The seventh episode of PRESUMED INNOCENT is called “THE WITNESS,” and it shows Rusty Sabich (Jake Gyllenhaal) making more bad choices that make his situation even more difficult. When the show starts, Rusty has decided to represent himself in court after his defense lawyer Raymond (Bill Camp ) has a heart attack and needs to be hospitalized. Even though the judge and Rusty’s friends beg him not to, he is determined to lead his defense. This sets the stage for a series of dramatic arguments in court.
RUSTY IS IN CHARGE
All of the people involved are shocked by Rusty’s choice to be his own lawyer. Nico (O-T Fagbenle) and Tommy (Peter Sarsgaard), who want Rusty to fail, are shocked by his choice. Ann Dowd plays Judge Lyttle (Noma Dumezweni), who doesn’t want to let Rusty go but does. She tells him that he will be cross-examined in detail if he gives his version of what happened.
When the trial starts up again, Rusty questions a key witness, Michael (Tate Birchmore), a 12-year-old boy whose mother was brutally killed. Michael blames Rusty for the crime, and Rusty tries to discredit Michael by showing him disturbing text messages from Michael to his mother. In the end, Rusty yells, “Did you kill your mother?” because he was rude and angry during the cross-examination. Rusty’s accusations make Michael’s father very angry, and he lunges at him but is stopped.
WHAT NICO AND TOMMY DID
When Nico and Tommy think about how Rusty’s behavior might affect the jury, they decide to call Detective Alana “Rigo” Rodriguez, played by Nana Mensah) as a witness. They hope that her testimony will show how bad Rusty’s defense is. Rusty’s relationships with Rigo have been complicated, and Eugenia (Virginia Kull), who has been loyal to Rusty in the past, is now a key part of this plan.
Tommy puts pressure on Eugenia to think that Carolyn (Renate Reinsve) may have told Rusty she was going to keep the baby, which could have made Rusty act violently. Rusty gets angry when he feels surrounded and tells Eugenia to get out of his car, which shows how unstable he is mentally.
RUSTY’S WAR ON HIMSELF
As Rusty goes through the trial, his destructive tendencies become more clear. He gets into a fight with Judge Lyttle because he wants to cross-examine Rigo. Judge Lyttle tells him again what will happen because of what he did. Mya (Gabby Beans), who has always been there for Rusty, finally loses it and tells him she no longer wants to help him. Even though it makes her angry, Mya keeps giving Rusty advice and support as he gets ready to testify.
But the night before his testimony, Rusty takes Ritalin to stay alert, which worries his family. His kids are worried about him using drugs, which makes things more tense in the Sabich home. It’s clear that Rusty’s mental health is getting worse as he struggles to stay calm.
THE LAST TESTIMONY
Rusty finally takes the stand, and Tommy starts to question him nonstop. He tries to stay calm, but he starts to lose it. Tom plays a video of Rusty attacking Brian Ratzer (Marco Rodríguez), which hurts Rusty’s credibility and makes him look unstable and dangerous. When Tommy brings up Rusty’s fight with Kumagai, things get worse, and Rusty has no good defense.
Tommy’s strategic questioning shows that Rusty tends to “snap,” which supports the prosecution’s case that Rusty can kill. Tommy’s manipulation of the evidence and witnesses makes Rusty look more and more guilty, which is the high point of the courtroom drama.
THE AFTERMATH
At the end of the episode, Rusty is at home, clearly upset and tired. When his wife Barbara (Ruth Negga), asks him how he did in court, Rusty says he was too aggressive in his defense. Rusty is getting more and more desperate, and the scene shows how the trial is affecting his mental and emotional health.
When Tommy got home, his house had been broken into and a fire poker, the mysterious murder weapon, had been left on his kitchen counter with a note threatening him. This turn of events makes the story even more dangerous and interesting.
“THE WITNESS” is an exciting episode that shows how Rusty’s life falls apart as he fights the biggest court case of his life. His choice to represent himself, along with his unstable behavior and questionable judgment, makes for an interesting and dramatic courtroom show. For those who are excited to see how Rusty’s story will end, this episode sets the scene for the season finale.
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