Reasonable Doubt Season 4 Episode 6 Review: Jax Is Losing Control

Last week on Reasonable Doubt, Jax may have lost the jury, two people came dangerously close to crossing a line, and the more we learn about the Croppers, the more questions I have. Let’s discuss.

On the Home Front

Desiree goes live to talk trash about Jax, who is medicated and unbothered. At least until Lewis brings up her mother. Jax wants nothing to do with Mama Lou and makes it clear she’d better stay away from her birthday party. When Lewis questions her about the pills, Jax dumps them in front of him, and that settles it. Meanwhile, Naima finds another stash. Spencer talks her out of telling their dad because their parents finally seem to be getting along. Imagine being a kid and having to make that call.

Lewis gets a lucrative offer from a San Francisco tech startup. Taking it could mean moving the family, so he waits to see what his current employer offers. He and Jax barely get a chance to celebrate before she decides she needs to get back to work. Lewis worries she’s pushing herself too hard after the shooting, and Jax throws it in his face that she makes most of the money. He gives it right back. They patch things up briefly, but with Jax these days, I wouldn’t count on it lasting.

At the Office

Daniel has been looking into the fingerprints tied to the kidnapping. When Jax cuts him off and talks down to him, he reminds her that he already sent her what he found. She could’ve just read the email. Daniel checks her, and the crowd cheers. Her team is used to her arrogance, but they can see she’s in over her head after the shooting. They’re worried about her, and they should be worried about the case, too. How is anybody supposed to help Jax when she barely lets them finish a sentence?

The Trial

Jax fails to get a mistrial, and the prosecution connects Devonte Reese to the van used in Brooke’s kidnapping. Before Devonte takes the stand, Jax all but tells Eric to do what he does. Eric gets to Devonte, and by the time Regina gets him on the stand, he has a sudden lapse of memory. His gaze shifts toward Cropper a few times, and Regina asks him if he’s afraid, which he denies. Later, Regina accuses Jax of witness tampering, and of course Jax denies it. Corey wants answers, too. He has to put his name on this defense, after all.

Then Brooke takes the stand. Her account of the kidnapping gets the jury on her side, but Jax has ammunition. There’s the potential $300 million divorce settlement and the calls Brooke made to people connected to the kidnapping. Jax has every reason to press her on both. The problem is that Jax is living up to "pitbull in a skirt," as Cropper called her. She goes for Brooke’s neck, hard. Corey can see from where he’s sitting something Jax knows to look for: the jury pulling away. Jax is high enough to think she’s on fire, and Eric is more than happy to tell her she is.

After court, Corey calls her out. She tells him he can go back to Chicago, and he agrees it’s for the best. Before he leaves, he stops by to tell Lewis that it’s time to worry. As for Brooke, she’s had enough of being dragged in court. She wants Tyger, the man she’s been seeing and Eric’s younger brother, to stop letting Eric walk all over him and help put him in prison. With those two plotting behind Eric’s back, I’m still trying to figure out who’s playing who. I thought it was Brooke and Tyger playing Eric, but now I’m not so sure. This is the part that I do like.

The Party

Jax is supposed to be at her birthday party, but she goes to Eric’s place for a celebratory drink. There’s more drinking, more pills, and some reminiscing that brings them close enough to kiss. I’m still thinking about that studio flashback. Was there more between these two back then? Because Jax lingering outside while Eric was having a threesome already had me wondering. She pulls back, and Eric sends her home with his driver. Jax stumbles in ready to party. Mama Lou is there, and everybody looks like they’ve just received bad news. Surprise. It’s an intervention.

Overall Rating: 7/10

Solid episode, even if I’m still missing some of the old magic. The courtroom scene worked for me because I could see exactly why Jax thought she’d won the room while Corey watched her lose it. Mama Lou being at the intervention made sense, and seeing her was the exact moment Jax knew something was off. The next episode looks promising.

What did you think?

• Loved it
• Hated it
• So/So