Finally, Accused, in episode 14, transcends a court hearing when the two parties involved decide to opt for mutual discussion and let the truth prevail rather than go to court. And it is heartwarming to see how the truth is accepted with open arms, bringing a smile to everyone’s faces and maybe even a tear or two of joy. Accused Episode 14 adds a whole new meaning to the word “accused.” This is Jessie’s case.
Spoilers Ahead
A DNA Test
Jessie and her mother, Kara, are waiting for their lawyer at a court in Brooklyn, New York. They have been asked to appear. But why? What has Jessie done?
Jessie is out running in the woods, practicing for her upcoming cross-country marathon when she trips and hurts her knee. An MRI reveals a collagen issue, and the doctor suggests that it would do her good if she avoided running, much less taking part in cross country. She is upset about it and asks her mother if her father, who was an anonymous donor, had any other such issues that she might need to know about. Unfortunately, Kara can’t tell because he is anonymous, and sperm banks of that time didn’t store the info the way they do now. Jessie snaps at her mom for being so reckless as not to look into the man’s medical history or even general history before opting for his sperm. In the lobby, after returning from the doctor, mother and daughter bump into their neighbors, Dominic, a lawyer, and Andrea, a doctor, and their children Will and Fern, with whom Jessie is good friends. Kara and Andrea were good friends once upon a time, but not anymore. Later that night, Kara tells Jessie not to get involved with Will, as from the former’s experience of dating too young, it wouldn’t turn out well for Jessie, and it’s not worth risking their friendship. Jessie tells her mom that there is nothing between her and Will, although, from her expression, we can tell that she might have already begun developing feelings for him. The next day, Kara finds Jessie with a DNA kit. She is fixated on finding out who her father is, and Kara, despite feeling that she isn’t enough for her daughter, can’t help but agree to contact the sperm bank and see if she can find any information on the donor. When Jessie goes to dispose of the DNA kit, she meets Will, who asks her about it. She tells him that she is throwing it away because she doesn’t want to see her mother as sad as she is. She doesn’t tell him about the sperm bank thing.
The Dead Donor
While waiting for their lawyer, Kara tells Jessie that there is something she needs to know before they speak to their lawyer. But before she can say it, Dominic approaches them and tells them that he wants to represent Jessie and believes that he has a strong defense. Will cares for Jessie and has asked his father for help.
Kara returns home and gives Jessie an application form that belongs to the person who is supposed to be Jessie’s donor. The guy, who was in college when he donated, died in a car accident many years ago. He had an older brother, but there was no information on him. Jessie gets further upset after finding out that her father, whom she didn’t know at all, died long ago. Later on, she shows Will the application and tells him how much she is hurting. Will tries to make her understand by saying that if her mother didn’t opt for the sperm donor, she wouldn’t exist. That’s when Kara enters the room and finds Jessie resting her head on Will’s shoulder. She tells them to set the table for dinner while she gets some work done.
Dominic is in his apartment working when there’s a knock at the door. It is Kara, who tells him Will will be having dinner with her and Jessie. She also takes the opportunity to tell him that Jessie might be getting prematurely involved with Will due to her longing for her father. She is looking for the love that she never had, and Kara finds it not healthy. Dominic assures Kara that Will will never do anything without Jessie’s consent, and Kara shouldn’t worry about Jessie being under-protected. In other words, Kara might be overprotective.
The Mystery
The next day, with Will beside her, Jessie calls up Reproductive Strategies, the sperm bank from where her mother got the information on her father last night, to find out more. She pretends to be her mom but is unfortunately unable to find anything other than the fact that the sperm bank isn’t allowed to share information about the donor, even if they have it. Considering her mother got the information from them just yesterday, it is weird for them to say that they cannot share it with anyone. She later finds out that all the companies lost the records of their donors after facing lawsuits. She and Will start digging into the companies and the lawsuits.
Kara arrives at Dominic’s apartment. Andrea opens the door, and Kara tells her that she can’t reach Jessie. Dominic finds Will and Jessie in the laundry room. Kara is freaked out and tells Jessie, in front of Dominic, Andrea, Will, and Fern, that she cannot have any more contact with Will. No one has the slightest idea why Kara is acting like this. Kara and Jessie leave their apartment.
The Break-In
The next day at school, Jessie tells Will that she has a plan to find out more about her father. The same night, they sneak into the office of Reproductive Strategies after Will manages to steal the receptionist’s keycard. Jessie logs into the computer, and they find that the application forms look completely different from the one Jessie’s mom gave her. Will mentions the possibility that maybe her mother made up the profile just to satisfy her demand and nothing more. Jessie doesn’t want to believe it, but she, as well as we, know that what Will is saying might be true. Wretched and angry, Jessie goes inside the chamber where the sperm vials are stored and brings them out of the cold cylinders to break them when Will stops her, saying that the vials could contain potential cures for cancer or other diseases. They are about to kiss when Will notices that a silent alarm has gone off. Both come out of the bank and notice a cop car. They try to run, but Jessie’s knee gives away again, just like her doctor had warned. She tells Will to run, and she surrenders herself.
The Truth
Kara arrives at the police station, and before she can begin scolding Jessie for her actions, Jessie tells her that she knows that the profile is fake. Kara lied to her own daughter about her father. She tells Jessie that she lied about her father’s death, which means that Jessie’s father is alive. Jessie asks her for the whole truth. That’s when an officer walks in and tells them that they can leave but will have to appear in court once they get a notice.
Later on, Kara meets Dominic in front of his office and tells him, to his utter surprise, that the reason she didn’t want Will and Jessie to get involved is that Jessie is his daughter. Kara had told him that she had IVF because she didn’t want to ruin his family life with Andrea. However, since the doctors had told her that she couldn’t get pregnant, she didn’t want to let go of the baby when she got the chance. She would then go on to distance herself from her good friend Andrea as well, but she couldn’t afford to leave the apartment. But now, with the upcoming hearing, Kara has decided to tell the truth to Jessie and in court. Kara just wanted to tell Will the truth before anything else.
The Defence
Dominic asks Jessie if he can talk to her mother privately. Jessie walks away. He finds out that Kara hasn’t told Jessie the truth. Dominic, too, hasn’t been able to tell Andrea about it. As for the defense, they will tell the jury that Jessie broke into the sperm bank only to snoop and not steal anything. Andrea has also agreed to testify that Jessie has OCD, which will help corroborate her actions. Dominic will request that the court give them some more time to prepare the case. Kara calls back Jessie, who agrees to have Dominic represent her. She doesn’t know the truth yet. Later on, she meets Will, who has already gotten her DNA tested from the kit she disposed of earlier. And it seems that Jessie’s father is none other than Will’s father. Jessie is unable to register what she’s just heard.
Jessie finally confronts her mother and cannot forgive her for lying to her all her life. Kara tells her that she did it because she wanted Jessie to have a happy childhood and not ruin Dominic’s family. Despite her mistake, she doesn’t regret it because that’s what made her Jessie’s mom, of which she is proud. After all, she is proud of Jessie. Meanwhile, Will confronts his father for sleeping with another woman while their mother was taking care of Fern (then 2 years old) while pregnant with Will. Then Andrea walks in, and she finds out about it all. Dominic tells Andrea that he didn’t feel like Andrea had any room for him while she was preoccupied with Fern, and that is what brought him to Kara, and the rest followed. Andrea ultimately decides to leave and stay at her sister’s place for some time.
Does Jessie Go To Jail In The End?
At the hearing, the judge applauds the two families for coming out with the truth and gives Jessie six months of probation and 30 hours of community service. Everyone is happy. Dominic is glad. Jessie goes and hugs her overjoyed mom. Fern and Will are all smiles.
Jessie meets Dominic in the lobby and tells him that she and her mother are planning to move to a different place because it will make it easier for Andrea to return. Dominic tells her that they need not leave, as he is trying hard to sort things out with Andrea.
Later on, we see Kara and Andrea talking to each other in a park. Andrea admits to being emotionally unavailable for Dominic. Kara, on the other hand, tells Andrea that she felt ashamed of betraying her and thus decided to distance herself, as she felt that it would be easier than spending time with Andrea knowing that she betrayed her. Andrea is saddened by Kara’s words and asks her not to move out. She may not have been over everything yet, but she wants what’s best for her family, her good friend, and her daughter. And frankly speaking, Will, Fern, and Jessie are siblings. Accused Episode 14 ends with Kara and Jessie having a lovely dinner with Dominic, Andrea, Fern, and Will.
There couldn’t have been a better ending for Accused Episode 14. While Andrea does gain our sympathy because taking care of a baby while carrying another inside her is not an easy task and doesn’t, as such, justify Dominic’s actions, we take comfort in Andrea’s decision because she was the only person who had the right to make the call. All’s well that ends well.