In the first two episodes of “Reasonable Doubt,” it was established that the show was about how a black woman dealt with the intersection of race and feminism. The third episode takes it further by depicting how this battle is a part of Jax’s daily life and the effect it has on her family. We have to admit that it was a far more engaging episode than the previous two, maybe because now we are clearer about its objectives. We are not sure whether this issue has ever been afforded the center stage in any other show or movie before, but the conversation this has the potential to start was long overdue. This is how the episode unfolds.
Spoilers Ahead
The Brayden Miller Case And Its Effect On Jax’s Personal Life
Life as a high-profile criminal lawyer is going to leave you little time for yourself or your family. So, if that is what you really want in life, your only options are either a supportive partner or no partner at all. That was the cause of contention between Jax and Lewis, leading to the current strain in their marriage. To be honest, we do not trust Lewis one bit. On one hand, he seems to be the perfect father and husband, but on the other hand, he cannot stop surveilling them through cameras which makes us think that this personality towards his family is a facade. This was the guy who had given Jax an ultimatum to choose between him and her career. Is a separation really what caused him to change, or is he just playing a role in getting back together with her? Either way, she asks him to let the kids stay at his place for a few days so that she can focus on her job and herself for a while. Lewis agrees rather gracefully. But when his daughter Naima gets her period, he rushes her to the gynecologist and asks Jax to come over. However, she is in the middle of a court case and is late, but she makes it. The gynecologist assured the worried parents that it is becoming increasingly common for girls to get their period at a young age and that Naima is fine. However, if they feel that it is too early, there are ways to delay the process. Jax and Lewis talk to Naima about it, and she asks for some time to think it over. That day, Jax gets a look at some of Naima’s undergarments and realizes that her daughter has been getting her periods for a while now. She asks her why she did not tell her this before. Naima confesses that since Jax had been so busy, she did not want to bother her. Jax assures her that she is never too busy for her daughter.
After the conversation, Jax makes her way downstairs. The stress of it all is getting to her. Putting in the hours to be good at her job, silly squabbles with friends, and the possibility of a case she might end up losing, leading to another miscarriage of justice, causes her to break down and cry. Lewis is still creepily watching her through a camera, but at this moment, he has the sense to turn it off.
On the job front, Brayden Miller has been officially declared a suspect while the investigation continues. He has not told his wife, Sarah Miller, about his affair with Kaleesha Moore, and Jax advises him to do so before she finds out from the media. He obviously doesn’t listen to her, and unfortunately for him, a clip of him kissing Kaleesha was leaked in the news, causing a disruption in his marital life. Jax does some damage control and asks his wife to stay with him so that he doesn’t look guilty to the media. Sarah says something here-she tells Jax that she had a career and friends, a whole life before she married Brayden and became his “trophy wife”. Let’s remember that Sarah is a white woman who married a black man. Yet her story was no different from many others who gave up their careers and dedicated their lives to their families. Please note that we said, “many” and not “all” in the previous sentence. It wasn’t about race; it was about the traditionally assumed duties of men and women that cut across ethnicity and geography.
On another note, a little investigation on Jax’s part, through her investigator Daniel Kim, reveals that Kaleesha had a cousin, Hannah Stephens, who had broken into her home. This is a lead as another possible suspect. The scene where Daniel is investigating this is another example of the racism prevalent across minorities. One would think that being a co-minority in America would make someone empathetic, but no. Stereotypes know no boundaries, and racism seeps everywhere. In the court, Jax brings up Hannah Stephens as a suspect who wasn’t investigated by the police. She has established reasonable doubt, and the outcome of it is yet to be seen. Elsewhere with Damon Cooke, his PO (parole officer) is convinced that since his last drug test results came back inconclusive, he must be on drugs. Damon asks for Jax’s help, and she tells him that the PO is definitely out of line and that she will see what she can do. But trouble looms for Damon as his cousin is actually dealing with drugs. He refuses to stop, leaving him apprehensive about the trouble he might get into.
‘Reasonable Doubt’ Episode 3: Ending Explained – What Happens To Daniel Kim?
We like Daniel. He makes adorably bad jokes, is scared of Krystal, and has a crush on Cynthia, who seems to laugh at his jokes. Not to mention that he is very, very cute. Daniel was the one who found out about Hannah Stephens while being diplomatically racist, which he admits to Jax. He also traced the timeline to the night that Kaleesha was murdered. Jax trusts him, and, knowing that she has high standards, we trust him. Jax sends him out to find out more about Hannah. He traces her and her boyfriend to a pawn shop where it looks like they have come to sell a laptop. Jax asks him to stay there until they leave so that he can buy back that laptop. As he is keeping watch outside, unfortunately, Hannah spots him. She comes out and confronts him about following her. Jax can hear it through the phone. Daniel denies keeping an eye on her, but Hannah and the guy she is with don’t believe him and land a few punches. While it is not shown, we would guess that Daniel is alright, though a little bruised up probably. We will see more of that in the coming episodes of “Reasonable Doubt.”
What To Expect From ‘Reasonable Doubt’ Episode 4?
We would like to see some actual progress in Brayden Miller’s case. And what is the deal with Lewis? When Jax knows about his CCTV habits, why does she put up with it? There seems to be more to their story here that we want to see. Also, her son Stephen doesn’t seem to like his mother very much. Maybe we can get an insight into that. There is also some professional jealousy brewing with Rich Reed, and it would be interesting to see how that plays out because it would be a conflict between a white man and a black woman, people who stand at the two extreme ends of the spectrum of privilege. Damon’s storyline so far has been a little lackluster. It should pick up soon enough. Let’s see how these things play out in the upcoming episodes.
See More: ‘Reasonable Doubt’ Episode 4: Recap And Ending, Explained – What Does Sarah Say To Ryan?
