YMMV / House Rules

• The Scrappy:
  • Emma for her treatment toward both her sons bordering on emotional abuse as well as her inappropriate (at the time) relationship with Oliver, Henry for leaving his family over his son's autism, and Helen Sharp for saying "autism is the new selfish."
  • Theo doesn't get off the hook either, especially when it's discovered he knew all along that Jacob was innocent and doesn't bother to tell anyone just to save his own skin. Much as we're meant to feel sorry for him for being groomed into a caretaker role, his selfishness is what causes the plot to drag as long as it does.
• Strawman Has a Point: Emma goes to great lengths to convince everyone Jacob is a kind, caring boy who is far too innocent to commit murder... But as Theo points out Jacob is frequently violent and very capable of killing someone.
• Too Bleak, Stopped Caring: Between the cast of unlikable characters, the idiot plot, and people seeming to deeply relish mocking and taking advantage of a disabled young man, it's hard to really enjoy the story or even want the case to be solved. By the time we find out just what really happened, the damage has been done and there's little to no proper resolution.
• Unintentionally Unsympathetic: Theo. It's hard to feel sorry for someone who watches their brother get arrested, go to jail, and go to trial when he could have easily told them the truth about Jess's death.