Presumed Innocent: Who Is Carolyn's Murderer?
One suspect is much more suspicious than the others.
In 1990, Alan J. Pakula's detective drama Presumed Innocent was released, starring Harrison Ford and Greta Scacchi. Two decades later, Scott Turow's novel of the same name was adapted for the screen again, this time as a series: with Jake Gyllenhaal in the main role.
What Is Presumed Innocent About?
In Chicago, state's attorney Carolyn is found brutally murdered in her home. Carolyn, who had put many criminals behind bars, had many enemies. But no evidence was found at the crime scene.
District Attorney Raymond Horgan assigned the case to Rusty Sabich, who had worked with Carolyn on several cases. Carolyn and Rusty were having an affair, but only Sabich's wife, Barbara, knew about it. When the information falls into other people's hands, Rusty quickly becomes the prime suspect.
It turns out that Rusty had been relentlessly trying to contact Carolyn for the past few months, bombarding her with dozens of messages and phone calls. And on the night of the murder, he visited his lover. But there is no direct evidence. Horgan takes on his old friend's defense.
Did Rusty kill his lover, or did someone else?
Story Has Strong Focus on Rusty's Family
Rusty's betrayal becomes a major topic of the series. Barbara knew about her husband's affair, but he insisted that the relationship was short-lived and had ended long ago. Now the wife will have to forgive the traitor once again.
The creators of the series pay a lot of attention to the members of the Sabich family, not only because they also became victims of Rusty's mistakes. The writers are interested in showing what a trial and round-the-clock surveillance means for them.
It is the conflict within the family that proves to be the most interesting: despite all the legitimate accusations, Barbara continues to support Rusty. Considering everything her husband has done, such a caring attitude might be confusing.
The Show Will Probably Repeat the Original Ending
However, literally since the first season, viewers have been gradually fed lines from Barbara about how she could have left Rusty long ago, but did not. We are told by Barbara's own words that her family is the most important thing to her and that she is willing to do anything to save it. And that sounds extremely suspicious if you pay attention to these phrases.
Although many years have passed since the premiere of the film, Presumed Innocent has not changed much — the new interpretation does not rethink the conflict. For some, this might be a disappointment, but for us, the important thing is that the show makes the same accents as the movie — and there's a high probability that the finale twist will remain unchanged, too.
And yes, in the original movie, the killer turned out to be Barbara, who was trying by all means to save her marriage and literally get rid of her husband's obsession.
When and Where to Watch Presumed Innocent Final Episode?
We're going to find out how it all ends very soon — the final eighth episode, called The Verdict, will be released on Apple TV+ on July 24.