Confronting Kyle’s Actions
In episode 4 of Presumed Innocent, titled “The Burden,” we witness intense familial drama. Rusty (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Barbara (Ruth Negga) confront their son, Kyle (Kingston Rumi Southwick), about his presence at Carolyn’s (Renate Reinsve) house the night she was murdered. Initially, Kyle claims it was a coincidence but soon admits to following Rusty after overhearing an argument about the affair. This revelation leads to more tension as Jaden (Chase Infiniti) listens from her room.
Kyle tells his mother that he saw Rusty enter Carolyn’s house. Barbara suggests therapy for Kyle, but Rusty’s aggressive interrogation style causes further discord. When Rusty remarks that Barbara is also to blame for their situation, she leaves, declaring she’s finished with him.
That night, Rusty finds Barbara cleaning Kyle’s bike in the garage, suspecting there might be evidence on it. Barbara reminds him that their son is black and thus more vulnerable to suspicion.
Rusty’s Descent
Amidst this chaos, Kyle starts seeing Dr. Liz (Lily Rabe) but refuses to talk, leading Liz to suggest she only counsel Barbara moving forward. Concurrently, Barbara continues flirting with Clifton (Sarunas J. Jackson) at a bar and ultimately exchanges contact information with him.
Later, Alana (Nana Mensah) informs Rusty that a second semen sample from the Bunny Davis case belongs to Brian Ratzer (Marco Rodríguez). Despite warnings, Rusty unsuccessfully tries to get a reaction from Brian about Carolyn’s murder.
The Night of the Murder
Rusty recounts the night of Carolyn’s murder to Mya (Gabby Beans). He was working late, getting no response to his texts to Carolyn. Eventually, drunk and annoyed, he left his office at 8:30 PM and went to Carolyn’s place at her invitation by 9:49 PM. They argued and were aggressive with each other. Mya senses he’s hiding something when cell data indicates he stayed there for 51 minutes.
Courtroom Tactics
Mya is pleased with the case’s direction but acknowledges that keeping Rusty off the witness stand is crucial. Tommy (Peter Sarsgaard) struggles with Herbert’s (James Hiroyuki Liao) testimony preparation while the media remains skeptical due to the lack of a murder weapon.
Tommy and Nico’s interview updates reveal Michael admitting his mom was scared of a man at work without naming Rusty directly. The team plans to use DA office member Eugenia as a character witness against Rusty despite Nico’s worries about the case’s weak state.
Plea Deal Proposition
Raymond offers a plea deal for obstruction of justice in exchange for three years in prison, which they reject. But when presented with new incriminating documents suggesting conspiracies between Tommy, Nico, and Herbert, Raymond starts looking worried.
A Violent Outburst
As Barbara questions Rusty’s fidelity by comparing their sex life to what he had with Carolyn, their conversation is cut short when Raymond calls about finding Rusty’s skin under Carolyn’s nails—a discovery Rusty angrily denies. This culminates in an explosive confrontation when Brian Ratzer shows up at Rusty’s door and is met with violence.
Presumed Innocent continues airing new episodes every Wednesday on Apple TV+ until July 24.
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