The most shocking development of the previous episode of Reasonable Doubt season 3 was that a part of Rossie, Ozzie’s mother, believed that her son could have killed Wendy. Why she believed so was unknown, but she felt really worried, as if it was her fault. Ozzie, on the other hand, from the very beginning was not sure about anything that happened that night. That boy hadn’t spoken with conviction even once, which I believe frustrated Jax. Jax believed in her intuition, and she was of the opinion that Ozzie hadn’t killed Wendy. Jax knew that her speculation was based on circumstantial evidence and she could be proved wrong at the end. But her years of experience in the field told her that Ozzie didn’t have it in him to take a life, and moreover, to wipe the crime scene down so that the evidence did not incriminate him.
Spoiler Alert
Why did Rosie trust her son?
Through a flashback sequence in Reasonable Doubt season 3 episode 9, we got to know that Ozzie’s dog had to be taken to a vet, as he had consumed too much chocolate. Dr. Lyons, after examining the poor dog, told Rosie that he felt that the dog hadn’t eaten the stuff by himself, but somebody had forced him to have it. He raised concerns about Ozzie’s conduct, and he told Rosie that she needed to consult a psychologist. Rosie didn’t like how the doctor spoke to her about her son, and she lashed out at her. But from that day onwards, the way she looked at Ozzie changed. She didn’t say a word to him, but there was a part of her that believed that her son was capable of animal abuse. Then one day, Ozzie was in his vanity van when Monica made a move on him and tried to get intimate with him. Ozzie backed out, and he told Monica upfront that he didn’t want to get intimate with her. At that moment Monica apologized for her actions and very manipulatively told Ozzie that she had no clue that he was gay. Monica intentionally bruised his ego, made him question his own self, and in a way irked him to prove to her that he was not gay. Monica knew what she was doing, and that flashback made it pretty clear that she was rightly blamed for abusing a minor. Monica, during her cross-examination, had the audacity to tell the jury that whatever happened between her and Ozzie was consensual. But either she was delusional, or she was too scared and ashamed to face the truth. She literally gaslighted Ozzie and compelled him to give her what she wanted. It was a shrewd and cruel move on her part. So just after Monica left, Ozzie, in a state of paranoia and confusion, was in the middle of a private moment when a junior assistant director walked in on him. Ozzie lashed out at that poor boy, and in fact, he threw an object at him. Ozzie’s mother came into his vanity van and scolded him for his brash behavior. That incident strengthened Rosie’s beliefs even more, and she grew even more certain that her son had a really violent side and he was very much capable of hurting people.
What happened during Ozzie’s cross-examination?
The decision to make Ozzie take the stand was a difficult one. Bill believed that they shouldn’t do that, as Ozzie was in such a state that the prosecution would break him. But Jax believed that, being the defense, she needed to make certain bold choices, as that was the only thing that could win them the case. Moreover, Jax felt quite confident after Ozzie’s psychologist took the stand and told the court that she didn’t feel that Ozzie could commit such a heinous crime. She said that the boy was diagnosed with conduct disorder, and so at times his temper was not in his control. She said that his maturity was arrested at the age of 13, which was why, even now, he had difficulty in regulating his frustrations, and he often experienced heightened emotional reactivity. Now the psychologist was saying two contrary things, and so the prosecution asked her a question: since he was suffering from conduct disorder, could he have lost his temper on Wendy that night and killed her? Mike Ortiz wanted to prove to the court that Ozzie was a good performer and that he was probably putting on an act and manipulating the system. But the psychologist clearly stated that though at times he couldn’t control his emotions, Ozzie Edwards was not capable of violence.
When Ozzie took the stand, quite unexpectedly, he said that he felt guilty for what had happened to Wendy. He told the court that had he not been so intoxicated that night, he could have probably done something to save her life. Mike Ortiz pounced upon that opportunity and asked him if he felt guilty because deep down he knew that he had killed Wendy. Moreover, Mike stated that it could have been possible that he had taken Alex Hill to the cabin that night and killed Wendy. But that’s when Ozzie made a revelation: he said that he didn’t know the way to the cabin, and Alex couldn’t have taken him there on his own because he too had only gone there once, and that too a few years back. Ozzie said that he was so drunk that night that he couldn’t have even guessed the way to the cabin, and so they both couldn’t have been there. Jax also theorized in court that a boy who depended on others for his daily chores, who didn’t know his passwords, and who didn’t know how to buy groceries couldn’t have cleaned the crime scene all by himself. Jax’s speculation struck a chord with the jury, and moreover, Mike Ortiz didn’t know how to counterattack her speculation after Ozzie revealed that he didn’t know the way to the cabin. So all in all, the cross-examination of Ozzie Edwards went well, and Jax was really hopeful that the defence would get a judgment in their favor.
Did Kristin Kill Wendy?
At the end of Reasonable Doubt season 3 episode 9, there came a shocking twist that I believe proved that Kristin knew much more than she was revealing. Kristin didn’t come for the cross-examination, and then later Daniel tracked her down and asked her why she left all of a sudden. Kristin broke down, and she talked about how she felt neglected as a kid since her brother was the center of the universe for her parents. She hinted towards her involvement in poisoning their dog and letting the blame fall on Ozzie. The guilt she had in her eyes and the way she broke down in front of Daniel made me feel that probably she had something to do with Wendy’s murder. The big question was, just like their dog, did Kristin kill Wendy and intentionally pin the blame on Ozzie? Did she want to take revenge on him, as she felt like a second-class citizen in her own house? Did she crave attention so badly that she didn’t care to what extent she went? Well, there is a big possibility that something like that could have happened, or maybe she was just feeling guilty because she knew exactly what had happened and who was to be blamed.
Jax didn’t let Bill make the closing arguments, even when Vince and Stephen came and told her to let Bill take the lead. Jax had confronted Bill in episode 9 and asked him what problems he had with her. Bill had made it pretty clear that he wanted to become a partner and do whatever it took to climb the ladder of success. As for Eddie, I believe that the season finale will reveal what he was hiding from Jax and what his real intentions behind coming back into her life were. Chelsea had met Lewis in episode 9, and he told her that Eddie was not who he pretended to be. Lewis knew that, and he assured Chelsea that he would let Jax know everything in due time. I believe even Chelsea was up to something, and she had some vested interest behind exposing Eddie. I don’t think that she solely approached Eddie because she wanted to look out for Jax. It would be interesting to see how things wrap up in the last episode and if Jax is able to fix everything in her professional as well as personal life.
