Reasonable Doubt: Season 3 Episode 9 – Recap and Review

Despite all he has been through and what has been revealed, Ozzie is tasked with taking the stand.

ByAmari Allah Hours Posted on Hours Updated on
Orsel Ozzie Edwards - Reasonable Doubt Season 3 Episode 9

Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.

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Episode 9 “D’Evils” Details

Episode 9 “D’Evils” Storylines/ Recap

The Spotlight On Lewis: Sam, Lewis, Chelsea

Lewis’ work situation is highlighted again, and Sam is still screwing up. But, with Sam having the excuse of his partner having a miscarriage and a lot of sob stories which touches Lewis’ heart, he gives him yet another chance which could bite him in the behind. Also, mind you, Sam is more than willing to bring up Cliff and question Lewis’ authority – so why Lewis did this dude a favor is beyond me.

But, to end an already trying day, Chelsea pops up at Lewis’ job, and starts exposing Eddie for barely being clean, a scam artist, and an overall trash father.

Who Is Manipulating Who?: Ozzie, Stephen, Vince, Jax, Bill, Mike, Autumn

Ozzie taking the stand is a huge risk that neither Stephen nor Vince are that fond of, and with both thinking Bill should not only report but rein in Jax, they aren’t happy. Thing is, as much as Bill has this divorce hanging over his head like a guillotine, to his finances, he enjoys Jax. Yes, she is tough and certainly not trying to win people over with anything but results, but she is a good person. Also, she told him off more than once since she peeped what he was doing.

So, with that in mind, risking a partner position or not, Bill tries to make this situation more advantageous to him. It doesn’t work, but he tries, and for his efforts, he gets nothing as of this episode.

But, getting to the main event, the plan was to make it look like Ozzie wasn’t smart enough to murder someone and get away with it. Autumn and Ozzie play into this, without being prepped, and Jax outright makes her client look infantilized on the stand. Yes, capable of taking drugs, working, but paying bills, knowing passwords, and taking care of himself? Not really.

And take note, Ozzie doesn’t get mad at Jax when she executes this strategy. If anything, it is a performance. One that can be seen as either his most honest or most manipulative. During his time on the stand, as he lets the public see who is behind the curtain, there isn’t a villain or crazed child star. There is just a man who is a bit messed up, broken in some ways, and is mainly kept together because his name is still worth something.

The Verdict Is In: Daniel, Kristin, Ozzie, Rosie

Let it be clear: They save the actual verdict for Ozzie’s case for the next episode. However, we do learn that, potentially, Kristin killed Wendy. Now, as for the why? That is unknown. But what is known is that she has had problems for a while, being a big sister to a star and not getting attention because of it. It is even theorized that, despite it seeming like Ozzie poisoned the family dog with chocolate, Kristin may have done so because the dog liked him more.

For a long time, Rosie thought Ozzie did it, and this led her to think he was capable of killing as a human due to harming a dog. But she comes to the conclusion it was an accident. However, for Daniel, who finds himself putting all the pieces together, he faces a Kristin who feels isolated, alone, with a gun in hand, and at Ozzie’s cabin. Now, whether he can get a confession, get the gun out of her hand, or at least not get shot, is hard to say.

The only thing that is clear here is that Autumn could and should make the entire family her clients.

Question(s) Left Unanswered & Predictions

  • How fast were Daniel and Kristin moving for her to have access to his home while he wasn’t there?
  • Was Jax more palatable before making partner, or did they just fear losing her so much that they made her a partner? The dynamic often pushes me to wonder.
  • Should Mike have gone after Autumn being a friend of the defense attorney?

Review and Commentary

Highlights

Ozzie On The Stand Got An Emotional Reaction Out Of Both Me And The Actors [87/100]

The performance on the stand is what I wanted, needed, and expected from Ozzie. It gave a mix of honest, genuine emotions, but with the flashbacks regarding his dog throughout the episode, and it seeming like something was off, it was hard to say whether we were being manipulated.

But the thing is, it wasn’t just the audience but Mike, too, who seemed to feel a bit off, perhaps emotional, due to Ozzie’s testimony, and that’s saying something. To me, a lot of characters seem to interact and seek to get the upper hand in the conversation. It isn’t too often you get a real sense someone is listening and emotionally affected, especially when not being accused and having to defend themselves.

That’s what made Ozzie stand out. Whether he is guilty, Kristin, Monica, whoever, that performance on the stand is an undeniable season highlight, and worthy of being referenced to what the defendant should make you feel as Reasonable Doubt hopefully continues.

Bill Trying To Navigate The Politics [82/100]

While not as emotional as Ozzie’s testimony, seeing Bill go toe to toe with the partners was entertaining. Is he trying the wrong one when it comes to Jax? Absolutely. However, setting what he will and won’t do, and what he expects in return, from Stephen and Vince was a step in the right direction.

After all, Bill surely doesn’t want to be made a partner and then treated like a lackey. Beyond the money, what would be the point?

Lewis Getting Some Time Outside Of Jax’s Orbit [81/100]

Lewis’ work life, considering the drama with Sam, his relationship with Cliff, and the Black girl hired or promoted in the last season, is underutilized. So getting a reminder or taste of what’s on-going, a sense that things with Sam, and Cliff, to a point, are ongoing, was nice.

Do I hope next season he gets more time so that he might be married, but not completely absorbed into Jax’s life? Yes. Which, considering this season started with his baby momma issues, maybe the next one can start off with Sam’s lawsuit, whenever Lewis gets around to firing him. If not something with his parents, his brother, or considering Lewis mentioned he wanted to make friends, maybe a men’s support group.

On The Fence

Jax’s Closing Statement Was A Bit Meh [73/100]

Considering how much Jax related to Ozzie, how invested she was, the testimonies and everything, her wrap-up was a bit weak. Granted, the majority of her noteworthy work came before her closing statement, and add in between Bill, Vince, and Stephen, who were throwing her off the night before, maybe some grace is due.

But, taking note, from an entertainment perspective, how this closer ended things on a bit of a whimper, vs. keeping up the energy after Ozzie’s testimony, it does leave me to wonder if certain parts of the legal system just don’t get the writers going.

Overall

Our Overall Rating [80/100]

The penultimate episode of season 3 sets up a lot of interest as we’ll finally learn who killed Wendy, who was Jax freaking out over, and how Ozzie will fare after all of this.

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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.