“Accused,” Episode 9, shows how sometimes doing what you think is right may not be right for others, especially when it concerns a minor. In a world that is governed by laws, trying to help someone in need can potentially make one a criminal. This is exactly what happens with Jack Fletch. Here’s what happens in Episode 9 of “Accused.”
Spoilers Ahead
The Help
Jack Fletch is brought into a courtroom at the Lubbock County Court in Texas. His fiance, Britney, is present at the hearing, as are Jessica and Frank, the parents of Jack’s student, 16-year-old Clara Palmer, who has accused him of rape. But did he really do it? Or does this case run deeper than usual?
Jack and Britney are engaged, and they teach at the same school. Jack is choreographing a play that will go live in less than a week. One day, after practice, Britney comes to the auditorium and sees Jack having what seems to be an intimate conversation with one of his students, Clara Palmer. While leaving, Britney asks Jack about it, and he tells her that Clara seems off lately. Britney soberly reminds him that they are teachers and not friends and that there is a line that needs to be maintained. Jack acknowledges it but needs to head back inside the auditorium, as he has forgotten his bag. He heads inside and finds Clara trying to hang herself on the stage. He somehow manages to save her. Clara tells him that she is pregnant, and the only way out for her is to kill herself or else her parents will disown her. She reveals that Richie, a guy from her class whom Jack knows, is the father. Richie is presently dating Shelly, who doesn’t like Clara. So she doesn’t really want to confront Richie or Clara and make the matter worse than it already is. Jack suggests the option of abortion. She is scared of it, but Jack reassures her of his help.
The next day, Jack skips a barbeque party with Britney’s family to take Clara for an abortion. He lies to Britney and tells her that he is going to visit their friend who is having divorce issues. At the medical center in New Mexico, Clara gets her pills for the abortion. On the way back, Jack comes to learn that Clara lives with her mom and stepdad after her biological father left when she was only six months old. By the time they return to Lubbock, it is nighttime.
The Fault
Britney, in the witness box, tells the prosecutor that she and Jack were soon getting married, but she ended the engagement after Jack was arrested. But why exactly did she do it?
The day after Jack and Clara visited New Mexico, both were back to their normal schedules at school. After class, Richie tells Jack that he needs to have a personal chat with him. This is when Jack finds out that Richie has never had a sexual relationship with a girl. If this is true, then Clara lied to him. He decides to confront her. He meets her in the auditorium and tells her what he has found out. Clara is irked by this, as she didn’t want Jack to talk to anyone. But Jack needs Clara to put the same trust in him that he put in her before helping her with such a sensitive issue. He tries to figure out who the father is and finds out that it is Clara’s stepfather. He decides to notify the police about it, something that Clara doesn’t want at all. She is scared of what her father will do. But Jack has made up his mind. He meets Britney outside school and tells her where he has been with Clara. Britney is shocked, to say the least. Unfortunately, before Jack could tell her about Clara’s father, the police arrived and arrested him. It seems that before Jack could go to the police, Clara called them up and accused Jack of raping her. Britney is left in utter disbelief at all that has transpired in just a few minutes.
The Catch
Clara is in the witness box and is being questioned by Jack’s lawyer. He questions her claim, stating that while it is inappropriate and illegal to take a minor to an abortion without parental consent, it doesn’t bear any connection with the rape charge that she has accused Jack of. Jack went against his own moral judgment to help her so that she wouldn’t kill herself. Clara, in trying to hide the truth, goes on to say that Jack removed all evidence of their sexual relationship before taking her for the abortion.
Jack and Britney speak to each other during a break from the proceedings. Separated by a glass partition, Britney makes it clear to Jack that after what he did without telling her, she is struggling to trust him. Her pain results from the fact that her mother, too, was supposed to abort her had it not been for a stranger who talked her out of it. This is the reason Britney is alive. So even though it seems that Britney doesn’t believe Clara’s accusation, she is against what Jack has done.
The Truth
Clara is questioned by the prosecutor about her relationship with Jack, something she entirely made up to support her lie. She tells the lawyer that it has been going on for months. She claims the first time they got physical was in Jack’s car. He was listening to a baseball game on the radio when he pulled over, and the rest followed. They got physical multiple times when Jack would ask her to stay back after school. Britney, who is present at the hearing, gets a message on her phone. It’s from Jack, who is using his lawyer’s phone. He reminds her that he has never listened to sports on the radio. And Britney knows that he still doesn’t. This hints at the probability that Clara is lying. Judge Bodman calls for a 15-minute recess, after which the court will resume the closing argument.
‘Accused’ Episode 9: Ending Explained – Does Jack Go To Prison?
Frank asks Jessica to give him some time with Clara. Jessica is suspicious but steps away. While Frank tries to persuade Clara to keep doing what she is doing and not stop, Britney approaches Jessica and tells her that Jack could never do what he is being accused of. Britney has seen Jessica at church and uses this to remind her that it is a sin “to bear false witness.” From Jessica’s expressions, it is clear that there is a fight going on inside her as she struggles to accept what she knows is the truth. Frank notices Britney talking to Jessica and comes over to tell her to leave his family alone. That’s when Jessica snaps at him, yelling at him for doing what he did to her daughter. In addressing Clara as “my daughter,” Jessica delegitimizes Frank as a father.
Jack is inside the courtroom when his lawyer enters and tells him that Clara is giving a new statement to the police and that her stepfather Frank has been taken into custody. However, Jack will be losing his teacher’s license in Texas due to the misdemeanor of taking a minor to get an abortion without her parents’ approval. All other charges against him have been dropped. Jack then meets Britney and apologizes, as well as thanking her for believing him. But unfortunately, Britney will not be able to stay with him anymore. Some things break, and they are sometimes meant to be that way. That’s life. Episode 9 of “Accused” ends with Jack and Clara in the auditorium and staring at the stage. Clara won’t be able to forgive herself for what she did to Jack, and she tells him the same. But Jack, being the caring guy that he is, tells her that he isn’t mad at her at all. She is okay and, more importantly, safe, and that’s what’s important.
Even though Jack doesn’t go to prison, he does lose his fiancée, who leaves him. Maybe they will keep in touch, maybe not. Either way, Jack knows that what he did was right, and whatever closure he has been subjected to as a result of his actions, he receives it with grace. And what’s more, Clara is safe, and she will never lie to him or, better yet, hide anything from him. This is what Jack is known for among his students: a teacher with whom they can be frank without fear of being misunderstood.
