Did we really need this episode? We had previously commented that the show “Reasonable Doubt,” suffers from a lack of proper pacing and Episode 5 is a testament to that. It goes into Jax’s past and explores how the relationship between her and Damon developed. Our point is, why focus on this aspect of her previous life when there are much more crucial story arcs to be addressed, like the relationship between her and her stepfather? We had already gleaned that she and Damon had fallen in love when she had represented him in prison. Did we really need to see it played out? These creative decisions by the creators are going to cost the series a binge-able quality. But let us see what happened with Jax and Damon all those years ago and save our judgment for a later day.
Spoilers Ahead
How Do Jax And Damon Fall In Love?
It’s 2007, and Jax is a public defender who is passionate about bringing justice to her clients. But luck is not always on their side, and a lot of them end up taking plea bargains to play it safe instead of taking the risk of a verdict. It is at that time that she gets assigned to the case of Damon Cooke. He and his friend Rafael Coleman were involved in a bar fight which ended with the death of Kevin Chapman by stabbing. Damon has been accused of being the one to do it, and Jax must prove otherwise. She believes that they have a fair fighting chance when it is revealed to her by Miguel Ortiz that the knife belonged to Damon and that he had previously lied to the police. Hearing this, Jax is quite upset, and she tells Damon that his best chance is to take a plea bargain. He is not too happy with the idea but agrees in a fit of disappointment and anger. But his reaction prompts Jax to review the case once again and see if there is still something she can do. She noticed that Damon and Rafael were similar in appearance; hence, it was possible that the witnesses confused one for the other. Damon is happy that she has taken the case again, and the attraction between them starts to grow further. There really is no right time for love. In Jax’s life, outside of her job, she is trying to quit smoking, and her best friend Sally is getting married to Chris. At her bachelorette, she tells Jax that she must open herself up if she ever truly wants to fall in love.
With Damon, she seems to be doing just that. He had asked her who she would speak with when she wanted to open up, and she did not have an answer at that time. Turns out, Damon might just be the guy, and she finds herself coming to like him. This really raises the stakes for her in his case. She tells him that she understands what it feels like to not be heard and believed, and that is why she chose the legal profession so that she could let others have what she did not. Our guess is that she is talking about her stepfather. Rafael has taken a plea bargain with the DA. They had agreed to reduce his charges to assault if he testified against Damon. Nevertheless, Jax assures him that she will win the case. The case does seem to be going well, but they are being judged by an all-white jury, and that is never a good prospect for a black man. But back to Jax and her mother, she comes to know that she is reconciling with Paul, and that sends her into a rage. Paul tells Jax that he is 10 years sober now, and he is regretful of the things he did when drunk, but Jax is not having it. She tells her mother that she is failing her again by forgiving Paul, but her mother counters that this is what one does when they are in love. We are rolling our eyes quite hard at this, but we still need more information.
That day in court, Jax loses Damon’s case. It is a devastating moment, one that causes her to quit the Public Defender’s office and move to corporate, where the stakes of a win or loss are not that high, giving her an easier conscience. The cigarettes have also come back. Did we mention that Mike Ortiz makes a pass at her because their black-Latino association would be politically powerful? Of course, Jax laughs it away.
‘Reasonable Doubt’ Episode 5: Ending Explained – Who Does Jax Call?
When Jax is leaving her office after the loss in Damon’s case, she runs into Lewis. She is driving when distraught, and her car bumps into Lewis’ car. He is an ever-gentleman who makes sure to check on her first. If only she knew then that he would creepily watch her through CCTVs installed in their home years later, maybe she would have chosen to live with her heartbreak rather than try to get over it by marrying a man with hidden red flags which she would have been able to spot if she had a clearer head at that time. Back in the present, she is thinking about her past when she notices that she has two missed calls—one from Damon and one from Lewis. She calls back one of them. If we had to go by the events of the episode, we would say that she is calling Damon because the prospect of rekindling a figment of their past relationship excites her. Or she could be calling Lewis because she knows he would give her the comfort she wants and needs. We genuinely don’t know who she called, but our bets are on Damon.
Final Thoughts: What Can We Expect From ‘Reasonable Doubt’ Episode 6?
We expected to know who Jax had called. And hopefully some real progress in Brayden Miller’s case as well. What were those emails that Sarah Miller was talking about? But if the writers want the events of the present-day storyline to take a backseat, can they please tell us more about Jax’s relationship with her parents? It’s time we knew. We have accepted that this show is hell-bent on squandering its potential. But can it still be interesting? Though disappointed, we don’t mind the soapy quality it has taken, but that can still be sharper. Let us hope that is fixed in the coming episodes.
See More: ‘Reasonable Doubt’ Episode 6: Recap And Ending, Explained – Does Brayden Know What Sarah Has Done?
