In Reasonable Doubt season 3 episode 2, Jax’s client, Ozzie Edwards, gets arrested on suspicion of the murder of his girlfriend and stylist, Wendy Collins. The evidence that placed him behind bars? Wendy’s body was found near one of Ozzie’s properties. This discovery, paired with suspicious marks on his chest and a weak alibi, means a grueling trial for Edwards.
In Reasonable Doubt season 3 episode 3, Jax’s past comes knocking at her door, and some secrets get too risky to keep. The episode picks up with Ozzie’s legal team negotiating his bail, which the judge determines to be five million dollars. Since Ozzie is a successful actor, he pays the money without a blink but finds himself struggling to follow the rules of his bail. One act of aggression towards paparazzi puts Ozzie on house arrest, and to Jax’s relief, the house arrest gives her team a better chance to strategize on how they will prove his alleged innocence.
Jax’s estranged father grapples with guilt
In the final scene of Reasonable Doubt season 3 episode 2, Jax’s father, Eddie, shows up to her house, unannounced. In Reasonable Doubt season 3 episode 3, Jax questions him about his audacity to show up after being an absent father and ghosting her during his last few trips to town. After eight years of no contact, Jax had left that part of her in the past.
Eddie naturally has a lot to explain and wants to meet with Jax for dinner. Jax declines his offer and asks him not to return. Later in the episode, while Jax is out dining with her mother, Eddie pops up again. Jax’s mom explains that while Eddie’s addiction caused their divorce and his absence, she is ready to forgive him and move forward. Eddie claims to be five years sober now, which helps to win over his ex-wife.
Jax is not so quick to jump to forgiveness. She can’t shake the feeling that her dad is hiding something. He comes off very remorseful and eager to repair the relationship, but his somber eyes also seem to be restraining feelings of something much more serious. Viewers will have to wait for future episodes to see if Jax ‘s intuition is correct.
It’s time for Jax and Lewis to come clean
Jax’s daughter, Naima, gets into some trouble, BIG trouble. After a poor lapse in judgment trying to gain acceptance with friends, Naima gets caught stealing a purse from a Prada store. Jax and Lewis find this out when Jax gets a phone call from the precinct. Jax and Stewart are furious, confused, and worried all at once, because Naima is the rule-follower.
After having an opportunity to talk with Naima about what drove her to make such a huge mistake, Naima reveals that she’s struggled finding friends. One of her good friends, Hattie, said some crazy things about Naima’s family that she didn’t believe, causing a drift in their friendship. As Naima shares this information, Lewis is wide-eyed, realizing that the information her friend knew wasn’t crazy after all—Hattie had overheard her mom talking about Lewis and Toni’s baby.
With the family secret out to everyone else, Jax and Lewis come to the realization that they need to come clean with their kids about their baby sibling Jaden. With his passing as an infant, sharing this information is sure to cause a mixture of emotions, from anger to grief. It will be interesting to see how Jax and Lewis approach this situation in future episodes.
Jax’s firm puts up an unlawful front
Some lawyers at the firm are very unpleased with, and probably jealous of, Jax’s success as a prosecutor. Jax has taken on case after case of high-profile clients, many of whom had heaping evidence against them. However, her ambition and determination to bring justice always seem to get her the details she needs to build a strong case.
After weeks of pestering Jax for updates on Ozzie’s case, one of the lawyers, Kathy, finally builds up the courage to ask, “What makes you think you can do whatever the f*** you want?”
Jax sees past Kathy’s bold act of defiance and calls her out on racial bias. Jax implies, in front of her entire staff, that they doubt her ability to handle Ozzie’s case because she’s a Black woman. Instead of acknowledging her proven ability to handle cases of this caliber, they assume she’s hiding information.
In addition, Jax’s firm partners hoax her co-prosecutor, Bill Sterling, into sharing details about the case with his higher ups, to make Jax look bad professionally. Originally, Bill is eager to relay information, but as he gets to know Jax, he sees that her white counterparts have plans to betray her as a partner at the firm.
Episode 3 teases Ozzie Edwards’ actual alibi
While Ozzie is on house arrest, the prosecution becomes privy to the fact that he is an addict. This hits close to home for Jax, since she is still struggling with the impact that addiction had on her family. Jax forces Ozzie to go to therapy, where he shares information about how his addiction started. He mentions being abused by an older woman while he was on set as a teen. Surely the prosecution will unpack this more and possibly use it to create reasonable doubt in Ozzie’s case.
At the end of Reasonable Doubt season 3 episode 3, viewers learn that Ozzie’s alibi might check out after all. Alex, who Ozzie had been trying to reach since his arrest, finally returns his call. Ozzie begs Alex to come forward and admit that he saw Ozzie the night of the murder. The scene ends with Alex’s refusal. Find out how this plays out in the next episode!
Watch new episodes of Reasonable Doubt Thursdays on Hulu.