Previously on Apple TV’s Presumed Innocent, Rusty Sabich (Jake Gyllenhaal) continues to search for clues on the murder of his colleague, Carolyn Polhemus (Renate Reinsve). He’s also struggling at home with his wife and children, after admitting to having an affair with Carolyn. Later, Rusty was arrested as the prime suspect in the murder.
It’s now the third episode and it begins with taking the viewers back to where the previous episode ended, Rusty getting the text message. He goes outside to the backyard and calls the number. The caller answers the phone but doesn’t reply to him as he asks who it is. Rusty’s wife Barbara (Ruth Negga) comes outside and he tells her about the text. In his mind, Rusty has flashbacks to the night Carolyn was murdered, realizing he was there. Barbara gets emotional and walks away.
Next, we see Rusty’s former boss and friend, Raymond Horgan (Bill Camp), waking up from having a dream of Rusty killing Carolyn. Raymond tells his wife, Lorraine (Elizabeth Marvel), about it and she tells him it could be a sign. He disagrees.
After Raymond and Lorraine talk about Rusty and the case, the next scene returns to the Sabich household. Rusty gets a text from the random number, telling him to meet them somewhere. Afterward, Rusty goes to Raymond’s to tell him about the message. Rusty admits that he went to Carolyn’s after work that night. Raymond warns his friend that there’s a possibility that the person he will be meeting with will be wearing a wire.
Afterward, Barbara meets with her boss, Kate (Rosanna Arquette). Kate tells her to step back from her job because of the trial.
Later on, Detective Alana Rodriguez (Nana Mensah), who’s supporting and helping Rusty, is questioned by Tommy Molto (Peter Sarsgaard) and Nico Della Guardia (O-T Fagbenle). She finds it funny that they’re questioning her when she hasn’t done anything wrong. Nico walks her out of the room, warning her that if she continues to help Rusty, he will not hesitate to get her fired.
Rusty meets with the stranger and it’s Carolyn’s son, Michael (Tate Birchmore). Michael tells him that he has pictures and videos of Rusty from the night his mother died. He says that Rusty was the only one at the house that night.
It’s the next day. Rusty and Raymond meet with Mya Winslow (Gabby Beans) for a conference regarding the trial. Nico and Tommy are also there. They review the information which will be used in the trial. Raymond hints that they know there was a witness with photographic evidence that Rusty was there that night. Tommy and Nico must turn in that evidence.
After the conference, Rusty and his family have dinner. Jaden (Chase Infiniti) asks Rusty what evidence they have against him. Rusty tells them about the DNA found in his car and Carolyn’s home. He also tells them about the pregnancy. Kyle (Kingston Rumi Southwick) asks him if he ever thought about doing a plea deal and both Rusty and Barbara are shocked that their son would bring that up.
Rusty leaves the dinner table, with Barbara following behind. The two of them start to talk about what Kyle said. Rusty thinks Kyle believes he killed Carolyn, but Barbara thinks Kyle is just scared. Kyle comes to the door and hugs his dad, apologizing and saying he’s scared.
Next, we see Nico and Tommy out at a bar, discussing the case. They have different views on the investigation and how the trial will go. Nico doesn’t fully trust Tommy. He believes that Tommy is seeking validation and that he’d do anything to be on top. He also comments that Tommy hates Rusty. But, Tommy says he doesn’t hate him, but it’s complicated.
On the following day, Rusty meets again with Raymond and Mya. When Raymond leaves the room, Mya asks Rusty if he loved Carolyn. Rusty gets nervous and ignores the question. She pries at him and he tells her that it was both lust and love. Rusty tells her about the time when he fell in love with Carolyn. It was a case involving a little girl and he adored how Carolyn handled the situation, how she helped the little girl.
Raymond and Rusty go back to Carolyn’s apartment to check things out. Rusty keeps having flashbacks of when he saw Carolyn’s body.
Meanwhile, Tommy is trying to find new information and evidence at the office. He listens to phone calls between Carolyn and Rusty.
Rusty is back home and he looks over the pictures and videos that Michael took the night of the murder. As he’s scrolling through them, he finds someone riding a bike. When he zooms in on the picture, it’s Kyle. What does this mean?
This episode was put together pretty well, with the evidence being brought to Rusty’s attention. The two main questions are why was Kyle riding his bike at night there? Did Rusty kill Carolyn or was it someone else?
Rating: 8/10