Reasonable Doubt: Season 3 Episode 4 – Recap and Review

As Eddie decides to set the timeline for Jax and Lewis, it is revealed who was the woman Ozzie spoke of in the last episode.

ByAmari Allah Hours Posted on
Eddie dimissing Lewis - Reasonable Doubt Season 3 Episode 4

Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.

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Episode 4 “Friend or Foe” Details

Episode 4 “Friend or Foe” Storylines/ Recap

Not Waiting For Permission: Jax, Lewis, Eddie, Mama Lu, Spenser, Naima, Sally, Autumn, Shanelle

Jax finally gets to meet up with her girls, and while there is happy news, like Autumn being pregnant again, and Sally and Chris having sex, there isn’t an update regarding Shanelle. Also, Sally and Jax have a bit of a back and forth between them in which Sally calls Jax a hate,r and the return shot is noting Sally is a ho.

But girlfriend drama isn’t the big deal here. For Jax and Lewis, too, it is Eddie deciding, while Mama Lu is babysitting Spenser and Naima, to drop by. Note: Jax and Lewis were not for this, and Lewis especially wanted to take things slow. But Eddie showed up, Mama Lu didn’t stop him, so he not only got to introduce himself but also learn about all the drama in the Stewart household.

This becomes ammunition for him when Lewis tries to confront him. He tries to get Eddie to stay away, but with Eddie knowing about the break baby, what happened to Jax in season 1, and him knowing how finances are handled? Eddie pretty much looks Lewis up and down and walks off, back to him, like Lewis is a tiny barking dog trying to pick a fight with a Cane Corso.

Playing The Set Of Cards Dealt: Kendra, Bill, Lewis, Sam, Cliff

Bill is doing his best to win Kendra back, but for all the praise he got from his superior, he made Kendra and their three kids secondary. Bill is trying to correct this, but nothing is possible overnight. Especially since Kendra is hurt, and Bill has to be consistent for her to see a real change come about.

Speaking of change, Lewis ends up changing his tone when it comes to Sam. With learning Sam is unqualified, he tries to create some leeway since he is Black and there aren’t many of them in the field. However, not knowing a programming language is one thing, having a non-compete clause violation is another, and with that, Cliff was ready to fire Sam.

However, Sam pulls out of his back pocket his conversation with Lewis, which makes him look bad in front of Cliff, and with Sam screwing over Lewis to save his job, Lewis decides to build up the paperwork to get Sam properly fired.

Time To Strategize: Ozzie, Monica, Sal, Rosie, Jax, Daniel, Kristin, Chad

When it comes to Ozzie’s case, Jax believes revealing the abuse, through the trial, would help. But, before the public knows, Ozzie tells his parents, who are shocked and question who it was? The answer is Monica, his agent, but he doesn’t tell them that. They just know it was a woman.

Monica and Ozzie, as Monica acts predatory - Reasonable Doubt Season 3 Episode 4
Monica and Ozzie – Reasonable Doubt Season 3 Episode 4 – Hulu

Unfortunately, though, Jax learns it is Monica too, but that is via Daniel breaking Kristin’s trust, despite how close the two are getting. She mentions Ozzie has journals and so, when both Ozzie and Kristin is away, Daniel makes a plea to get inside, like he forgot something for the case, and Kristin tells him about a rock which has a spare key. After that, Daniel finds the journals and reads that Monica is Ozzie’s rapist, and who knows if she might have been the one to introduce him to drugs, too?

Either way, Chad, the prosecutor for the case, seems to be looking to cut away at juries who could make this a hard case, but it seems he doesn’t know Jax is going to make this trial one pain in the ass for him and his political ambitions.

Review and Commentary

Highlights

Jax Vicariously Healing [85/100]

While Ozzie may not be aware of it, I think him letting Jax, or needing her to sit in while he revealed to his parents he was sexually abused, was healing. If you recall, Mama Lu wasn’t necessarily a quick believer in what happened to Jax at the hands of her step-father, so to hear Sal and Rosie not only instantly believe, but also that Sal is ready for vengeance? You can tell that touched Jax in a way.

In fact, it was probably a strong factor in her not being so against Eddie when he decided to take the initiative to meet his grandkids. Granted, Eddie talking to them led to Spenser and Naima being more understanding regarding the Toni and Jaden situation, but as noted above and below, Lewis isn’t as quick to forgive and try to forget.

Eddie v. Lewis [82/100]

I love Lewis wanting to protect his family, not only physically, but mentally and emotionally. Too often, the idea of being a protector is posed as a man being physically ready to fight someone who is a threat, but Lewis is pushing how it is far more than that. Eddie is inconsistent, a former addict, and oversteps.

But, at the same time, he is Jax’s father, and as shown through Jax and one of the jurors, as much as a parent may screw up, there can be a crack in the door for them to re-enter your life, if they seemingly have made an effort. So with Eddie, it is going to be something to see him just as much try to win Jax back while him and Lewis being on each other’s s*** list.

Giving Stage Parents Some Love [81/100]

I think, especially after Jennette McCurdy’s book, I’m Glad My Mom Died, that stage parents, families reliant on one child’s income, aren’t looked highly upon. In some ways, it is understandable, for the exploitation of child actors is well documented. But, I think Sal and Rosie are the rare voices that show, yes, there can be a bit of callous interactions between parent and child, but that doesn’t mean they don’t love their kid.

Money complicates all relationships, and navigating the power dynamics when your kid is the breadwinner but you’re the adult has to be hard. And while this episode doesn’t dive deep into that, I feel like seeing Sal and Rosie react as they did reminded us that, while flawed, they still understand their baby got hur,t and despite how much they were likely around, they still weren’t there to protect their child when he needed them the most.

Naima and Spenser Weren’t As Annoying As They Can Be [80/100]

At this point, Naima and Spenser have evolved beyond being proof that Lewis and Jax had sex at least twice, and while I’m still not fond of either character, you have to admit they did help push storylines along in this episode. They helped push forward Eddie reconciling and being brought into the family, are helping to ease the show away from Toni in a natural way, rather than just cut things off, and are part of what pushes Jax to look for the gray, be softer, and not bring that same attorney she is in the courtroom into her personal life.

Bill Learning, Slowly But Surely, What Kendra Wants/Wanted [82.5/100]

Kendra talking to Bill - Reasonable Doubt Season 3 Episode 4
Kendra – Reasonable Doubt Season 3 Episode 4 – Hulu

A part of me loves the idea of seeing not just Lewis, but Bill work hard to be loved by a Black woman. It pushes the idea that Jax is not the only one deserving, or even Sally with her situation. It’s just what is deserved in general, and it may sound odd to say, but considering the drama we often see, the hurt and nonsense, having something like Reasonable Doubt counter that feels important.

Lewis’ Situation With Sam [84/100]

I don’t think there is a greater betrayal than having someone who shares a culture with you disappoint you and throw you under the bus. So to see Sam do that, after how hyped Lewis was regarding hiring him, and how he was giving him grace to learn and solve the issues he was causing? Honestly, that hurt.

It might be the most painful thing outside of Ozzie’s storyline. Which, I know, can sound very dramatic, but I don’t think in a work environment there is anything worse than someone you assume, because you look the same, share a culture, things like that, breaking the idea that skin folk can be kin folk. Now, how will this storyline progress from here? It’s hard to say since Lewis’ workplace storyline still seems very sparse.

Overall

Our Overall Rating [83/100]

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Amari is the founder and head writer of Wherever-I-Look.com and has been reviewing media since 2010. He approaches each production with hope, rooting for every story to succeed, and believes criticism should come from unmet potential, while praise is reserved for work that meets or exceeds expectations.