People vs. Rozat Sabich – The story opens with Rusty Sabich (Jake Gyllenhaal) in the interrogation room. DA Tommy Molto (Peter Sarsgaard) asks if he knows who is the father of Carolyn’s baby. Rusty says no but gets evasive when he is asked to take a paternity test and abruptly leaves. Shocked, Raymond Horgan (Bill Camp) pursues him into the lobby and says he cost him his election. Rusty claims he was forced into managing his campaign. Irate, Raymond says he should have been upfront about his relationship with Carolyn. Tommy catches Rusty as he is leaving and urges him to take a paternity test. Rusty says get a warrant.

While swimming, Rusty has a flashback of having sex with Carolyn Polhemus (Renate Reinsve). A short time later, he tells Barbara Sabich (Ruth Negga) that Carolyn was pregnant when she was killed and he may be the father. He says the detectives have named him a suspect in her murder. She recalls him ending the affair a year ago. He confesses to having a recent weeklong fling with her.

Raymond and Lorraine Horgan (Elizabeth Marvel) discuss Rusty and Carolyn’s affair. She says Barbara needs to know that she was in the dark about the affair. He urges her to give Rusty time to talk with Barbara. She voices concern about how it will impact them as well.

Barbara sees Jaden Sabich (Chase Infiniti) and Kyle Sabich (Kingston Rumi Soutchwick) having fun in the backyard. While going through Bunny Davis’ case file, Rusty sees two spermatozoa samples, one of which belonged to Liam Reynolds (Mark Harelik). A short time later, he confronts Herbert Kumagai (James Hiroyuki Liao) with the evidence. Herbert claims the other semen sample was inconclusive and suggests it belonged to Rusty. Irate, Rusty grabs him by the shirt and accuses him of concealing evidence. Herbert denies the allegation. After calming down, Rusty tries to call Detective Alana Rodriguez (Nana Mensah) but she doesn’t answer.

Upset, Tommy tells DA Nico Della Guardia (O-T Fagbenie) about Rusty attacking Herbert. Nico urges him to put his feelings aside and follow the evidence to find the killer. Elsewhere, Barbara looks at the horrific crime scene photos. Rusty tries to call Rodriguez again with no luck. He joins his family for dinner. Barbara insists Rusty tell Jaden and Kyle about Carolyn. Rusty admits to having an affair with Carolyn. Jaden and Kyle leave the table. Barbara goes up to talk to them. In a flashback, Carolyn tries to break off the affair. Back to the present, Rusty makes a bed in the spare room. Jaden asks why he had an affair when he claims to love Barbara. He breaks down sobbing. Unable to sleep, he recalls a fight with Carolyn in a pool. She struggles against him as he tries to pull her down into the water. Kyle is up early taking his frustration out on the garage door. Rusty offers to make him pancakes but he refuses. The police arrive with a search warrant. Barbara, Kyle, and Jaden sit helplessly while their house is torn apart. Rusty submits to a paternity test.

Rusty is placed on administrative leave. He aggressively confronts Tommy about the search warrant. Nico warns him against interfering with the case. A short time later, Rusty and Barbara attend a therapy session. Dr. Liz Rush (Lily Rabe) accuses Rusty of lying about his affair with Carolyn. Rusty confesses to being obsessed with Carolyn to the point of stalking her. He expects to be arrested.

Rusty warns Raymond that he will be arrested and asks him to be his solicitor. Raymond says no. Rusty calls Rodriguez to ask her to set up a meeting between him and Reynolds. She says they removed her from the case. He informs her of the second spermatozoa sample and she agrees to set up the meeting. At the jail, Rusty offers to get Reynolds’ life sentence reduced in exchange for his accomplice’s name. Reynolds refuses the offer. Rusty returns to his car where Rodriguez is waiting. He insists Bunny and Carolyn’s cases are connected. She reminds him that Bunny was stabbed and Carolyn was beaten. He says they both were hogtied. She agrees to help him if he is honest with her.

Raymond tells Lorraine that Rusty is innocent and he would like to help him. She suggests they buy a place in Florida. He wants to salvage his legacy and a life with meaning. Elsewhere, Rusty learns he is the father of Carolyn’s baby when the police arrive to arrest him for first-degree murder. Raymond and Lorraine watch a press conference about Rusty’s arrest. Rusty is booked into jail. When he arrives at his hearing, he sees Raymond at the counsel table and his family in the front row. Raymond says his client pleads not guilty to the indictment. Judge Lyttle (Noma Dumezweni) sets the bail at $1.5 signature bond. Raymond requests an immediate trial date because his client is innocent. Lyttle reminds the district attorneys that Rusty served this court with distinction for years and urges them to aim for justice. Rusty smiles at his family and thanks Raymond for agreeing to be his solicitor. Raymond curses Nico and Tommy before walking away.

Rusty thanks his family for their support. He receives a text that reads, “You were there, I saw you.”

 

Presumed Innocent Review

The acting is wooden and not always believable. It appears to have been filmed by a camera crew with tremors and the picture is at times hazy. The bad editing only makes matters worse.

If the series sticks to the original plot, it will be a mere wrongly accused conspiracy. The story is simply uninspiring and boring. I suspect viewers will drop like flies because of the weekly installments. This will surely not go down as one of Jake Gyllenhaal’s best performances.

Bill Camp is a great supporting actor. Besides the DA, the rest of the cast is a moot point. The episode deserves a 5 out of 10.

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