I’ll Never Recover from ‘Presumed Innocent’ Episode 5’s Dream Sequence
I have a bone to pick with Apple TV+. Presumed Innocent has been my favorite show this summer, so it pains me to write this, but…WTF? Why did I just watch Bill Camp burp and fart in 4K? I could practically feel the man’s stomach gurgle through my headphones. Oh, and I thought he was just gassy. Turns out he was really gassy. So gassy that he exploded. I had to take a moment to collect myself after seeing blood, guts, and goo spread across my MacBook Air.
This show is supposed to be about courtrooms, sex, and famous actors staring into the distance! Not gore. We have House of the Dragon for that. Aside from the detonation of Bill Camp, though, this episode was quite good. It was even funny! Hearing Rusty (Jake Gyllenhaal) utter, “Hey, no murder trials at breakfast, especially mine” made up for the dream scene.
Speaking of Rusty, he’s so screwed. He’s still the prime suspect in Carolyn Polhemus’s murder. Meanwhile, his nemesis, Tommy Molto, is hell-bent on throwing him in prison. For anyone who stumbled into this corner of Esquire’s entertainment coverage, let me get you up to speed: Tommy, Rusty, and Carolyn are all lawyers at the same firm. Rusty and Carolyn had an affair, then she wound up dead. Tommy thinks Rusty did it, but he can’t prove it. Rusty thinks Tommy sucks, but that’s, uh, irrelevant.
In short: The case has everyone stressed the hell out. Rusty is losing his mind trying to find the real killer. Tommy is running out of time to prove Rusty did it. Raymond’s having wild dreams! He believes Rusty is innocent, but his subconscious says otherwise—hence the gassy explosion. His wife Lorraine is suspicious, too. “All these nightmares. They’re telling you the same thing,” she says. “There might not be hard evidence pointing to Rusty, but there’s no evidence proving he’s innocent, either.”
Episode 5 marked the trial’s opening day. Tommy delivered an impassioned speech, and Rusty seemed genuinely concerned for his well-being for the first time. Next week, we’ll hear from his defense and dive into Carolyn's case. But first, let’s review what just happened.
Rusty Beat the Hell Out of Brian Ratzer
Episode 5 begins with Rusty attacking Brian Ratzer. His wife is horrified. “Rusty!” she says. “You could’ve killed him!” Thankfully, he didn’t, but I have a feeling this altercation will come back to bite him. Getting into a fistfight while you’re on trial for murder is not a good look.
Barbara (Kind of!) Has a New Lover
I’ll be honest: I don’t really care about Barbara’s affair with the hot bartender. I like to support women’s wrongs, but this one’s boring. If she wants to get back at Rusty for cheating, then she should hurry up and do it. These episodes are only forty minutes long. We don’t have time to watch Barbara and the bartender breathe at each other. Just kiss already!
I’m only bringing this up because Barbara is an instrumental part of Rusty’s case. Raymond wants to put her on the stand. “She, as your wife, can attest to your demeanor,” he says. Barbara can attest to Rusty’s behavior, temperament, and location at the time of the murder. She needs to keep a clear head. Flirting with the bar boy can wait.
Tommy Is on Fire
Unfortunately, Tommy’s off the deep end. He’s convinced that Rusty is guilty and will stop at nothing to prove it. During a press conference, a reporter asked about the case and Tommy gave an impassioned plea about holding public figures accountable. Later, when his boss suggested his spiel was inappropriate, Tommy screamed in his face and demanded his support. “I’m the good guy in all of this,” he said. “They [the jury] need to understand that something is so because Tommy Molto says it’s so.” Yikes.
Unfortunately, his crazed mindset is paying off. Episode 5 ends with Tommy delivering his opening statement in court. It was great. He was empathetic, charming (somehow), and pious. He said things like, “If we can’t find the truth, what is the hope of justice?” and “Be faithful to the truth. Carolyn…that’s all she would have asked.” It took less than two minutes for him to tip the jury in his favor.
Hopefully, Raymond has some tricks up his sleeve. If not, Rusty might be behind bars soon.
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