'Defending Jacob' Episode 3: What made Laurie suspicious of her son?
Jacob Barber (Jaeden Martell) is arrested, kept in jail overnight before his bail hearing and through all of this, his parents are worried about their son. In Episode 3 of 'Defending Jacob,' we see how worry transforms into frustration and when things go out of control, a sliver of suspicion becomes dangerous. For instance, all it took to spark Laurie Barber's suspicions is the truth about her husband Andy Barber's father. Until Andy revealed about his father being imprisoned in jail for killing a girl, Laurie was quite sure about Jacob's innocence. The moment she hears the truth, however, tiny details about Jacob as a child and his years growing up come back to haunt Laurie.
It seems as if everything that she had buried deep within her is now bubbling to the surface and all that she can do is cry in her bathroom. She cannot possibly voice her concern to her husband considering it is his father's act that is worrying her about her son's intentions. The time that Jacob pushed a girl in kindergarten, when he tried to beat a boy with a heavy ball, all the times that Jacob was difficult becomes a weight that Laurie is unable to carry and in the face of all her doubts, Andy is unable to comprehend how to keep his family from falling apart.
Certain moments make it seem as if Laurie's troubles have less to do with her son and more to do with how people around her are reacting to everything. The flashes of self-centered, insensitive behavior are not many, but they are definitely present. For instance, while it is understandable that Laurie would be upset with the neighborhood terrorizing her and family, her act of throwing food that a friend had brought for her family in the trash is dramatic and over the top.
She is upset that her friend wanted to tell her to her face that she wouldn't be able to meet her anymore because associating with the Barber family at this point will be troublesome for everyone involved. While Laurie reacts to this situation, she doesn't seem capable of considering her son's feelings about seeing his mother become volatile. If Jacob were innocent, such things would only end up weighing Jacob down with guilt that he has caused too much trouble for his family.
This guilt could also ruin his life in the long run but somehow Laurie's actions seem thoughtless in the face of it all. What one really would have expected to see is worry, or frustration over the unfair treatment that her son is facing. In this episode though, everything seems to revolve around Laurie.
She doubts her son and the fact that murderous intent could be passed through genes is what brings about this change in Laurie.
New episodes of 'Defending Jacob' will drop on Friday on Apple TV+.
