Stress is the silent killer. Irrespective of what might cause it, and it varies with each individual, it continues to pile up undetected until one day the resultant mental burden results in dramatic collapse, outburst, or worse, doing irreparable damage in the process. The second episode of the latest season of Fox’s acclaimed legal drama, Accused, presents such a scenario involving parental stress-related outbursts, which viewers will find scarily relatable. Unlike the first episode, the element of courtroom intrigue is hardly present in “April’s Story,” but the premise itself makes up for that. Actor Taylor Schilling’s performance as the accused person in question oscillates between measured, convincing, and often a bit over the top, which makes for a strange experience. The final resolution once again positions the viewers as the jury, as they may or may not agree to the case’s verdict.Â
Spoilers Ahead
What Is April Accused Of?
The episode begins with a focus on April Elizabeth Harris, who is accused of road rage and reckless driving, which led to a situation that caused the death of a person. In the context of the events that took place, April is in no position to plead innocence; the maximum she can hope for is getting bailed after submitting a heavy fine. April’s husband Jake and the family lawyer, Robert, have implored her to bring her young son, Wyatt, to her hearing, as it will make for a pity case on her part, so the verdict will somewhat tilt in the favor of a mother who needs to be present with her kid. April is concerned about how being present at the hearing can leave an adverse impact on Wyatt, but Jake’s angry reaction makes it seem he isn’t really concerned with that. The narrative moves back and forth between the day of hearing, and the fateful day April lost her composure in the worst way possible—to showcase what exactly triggered her actions.
April, a nurse by profession, is a caring, protective mother who has got a lot on her plate while balancing multiple shifts a day and taking care of her son, Wyatt, at the same time. Wyatt has behavioral issues and needs to undergo anger management therapy, and April is trying her best to take care of her son’s well-being, but she has not received much support in this regard from her loving husband, who prefers to let April handle everything. Jake ignores the telltale signs of Wyatt’s aggressive tantrums, considers his school to be a troubling influence, and expects April to manage her work schedule to spend more time with family—while he himself remains wilfully ignorant that April is cornered by the burdens of expectation.
What Happened On the Fateful Day?
In the flashback sequence, as the events of the particular day unfold, Wyatt’s issues start bothering April since the beginning of the day, which is casually shrugged off by Jake. April tries to appeal to Wyatt’s senses through verbal communication, which doesn’t seem to be working at all. As April drops her son off at school, she receives a complaint from a guardian about Wyatt’s misbehavior, and as she calls Jake to inform him about the situation, he remains unavailable. Anyway, on her way to her workplace, April stops by a department store to buy a cup of coffee, and after returning she sees some random idiot has parked their car too close to hers, leaving almost no space to even open the door. Being a medical personnel herself, April can’t afford to waste much time by waiting for the car owner to arrive and make space for her, which is why she tries to make her way through on her own and accidentally makes an almost unnoticeable dent on the other car. The owner arrives, an irritable rich guy and gets busy exchanging insurance numbers to settle the matter then and there, even though he is partially at fault for parking so close to another car. Unwilling to waste any more of her precious time, April hurriedly drives away, leaving the rich jerk fuming in anger.
On her way, April receives a call from Wyatt’s school as she is asked to take Wyatt back home following another incident with his classmate, but when she asks Jake to bring their son back home, he simply uses his job as an excuse to avoid responsibility. April’s already escalating tension is aggravated after she sees the rich guy chasing her in his car, and she informs Jake about the situation, who advises her to call 911. The other driver tries to make April hit his car by dangerously swerving and braking in front of her, and somehow April manages to avoid an accident. April’s phone dies in the middle of the 911 call, and she stops at a gas station to make another call to the emergency responders. As she prepares to leave the gas station, the rich jerk arrives and starts harassing her, but the clerk remains oblivious to the situation—wearing a headset and all. However, the rich jerk provokes April by cussing her after seeing a kid seat in her car, which finally does the trick—and April snaps. As the guy drives away, an enraged April shouts at him and decides to chase him to give the jerk a taste of his own medicine, and now the gas station receptionist takes notice of the situation! How convenient indeed! Later on, this numbskull of a clerk even provides a statement, which makes it seem April is the culprit. What a farce.
A series of events happen in quick succession: April engages in a rough chase with the rich guy, who seems to be taking delight in pestering her. However, as the duo suddenly comes across an oncoming truck, an inevitable clash ensues, resulting in April’s car receiving minimal damage while the other car takes a couple of nasty spins before settling on its roof. April hurriedly rescues the severely injured driver, who turns on her; however, before he can attack her, the guy is run over by oncoming traffic, meeting a grisly end as a result.
Was April’s sentence justified?
The situation April is in is a very common predicament, engaging in a road rage in the heat of the moment in a problematic yet fairly common tendency, but the gravity of the crime in this scenario is significant as it cost a person his life. What is certain is that April alone cannot be blamed for the mess; the rich guy initially put her in a position where she felt a lack of security, but that probably isn’t presentable with direct evidence to the court. Jake breaks down in concerns of whether he will be able to raise Wyatt on his own, even in her wife’s direst moments—he has still managed to make the situation about his own struggles—so typical.
Meanwhile, Wyatt creates a scene inside the court by continuously kicking the seat in front of him, prompting the judge to allow a brief recess session—when April finally decides that she doesn’t need to bring her son to gain sympathy. She’d rather face the consequences of her actions with honesty instead of using her son as a prop. This becomes April’s only and final statement as well, as she acknowledges her accountability without even trying to cite any excuse for the mishap, and she conveys her apologies to the family of the victim. Mentioning how she and her husband have been struggling to help their son overcome his issues, April only asks for the judge’s leniency. At the end, April is sentenced to three years in prison with a ten thousand dollar fine, and her lawyer mentions that the sentence can be cut to one year if she keeps up good behavior while serving her time. Before getting taken away by the authorities, April assures Jake that he will do a fine job as a father, but looking at Jake’s face, we aren’t convinced whether he himself believes that yet.
As the episode ends, this particular case raises the inevitable question: whether the accused deserved the punishment she was served? Yes, she committed some callous and dangerous acts, beginning from fleeing the scene the first time while having an argument with the victim to chasing him down a winding road, which could have jeopardized the life of a third party as well. But the thing is, context matters too much in such scenarios, the majority of which was not presented during the trial due to a lack of evidence. It can be argued that dashcam footage in either of the cars could have clarified the matter in a better way, and April might not have to receive such a harsh sentence. If the gas station clerk’s statement were based on actual incidents and not assumptions, April might not have been sentenced to prison time. Her irresponsible husband has a role to play in this as well, as his inactions put too much burden on an already pressurized mother, and April snapped in the worst possible time, in the worst possible way. But that is the way the justice system works; it never actually bothers to justify the significance of its existence; rather, for better or worse, it works on cold, tangible facts, evidence, and information.