Directed by Norman Buckley
Written by Katie Wech, Russ Grant, & Ron Mc Gee
A county prosecutor claims that he is being framed for murder despite all the evidence against him, and proving his innocence places Jane in a life-threatening position. Meanwhile, Maura takes lessons in how to relate to children from Angela.
Tropes
- A Deadly Affair: Initially presented as of the "killing your lover" version, though Paul points out that he had no motive to kill Danni and Jane herself eventually realizes this too.
- Driven to Suicide: Between the death of his lover, the overwhelming evidence against him, and his marriage and career being in shambles, Paul is working up the nerve to jump from a bridge when Jane finds him.
- Frame-Up: Jane soon realizes that Paul is the victim of this.
- Hello, Attorney!: Paul Westcourt. He's played by Jamie Bamber, so this is a given.
- Literal Cliffhanger: The episode concludes with Paul falling off of the bridge just as Jane talks him out of jumping, leading her to jump in an effort to save him.
- Orgy of Evidence: Jane initially is convinced of the prosecutor's guilt. However, the sheer amount of evidence that turns up against him eventually convinces her that he is the victim of a very thorough frame-up. note
- Red Herring: Paul's affair with Danni and the mountain of evidence against him points to his guilt, but Jane becomes suspicious at how easy it was find and also points out that a guilty man would be more likely to lie about having had an affair rather than admit to it. Indeed, it turns out that he's being framed.
- Sympathetic Adulterer: Of the "normal" variety, as there's nothing about Paul's wife to indicate that she deserved to be cheated on, but Paul is portrayed thoroughly sympathetically and like someone genuinely in love with both women. Though the following episode expands on this. . .
- Whole-Plot Reference: The main plot of the episode and its sequel "Bridge To Tomorrow" is virtually identical to Presumed Innocent—an adulterous prosecutor's lover is murdered, all evidence points to him, only to have it turn out that he was framed by his angry wife. This episode even shares a title with the "Innocent's" follow-up novel.
