Reasonable Doubt Season 4 Episode 7 Review: Jax Finally Faces Her Addiction

This week on Reasonable Doubt, Jax faces her family and friends at an intervention, and she has something to say to everybody in that room. Let’s discuss.

Intervention

Jax goes off on Lewis, and Spencer tries to defend her. She’s ready to walk out, but Lewis tells her that if she leaves, she shouldn’t bother coming back. She’s tearing apart the very support system she needs. For once, Jax listens and sits down, but her claws are definitely out.

Autumn, her friend and a therapist, leads the intervention alongside Lewis. She tells Jax that everyone is there because they love her and want to help. She asks Jax to say out loud that she understands, and Jax reluctantly agrees. The rule is simple. Everyone gets to tell Jax how her addiction has affected them before she gets to respond. Of course, Jax has trouble with that last part.

Daniel goes first. He never would’ve imagined having this conversation with someone who always seemed so put together. He tells her how much it hurts to see her like this and what it did to him to watch her get shot. Jax goes after him anyway, and when Krystal jumps in to defend him, Jax turns on her, too. Krystal throws her hands up, but she stays.

Rhonda is gentle but firm. For a second, Jax thinks she has an ally. What Rhonda believes is that Jax believes that she does not have an addiction. Jax starts throwing everybody’s past in their face, including Rhonda’s history with abuse. But the second Rhonda hints at Jax’s secret, Jax is ready to throw hands. Sally steps in before it gets that far.

When Sally tells Jax she needs help, Jax calls her stupid for sacrificing her marriage for a friend. Sally reminds her that she’s a doctor and that Jax put her career on the line. Jax asked her for pills, then stole a prescription slip and wrote her own. Sally spells out how bad things can get, from liver failure to death, and Jax still isn’t hearing her.

Then it’s Mama Lou’s turn. Jax brings up Paul touching her, and her mother stands toe to toe with her. Mama Lou owns up to her mistakes, then tells Jax she’s just like her father. You can see how much that hurts, but Jax is still too busy fighting everybody to let it sink in.

Naima comes out with a letter. Jax softens at first, but when she starts getting aggressive again, Lewis steps in and tells her she won’t take this out on the kids. Then Spencer says the intervention won’t work and tells Jax he took one of her pills. That gets through to her. For a moment, she’s scared for him and tries to explain why she takes them. Then Lewis lets slip that it was a setup, and there go the claws again.

But Spencer is Jax’s child, for sure. He challenges her at every turn and finally appeals to the one thing he knows will get her to say yes. Her ego. If she’s so sure she can stop, let’s see her go 48 hours without a pill. Jax agrees, it is nothing because she doesn't have a problem.

Detox

Jax is already struggling, but she’s certain she can make it through the weekend. Lewis keeps an eye on her and sleeps in the chair. When he wakes the next morning, he finds her sweaty and rummaging through the kitchen drawers. Jax claims she was looking for a snack. Lewis knows the snacks are in the pantry. He starts looking himself, and when he finds the stash, she claims she has no idea how the pills got there.

Lewis dumps the pills. Jax tries to stop him, and that’s when it finally hits her. This scene got me. They both break down, and Jax clings to Lewis and admits she needs help. She begs him to help her. 

Lewis gets her help with the withdrawals and also calls her father. Jax talks to him and he tells her that living with addiction is something she’ll have to deal with for the rest of her life. It is not an easy fix, a one and done, but Jax believes she is different. Then Ozzie visits her in a dream. He reminds her how much trauma she’s been through in such a short time and tells her it’s okay to take off the cape. Jax wakes up reaching for him. Lewis asks if she’s okay, and she admits she isn’t. For Jax, just saying that is a feat.

On day two, Jax hugs Mama Lou and sits down with the kids. Beyoncé’s “Save the Hero” plays over the montage. We never hear what Jax says to them. All we see is Spencer walking away and later, Jax and Lewis in bed seeming miles apart.

Eric Cropper

Eric goes to see Desiree and persuades her to hear his side. He reminds her that they used to be friends, practically family. Desiree tells him that sometimes family disappoints you. She asks the hard questions, and for a while, Eric seems to answer them honestly.

When she brings up Alan, Eric says it goes back to the video she appeared in. Desiree tells him it took her five years to rebuild her career after being written off as a video vixen. She’s telling him how much that cost her, and this man decides she must have wanted to sleep with him. Then he says he only eats dark meat on Thanksgiving. The disrespect.

Desiree tells him she has proof he killed Alan Russo. Girl, why would you tell him that? Now she’s dead. So who is Eric Cropper, and did he really try to kill his wife? Based on his murdering Desiree, it seems likely. Also, at this point, I want Jax to lose this one.

Overall Rating

The intervention and detox carried this episode. Eric’s story felt out of place, and I wish they’d saved it for next week. Dear Hulu, remember when shows used to end with a “To be continued”? We needed one here. Leaving us to guess what Jax said to her kids and why Spencer walked away took something away from an otherwise powerful episode. This would’ve been a 10/10 for me, but I will give it a 9/10.

What did you think?

• Loved it
• Hated it
• So/So