A Mind-Blowing Scene in Episode 5 of “Presumed Innocent” Inspired My Loudest Scream of the Year

When I started watching Apple TV+’s eight-episode limited series, Presumed innocentI thought all I had to worry about was gory crime scenes and a nail-biting murder mystery. I was wrong!

As someone familiar with the 1990 Harrison Ford film, I thought the latest adaptation of Scott Turow’s novel would be pretty predictable, but Episode 5 reminded me that anything can happen this time around – including (but probably not limited to!) a jaw-dropping scene that had me screaming alone on my couch.

The series, starring Jake Gyllenhaal as chief assistant district attorney and prime murder suspect Rusty Sabich, keeps viewers on the edge of their seats week after week. But so far, this legal thriller has only made me scream once — and the scene that made me scream wasn’t even related to the brutal murder of Carolyn Polhemus.

All along Presumed innocentIn the first four episodes of the series, the Apple TV+ adaptation focuses on the characters’ extreme stress through dreams, or rather nightmares. In several cases, disturbing images flash across the screen, making it difficult to determine whether the actions actually happened or whether they are mental images conjured up by the characters. We’ve seen characters wake up in a sweat after particularly confusing sequences, and suddenly everything makes sense. But by the beginning of episode 5, “Pregame,” when Raymond Horgan (Bill Camp) is alone in a conference room sipping coffee, working late and feeling sick, I was sure I was watching reality.

It’s no secret that Raymond had been absent since learning of Rusty’s affair with Carolyn, but the fact that he started the scene burping and passing gas made me think he was simply battling a bad case of heartburn. When he started sweating, shifting uncomfortably in his chair, and looking like Chuck McGill in a tense state You better call Saul Seeing this scene, I thought it might be a panic attack or a heart attack. But no! It was much worse.

Instead, Raymond’s head exploded, and the loud explosion—along with the disturbing sight of wine-red liquid, chunks of flesh, and fragments of bone spraying across the room—made me scream involuntarily.

After surviving Presumed innocentAfter I managed to jump and realize how ridiculous the scene was, I screamed “WHAT?!” alone in my living room and realized I had been had. Again.

In truth Presumed innocent The scene ends with him waking up sweating in the comfort of his home, his head intact. Later that morning, he tells his wife about the terrifying trauma he suffered, and she suggests, “All those nightmares, they’re all telling you the same thing, what the evidence is telling you.” Raymond argues that the lack of evidence pointing to Rusty suggests he might still be innocent, and though his health seems undeniably in danger following the trial, Raymond presses on. (Unlike me, who’s still stuck on the exploding head.)

In creating the cursed GIFs above, Decider’s stalwart digital editorial designer Dillen Phelps offered an incredible glimpse into the jaw-dropping scene, enthusiastically noting that it appears to be a thrilling homage to ScannersDavid Cronenberg’s 1981 sci-fi horror film featuring – yes, you guessed it – exploding heads!

So here it is, friends, Presumed InnocentThe head-exploding scene is simultaneously a terror, a treat, and a potential reference to another classic.

Presumed innocent is now streaming on Apple TV+.