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The following contains spoilers, I suppose, for the July 10 episode of Presumed Innocent, now streaming on Apple TV+.
As Apple TV+’s Presumed Innocent adaptation inches closer and closer to its July 24 finale, chief deputy prosecutor Tommy Molto is looking more and more sus.
Since Episode 1, we’ve known that Tommy is gunning to prove predecessor Rusty Sabich guilty in the brutal murder of their mutual colleague, Carolyn Polhemus.
We know, via Carolyn’s son Michael, that the deceased had expressed concerns about a “man from work,” that she “had cases with.” We then got a flashback of Tommy asking Carolyn if she had asked to not work with him. And this week’s episode revealed, through co-worker Eugenia’s testimony, that Carolyn had indeed filed a complaint with HR about Tommy, who gave her “the ick.”
And we have seen Tommy look, too intently (and almost wistfully?), at photos of Carolyn from the night she was murdered — including one of her in a man’s dress shirt, with a lotta leg showing.
What more do you need to see or know about Tommy to like him for the TV series’ central murder?
Well, a scene from Episode 6 of Presumed Innocent seemed to ask the audience, “What if we told you he was a cat person? Complete with fuzzy squeaky toys and a climbing tree in his brownstone?” What then??
Now, I’m a grown man who likes cats. (We always had at least one or two all-black ones during my childhood.) And I share that with Presumed Innocent star Peter Sarsgaard in the video above, before positing that the scene described above — music and directing included — sure seemed to be using Tommy’s feline-friendly home life to cast additional aspersion on his character.
Press play above to hear Sarsgaard deliver his defense of said scene, to not just me but his equally curious co-star and brother-in-law, Jake Gyllenhaal, as well!
Want scoop on Presumed Innocent, or for any other TV show? Email InsideLine@tvline.com, and your question may be answered via Matt’s Inside Line!
I had significant interest in this rendition of Turow’s “PI”. I will complete watching the entire series but the deep and bitter disappointment with what the show runners and writers have done to this excellent novel and subsequent good film (its predecessors) has devasted me. The changes that have been made have not only trivialized a fascinating story line but appear to have been done for reasons known only to the “Gods of (fill in the blank that works best for you). Those changes and alterations were certainly not done to improve an already enticingly complex and nuanced story. The disclaimer before each episode should have stated: “Vaguely associated with Scott Turow’s Presumed Innocent. Any resemblance to the original novel is pure happenstance as we, the show runners and writers know what is best for you”. Please excuse my clear bitterness but this was and continues to be a simply awful viewing experience. I even rewatched the credible movie version and then re-listened to the audio book version (read by the late Edward Hermann) in an attempt to salvage something worthwhile. Apple TV+ is capable of so much more.
I share your feelings about this series. I had high hopes when it was announced, due to my admiration for both Scott Turow’s novel & the Harrison Ford film adaptation. But the changes made in this story hit me right away, particularly the total absence of Sandy Stern, one of the major characters in the novel. Then came the totally newly invented Sabich family, with one young son changed into 2 angsty teenagers along with making the Sabichs a bi-racial couple. I may be wrong, but as soon as I saw that I knew that the real killer would not be Rusty’s wife.
I suppose it’s inevitable that a story gets padded in order to fill so many episodes, but I found that these newly invented plots did not enhance Turow’s excellent original story. It has made it a very different one instead.
Accordingly, I have not watched the last few episodes. I may finish it in the future, but right now I don’t feel compelled at all.
As a lifelong homicide prosecutor it pains me to watch such a well done story as Scott Turow’s PRESUMED INNOCENT mangled by kinda lawyer David Kelly.
Why would the newly-elected DA let a second rater try the biggest murder trial?
The character of Sabich obviously has a major character disorder and Kelly likes giving important characters such flaws, but really?
Finally, “ailurophobia” – the morbid fear or hatred of cats, sometimes associated with sexual sociopaths who kill women could not possible be LESS diagnostic of the pathological killer of women.
Love women.
Love cats.
Hate this series, despite great actors