Presumed Innocent Episode 7 Recap

If there’s one thing I love about Apple TV+’s Presumed Innocent, it’s that it doesn’t waste time. Episode 7 picks up right where we left off, with Raymond Horgan heading to the hospital after collapsing mid-trial. During the first two minutes of the episode, we’re shown a swarm of sirens, stretchers, and doctors rushing to help Raymond. One medic yells that he’s gone into “V-tach” (ventricular tachycardia) while Raymond lies motionless. I’m no doctor, but I’ve watched enough Grey’s Anatomy to know that isn’t good.

And yet! Miraculously, he pulls through. What appeared to be a heart attack was a freak incident—an electrical issue slowed his heart rate to a near stop. The doctors tell Raymond’s wife he’ll be fine—“improved, even.” All the man needs is a pacemaker.

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Whew. I’m glad that’s over with. Now we can get back to the trial. Lest we forget, Rusty Sabich’s fate is in limbo. Soon the jury will decide if he’s guilty or innocent in the murder of his mistress, Carolyn Polhemus. Honestly? It’s a toss-up. The prosecution still can’t prove that he did it, but Rusty’s defense can’t prove that he didn’t.

Before the trial resumes, both teams meet with Judge Lyttle. Nico Della Guardia, from the prosecution team, wants a mistrial—he thinks the jury will be swayed by seeing Rusty administer CPR. Rusty’s lawyer Maya disagrees. She volunteers to take over while Raymond recovers. Unfortunately, Rusty is the most delusional man who ever existed. He says he doesn’t need help. Better yet, he’ll represent himself. You show ’em, Rusty!

After loads of back and forth, Judge Lyttle says she’ll allow it—but she assures Rusty that it’s a bad idea. “I’ll instruct the jury and we shall resume tomorrow at 10 a.m.,” she says. “You might want to rethink.” The next day, Rusty shows up to court and sits in Raymond’s chair, confirming his decision.

The remainder of episode 7 sets the stage for a jaw-dropping finale as Rusty takes the lead in his own murder trial. Let the games begin.

a man and a woman sitting on a couchApple TV+

Rusty’s kids watch news coverage of their father’s trial.

Rusty’s Ego Might Be the End of Him

Part of me is rooting for Rusty, but an even larger part would like to find him a muzzle. The man is going to talk himself straight into a prison uniform. When his trial continues, Rusty cross-examines Michael—who, if you need a refresher, is Carolyn’s moody son. He starts off well, expressing his condolences, but Michael quickly interrupts. “You killed my mother,” he says.

Rusty switches gears. He tapped Michael's phone records and found something pretty damn shocking. Turns out Carolyn was an absent parent and didn’t include Michael in her life. The neglect got to him, so he sent his mother a string of threatening texts—including but not limited to: “Fuck you,” “It would be easier if you were dead,” and my personal favorite, “Sry. Just really fucking mad at you.” Only a teen would follow up a death wish with “Sry.” He couldn’t even be bothered to spell it out! What’s even crazier is that Michael is the prosecution’s witness...and they had no idea he was so angry. Nico and his second in command, Tommy Molto, are stunned.

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That’s not all. Michael was also obsessed with his mom’s cases and researched gruesome photos of Bunny Davis, a woman who was killed and bound in a nearly identical way to his mother. I’ll hand it to Rusty; that was a clever discovery. But instead of letting the evidence speak for himself, he gets cocky. “For the record,” Rusty asks, “did you kill your mother?”

Michael freaks out. His father freaks out. Everyone freaks out. It’s a hefty accusation. Rusty’s pleased with himself, and his smug demeanor carries over to the next day. Now it’s Detective Rodriguez’s turn to take the stand. She was a coworker of Rusty’s and Carolyn’s whom Rusty went to for help after Carolyn was killed. To make a long story short, he asked her to withhold evidence from the prosecution, which, um, you’re not supposed to do?!? Rusty brazenly clears the air when it’s the defense’s turn to ask questions. “You’re aware that I asked you to keep the evidence between the two of us because I did not trust that Mr. Molto or Mr. Della Guardia would conduct a fair investigation. Is that also a fair statement?” She says yes. Rusty thinks he won, but he set himself up.

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Nico watches Tommy do his thing.

Tommy’s on His A-Game

Tommy’s case was in shambles until Rusty broke a courtroom rule. Rusty asserted his innocence while cross-examining Rodriguez, meaning he can be called as a witness. Tommy jumps at the opportunity, and Judge Lyttle drags them into a meeting. “You’ve got two choices,” she says. Rusty can either answer Tommy’s questions or accept a mistrial. Though a mistrial would be fair—and a much easier win!—Rusty makes the boneheaded decision to take the stand. Naturally, Tommy shows no mercy. He calls attention to Rusty’s fistfight with Brian Ratzur. Then he mentions Rusty’s brawl with the chief medical examiner and implies that he has a violent streak. “Did you decide to do that, or did you just snap?”

We Finally Have a Murder Weapon

Just when it seems like Tommy will win, the man comes home to a surprise. Someone broke into his house. His paperwork is scattered everywhere—and the intruder left a gift. It’s the missing fire poker that Carolyn was struck with. There’s a note, too: “Go f*ck yourself.”

Well, damn. Now what? Whoever dropped it off must think Tommy was involved in Carolyn’s murder. It’s an interesting theory. After all, Tommy’s memories of her are less than great. At some point, Carolyn filed an HR complaint against him, and though she didn’t name names, she did tell Michael that a man at work was scaring her. He assumed she meant Rusty, but maybe she meant Tommy. Maybe, just maybe, he’s got some explaining to do.

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