay abundantly. Now here's my take on the whole thing...
Your comments on this presentation are being said like this were an actual event. Like something taken from the 6pm news. It also appears that at least 3 suspects are still at large in your thoughts. Now I'm not complaining about that. I enjoy a good drama, mystery myself and I also love getting lost in them as though they were actual real life events too. But here is where I become frustrated...
Ask any DA in the country and they can tell you the number of murder cases that go unsolved every year. One is too many but the figure is much higher. This leaves thousands of grieving family members grieve even more with the lack of closure. It's a terrible thing but it's REAL LIFE. Something we must all deal with daily. But many murder cases are solved and the people who commit them are prosecuted lawfully and punished accordingly. That's the real life that Hollywood used to always give us. A chance to see justice served. A chance for all of us vicariously living movie watchers to feel good about what we just watched.
But when the the door is left so wide open I feel like the writers have done me an injustice. I watch movies to feel them and I love the metaphorical door slamming shut on the case. In this story that didn't happen and left me unfilled after the 8 hour watch.
I have nothing negative to say about the acting or pace of the story. But in my opinion a good solid ending is really more important than anything else in a movie or TV show.
What about the Jacob's shirt?
On the new year's night?
He said he left it on the beach? It was weird I was questioning that too
It’s irrelevant. The writers probly just paying homage to the book. Hope leaving with other guys rules out any suspicion
Irrelevant, Hope turned up and Jacob had nothing to do with her disappearance.
I thank the creator of this episode- it gave me a lot of closure and understanding of the whole meaning I couldn’t quite grasp. So again thanks :)))
We all know the series is different from the book, the latter being clearer in its ending. Since it is a series, they had to keep things open and hanging to have a possibility of season 2. In the end, it’s about business for Apple