COMMUNITY apartment on the night of the murder and a theory of Rusty as a spurned lover vying for a reunion with Carolyn after Carolyn broke the relationship off . Rusty ’ s defense highlights the reasonable doubt raised by the lack of evidence . Off the bat , the facts don ’ t look good for Rusty . He and Carolyn had started seeing each other again after breaking it off , but she ended things again . On the night of Carolyn ’ s death , she and Rusty had been arguing about the breakup . To top things off , Carolyn was pregnant when she was murdered , and DNA shows that Rusty was the father .
courtroom thriller / murder whodunnit , the show also explores themes of morality , power , interpersonal dynamics amongst family and colleagues , and the increasingly blurry line between right and wrong . If nothing else , Presumed Innocent will leave you guessing until the very end . Guessing about who really killed Carolyn Polhemus . Guessing about the true nature of justice and whether justice as an ideal can ever truly be achieved . And ultimately guessing whether , under the circumstances , you would have done anything different if you found yourself in Rusty Sabich ’ s shoes .
As is to be expected , some of the most jaw-dropping moments in the trial occur through the course of crossexamination . It is tough to describe the courtroom scenes without giving too much away . Two of my favorite moments included Tommy questioning a medical examiner about the status of some all too pivotal crab rangoons ( allegedly consumed by the deceased in the hours before her death ) and a heart stopping performance from Raymond as he questions a witness who photographed Rusty entering ( but not leaving !) Carolyn ’ s apartment on the night in question . For parts of the trial , Rusty acts as both defendant and defense counsel while Raymond is on a hiatus . Rusty , apparently , has either disregarded or never heard the
old adage that “ Any lawyer who represents himself
has a fool for a client .” While going pro se , especially in a criminal matter , may be rightfully discouraged by many in our profession , it makes for some good TV . As a result of his pro se status , Rusty is able to deliver his own closing argument . In doing so , he acknowledges that he is deserving of shame for his infidelity , but he pleads with the jury to see through the prosecution ’ s
case and return a verdict of not guilty .
Tommy Molto , for his part , delivers a closing argument that effectively highlights the evidence presented by the prosecution and his theory of the case , but it is difficult for him to mask the obvious contempt he has for Rusty personally . Despite his overall sliminess , I ended up being mostly fascinated by the character of Tommy Molto . His simmering resentment for Rusty is palpable throughout the show . In the few glimpses we get into his home life , we see that he ’ s a bit of a loner whose existence is entirely in the shadow of Nico Della Guardia and at odds with Rusty Sabich . From Tommy ’ s perspective , Rusty has skated by on charm and his connection to Raymond for his entire career . Tommy ’ s relentless desire to put Rusty away for Carolyn ’ s murder makes more sense in this context . We are led to believe that Tommy has seen Rusty get away with infidelity and who knows what else throughout his career , and Tommy refuses to let Rusty get away with murder .
In all , Presumed Innocent excels in its portrayal of the legal world , capturing the intricate dynamics of the courtroom , a contentious prosecutor ’ s office , and in the judge ’ s chambers . While on its surface a classic