Reasonable Doubt 1×05 “So Ambitious” was a flashback episode that we absolutely needed, one that taught us a lot about the characters we see in the present. Overall, it was a calming but truthful episode.
Damon’s story is something we, as viewers, have needed to see since episode one. We knew that he was saying he was an innocent man despite his guilty verdict and that Jax did not want him to plead guilty just in order to get out of jail on parole. But what this episode showed was the reasons why Jax is the person we see today and also what led to Damon being in prison.
Plus, we got a deeper dive into how the system plays against Black men and how the DA’s office actually works. On top of that, we also got an inside look at the stretched public defenders are, as Jax notes she’s working 35 cases at once -something which heavily played on Jax’s decision to become a public defender in the first place and also to leave, later on.
We also learned about a new character in Damon’s past – Rafael, who was also up for the same crime he was. This character has the potential to crop up again before the end of the season. I love chaos, so I would love to see Damon and Raphael reunite. Also, it looks like Raphael did commit the crime, so he needs to pay.
Reasonable Doubt 1×05 “So Ambitious” did really well to echo some of the things we’ve heard in previous episodes, such as how Jax recounts her friends saying she’s guarded, and in the present, it’s something we’ve seen Lewis say about her.
Another thing we finally get to see is how Jax met Lewis and how it was at her most vulnerable moment. The vulnerability she experienced from Damon getting his guilty verdict was heartbreaking to watch, but also totally understandable. After having a man tell you, “you’re brilliant, attentive, strong and fearless!” and then see him be sentenced to life in prison, where do you go? How do you even move on?
Especially if that man has the soft smooth talking dulcet tones of Michael Ealy, who has the ability to make any woman swoon. In fact, let this be our bid for Michael Early to get his own sleep story on the Calm app.
Reasonable Doubt 1×05 “So Ambitious” really solidified how music is probably one of the best aspects of this show. The music when Damon and Rafael were walking into court was killer, and the hour really underscored how the music choices enhance the scenes we watch.
The biggest question that was left over from this episode — apart from the big Keelesha killer mystery and Sarah Miller, was what did Jax’s mom’s partner Paul do? We know he’s an alcoholic, but it seems he did something specific to Jax at some point that has made her unable to forgive him and in many ways her mom. So that’s a mystery we hope to unravel.
Reasonable Doubt is available to stream on Hulu.
