Can you think of any other way to wrap up the most inconsistent season of Accused than a bizarre, seemingly futuristic case about murder and sex robots?!

It’s absolutely, unquestionably the most ridiculous case we’ve ever had on this series yet, but that aside, it was at least bizarre enough to be weirdly entertaining.

That’s more than can be said for some of the humdrum installments of the season.

With Accused Season 2 Episode 8, the series broadened its timeline. They expanded into the future with cases because the whole situation with Humanix feels like something meant to be in the not-so-distant future.

We don’t currently live in a world where humanoid robots are so mainstream that they’ve taken over job positions like food servers and personal assistants. And that was the case during this hour.

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So, with “Megan’s Story,” Accused takes a massive leap with this approach; frankly, I don’t know how to feel about it. But given the nature of the season at large, at least I can give them points for creativity.

Megan wasn’t a flat character but was positively loathsome, selfish, self-absorbed, ambitious, jealous, self-serving, and manipulative. She was nothing short of a complicated woman with layers, and the hour didn’t hesitate to put her worst traits on full display.

The more we saw of this woman, the less likely one wanted to root for her, and that’s something that Accused doesn’t often do as it likes to make the people on trial sympathetic more often than not.

It was refreshing to see the series deviate from the norm by building up the story and adding context to complicate the situation and resulting crime.

Megan was simply an awful person, and something was gratifying about that, even if it bumped up against the occasionally unsatisfying tendency to vilify female characters for their audaciousness, ambition, and possession of all society typically praises in men.

Thematically, the hour took a forward approach in exploring things like big corporations in tech, not entirely unlike Accused Season 2 Episode 3, while also tackling artificial intelligence and its takeover.

Megan was the head of a music company where it seemed AI was completely taking over the music scene, something that’s quickly becoming a reality and a grating and frustrating thought.

We’ve naturally been weighing the pros and cons of artificial intelligence and how it can be a useful tool in our lives versus a blight on how we live, pursue our jobs, or do anything else.

“Megan’s Story” touches upon that as we immediately see the conflict between Megan and John over the nature of her company and how she finds success.

John, as an artist and musician, values creativity and originality and what art brings to the world, something that gets completely lost through the use of AI.

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John’s music died out, and he resented Megan for not doing enough to fight for it or him, instead chasing after the very thing that was killing the industry in the first place: AI.

It’s enough to make your skin crawl when you think about an entire music industry running on music compiled and created by artificial intelligence instead of actual humans.

Yet Megan was ecstatic about these developments and seemingly had the entire industry on lock, resulting in her success as a music mogul alongside John’s old friend and bandmate.

John and Megan’s relationship was tense before she pushed it over the edge by introducing a sex robot into their lives. Megan’s self-absorption prevented her from noticing it.

Megan was a narcissist, always blinded by her ambition, always striving for the next big thing, new milestones, and accomplishments. Meanwhile, John was like a kept husband withering away on a vine.

Their marriage was doomed well before Eve came into the picture, and it would’ve dissolved quickly whether she was there or not. Eve was simply a catalyst for something much worse and a real tragedy.

It was jaw-dropping that Megan thought getting her husband a sex robot to essentially delegate her “wifely duties” of sex would be the answer to all of their prayers.

Of course, she would be jealous when she had to see this in action or when her husband connected to a tailor-made robot to appease him in all the ways he desired.

No one can compete with a robot programmed to suit all of a person’s needs, so she set her own self up to fall painfully short with a husband who was already halfway out of the door in the first place.

John was lonely in his marriage, and he found all the support and gratification that he needed via this sex robot, falling in love with it and finding true happiness in a way he hadn’t in quite some time.

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By that point, nothing Megan could have done would make up for the years she spent neglecting her husband, disregarding and invalidating him in favor of her own needs and desires.

Even her choosing to implant the embryos they saved so that she could finally have the kids that he had been wanting from her for a lifetime was totally self-serving and not about him.

It took Megan’s come-to-Jesus moment to decide that it was best for her to jump into this next big decision.

It didn’t bode well and merely highlighted their issues in the first place when she didn’t talk to him about this new choice and instead went to get the embryos implanted as “a surprise.”

Who does that? If she couldn’t even sit down and have a proper conversation with her husband, who was already on the brink of divorcing her, would they ever be a good couple or decent parents?

Once again, Megan made a unilateral decision that affected them without consulting him and expecting him to go along with the ordeal.

Except this time, he did not, doubling down on wanting a divorce so that he could be with Eve.

And that was laughable, like something pulled from Lars and the Real Girl, where he truly believed that he’d be genuinely happy and in a healthy relationship with something that wasn’t even real.

There was barely enough time to unpack how John’s solution to the years of dealing with a strong-willed, ambitious woman who emasculated him was to seek a relationship with a gorgeous robot incapable of individual thought who was programmed to love all his interests and serve all his needs.

Naturally, there’s this deep, inherent sexism in that, but the installment is such a fast-paced, bizarre one that there’s little room for that to settle in. We don’t need the show to handhold us through some of this, so it’s fine in the end.

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It’s a pity that John could feel so torn down after living in Megan’s shadow for so long that he ultimately gives up on even considering a real woman capable of her own thoughts who could challenge him.

The infidelity angle of it all was unique because Megan greenlit it, so it wasn’t cheating, and Eve wasn’t real in the first place, though that didn’t matter in the end.

The moral conundrum in all of that, while not a unique premise, was interesting enough.

But the hour consistently showed us from beginning to end that Megan is a manipulative, self-serving woman who always gets what she wants.

She talked her sister, whom she was never close to, into jeopardizing her job and study to give John a sex doll.

Megan constantly manipulated John, and then when he finally had enough and wanted to leave her, she killed him in a fit of hurt and rage as an emotional reaction to what happened and then blamed it on pregnancy hormones.

She also blamed it on Eve, knowing full well that a robot wouldn’t be held to account, and she manipulated her sister yet again to cover for her.

Megan was ruinous, not hesitating to manipulate her sister into throwing her entire career away, tanking a full study, and destroying progress with AI, all to cover her tracks.

She succeeded in all of that, too, with an acquittal for her husband’s death, a belly-full of twins she suddenly desires, and her sister under her thumb.

Megan was one of the series’s most diabolical and loathsome characters, which made things interesting.

As far as a finale goes, it’s not the strongest finish, and the series fully leans into a death yet again.

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It’ll be interesting to figure out if there’s a future for Accused Season 3 and what that could possibly look like after this shockingly weak one. Was the first season just a one-off success?

Can the series right the ship and find its footing and rhythm again? How many stories can they tell with this formatting without feeling redundant?

These are all questions I never gave much thought to heading into the season, but I’m ending it thinking about them.

It mostly feels like Accused has gone out with a whimper, albeit with this one, it was a salacious bit of sci-fi bizarreness that added some oomph to the preceding “Eugene’s Story.”

And I don’t know what to do with that. How about you?

Over to you, Accused Fanatics.

How do you feel about this unusual episode closing out the season?

What were your overall thoughts on the season? Do you think Accused has earned a renewal?

Let’s hear your thoughts below.

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The post From Whimper to Weird: A Weak Accused Season 2 Ends with Sex Robots & Bizarre Murder appeared first on TV Fanatic.

Is anyone else having a difficult time connecting with most cases this season?

Here, Ken Jeong does some solid dramatic work, given that most people are accustomed to him in a comedic fashion. But it isn’t enough to make a compelling or interesting episode.

But that’s been the pattern this season, hasn’t it? I’ve noted before that it seems like every other installment has sparks of what made Accused Season 1 so intriguing to viewers and luring us back for more.

And then the other episodes fall so flat that, at best, you go through the motions of watching dutifully, and at worst, you don’t care.

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I don’t know the deal with the series or how it could have improved or done anything differently to keep viewers captivated. I only know that it’s been one of the most inconsistent seasons of television I’ve witnessed in some time.

“Eugene’s Story” was okay. It was mostly boring, with a thin script that didn’t inspire much interest or provide any twists or turns to hook us at any point in the hour.

It was great to see Jamie Chung, who is typically a delight in most of her works, but here, she simply couldn’t bring Grace to life onscreen, perhaps because of how thinly the character was written.

And sadly, I found Chung’s performance uncharacteristically wooden and underwhelming. We needn’t get into the lack of chemistry between Chung and Jeong here.

I can only imagine that the difficulty of portraying Grace as a reformed, broken soul wracked with guilt so much that it interfered with her happy life and marriage doesn’t translate well at all.

Instead, this results in a seemingly imbalanced relationship where Eugene seems devoted to Grace, but Grace is such a flat character that nothing is convincing about her life, motivations, or whatever feelings she shows.

The troublesome Rex with a laughable marker tattoo of Texas sketched across his neck is so one-note that there’s nothing to grasp onto, good, bad, ugly, or complex.

He’s just there, filling in the slot of a villain and nothing more. And it’s sad because one of Accused‘s greatest successes was its ability to have a collection of the most unexpected and talented actors portraying these intriguing characters who can tell a full-faceted and captivating story in 45 minutes or less.

Again, I don’t know where Accused is going wrong this season, as the actors are certainly there. The season bolstered Felicity Huffman and Cobie Smulders. We’ve had stage, theater legends, and comedians sinking their teeth into dramatic roles and pulling it off.

The cast and talent are there, but everything else has been so hit or miss this season that you don’t know what you’re even getting from one installment to the next.

In the words of my wonderfully precocious, round-eyed, and earnest toddler nephew, “Wha happen?”

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Yes, Accused, what happened?! Inquiring minds want to know? What’s not clicking, and is this simply one of those byproducts of the strikes and fast turnaround with production?

I don’t really know. It’s a pity, though, as the last thing I want to do is heavily criticize one of the most delightful anthological series I’ve experienced. But here we are.

Back to Eugene. What can we say about him? He was a devout Christian who found meaning and purpose in his church community and his lifestyle as a jeweler working alongside his father-in-law.

Eugene thought he had a perfect life and was doing everything in his power to live as God intended, as a good person who conveniently swindled people into purchasing engagement rings beyond their means, but more so did it because he believed in love and all that good stuff.

He was a man who tried to live by turning the other cheek, which often had him appearing weak to the obnoxious and racist dog walker who didn’t clean up his dog’s poop and made fun of Eugene’s eyes.

Eugene was devoted to Grace, who seemed to be his entire world. And, yeah, we know there was some darkness in him, as he implied that he, too, had a past.

We also saw how his first flashes of anger seemed dangerous. Carrying around his father-in-law’s gun in his back pocket was a bit off, considering he didn’t always have a valid reason.

It genuinely did seem like he contemplated threatening that jerk before “leading with kindness.” But that’s the thing about being human; it’s not about your first thoughts and instincts but more so your actual actions in the end.

Eugene mostly had himself together; his weak spot was Grace.

Suspecting that she was cheating on him was a big turning point for him, but after confronting her and hearing about her past with Rex, he realized he was the real villain and the one causing harm.

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Then, he devoted his attention to making Rex pay to save Grace because Eugene was intensely happy, devoted, stable, and seemingly perfect.

For someone as flawed as Grace, with her past, it’s understandable that she concluded that maybe she wasn’t worthy of Eugene or that if he knew all the deep, dark details about her past, he wouldn’t love her anymore.

Rex was a horrible part of her past that she could put away for a while, but once Rex got out of prison, it all came rushing back.

Eugene’s idealism and positivity established high standards and expectations, whether he intended them or not, which was at the core of this installment and Eugene’s relationship with Grace.

In that sense, they touched on many of the notes you’d expect from an hour with a heavy enough theme on religion and Christianity: Sinners can be redeemed, God and Jesus forgive.

Grace was a flawed woman with a past, but she was worthy of forgiveness and love, and Eugene could give that to her.

But he couldn’t extend forgiveness to Rex. Instead, he was ruled by vengeance and other human instincts that make us flawed and constantly at the mercy of seeking prayer and forgiveness for the Big Guy.

In many ways, I wish they’d delved a bit more into the religious aspect instead of lightly touching on things as a backdrop. It felt forced and underbaked, perfunctory, if you will.

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But then so much of this installment had that overall vibe, as, aside from Jeong’s intriguing enough break from comedy, very little was engaging about the hour.

The second season also spends a great deal of time with those on trial for some form of death, and I wish they’d switched things up a bit more.

Eugene is going away for felony murder, his actions resulting in the death of the woman he loved, and while tragic because of the outcome and his love for her, very little about how things played out made me ponder much of anything about the justice system and the complexities of humanity or care.

And I hate that.

But those are my thoughts on the matter, and maybe I’m too pessimistic about the hour, so I’d love to turn things over to you.

Accused Fanatics, what were your thoughts on this case and the overall season thus far?

Sound off below.

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The post Accused Season 2 Episode 7 Review: “Eugene’s Story” is a Penultimate Whimper appeared first on TV Fanatic.

Keeping up with the theme of up and down installments to Accused Season 2 Episode 6 was a reasonably solid installment compared to its predecessor, Accused Season 2 Episode 5.

There was a focus on mutual trauma and a shared sisterhood between two unlikely individuals.

You can never go wrong with Cobie Smulders, and her portrayal of Val felt tailor-made for an actress who is adept at portraying wonderfully complex, flawed, and occasional hot mess characters.

In this case, Val wasn’t so much a “hot mess” as she was a domestic abuse survivor and single mother who was trying to get by while taking care of her son and ensuring that he would never end up like his father.

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She spent much of the hour truly struggling, as it seemed like the system got stacked against her merely because her ex-husband was an emotional terrorist who not only managed to gaslight her but frequently charmed others so much that they didn’t see who he really was.

Trey was a classic narcissist, and he got off on the control and hurt Val however he could.

He didn’t take any responsibility for his actions, physically and emotionally abused her, and left her this emotionally damaged woman who turned to alcohol to cope and developed PTSD and Panic attacks.

And then he weaponized those things against her at will, including when he constantly threatened to take full custody of their child alongside his current wife, Jordan.

The groundwork for how evil a person he was preceded him, and viewers didn’t have to do much work to pick up exactly who and what Trey was and why Val suffered so much.

And the hour, predictably, saw her standing trial for his murder as the State of Oregon tried to build a case against the ex-wife who was mentally, financially, and emotionally “unstable” and had a motive to kill this man.

Trey’s death was an unexpected, awkward affair. One minute, we’re gritting our teeth over Val, sneaking back to his house to steal back the statue that belonged to her, and the next, she hears him hitting the floor.

Initially, it did seem like an accident, as if an electrical issue from his welding tool shocked him and stopped his heart.

Val didn’t kill him; she even did chest compressions on him and performed CPR for a few seconds before her Panic attack got the better of her. Flashbacks to all the ways he caused harm to her flooded her brain, and in no time, she was too busy trying to get out of there and cover her tracks instead of calling 911.

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Given Val’s experiences and her mental health, it was reasonable that she had the reaction that she did, even though most of us would love to think that we’d call the emergency number and report the death.

In fact, the hour does a subtle but decent enough job of capturing some of the responses to trauma. When we first saw Val bracing herself to speak to Trey and ask him about the sculpture, she was so cautious and meek.

He was explosive, cruel, and mean toward her, and Val had the classic “freeze” reaction in the face of his ire. She practically trembled under his gaze, and when Jordan appeared shortly after, she fled.

And when he died, Val fled again, rushing to track down Oliver and take him home with her, knowing that she didn’t want her son to be near the house when whomever discovered Trey’s body.

Jordan was a great contrast to Val and a solid embodiment of the “Fawn” trauma response in trauma survivors. To many, it may have even appeared that she was genuinely ignorant about her husband’s explosive temper and abusive ways.

But Jordan’s way of dealing with Trey involved submission, appeasement, and being as agreeable as possible, except, ironically, when pushing his buttons regarding Val.

Jordan may not have seemed like an ally to Val upfront, but she was quietly one behind closed doors. She advocated for her because it was the right thing to do, and she genuinely loved Oliver and respected Val.

She also understood Val more than she let on, which must’ve come as a shock (pardon the pun) to Val when she spent much of the time intimidated by Jordan and Oliver’s relationship, resenting Jordan for “having it all together,” and generally being put off by the existence of this woman.

For Val, Jordan seemed to make her feel inadequate, and something specifically wrong with HER caused Trey to behave as he did.

She didn’t feel as though Jordan validated or supported her or had half the experiences that she did, and she bought into the picturesque lifestyle that Jordan and Trey seemed to have.

The irony of Val buying into the same facade that she put on when she was with Trey isn’t lost and speaks to how we tend to view abuse and how easily it can hide behind closed doors, even for those who know better.

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It’s part of what made the real cause of Trey’s death such a solid twist. We saw the flashbacks of how things played out, so we knew Val didn’t do it, but we also could understand how she wound up on trial.

It looked less like an accident when they caught her sneaking into his house and then leaving shortly after, and she didn’t do herself any favors by not calling 911.

We were so caught up in knowing that it wasn’t murder that it was shocking to learn that it actually was and that Jordan was the one who orchestrated the whole thing.

The hour seemed to fly by, but even with that in consideration, it was a shock that Jordan got up on the stand and confessed everything without counsel, making it clear that Val had no part in anything.

It was a hell of a way to tank the prosecution’s case and embarrass the guy when they probably could’ve gone over all that before stepping into the courtroom.

Although, in many ways, it worked out better that way, if Jordan had told the truth before the trial, it’s possible that they still would’ve pinned something on Val, and both women would be in jail.

Initially, it seemed like Jodan was there to be the final nail in Val’s coffin.

Still, once we started following other parts of the timeline, you could tell that she genuinely felt bad about Val and that she could never live with herself if Val went to prison for something she did.

Jordan was a murderer, yes, but a genuinely good person. I went into his hour fully prepared for Cobie Smulders to captivate me, yet Dina Shihabi emerged as the standout and most compelling character of the hour.

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We saw that Jordan was a woman on the edge, and as she outlined everything Trey did to her and how she executed his death after yet another beating, your heart went out to her.

She was sympathetic, even when we knew that her admission on the stand outlined something that operated outside of the scope of self-defense.

Much like Val, Jordan fell into the same habit of covering for Trey, and as a result, there was no physical evidence of his abuse. There were no records with the police, pictures of bruises, or anything else.

It’s not uncommon, sadly, which means that domestic violence survivors have the burden of trying to prove to everyone around them that this person poses a serious threat and is harmful.

But when you have someone with charm, power, and money like Trey, the outside world is simply another tool he can control and use to his advantage.

Both women loved Oliver so much that they were genuinely concerned about his well-being. Val feared her son had his father’s violent streak, and Jordan feared that Trey would hurt Oliver.

They were both protective moms trying to do what was best for Oliver, but they had different ways of doing that. Jordan’s method was permanent and more effective. She probably would’ve succeeded with it if Val didn’t show up at the house.

Val had to work on forgiving Jordan because not only did she kill the father of her child, but she was the reason that she was on trial for it. It was devastating because Val couldn’t process how Jordan could let things go on as long as she did.

But she came through in the end, and they were more alike than different. As she told Oliver, Jordan was family.

Understandably, Val wanted to do whatever she could to ensure that Jordan wouldn’t go to prison, too. However, that’s where the hour takes a turn that, while emotionally satisfying because we sympathize with these women, feels too unrealistic to work.

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Val threatening to lie on the stand and tank the case against Jordan by confessing and thus evoking a double jeopardy situation was absurd. And the fact that it actually worked was absolutely ridiculous.

It’s sad to say that the law very seldom works in favor of domestic violence survivors, something that Val wanted to point out. Having her play Double Jeopardy like some sort of Uno Reverse card felt like it undermined the point and poignancy of what the episode was exploring.

I’m not saying that these women and this family don’t deserve a happy ending, only that it’s not typically the reality.

Accused typically does such a decent job of addressing the system’s complexities and pitfalls that tying things up with this implausible, neat bow feels inauthentic to what we’ve known and expected from this series.

Nevertheless, I should be content that these two women found peace and freedom in this fictional realm and that it’s a hopeful sentiment for those seeing this who may be in similar positions.

Over to you, Accused Fanatics.

How did you feel about the murder twist?

Do you feel like the ending was unrealistic?

Let’s hear all your thoughts in the comments below!

Watch Accused Online

The post Justice Reimagined: Accused Season 2 Episode 6 Tackles Domestic Abuse with a Twist appeared first on TV Fanatic.

Overall, Accused Season 2 has been hit or miss with the installments, and this one falls closer to the latter than the former.

“Margot’s Story” involved a senior-aged woman who became enamored with a con artist and wanted to exercise some control over her life and feel alive.

At least, that was the gist of the hour and what Margot had to say at her trial.

In some ways, the hour could’ve had things that I find most endearing like lively senior-aged women still trying to make the absolute best out of their lives or a second chance at love sort of romance that may or may not have involved a younger man.

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The hour had the makings of that, with Margot and her friends letting loose at the dance studio, especially Connie, with her brash personality that can be endearing.

But as an Accused installment, it was rather underwhelming.

Margo didn’t feel like a fully realized and multidimensional character. I found her to be rather one-note, and it was hard to comprehend her motivations for her sudden devotion to Alexei fully.

Sure, he was nice to her, and she was lonely, but was that all it took?

Margo was surrounded by such vibrant older women that it seemed odd that she suddenly put dancing with this instructor at the center of her life as she did.

We didn’t see enough of their relationship building up to feel strongly about it or make sense of her jumping in to help him in any meaningful way, let alone his making this deep connection with her that had him not cashing the check she gave him.

Initially, it seemed like it could have been another murder case and that the victim was Wendy, who we routinely saw treating Alexei like crap.

It would’ve made sense if the way she treated him sparked something in Margot that prompted her to do something extreme.

But instead, it was about the scamming.

Alexei was an infamous con artist who found ways to swindle money out of those he felt could afford to lose it before skipping town and moving on to his next mark.

The idea of him starting his own dance studio and requiring the downpayment and enough money to pay it off for a year (which felt ludicrous) was enough to inspire others to contribute to the cause.

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Connie bought into what he was selling and convinced their other friend to fork over some money, considering it an investment.

But right out of the gate, it seemed like a sketchy one, as no one did enough research or consulted with a financial advisor.

Because who randomly invests in a dance studio for a guy they barely met?

But, the hour worked to show how vulnerable senior-aged people can be, making them perfect targets for scamming.

However, it reads poorly, like the wise elders we look to are somehow too dumb for their own good.

Amid this mess, we saw a friendship falling apart because Connie was jealous.

There’s no other way of putting it.

She didn’t like that the dance instructor she enjoyed and liked flirting with devoted his time and attention to Margot.

It led to her concocting all these ideas in her head about what that relationship was like and projecting it.

How on earth she immediately jumped to Margot being in on the scam is beyond me.

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It spoke volumes that Connie didn’t know the ins and outs of Margot’s financial situation that she lost her job, or even that she did give Alexei money, too.

In some ways, it seemed like they weren’t nearly as close as one would’ve thought, and the fact that Connie opted to get jealous and harbored all of this unspoken resentment and negativity towards her friend was a sad reflection of their bond.

Connie happily got up on the stand to strengthen the prosecutor’s case against Margot without talking with her friend about anything or understanding.

It was offputting, and she looked like an idiot when Margot took the stand to tell her truth.

It’s a real miracle that they could maintain their friendship after that, but alas, this trio was supposed to be the epitome of sisterhood.

Alexei seemingly made Margot feel alive, regardless of how shallow that came across.

And when Margot learned the truth, she was hellbent on making him pay.

Yet, it was still unexpected that she would take the gun out of her friend’s purse and confront him at the dance studio with all the open windows.

Why not call the police or keep the gun hidden away until he did something that would’ve escalated things?

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It was such an extreme reaction that we’re supposed to believe it resulted from Margot always getting the short end of the stick and trying to take control of her life for once.

But it was so impossibly reckless and stupid.

After all that, Alexei told her the truth, and she immediately helped him flee to goodness knows where.

I don’t understand her motivations behind that, either. Even if he didn’t steal her money, he did to her friends and many others.

And it’s doubtful he’ll stop doing it either, especially now that he got away with it, and Margot is the only person facing any real consequences.

He told her she was special, but was she? Or did he just not get a chance to cash her check yet and conned her into letting him go?

The hour was far from compelling, but at least Margot didn’t go away for everything, only her assault on a cop, which never would’ve happened if she hadn’t confronted Alexei with a gun in the first place.

Unlike other Accused episodes, we saw Margot’s life after the sentencing, which consisted of her on probation and working at a soup kitchen.

And truthfully, nothing resonated with this hour, so I’ll likely forget the extent of it now that the credits have rolled.

But having some stage legends helming the hour was nice.

Over to you, Accused Fanatics.

Did you find this Accused case interesting?

Why do you feel Margot covered for Alexei?

What are your overall thoughts on the season thus far?

Watch Accused Online

The post Accused Season 2 Episode 5 Fumbles with Uncompelling “Margot’s Story” appeared first on TV Fanatic.

Yes, a Tupac quote came to mind while watching Accused Season 2 Episode 4 and Michael Chiklis‘ tour de force return to the series.

If you’re a music fan with eclectic taste, you know the intersecting point between Rap and Country is in the storytelling that often gives voice to disenfranchised communities, which society ironically loves to convince are more different than similar.

And that’s decidedly not the case, whether in sprawling rural communities or urban cities, from Appalachian regions to rust belt towns like the one featured in this hour.

As a result, two different music genres could have the same message and resonate so profoundly. 

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Music at its finest has that impact, as does television, when done well.

That may be why a late rap icon who spoke so honestly about poverty came to the forefront of my mind during this specific hour of Accused, which put the desolation and hopelessness of small rust belt towns and the bone-deep desire to escape them on display.

Do you know what else came to mind while watching this installment? Two fantastic series that captured similar vibes: American Rust and Mare of Easttown.

I highly recommend both.

What Accused does in this single installment is capture the disparity of the working class incredibly well and add a deep context to each character’s motivations to understand better how everyone could do what they did.

Frankly, I love Accused for its exploration of a class of individuals who don’t appear at the forefront of most tales.

Given the subject matter, it was fitting that the hour focused on how a sport played such a heavy role in what transpired.

Going hand in hand with those desperate to escape wherever they live is the dream and means of doing so via whatever sport could give them the opportunity.

It’s a familiar story, whether kids from humble backgrounds pursue basketball or football in big cities or similar kids pursuing wrestling in the Midwest and Heartland.

Athletics as a way out is more of an American reality than the American dream, and “Justin’s Story” captures this rather well and at various stages.

I’m obsessed with how well Michael Chiklis embodies his characters and brings all these nuances to his every move and performance.

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You instantly found yourself drawn to this coach, who seemed passionate about helping his students achieve their dreams.

Coaching was everything to him, but more importantly, being a driving force for the cream of the crop to escape their hopeless town with no opportunities and find success elsewhere was everything to him.

It seemed to replace his dreams after an injury during college, which shattered his opportunity to get out.

It speaks volumes and confirms just how difficult things are and how the trappings of where you come from and the status you’re born in can still ensnare you and leave you trapped no matter what you do.

Justin was a hotshot in high school, a talented athlete who was “going places” and bound for college at an Ivy League school via a wrestling scholarship and maybe the Olympics.

But all it takes is one bad injury to defer a dream, and given his low income and lack of opportunity, Justin landed right back in the town he thought he was escaping, coaching in a sport he could no longer pursue for himself.

In many ways, he poured all the hopes and dreams that life and circumstance robbed him of into students he thought had a genuine shot of getting somewhere.

While that meant his intentions were good, it also meant that he was putting a lot of pressure on these boys, specifically TJ.

When you’ve experienced what Justin has, you don’t want anyone to go through the same.

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He sacrificed so much to get to a particular place in his life, including, presumably, the love of his life, Erica, and it didn’t get him anywhere.

Justins can serve as folk heroes and cautionary tales, and most of the community saw Justin that way.

What was unmistakable since the second we saw them onscreen was that Justin genuinely loved TJ.

He looked at him like he was his own son, so much so that I wondered if that was somehow the case given the history and palpable chemistry between Justin and Erica.

Maybe part of his fondness for TJ was knowing that he would’ve been his son if things were different in another world.

They never delved deeper into what caused Justin and Erica to break up many years ago after being high school sweethearts.

The series leaves it up in the air, making you consider many factors or a combination of all of them: he wanted to focus exclusively on wrestling.

Justin knew that he couldn’t do that and get where he needed to if he was still hopelessly devoted to the woman he loved, or his father’s caustic attitude may have extended to seeing his son dating someone of a different race, or Erica was a genuine distraction who could’ve held him back and landed him back in their town.

But whatever happened between them, that had Justin breaking up with her as soon as she finished helping him move into his dorm room, it was evident that there were still so many feelings radiating between them.

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It’s no wonder her husband was as jealous as he was. Their rivalry began in high school and extended to his bitterness over how much Justin visibly still loved Erica and how TJ looked to Justin as a father figure.

Sadly, one could even understand TJ’s perspective in this.

It wasn’t that he didn’t have pride in his father, but he seemed to possess a real fear of being just like him, stuck in their economically challenged town working some dead-end job he hated just to put food on the table for his family and scrape by.

He wanted so much more for himself and his family, and his father didn’t seem to grasp that or was too prideful to admit that he desired that as well.

Instead, he took it as TJ looking down on him for being a working man and resented that TJ looked to Justin as his real hero.

And one could sympathize with all of that, which is one of many reasons this was such a strong hour.

Understanding the main players’ perspectives leads to a far greater impact on the situation’s complexities.

One of the most striking and effective moments was when they revealed that TJ was a twin.

It was a twist that I didn’t see coming, and upon that revelation, there was an extra layer to the characters and their motivations.

TJ’s father probably saw wrestling as a non-starter and a waste of time, especially since he saw where Justin ended up. It was likely more pressing for their family that TJ focused on a real job.

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He couldn’t even grasp how they could afford even part of TJ’s college tuition if the scholarship he got wasn’t a full one.

It’s sad because it wasn’t that he didn’t want the best for TJ, but he was too caught up in being realistic about everything that their family literally couldn’t afford to take risks.

What do you do when you’re too poor to dream… when you can’t even afford to hope?

Where TJ’s father saw a bleak reality that would have his son stuck in their town and needing to figure out more attainable ways to survive, like Justin, Erica had higher aspirations for her son with some self-serving, maternal desires.

To say Erica saw TJ as a meal ticket would make it seem like she didn’t care about her son at all, and sometimes, it’s easier to indict parents who push their children in this way without understanding where their heads are.

Erica knew what it was like to want out of that town and talked about how hopeless she felt about facing another 50 years of stocking shelves until she could afford to retire or die.

It’s part of why she and Justin connected so much. Her husband found bits of light, hope, and comfort in their humble lives and inspired her to see the same.

It wasn’t until that conversation between the two outside the courthouse that one could understand how their marriage happened and their love, despite her affection for Justin.

Erica couldn’t help but think about how hard life was for them and the expenses and struggles to support Nico, who was challenged with health issues that they likely could barely afford.

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As a result, the pressure was on TJ to be the best, get out of their town, make something of himself, and help his family, especially his twin, who would need all types of assistance.

Pressure like that can break anyone, and the hour also explores what that impact looks like on a teen athlete.

It makes sense that it drove him to take steroids in hopes of performing well enough to get scouted, as his entire family and livelihood depended on this.

There was so much on the line, something that Justin understood but couldn’t condone when he learned the truth.

Yet, he didn’t want to see this kid lose his big shot, so he covered for him when it came down to it.

The second they showed him in the bathroom, I knew that a urine test was on the horizon, and he’d find a way to give TJ his pee so he could pass.

He loved him so much; of course, he would, even though he didn’t want him taking steroids.

Justin did his best to protect TJ’s future and the kid’s best interest, but it wasn’t enough.

There are so many stories of young athletes dying abruptly from heart issues, and yet my heart still clenched when TJ fell, even when I knew it was coming.

Seeing how it all unfolded, it’s disheartening that Justin had to stand trial for TJ’s death. Involuntary murder is a hell of a charge for him to take on.

Sadly, if his parents didn’t know about the steroids and found out, they, too, would’ve likely had him stop taking them cold turkey, and the result would’ve been the same.

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Not to mention the fact that TJ’s heart tissue was already a mess after only three months of taking steroids, and he’d likely have still been in the same place if he wasn’t taken out of the sport altogether.

Justin’s love for TJ landed him in that courtroom, and his love for Erica sent him to prison, covering for her.

It’s a fascinating display of what happens to the downtrodden and economically disadvantaged, who have few options.

I found Justin’s speech on the stand resonant because it’s true — how all of his friends from then were dead, overdosed, or died by suicide or alcoholism.

The likelihood that his students would experience the same things was strong as well.

The correlation between socioeconomic disadvantages and fates like that is too strong to ignore.

And in the end, it felt like a mark of fate that was inescapable.

After all, Justin, despite his intentions and desires, is in prison, TJ is dead, and his parents will still be working their dead-end jobs, trying to make ends meet and take care of his brother.

Cyles never end and are so hard to break, aren’t they?

Over to you, Accused Fanatics.

How do you feel about Justin’s judgment?

Would you have told the truth about Erica’s involvement?

Let’s hear it below!

Watch Accused Online

The post Accused Season 2 Episode 4 Review: Chiklis is a Tour De Force in Emotionally Evocative “Justin’s Story” appeared first on TV Fanatic.

In the critically acclaimed hit series Accused, Nick Cannon and Patrick J. Adams play strange bedfellows as polar opposite best friends and business partners at a tech company.

But one scandal causes a friendship built on a rocky foundation to crumble, eventually turning fatal.

We had the privilege of catching up with Accused and Suits star Patrick J. Adams to break down that intense hour.

Check it out below!

Obviously, Accused is just such an incredible project to get into. What attracted you to the script and this role?

Well, first of all, just the series as a whole. It’s such a great platform for actors. It was so clear that it’s a show, production, and team that wants to be a venue for bringing in great actors to work on great material. So the company they keep is so wonderful.

I was honored to be included before I even read the script. I just thought, “That’s an amazing team to work with,” and I’m happy to be counted among all those people.

Then I read the script; I don’t get offered parts like Pete very often. Pete’s not the nicest guy. He’s a little dangerous. He’s behaving poorly and not making the best decisions. He’s a little erratic.

I’m often asked to play the safe guy, the dependable guy, the charming guy, and the guy who you can bring home to Mom.

I’m grateful for all the roles I play, but whenever I get to do something a little outside my comfort zone, that’s a good indication that it’s something I should do.

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On top of it, Clark Johnson, the director of this episode, is legendary, and I’ve wanted to meet him, let alone work with him, my entire career. So when I saw he was directing it, the script, and the people making it, it was a no-brainer.

It’s such a collaborative experience. That’s really amazing.

It was shot in Toronto, and it was meant to be because we spend our summers in Ontario, Canada. I was there with my family, and it was just perfect timing.

Accused is a very timely series, and this episode, of course, is no exception. But what were your thoughts on how they tackled so many issues in a very nuanced way?

We had AI, facial recognition, ethics in tech, racial profiling, and police brutality—there was a lot.

Yeah. Anything dealing with AI right now, the opportunities and the dangers are profound.

Obviously, we’re dealing with a police story in this, too, and an interaction with the police going wrong, and that’s an important subject for us all to consider. The overlap of technology and policing is really ripe for discussion in an important place.

You know, there could be a lot of good done with this and a lot of dangerous wrongs that could happen.

Not surprisingly, it’s great writing and a finger really on the pulse, and then this amazing team kind of brought it to life. It really was an amazing team from the top down.

It’s hard. It’s hard to pull off a show where you’ve got a brand-new cast every week.

Part of the joy of being on a television series is you get to know each other better, learn each other’s rhythms, and so you get a show like Suits where you get its family, and it’s very easy, and you all know each other this show every single week.

Here, this whole team is brand new, right?

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So, all these makeup artists and the wardrobe department—everybody has to get to know this new team. These actors come in and have to get comfortable with everybody, and they just did a phenomenal job of making everyone feel so welcome.

It’s really hard to create a production where people can just drop in and do good work right away, and that was the gift of this set for sure.

I was just going to inquire about that. This type of filming must feel like a mini-movie. You have a lot of character-building and such to cram into one episode. How different is that from serialized work?

Yeah, it’s just like a runway. You have no idea. I often think sometimes, as actors, our job is to reduce the time it takes to get comfortable in a situation where most people would.

So, all those first-day nerves and getting to know someone — in a normal show, maybe you got a couple of episodes to work it out. You can relax and find your groove by episode two, three, four…

But here, you have to find your groove on day one. You get a few takes of “What is this guy doing? What am I saying?” But I shot maybe four or five days on this, so that’s not a lot of time.

On day one, you’re shooting important scenes. You have to get to know each other. Nick obviously is amazing and was easy to work with and excited to do the same thing, and we got comfortable with each other as fast as possible because we had to be best friends.

Sometimes, that’s the fun of acting: when you have a good group of people. If it’s a tough group of people, it’s hard if somebody doesn’t want to connect. I’ve been on sets like that before, but this was the opposite.

I found Pete’s and Marcus’s dynamic fascinating. They were on opposite ends of the moral spectrum. Can you speak about that dynamic?

It’s fun to play. When I first read it, I was like, “What makes these guys friends?” because they seem so different.

Then we got on set, and I met Nick [Cannon]. We started playing it, and I realized I’d had friends like this. I’ve had friends where you’ve known each other for so long and been through the trenches for so long that you don’t realize how different you are and how much you’ve changed.

You’re much more forgiving. You’ll look the other way when you shouldn’t. That is the beating heart of this relationship between the two of them.

They have so much history and have built this crazy company. It’s so successful. So now their financial well-being is totally tied together.

They’re like a knot that’s hard to undo, and it takes something mysterious and historic that’s happened with the software that they’ve built to start untying it.

It’s a really interesting exploration of how we can make and stay friends with people, maybe a little longer than we should or not call them out on what they need to be called out on as early as we should.

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I appreciated the nuance in their dynamic.

Pete is Pete, and Marcus calls him out on his privilege and option to be aloof or ambivalent about racial profiling. But Pete was also making very great points, calling Marcus out on knowing that Pete has always been this way.

It was like, “You needed me. Without me, none of this would have happened,” and that’s true.

Sometimes, people carry us forward and give us confidence. If we’re a bit meek and someone comes along who’s got the confidence to carry us through, that can change our lives in a better way.

However, it can get very complicated when you’re suddenly forced into the reality that Marcus faces in the story.

To the very end, I still didn’t know for sure whether Pete was a bottom-line guy protecting his own self-interest, genuinely thought he was protecting Marcus or a combination of both.

I liked the line of that. I have ideas about it, but I liked that it was never too super explicit in the script.

I feel that you can never play the bad parts about a person; you have to play the parts they believe. You have to play the parts they think they’re fighting for — the right cause.

For Pete, ultimately, this software is going to do good things. He knows that making a billion dollars will be good for their lives and allow them to do great things with their lives.

So, is it so wrong? We fixed this problem quickly, and you’re [Marcus] overthinking it. Don’t think about it too much. Let it go.

I think Pete has to stay positive and excited about the future, and Marcus is obviously really haunted by this one detail.

The nuance that Marcus’s own wife came at it from a totally different place but aligned with Pete in a really interesting way was interesting. I love the complexities of this show.

It just plays so well. It’s fun to put yourself in these positions. What would I do? You know something is great when you’re putting yourself in those shoes. That would be really hard if I were Marcus. This would be hard if I were Pete.

I know what I’d want to do, but I also know what I’d be tempted to do. And what does that make me? It forces us to ask a lot of great questions. I think that’s great TV.

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Ultimately, the conflict resulted in Pete’s death. Do you think they could have gotten through this if that accident didn’t happen?

Great question. I like to believe anybody can get through anything. It might have changed the fabric of their relationship or the organization, but I don’t know.

Obviously, it’s a sticking point. It’s something Marcus drew a line in the sand that he couldn’t move past. Pete is unwilling to listen to it and really make space for it. I don’t know. It’s a good question.

I like to hope that people can figure it out, but I don’t know if they could have stayed business partners or even friends.

If you could pen and direct an Accused episode, what would you love it to be about? What topic would you love to explore?

Oh my goodness, that is a tough question that deserves a good answer.

I love the exploration of policing and justice and how complicated that is in this moment and in America. That’s an element of this, but maybe I’d love to dive even deeper into that because I think it’s complicated, and there’s no simple answer. Honestly, I would be honored just to direct any episode.

It’s possible! Michael Chiklis returned to direct an episode this season.

Now, this is getting published and out in the world, yes!

It’s an incredible team, and I can tell that as a director, the producers on set, and the producing director, it’s such an amazing supportive team that it would be an incredible place to work as a director.

I know how important it is to have people around you working at the top of their game, so yeah, it’s a dream job for sure.

Thanks for putting it out there!

Well, Accused is a conversation starter series. What conversations do you hope people will initiate after watching this episode?

I think this concept of how far you can push a friendship is really interesting to me.

Maybe people come away from this episode looking at their own relationships and places where they’ve allowed behavior or things to be said or done that they shouldn’t. Maybe people will ask: “Why am I letting that person get away with that? How do I talk to them about it?”

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I wish these two guys had sorted it out a little bit differently than they do in the show, but maybe it’s a bit of a cautionary tale.

Don’t let things get this far. Look at the people in your life and find a way to have an honest conversation about what isn’t working for you anymore.

But yeah, I mean, friendships can be hard. All relationships can be hard. I love that this is about a really old friendship bent beyond its capacity.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Sound off below, Accused Fanatics!

Watch Accused Online

The post Accused Post-Mortem: Patrick J. Adams Reflects on Cautionary Tale Regarding Toxic Friendships appeared first on TV Fanatic.

And Accused Season 2 Episode 3 explores that with “Marcus’ Story,” where a stressor over an emotionally charged bug in a tech company’s product applies pressure to a fractured friendship and partnership, resulting in death.

Nick Cannon and Patrick J. Adams were at the center of this hour as Marcus faced the trial of his life for the involuntary murder of his best friend.

Friendships Comprised of Opposites Are a Blessing and Curse

Marcus and Peter carried themselves with a totally different energy.

To outsiders, they made an unlikely duo as Marcus was a morally centered, nerdy family man compared to single lothario Peter, who lived high on life and had a reckless streak.

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Again, to most, they probably would’ve never crossed paths, let alone became friends, yet they came together to form a tech company, Caraxon, that revolved around Peter’s facial recognition software.

It’s all that you’d expect, as the hour touches on (albeit briefly) many current issues regarding tech, from the flaws of AI to the abysmal error margin when it comes to facial recognition software still enacting the same racial profiling and issues that humans enforce on the regular.

It touched on the culpability that comes with this and the, at times, deadly ramifications of a bug in a system.

Accused Season 2 Episode 3 Briefly Juggles Multiple Current Issues

Suppose the same programming that’s used as a tool to aid law enforcement is racially skewed almost as much as humans enforcing the law.

What does that say about society and the chronic issue of disproportionate arrests and deaths of individuals in the criminal justice system?

The Caraxon scandal felt similar to Chicago PD Season 7 Episode 6, which explored the dangerous effects of identification software that resulted in a false positive of a person and resulted in their death.

So many of the issues that Accused Season 2 Episode 3 are timely, and the hour finds a way to bring them all home amid this tumultuous friendship between two business partners.

It’s evident that Marcus is the “good one” out of the duo; his heart is too big, and his moral ethics will eat away at him at anything that challenges them.

In many ways, that’s what made having a shrewd business partner like Pete who could handle the harder and grayer issues understandable.

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Accused Season 2 Episode 3’s Software Glitch is Complex but Not Unexpected

The glitch in the software was bad, but it’s also not uncommon.

Pete noticed and fixed the error. Unsurprisingly, he didn’t mention it to Marcus, either.

Chances are, he never expected anything to come from it, and it’s possible that he really didn’t want to burden Marcus with the knowledge that this glitch existed in the first place and had some role in the death of a man.

It’s a difficult situation made more so by their different positions in the world and outlooks because of those experiences.

As typical of an Accused episode, one can understand both sides of Pete’s actions.

It can be true that Pete was all too aware of how sensitive and good a soul Marcus was and that he would not be able to handle the news well and would’ve beaten himself up about all of this and possibly affected their hard work selling their software in the process.

Pete is a Character Who Is Hard To Figure Out

But Pete could’ve also been concerned about the racial component of things and Marcus and didn’t know how to navigate the landmine of those issues because, as a privileged White man, he couldn’t fathom how big of a deal this man’s death was.

Those ideas could coexist. Since Pete came across as a guy who took risks, was morally questionable, and sought the money and prestige to maintain his lifestyle, they likely coexisted for him.

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Pete was a difficult character to understand because he seemed like a bundle of contradictions, but I can settle on the fact that he was both genuinely protective of Marcus and purely selfish about covering up this blemish.

However, these clashes and issues can arise and test even the strongest friendships.

Marcus was right about how Pete is damn near conditioned to always let himself off the hook and extend grace to himself, and it’s a privilege that he gets to have without much thought.

Marcus Faces More Nuanced Challenges in This Conflict

For Marcus, these things are infinitely more layered, and at the core of their disagreement was that Pete simply couldn’t understand that in the least or thought he was somehow sparing Marcus the weight of all these things that Pete couldn’t begin to understand.

Their argument was moral, but there were so many other factors, and Marcus’ wife hit that point home, providing another outlook.

Pete’s reasoning for burying this error and trying to make the blackmail issue go away is for self-gain, and of course, it looks worse on him as the White guy because it reads as him forgoing any sense of moral fiber or awareness to get what he wants.

It’s as cliched as it gets for Pete, which is why it was such a sticking point for Marcus.

Pete’s desire to simply move on and ignore all of this stings because it reads as a total disregard and ignorance of the racial component.

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But Lycia’s self-interest for herself and her family ironically comes from the same place that software resulting in a Black man’s death does: systemic racism.

For Lycia and her family as Black people in America, where the odds are often stacked against the demographic because of systemic racism, she saw that after 20 years of hard work and good fortune, they could ascend to a prestigious status she could only dream of before.

Marcus’ Pursuit of the “American Dream” Clashes with America’s Reality

And the thought of missing that rare shot was terrifying enough that she could agree with Pete, even if her reasoning came from an entirely different place.

Even as she spoke on the stand to the widow of the man police killed via the faulty software, there was some baser level of unspoken understanding between those two women because it’s just a sad reality of how the world works for some demographics.

However, for Lycia and Marcus, their ascension to status, power, and prestige comes with the weight of how they get there and who gets hurt in the process.

It comes with the concept of the “crab in the barrel,” wherein the focus is so much on which crab can get to the top that people generally lose sight of the fact that crabs shouldn’t be in a barrel in the first place.

Self-interest and greed in pursuit of money, wealth, and a better life motivated all the characters.

Accused Season 2 Episode 3’s Story Centers Self-Interest and Greed All-Around

One of their own employees for decades being the one to blackmail in the first place over a racial glitch, despite being a person of color herself, was evidence of this.

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She weaponized that information to drive a wedge between Marcus and Pete to get the money and partner equity she desired.

It’s awful that she couldn’t simply converse with both parties to get what she desired.

Even if Pete kept putting her off, she knew Marcus wouldn’t, so it’s sad that she didn’t realize how much damage she was causing until it was too late.

Her remorse was notable, and at least at the trial, she seemed insistent on proving that Marcus wasn’t guilty of intentionally killing Pete.

Marcus Never Should’ve Been on Trial

But she caused so much pain, and it was genuinely upsetting to see this seemingly close-knit company fall apart because of ambition and the pursuit of money.

Pete’s death was such a clear-cut example of an accident that it was surprising that Marcus ever made it to trial over this.

Everything hinged on Marcus’s ability to somehow reach Pete and pull him forward to prevent him from falling over the banister rather than any wide array of reasons why that expectation was positively absurd.

The likely strategic choice of having a Black male prosecutor try this case wasn’t lost either.

And nor was placing the widow of the man who died because the police relied solely on the glitched software rather than recognizing it as a tool.

That particular move was so glaringly prejudicial it was puzzling.

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A Clumsy Case Has the Best Result in Serviceable Episode

The case was so flimsy it would’ve genuinely been upsetting if Marcus went away for it.

But Marcus was a decent enough man to feel some guilt over the situation still and carry the weight of all these terrible things.

It was a rough case.

It’s clear that Marcus and Pete, while friends, weren’t in the same space, and at least one had outgrown the other.

You can still love someone from a distance; it was probably time for Marcus to do that with Pete.

On the flip side, Marcus also knew who Pete was the whole time, so Pete’s feelings were valid.

Cannon and Adams did a decent job with this installment, even though this story wasn’t as gripping as Accused Season 2 Episode 2.

But that’s our thoughts on the matter, Accused Fanatics. What are yours?

Did you enjoy this episode?

What were your thoughts on it?

Hit the comments below, and stay tuned for our exclusive interview with Patrick J. Adams.

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The post A Toxic Friendship Meets a Tragic End on Accused Season 2 Episode 3 appeared first on TV Fanatic.

What has always been the most remarkable thing about Accused, and Accused Season 2 Episode 2 is a prime example, is how they can pack the most raw, profound, powerful stories on the human experience into 45 minutes or less.

“April’s Story” was effortlessly one of the best the series has delivered thus far.

Taylor Schilling is Remarkable in “April’s Story”

Perhaps it’s because at some point during Orange is the New Black‘s run, Piper Chapman was such an insufferable character it was easy to overlook Taylor Schilling’s talent.

Make no mistake — she’s an incredibly talented actress with such a diverse resume that there’s guaranteed something for everyone, depending on their genre of interest.

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But Accused Season 2 Episode 2 proves that Schilling needs to do more dramatic roles.

It is unexplainable how she was able to deliver such a gripping performance with such staying power from the moment the hour opens until the credits roll.

What makes April’s story so enthralling is the fact that if you don’t identify with April yourself, you at least know someone like her.

Schilling perfectly embodies the overwhelmed, overworked, but devoted mother who tirelessly tries to do everything she can for her son.

April is just a mom who had a truly awful day and finally snapped.

But as you followed along, each scene revealing how that fateful day unfolded for her, you could understand exactly how she ended up where she was.

Much of Accused Season 2 Episode 2 Plays Out Like a Suspense Thriller

Regarding that day and the road rage incident from hell, Accused Season 2 Episode 2 plays out like a suspense thriller as we attempt to piece together what April’s charges are that led to her standing in front of a judge fighting for her life and family.

Every moment was more nerve-wracking than the last when figuring out what specific act could have her future in balance.

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April’s unraveling of that day is a slow boil that keeps you taut as a viewer until it eventually crescendos into this absurdly tragic moment, and you almost want to laugh, stunned at how things play out.

It’s just bad luck for April as the world around her and all of the stressors that come with daily life and the average problems that a wife and mother face come crashing down because of a jackass in a BMW.

Part of what makes Accused such a compelling series is knowing that you or someone you love could easily find yourself in the hot seat like one of these characters.

April is a Compelling Lead Because She’s Relatable and Familiar

We’re all just one catastrophic event away from facing judgment for what? Being human?

But then, that’s how the legal and criminal justice system works anyway.

Hence, that particular authenticity Accused brings makes it one of the most well-written series currently airing.

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April was one of the most sympathetic accused stars.

At her core, she was an overworked, overwhelmed, tired mother who was just trying to keep everything together all the time and eventually snapped.

Unfortunately, she was worn down by desperately trying to get the help her special needs son deserved.

It’s such a process when you have a child with special needs to get them what they need.

Sadly, much of that process included the exact things happening, endless phone calls from the school, and other people who couldn’t handle Wyatt’s outbursts and behavior.

Accused Season 2 Episode 2 Touches on Struggles of Getting Help for Special Needs Kids

Concerned parents also had issues, not wanting their children to fall on the wrong end of Wyatt’s temperament.

Private schools have their merits, but it’s no secret that very few of them are able to handle children with special needs. Therefore, when they face such challenges, the easiest solution for them is to expel the child.

The attempts to get the proper therapists, recommendations for the right programs, and struggle to have a proper diagnosis — all of that is practically a full-time job on its own, and time and energy suck as well.

There’s so much red tape, people giving you the runaround, waiting lists, insurance issues, financial concerns, and more.

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In the interim, you’re still trying to manage this child you love and guide them as much as you can without the proper resources.

Accused Season 2 Episode 1 introduces us to April and Jake’s hectic lives, and it’s immediately apparent that April is the glue that keeps everything together.

April’s Frustrations Stem from Jake’s Lack of Support

She’s increasingly frustrated with Wyatt, mostly because she knows that he has a lot going on and needs some help — their family does — but she’s frustrated that she’s not getting any of it.

But on top of that, Jake, who Danny Pino brings a hapless charm to despite Jake being a frustrating character, doesn’t appear to be a man who pulls his weight.

You can tell he genuinely loves his family, so there’s no knock on him.

However, he doesn’t concern himself with all the ins and outs of dealing with the ramifications of their having a special needs child.

April carries the bulk of that load alone, and Jake quietly lets her do so, seemingly the husband and father who cheers her on from the sidelines and doesn’t fully comprehend the full extent of how much she does nor how troubled their son is.

April is incredibly flustered.

To make matters worse, she’s a nurse who had to commute nearly an hour away for a second job that pays for the same schooling that Wyatt was likely getting kicked out of at some point.

She’s instantly identifiable (and maybe even relatable to some) as the mother who carries the weight and responsibility of everything in her life on her shoulders, and knowing that definitely influences her mindset and how she could react to something or someone that pushes her too far.

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A Road Rage Incident Gets Out of Hand on Accused Season 2 Episode 2

The road rage incident started simply enough.

Justin Chambers’ Tyler was such a colossal dick even Alex Karev would’ve hated him.

If we weren’t already sympathetic to April after seeing what was going on in her life, the fact that this jackass pulled so closely to her, rendering her incapable of getting into her car, was enough to put you on the April Defense Squad instantly.

Inconsiderate jerks who do things like that are the worst, and there was little else April could do but attempt to shimmy in her car by any means necessary.

The fact that Tyler was in sight of his car enough to see and hear her bump his car meant that he could’ve apologized and tried to move at any given point.

But he clearly was a sue-happy individual, as even his game of chicken on the highway suggested he was all-in on car damage just to get her to pay for it.

An incident that should’ve just ended in that parking lot escalated to a terrifying chase, which had April genuinely afraid of what Tyler planned to do next and seeking help wherever she could.

April Takes Accountability But Seeks Grace

As sympathetic as April was throughout Accused Season 2 Episode 2, objectively, we know that there were at least two or three times when she should’ve gone the other way and never looked back.

After that gas station confrontation with Tyler, April should’ve continued her day.

But Tyler’s comments about her as a mother pushed her to the edge, and she did not hold back from that point forward.

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It was difficult to watch yet impossible to turn away from, and again, Schilling expressed so many emotions with just her facial expressions throughout that whole ordeal.

You could visibly see the exact moment April had snapped when the adrenaline fueled her during the game of chicken and every time she nearly crashed into him when she put on brakes.

Accused Delivers One of Its Best Episodes

And nevertheless, as they say, she persisted.

The actual car accident was shocking, even though those tense-fueled moments led to the prediction that Tyler would face no other fate.

Only when the accident happened did April snap out of it and go into nurse mode; Tyler did not appreciate that.

Even then, the confrontation was a tense affair as we wondered if she somehow stabbed him, clocked him over the head, or did something that resulted in the loss of his life more directly at her own hand.

But she didn’t. Instead, he got mowed down by a rig rushing past, and it was so cartoonish and surreal that it somehow worked.

Her horrified expression was priceless, but her most gutwrenching moment yet was the guttural wail she let out the second she saw Jake at the police station and collapsed into his arms.

Can we give Schilling an Emmy for that crying scene alone?

What I also appreciated about this case was that April wanted to take full responsibility for her actions.

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She didn’t plead “Not Guilty” because she knew she was recklessly handling her vehicle, etc.

But she did want some leniency because, in the end, she was a mother who needed to be there for her child.

Accused Finds a Happy and Realistic Medium with April’s Case

Ideally, April would not have to face any extreme consequences for her actions since we know how she got there.

And it’s easy to sympathize with her and her family.

It was particularly emotional to see Jake openly admit and acknowledge that he knew he didn’t do right by her when he left her to deal with Wyatt and everything else.

With her in prison, you can tell he finally realizes how much April did for them and that she wasn’t some neurotic mother making mountains out of molehills.

Jake was having difficulty managing Wyatt on his own, which showed how little patience he had with him in the courtroom.

Jake’s talk with April was something that they both needed, and it was a great moment when he acknowledged his shortcomings and fears to her.

But that was enough for April to give an impassioned statement in which she took responsibility for her actions and still pled to be there for her family.

Fortunately, three years in prison with the possibility of getting out after a year for good behavior is an amazing outcome for April and a realistic one, too.

And so ended a powerful hour with a realistic wrapup.

Over to you, Accused Fanatics.

What did you think about “April’s Story?”

Did anything resonate with you?

Sound off below and share all of your thoughts.

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The post Accused Season 2 Episode 2 Places Viewers In the Driver’s Seat of Familiar, Frightening Scenario appeared first on TV Fanatic.

FOX’s critically acclaimed anthology drama returned with Accused Season 2 Episode 1, and the series remains dedicated to offering fascinating character studies.

The hour, helmed by Felicity Huffman, was an unexpectedly quieter start to the season.

Accused Season 2 Episode 1 is a Slow Burn Premiere

Accused made a remarkable debut with Accused Season 1 Episode 1, a Michael Chiklis-led hour that reignited the “water cooler” conversations of yesteryear.

It was the perfect dramatic and shocking hour to lure audiences into the series and its unique formatting.

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Everything we know about Accused Season 2 suggests that the series intends to keep up that type of momentum with a star-studded, ever-changing cast that has us eagerly awaiting each installment.

One of the most intriguing casting choices was Felicity Huffman, sharing the screen with her husband, William H. Macy.

Surprisingly, Accused Season 2 Episode 1 is incredibly understated.

It eased us back into the series again with a case involving a psychic and two parents desperately working through the absence of their missing child.

Accused Tackles Exploitation in True Crime

When it comes to psychics working with law enforcement, there is always controversy.

To skeptics, psychics’ interest is in hopping aboard some of the most high-profile and emotionally wrought cases that involve missing or dead individuals for attention or money.

It’s not uncommon for law enforcement to have to filter through an overwhelming amount of information provided about a case by those who have some twisted desire to insert themselves into it.

The general public responds poorly to psychics in these situations.

However, when we have a family member like Frank, who is desperately clinging to hope and looking to anything that could keep his faith alive, the response to psychics reaches an all-time low.

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Understandably, anyone would assume that Lorraine was an opportunist who wanted to exploit the pain of these parents for her own financial gain or attention.

She would’ve needed to reach out to the parents to tell them about her flashes and visions, initiating contact.

Lorraine would have to willingly insert herself into these situations as most people aren’t actively seeking her out.

It puts her in a position where it’s easy to scrutinize and doubt her intentions, which was at the center of this entire hour.

Accused Never Confirms the Thin Line Lorraine Walks

Lorraine stood trial for exploiting families and impeding an investigation with what the police deemed her “psychic shtick.”

With some assistance from Melissa, the prosecution did a decent job of building their case and convincing a jury that Lorraine was interfering in the investigation and obstructing police when she went against their affirmations of what happened to Rory.

She also stayed with Melissa and Frank for months, and they helped her financially.

Frank paid for the hotel Lorraine stayed in while she was in North Carolina, and they covered her travel costs because she lived in a different state.

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However, even with some of the prosecution’s arguments, there was never going to be enough to prove Lorraine’s intentions.

And it certainly didn’t do the prosecution any favors that the critical component in attempting to press these charges against her was Boyd’s confession that he killed Rory.

The Police are Just as Flawed and Untrustworthy as Lorraine

Anyone with sense could see and hear the video footage of the Boyd confession and conclude that the man was led to confess.

The detective offered him a deal, and some reassurances that he’d get some semblance of protection in prison, given the nature of his crimes would provoke the other inmates.

It was clear that the detective had told him what to say during the interview.

It was the most damning piece of evidence from the trial, and it’s likely the critical moment that resulted in the jury finding that Lorraine was Not Guilty.

Truthfully, Lorraine should’ve never been on trial in the first place, but that doesn’t mean that she didn’t have ulterior motives nor took advantage of these grieving parents and their crumbling relationship.

Felicity Huffman Elevates a Relatively Flat Character in Accused Season 2 Episode 1

Felicity Huffman was transformative as the meek and mousy Lorraine, who carried herself unassumingly while still maintaining an air of mystery.

Lorraine was a character designed to scratch at your brain and make you unpack your stance on the psychic conundrum and whether or not people like her are opportunistic frauds or those with good intentions.

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But the problem with Lorraine was that you never could place where she was in all of this, and that ambiguity can work for many variations of cases on Accused, but it wasn’t the most compelling here.

Much of Accused Season 2 Episode 1 didn’t bother to confirm or deny whether Lorraine was really psychic and had no interest in weighing in on that.

Lorraine’s initial moments were alarming.

Lorraine and Frank’s Dynamic Intrigues in Accused Season 2 Episode 1

She zoomed in on that case the second she saw it on the news, and she mainly took an interest in the reward money the couple was offering to anyone who had information.

We learned quickly that Lorraine’s financial situation was dire.

She was essentially losing her home, and she faced other issues.

Money is obviously a motivating factor for Lorraine, and conveniently, her psychic gift was an exercise in patience, resulting in her staying with Rory’s parents for months.

She pacified Frank with tidbits of information that sparked his hope at a time when his wife was resigned to making peace that their son was gone and they’d never see him again.

Some of the information she shared that would’ve led the couple to believe her could have been read as shots in the dark, and others may have resulted from her being highly observational or doing some research, too.

Lorraine is the Final Nail in the Coffin for a Grieving Couple

For example, who doesn’t have a nut allergy these days?

But Lorraine’s descriptions of her gift fell in the realm of plausibility.

There was nothing flashy about what she was doing, and she didn’t have as nearly an extensive past with psychic collaborations with police as one would have anticipated from a chronic fraudster.

She also had some connection to the recovery of a child nearly two decades before, and that was a tick in her favor, even with everything that came out in court involving that.

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Lorraine also did a decent job of expressing the pitfalls of her gift and coming across as sympathetic when on the stand.

She didn’t oversell what she could do, never once copping to ridiculous notions like seeing the future or anything else.

And the entire situation with the loss of her brother and her guilt behind that curried favor with the jury.

But it was also one of the few moments when the audience seemed to be able to connect with Lorraine on any level.

Accused’s Opener Needed a Bigger Case

Accused is a great series, largely in part because it excels at making us care about characters we just met and will not see again.

A single episode can pull off more character development than some series manage in a season.

But Lorraine didn’t have that same type of impact.

Outside of her moment on the stand, Lorraine’s strongest character moments were with Frank.

It was fascinating to see this married couple at odds with each other, well down the path of divorce, because they couldn’t navigate the loss of their son together.

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It’s not uncommon for a traumatic incident involving a child to break a couple apart, and this was no exception.

Lorraine’s presence, however, seemed to accelerate it as they were on opposite ends of buying what Lorraine was capable of and then on whether their son was truly dead.

Daniel Maslany is the MVP of the Season Premiere

Daniel Maslany was the MVP of Accused Season 2 Episode 1 with a heartbreaking and memorable performance.

To the very end, Frank was unwavering in his hope and belief that his son was still alive and out there and that they’d find them someday.

It was captivating to see these parents on opposite sides of the room.

Frank was a staunch supporter of Lorraine in everything she did, including the trial, in which she was made an example as a last-ditch effort for Melissa to get him on the same page as her.

William H. Macy was Underused

But outside of that, Lorraine isn’t a character that will stick with me, and her case could have been more captivating.

William H. Macy’s underutilization was surprising and disappointing.

Over to you, Accused Fanatics.

Did you enjoy the theme of this opener?

Do you think Rory is still alive and Lorraine is a real psychic?

Let’s hear all of your thoughts below!

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The post Accused Season 2 Episode 1 Premiere Review: Lorraine’s Story appeared first on TV Fanatic.

Anthological series are rare, in large part because it is difficult to tell a series of stories in a constructive manner that the audience can understand.

Thanks to Accused’s formatting, the series has a full beginning, middle, and end to each story.

However, the risk is that an audience could fall off throughout the season because there of zero connective tissue between each installment.

Fortunately, that wasn’t the case with Accused’s premiere, which pulled off a near-impossible feat in modern television by bringing in eight million live viewers, a number that continued to accrue in the days following.

With its familiar and laudworthy casting, strong performances, and compelling stories, Accused had a winning formula for registering with the audience.

What Was the Plot of Accused Season 1?

The first season saw a series of cases that shed light on humanity and how it raised moral quandaries.

The series took a unique approach by introducing us to those who had been accused of a large array of crimes, from murder to terrorism.

The remainder of the hour would challenge viewers to reexamine how they viewed people and how they may have found themselves in situations that put them at the mercy of the criminal justice system in the first place.

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In each episode, we followed many different characters representing all types of society, from political activists whose actions had deadly consequences to a father seeking justice for their traumatized child or a deaf woman facing challenges by an ableist system.

There was no shortage of stories, and not all had happy endings or resulted in justice in the end, which is one of many reasons the series is so compelling.

Did Fox Renew Accused for a Sophomore Season?

Before the first season finished airing, FOX renewed Accused for a second season.

It spoke well of how much confidence the network had in the series.

Michael Thorn, President of Scripted Programming at FOX, shared:

Accused [and Alert] stand out as two of this season’s new broadcast and multi-platform success stories.

Looking to 2023-24, we’ll continue to deliver on the powerful storytelling coming from both series, building on our incredible partnership with Sony and further solidifying Fox’s strong slate of dramas, giving our schedule tremendous season-to-season stability.

With Accused, Howard Gordon has taken the crime anthology to new heights and acclaim, featuring an all-star roster of directors and talent headlining gripping episodes that entertain viewers with a provocative, fresh take on many of the most relevant, timely issues of our day.

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In addition to that, Katherine Pope, President at Sony Pictures Television, cosigned:

We are excited to continue our long partnership with Fox to bring more Accused and Alert: Missing Persons Unit to audiences around the world.

It’s wonderful to see these timely, poignant stories resonating with viewers, and we want to congratulate the writers, producers, cast, and crew on their success.

We are incredibly proud of their collective work and look forward to seeing where these series go next.

What is the Plot for Season Two?

Because of the anthological approach, it’s hard to pinpoint exact plots for the season.

We can obviously anticipate a series of individuals who will find themselves in difficult situations where they have to face a judge and stand trial for something they may or may not have done.

And we’ll have a truly stacked and star-studded cast to play these standout characters.

Some of the things we can guess from teases and bits of information are that there may be a road rage incident, some workplace difficulties and possible discrimination, and a wife/husband duo involved in something troubling.

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We can expect much of the formatting to remain the same where we meet the accused standing trial in the opener, and the rest of the installment goes back in time to show us the events leading up to the present.

Showrunner Howard Gordon has teased the idea of changing the formatting for at least some of the episodes where we toy between the future and the past rather than just the present.

How Many Episodes Will There Be in Season 2?

We don’t have a confirmed episode count.

However, it’s most likely that the second season will have 15 episodes, the same number of installments as the first.

As of now, we know that the season is slated for Fall 2024, but there’s no word on whether it will continue into the winter or spring.

Who is in Accused Season 2’s Cast?

Oh, baby, they have stacked this season with talent!

We can expect almost an entirely new cast, and we’re talking some high-profile names that will have everyone excited.

Nick Cannon, the multi-hyphenated talent who insists on populating enough children for a football team, will guest-star sometime in the sophomore season as one of the accused in an episode titled “Marcus’ Story” as the titular role.

The second season will also see the addition of the esteemed (and scandalous) husband/wife duo of William H. Macy and Felicity Huffman.

They’ll both star in the same installment, the season premiere, titled “Lorraine’s Story.”

Accused season two will also have two Grey’s Anatomy alumni joining the series for the sophomore season.

Justin Chambers will star as Tyler in an installment titled “April’s Story.”

In “April’s Story,” a nurse commits a crime that will change the trajectory of her life.

Jerrika Hinton will also guest-star as Lycia in an episode that’s titled “Marcus’ Story.”

The installment focuses on a tech entrepreneur who creates software that, when used, takes a dark turn.

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Co-starring in that episode alongside Hinton (and Cannon) is Suits sensation Patrick J. Adams.

Adams will play “Pete,” and we’re already excited about how these actors will complement one another in the hour-long crime drama.

In “April’s Story,” joining Chambers will be Orange is the New Black‘s Taylor Schilling.

She’ll play the titular character of the installment, April, a nurse who finds herself on trial for something heinous.

Elsewhere in the installment, it will feature Mayans MC and Law & Order: SVU alum Danny Pino, who can currently be seen in the MGM+ series Hotel Cocaine.

We don’t know much about his character outside of the name Jake.

No, we’re not done!

The acclaimed Colbie Smulders will also be joining the series in the second season in an as of now unknown role.

But we can likely expect that she’ll be playing the accused, as she has that type of star power!

Animal Control’s Vella Lovell will take a break from the comedy to give something more dramatic a spin when she stars in an upcoming episode.

Meanwhile, Painkiller’s Dina Shihabi is right in her element with a dramatic role this season, but we don’t know in what capacity yet.

While we don’t have any synopsis or character information about who Outer Range and Pearson‘s Isabel Arraiza plays in the series.

However, we do know that she’ll appear in the season premiere opposite Macy and Huffman.

Ken Jeong, Debra Winger, and Mercedes Ruehl will also star in the season

Oh, you think we’re done? Because we’re not!

The sophomore season has also added another impressive roster of accomplished actors, and we’re practically vibrating with excitement over the latest additions.

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Sonequa Martin-Green and Mike Colter are reportedly set to costar in the season finale, “Megan’s Story.”

The Star Trek: Discovery star will play the titular role of Megan, a music executive who faces tension in her marriage when another person threatens everything.

And Evil star Colter will play Megan’s husband, John, who will likely be lured away from his marriage by a beautiful woman portrayed by soap star and singer Kiara Barnes.

Given that it’s “Megan’s” story, it’s likely the Fantasy Island star’s character who will be the object of Megan’s focus given her husband’s possible transgressions, but we’ll have to tune in to see!

Next, we have Jamie Chung, who is taking a break from her voice work to play a character named Grace in the episode “Eugene’s Story.”

That installment will be about an endearing, sweet jewelry shop owner who finds himself on trial when his wife’s past comes back to haunt them both and serves as a catalyst for pure chaos in their lives.

We’re also excited about our “Mama,” The Fosters and Good Trouble‘s Sherri Saum, starring in an installment of this fantastic drama.

Saum will portray Erica in the episode titled “Justin’s Story,” about a wrestling coach who stands trial after pushing his star wrestler too far.

Is Anyone Returning to Accused Season 2?

Yes! To our delight, Michael Chiklis will be returning to the series.

He had easily one of the most compelling stories that was widely lauded and contributed to Accused’s acclaim.

Chances are that he’ll be returning to the series as the same character, as the story did feel incomplete. He’ll be directing again as well.

When Does Accused Season 2 Premiere?

Accused will premiere on October 8 at 8/7c on FOX

It’ll lead into the new crime drama Murder in a Small Town.

Are There First Look Photos of Accused Season 2?

Yes, we have three images from the season premiere feature, Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy.

You can check them out here:

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Is There a Trailer for Accused Season 2?

Yes, and it’s exciting!

In the trailer, we get our first look at Huffman and Macy playing a husband and wife and giving off “small-town vibes.”

We don’t know much about what they’re into, but whatever the case may be, they’re in it together.

We also see a chilling depiction of a stressed-out mother and nurse, played by Taylor Schilling, as she lets out a frustrated and piercing scream of frustration in a car.

Meanwhile, Nick Cannon and Patrick J. Adams have a tense interaction at their tech company as Adams’ character, Pete, demands to know if Cannon’s character, Marcus, is accusing him of being racist.

Check it out!

Over to you, Accused Fanatics.

What are you most excited about? Let’s hear it below.

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