This story contains spoilers from “Reasonable Doubt” Season 3, Episode 10.
Hulu and Onyx Collective’s ‘Reasonable Doubt’ is arguably one of the most down-to-earth and relatable shows on television. From its thoughtful and vibey music scoring to its West Los Angeles neighborhood backdrop, it highlights vital themes like childhood sexual abuse, microaggressions within the workplace, infidelity, marriage, and murder, all in one show. It’s no surprise that fans are on the edge of their seats during each season and every Thursday night, waiting for what might happen next. And season 3 was no different, as showrunner and creator of the show, Raamla Mohamed, along with her squad of writers, turned up the heat a notch.
Jax, played by actress Emayatzy Corinealdi, the formidable and competent lawyer, wife, and mother, faced numerous challenges throughout the season. From dealing with microaggressions at her prestigious law firm, having to work with coworker, Bill, played by actor Joseph Sikora, who seemingly wants to throw her under the boss to be a partner, and family issues at home, through the reemergence of her father, she learns she has a sister (Lori Harvey). Additionally, her mother becomes sick, sending Jax into a tailspin.
Unfortunately, she had no time to fully digest what was happening around her because she was focused on winning a glossy murder case on behalf of childhood star, Ozzie Edwards (Kyle Bary). Throughout the case, Jax uncovered the depths of Edwards’ trauma: from being sexually abused at the age of 13 by his talent agent Monica (Brandee Evans), which led him to turn to drugs, and his parents not being present.
During episode 10, the season 3 finale aptly titled ‘On To The Next One,’ we learned this: Edwards is found not guilty of murdering his girlfriend, Wendy, (Rumer Willis), in a twisted turn of events it was actually his father Sal (Keith Arthur Bolden), who killed her, and not his sister, Kristen (Kiah Clingman), who seemed like a viable suspect. Edwards, excited to celebrate his victory, opted to trade in a house party celebration with drugs to participate in a family dinner with the Stewarts. Jax and her family voiced their concern regarding his sobriety, pleading with him to go to rehab. After he agreed, we learned of his fate, an accidental overdose from getting high one last time, in one of Jax’s children’s bedrooms. Jax found him dead, leaving her to feel guilty about his death.
After the funeral, you see his abuser, Monica, glaring at Jax, leaving the door open for her to be Jax’s enemy in the future with rising tension. In the last few scenes of the finale, the storyline wraps up quickly, with Bill making partner, prompting Jax to quit at her firm and start her own, but he’s not totally out of her life because he’s still dating one of her best friends, Sally (Nefetari Spencer). Jax also decides to take some much-needed space from her father and sister, to reevaluate if she wants a relationship with them in the first place. But no one predicted what would happen next, a horrific cliffhanger involving Monica and Jax, as Monica shot at Jax, her family, and friends in her new law firm’s office.
According to showrunner Mohamed, the shock value in the finale was planned, as well as the complexity of the overall season. “This is my favorite season for sure. What I’ve learned from every season is that the audience is incredibly smart, and they understand many things, including the complexities. So for me, it becomes a challenge to try to challenge the audience, and I love having to rise to that occasion,” she says to me during our Zoom interview. Mohamed underscored the importance of being cognizant not only of having the audience enjoy the show for entertainment purposes, but also of the message behind each season.
This season was partly about speaking out against abuse, both in the workplace and behind closed doors. The audience saw that theme play out with child star Edwards. “We have a child star. Watching documentaries and reading books, I started to see ‘Oh, it’s not just the fame.’ That was what comes with fame. It’s the family, it’s the drugs, it’s other traumas, it’s abuse, and so they all are feeding into each other, and a lot of times in a lot of ways, that sometimes the child star doesn’t realize to later in life that, ‘Oh, I abuse drugs because I was molested, or I didn’t even realize that was a sexual abuse situation, or I have been enabled.’ I feel confident that our viewers can handle the complexities of this character and the storyline,” she emphatically stated.
Another theme her team tackled flawlessly was breaking down the “Strong Black Woman” trope. Throughout the seasons, viewers have observed Jax as a “superwoman,” of sorts. However, in season 3, she began to question her place amidst the madness and chaos, ultimately deciding to choose herself. Mohamed said that was intentional. “When I initially pitched the show, I always saw her as starting her own law firm eventually, and I wanted to tell a story that I’ve basically been telling since the pilot, and it just was a buildup,” she said. “If we talk about the top five biggest cases of this firm, and she has like three of them, since we’ve seen the show start. I saw Beyoncé’s Renassiance documentary, and I sat in the theater and I cried when she said, ‘I talk. People don’t listen to me. I have to repeat myself. Someone else comes up with the idea, and then I’m like, I just said that.’ That’s Beyoncé. Beyoncé doesn’t feel listened to. That really resonated with me. And so when I was thinking about Jax, I thought, ‘I’m sure other women feel like that, if Beyonce feels like that, if Serena Williams feels like she’s at the hospital and can’t be listened to, I feel like this is something we’ve all felt.’”
Edwards’ storyline and its ending were a bit more unexpected for viewers, as many might be shocked by his untimely death. “I had read that a lot of times on the way to rehab, this is what happens. People overdose because they just want to take one last hit, you know. I think that Ozzie’s story is a tragedy. Unfortunately, it isn’t, ‘Oh, I got off.’ He lost Wendy, even if he was alive. His parents are talking to Steven and Vince (law partners) about the future, and the judge barely said ‘not guilty’ before they’re making plans. And then, of course, what he needed was someone like Jax to tell him, ‘You are not okay, and you need help.’ But that doesn’t mean that he’s going to be a responsible person, because, as we saw, he’s not. He’s not an adult, he’s a child,” she shared.
According to Mohamed, it made sense for Jax to gravitate towards Ozzie and cultivate a relationship that was a bit deeper than simply a client, as her son was away throughout the season. Her relationship with the child star opens up the door for her own self-discovery – realizing that she’s more than just her job. “The relationship with Ozzie wasn’t an accident. Spencer has left to do music and entertainment stuff. Ozzie comes in and takes the place of Spencer. She has a maternal instinct for him. She understands him, and that’s what helps her win the case and and also is part of her journey right at work, which is them (law partners) wanting to understand everything she’s doing, and then not really understanding her, and basically her realizing, I’m good at my job, but it’s not just the job.” she explained.
In episode 10, the audience sees Jax realize that she can help people, beyond winning cases, and she doesn’t need to be validated by anyone. What everyone is wondering, though, is if she and her loved ones will survive Monica’s lethal gunshot. “I’m always going to end the season with something exciting,” Mohamed teased. But she did give me this: “The writers’ room has started for season 4. We’re working on some things. Again, for me, it is about making each season different, but also the show you’re signing up for, right? The show that you’re excited about. I feel like it’s going to be more interesting interactions with maybe even some characters we haven’t seen as much of. I think continuing on a case that people are excited about. And adding some new characters. I think what’s great also about every season is that these new characters and actors come in and fit into the show so nicely. And so I just want to keep that momentum going. And of course, the music. I already got some songs.”
“Reasonable Doubt” Season 3 is now streaming on Hulu and Disney+.