HOLLYWOOD—I have been hearing so much about the Apple TV series “Presumed Innocent” starring Oscar nominees Jake Gyllenhaal and Ruth Negga. Man, talk about a gripping series that hooks you and doesn’t let go until the big reveal at the end. FYI, I figured out the big bomb about four to five episodes in as certain scenes just gave it away for me.
However, that spoiler did not stop me from being engrained in this legal thriller that does it right, even though a few things are cliché and viewed as the norm in the genre. Gyllenhaal portrays prosecutor Rusty Sabich, whose world is upended when a colleague of his is brutally murdered.
In the midst of dealing with this murder, Rusty is aware that his job is in limbo as an election is underway for his current boss, Raymond Horgan (Bill Camp) and Nico Della Guardia (O-T Fagbenle). There are tensions people, but more tension between Rusty and Tommy (Peter Skarsgard), who wants Rusty’s job. When Guardia wins the election, Horgan finds himself out of a job, and Rusty becomes concerned, especially as the audience learns he had an affair with Carolyn Polhemus (Renate Reinsve).
His wife, Barbara, forgave her hubby, but when another secret is revealed, it totally changes everything, as Rusty goes from a colleague to a suspect in Carolyn’s death. This is some of Gyllenhaal’s best work to date. He is immersive in the character, and it is quite the layered performance. The writing does an exceptional job at making the viewer question Rusty’s innocence, you truly don’t know if he committed the deed or not, and that is the massive question.
The evidence is there, the theory is there, the secrets are coming to light and multiple people easily become suspects. Negga proves yet again, why she has earned so many acting accolades. Her performance is very quiet and nuanced, but when she explodes, it is riveting to witness. I loved Camp in the role of Raymond; he’s blunt, honest and doesn’t take any mess from anyone and it was a joy to witness such a character on the small screen.
On the flipside, I found myself so annoyed with Fagbenle. Like the way the character spoke, the way he acted, it just felt lazy to me. Skarsgard is brilliant as the prosecution on task with proving that Rusty committed murder and there are so many misdirects where I literally suspect three different people to be culpable in Carolyn’s murder. Each episode manages to get juicer to the point that you don’t want to stop watching, you want to see how it all ends and that is a testament to a magnificent narrative and solid acting.
The acting elevates a story that feels like something you have seen before but stands out because of the gut punches that it delivers with each episode. The ending is one that may satisfy some, it might frustrate others, but the clues are there if you pay attention. It has been a very long time since a series hooked me from episode one to the point that I binge-watched the entire mini-series in a single day.
Not many TV shows can do that America, but “Presumed Innocent” did. This is not something you should watch in the background; it is a drama that you want to watch with full focus and no distractions because it is that gripping as a drama series.
