Presumed Innocent episode 8 (finale): The future of Rusty, Barbara
The Presumed Innocent finale on Apple TV+ this week offered answers on Carolyn’s death, but also other things we did not anticipate at all. Take, for example, seeing how example Rusty and Barbara Sabich moved forward after the conclusion of the trial.
Before proceeding further, let us just issue another reminder here as to the verdict, shall we? Jake Gyllenhaal’s character was found Not Guilty; meanwhile, it was later revealed that his daughter Jaden was responsible for her death. Rusty then covered up the crime, but did so thinking that it was actually his wife who committed the act. Talk about a twist within a twist!
SUBSCRIBE to Matt & Jess on YouTube for more PRESUMED INNOCENT videos!
The resolution to the murder case is easily the most shocking part of the finale, especially when it comes to diverting away from the source material. However, let’s not undersell the fact that the closing minutes showed Rusty’s entire family … happy? They’ve all moved forward from this and are seemingly okay?
Perhaps the least satisfactory thing about the end of Presumed Innocent is that despite all that happened, there is no clear sense of comeuppance for anyone. Both Rusty and Jaden are free and meanwhile, the family is still together. Barbara may feel forced to stay at this point, given that her daughter killed someone and her husband covered it up, thinking he was helping her despite the fact that his illicit affair caused the whole mess in the first place.
Can you still imagine that somewhere down the line, Barbara divorces him? Maybe, but perhaps the question we were most curious about coming out of the finale was not addressed at all: What is happening when it comes to Rusty’s future as a prosecutor? Even if he did not kill Carolyn, everyone is now publicly aware of the incident with the medical examiner as well as the brawl outside his house. That is without even noting the hyper-public nature of the affair and the idea that his own morality and ethics would be called into question at each and every turn moving forward.
If Rusty wants to continue to practice law, it would hard to imagine his working from his current side; maybe there is a future for him as a defense attorney, but this is not something that the finale focuses on. Even though there is another season coming to Apple TV+, all indications at present are that we are looking in the direction of a separate story that will likely be geared around its own individual case.
Related – When will you actually see the Presumed Innocent season 2 premiere?
Following the Presumed Innocent season 1 finale, do you really think that Rusty will have a happy family?
Give us all of your assorted thoughts and theories now in the comments and after you do, come back around to ensure you do not miss anything more.