Accused, Series 1 & 2

The first season features 6 episodes the second season 4 additional episodes for a total of 10 episodes with each episode about 1 hour in length. The format is different from any other type of crime drama that I had seen before because each episode starts out with the person in custody awaiting trial and then flashes back and forth to the incident that led up to the trial.I bought the series because I enjoy watching English TV shows but I found it difficult to watch all of these. Perhaps it was the flashing back & forth, or perhaps it’s that we just can’t get engaged or emotionally involved with the series as each episode has a new cast and a new plot.The episodes are well written and I had a hard time watching one in particular in the second season because I just don’t understand the lifestyle, but I plowed through because I purchased the set and wanting to follow through. The writing is excellent and in some episodes you can’t help but feeling that justice was served (the ones in which the judge pronounced a sentence & then surprised everyone by saying he’d suspend the sentence. Only one episode actually spills over into a second episode and we learn the fate of one person who was sentenced for a crime he committed. We learn how it affects his jailer and his father.Season 1, Episode 1 - Willie’s StoryWillie realizes too late in life that he really loves his wife and doesn’t need to look elsewhere. His gambling addition gets the best out of him and he’s stiffed by a client and comes up short with funds he wanted to use to pay for a nice wedding for his daughter. He finds some money, steals it and then gambles on it and wins, returns the money that he stole only to later find out that it was counterfeit and the people he returned the real money to say it never happened. In the end he’s jailed for passing counterfeit money. He lost his wife & his family. Yes, his client stiffed him but he made choices in life which set him up and he never had a rainy day fund.Season1, Episode 2 - Frankie’s StoryTwo guys who pal around and get into trouble join the army in order to avoid jail, but in the army one realizes he is a coward and cannot fight in that manner. He becomes the unit’s bitch and is continuously shamed and abused & does the unthinkable (commits suicide). The father of the boy later examines the body and determines he may have committed suicide despite being told otherwise. Ironically it was the father’s unit that may have started the shaming of people into being the unit’s bitch, if true, how ironic. It’s a sad story with several families lives destroyed.Season 1, Episode 3 - Helen’s StoryHelen’s son was killed in what is called an accident at a local factory. Wanting to learn more she finds that the Police did not really investigate and the factory owner whitewashed the official report (her son never received proper training to operate the fork lift). A friend comes forward and offers to set the record straight but the effort fails in court. Later Helen confronts the owner at the factory using a pass that belonged to her son and the factory owner says he cannot apologize because his attorney said he cannot. This of course infuriates Helen and she decides to take matters into her own hands and sets the factory on fire. Outside while sitting in her car the factory owner lashes out a Helen and says has no clue on how the world works that is with 1 billion Chinese and ½ billion Indians earning less than a pound a day while he has to pay 50 pounds per day (to a worker) it’s almost impossible for him to compete. The owner was clearly at point as were the Police but he a valid point. In a capitalistic society, corporations are always looking for the cheapest labor pool to manufacture their goods. Even service centers are now located elsewhere in the world. Helen is facing a trial for arson and other things and opts to represent herself and tells her story. She’s found not guilty (jury nullification) and now she & her husband who coped with their son’s death in a different manner (i.e. drinking) can now grieve and get on with their lives. It took the trial to bring them back together.Series 1, Episode 4 - Liam’s StoryLiam is a taxicab driver, a father and a husband. His wife has MS and it’s been a strain on his marriage. Liam also likes to gamble & smoke. His troubles really starts when he takes a fare to the airport and later breaks into her place and learn about her. He continues to run into his fare and they develop a friendship that leads to a romance by exposing the guy she’s sleeping with is really married and has a child. Liam himself lies about his wife and family. Things seem to be going well for Liam when the other guy shows up and threatens to expose Liam. An enraged Liam runs the other guy over and when he’s with the other woman he’s arrested and the whole sordid truth comes out. Liam forgets the part about for better or worse in his marriage vows and threw it all away. One man now ruined so many lives.Series 1, Episode 5 - Kenny’s StoryThis is another tragedy. In a nutshell Kenny’s daughter is almost molested and Kenny & his friends go in search of the man. They stop the first person fitting the general description (someone wearing blue shorts) and give chase, catch up and although Kenny just takes one swing, his two friends (brothers) severely beat the other man who died later. Kenny broke his hand and while at the hospital the next day learned what happened to the other man. A police investigation into the molestation and the murder lead the police to suspect Kenny & he finally turns himself in and confesses but at trial his two friends are found not guilty of murder, but Kenny is. Moral of the story is let the Police do their job (i.e. don’t take matters into your own hands.Series 1, Episode 6 - Allison’s StoryRight from the start we learn that Allison is in a shaky marriage with her husband not trusting Allison. One day she’s supposed to be headed by train to a teacher conference and misses the conference because she’s drinking with a co-worker. When she returns the next day, both her husband and his father are in shock that she wasn’t killed in the train wreck. She lies about being on the train the lies about being on the next one. Her husband suspects another man and for 3 months the two are not sleeping with each other, then one day he rapes her. Forced into a divorce proceeding and moving out he makes her life difficult and threatens to take the children away (even though he can only see them on weekends). Next we see her boyfriend being beaten up and drugs found in her vehicle. She’s arrested and facing a trial which could send her away for a long time, both the husband and the father who is a policeman lie. At trial she manages to trip up the only witness and is found not guilty. Now her husband and his father are being arrested. I can’t condone what Allison did but she was in an abusive marriage which she should have resolved first. Had she, perhaps her boyfriend would still be alive? This was a tragic story.Season 2, Episode 1 - Mo’s StoryThis one tore me up the most. Gang violence is the underlying theme. At first it looked like an episode from Jack and the Fatman called “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” in which a blind shop owner refuses to close her shop when a gang banger is killed. In this story, Mo also does the same thing at her beauty shop but when she refuses to listen to the gang, the gangs take matters into their own hands and tell Mo’s son to kill another boy whose mom happens to be Mo’s best friend. He’s to do this or be killed and rather than to the Police he kills the other boy. Later Mo helps to organize a local movement “Woman against Guns” and eventually the police learn that Mo may know something and arrest her and find the gun she took from her son. At the trial both Mo & her mother receive 1 year jail time but the sentence is suspended. Her son gets 12 years because he’s a juvenile. Gang violence tore up Mo’s family and that of her best friend.Season 2, Episode 2 - Stephens’s StoryStephens’s mother is dying and a nurse hastens the death with larger doses of morphine. Stephen later learns that the nurse and the father may have been having an affair and shortly after his mom dies she moves in and her mother’s things are being thrown out. None of this sits right with Stephen and soon either paranoia sets in or the nurse is really trying to poison Stephen. This all blows up and Stephens’s dad tells Stephen to move out. Later Stephen is convinced that the nurse now Dad’s new wife is trying to poison his brother and when the Police fail to arrest the nurse he takes matters into his own hands and stabs the nurse. She doesn’t die and we see Stephen on trial. He gets 6 years because he’s a juvenile. The story ends with the nurse visiting him instead of his father because both the father and brother are ill.Season 2, Episode 3 - Tracie’s StorySimon is a lonely English professor who likes to dress up as a drag queen and is not very good at it. At a bar he gets into a shouting contest with a group of guys and outside tells one of them off. Later we see him walking home and given a ride by one of the guys who happens to be the brother of the guy doing all the yelling. He & Simon (aka Tracie) start seeing each other and Tony lies about his wife. Later when Tony walks passed Simon near a mall and doesn’t recognize him, Simon follows and see’s him meeting up with a woman. Simon learns she is a make-up artist and during an appointment learns that Tony is indeed married. When he later confronts Tony the two have a fight and Tony calls Tracie up and wants to go away for a while. When they stop near an ocean Tony confesses that he killed his wife and wants help getting rid of the body. Tracie (Simon) wants to call the police, but opens the trunk and grabs the knife then tosses it and starts to run away. We later find the police with the car and Simon on trial. The trial is not going well so Tracie asks if she can testify as Tracie and states that a guy like Tony facing life in prison cannot admit to an affair with a transvestite. The jury believes that Tracie is not guilty of killing the wife.Season 2, Episode 4 - Tina’s StoryThis story is a continuation of Stephen’s story. While escorting Stephen to the detention center we learn that it’s the same Stephen from Episode 2. At the center Stephen is afraid. Tracie cannot stay with him all the time and leaves him alone in his cell with a pen to write a letter to his mom. When she returns she found that he “hung” himself and attempts to resuscitate him but cannot. Stephen is dead. We learn that its also visiting day and Stephens’ father is forced to wait and later is told about his son’s death. Tina lied to protect her co-worker but since there is going to be an official inquiry tells her guard friend that she won’t lie. Before she can tell the truth she is raped by a detainee (setup by her guard friend). Later the warden (governor) disavows her version of the events at the inquiry. After she’s seen bringing in another detainee but decides to let him go. At her trial Stephens’ father testifies that Tina was the only one who cared enough to attempt to save his son. She is found guilty and sentenced but the sentence is suspended. She suffered a lot and was raped. Stephen’s family also suffered a loss and the detention center continues as if nothing had happened.

Interesting plots and twisty. Great characters and cast.

I seldom give five-star reviews; I usually top out at four. This is one of the exceptions. I can highly recommend this two-season show. It's very British, of course, in its production values and quality. You'll probably know a lot of the actors, especially if you watch British shows or films. Every performance is worth watching. The dialogue is well-written as well. The plots are intricate and twisty, shifting back and forth in time. Some episodes end more-or-less well for the main characters; some don't. Every episode will reward rewatching because you will almost certainly miss things in a single watching. Several episodes and actors won prestigious awards -- and you'll have no doubt they deserved them. Brilliant work all around -- but often disturbing.

A bit grim and some of the scripts are too contrived. There's a point to be made about the fickle finger of fate and the limitations of the justice system. But without actually seeing the inadequate defense made at trial the stories are too skewed and contrived. Nevertheless this is a very well made series with fine acting and compelling stories.

Very good series so far. Since this is season 1 & 2, I hope there are more of this fine series. This is another of the fine programs from Great Britian. Also, these are about 7 or 8 individual cases so you can watch 1 or 2 complete stories at a time. I paced myself & watched 1 or 2 a nite. Some of the outcomes you will like & some you will not. The acting I found to be outstanding. To me, this is a set of dvd's where you say, "oh no, there are no more discs" when it is over. Leaves you wanting more.

This is an amazing cast of actors superbly bringing each short story to life through unbelievable portrayals .

The first episode, eh - it was OK, the Sean Bean episode was a bit strange, but all in all what a great series from a very interesting perspective. Definitely worth watching - glad I bought it!

liked the format.

A completely fresh approach to courtroom dramas. You know a crimes has been committed, you know someone has been arrest and is going to trial - but you don't know the charge and you don't know if they are guilty. Then you go back in time and watch the situations that people are in and the decisions they make. A wonderful way to tell a story and completely engaging.

I think the best British mini series I ever seen - I an only say that Jimmy McGovern is a genius - I don't know where he gets his ideas but each one of the 10 one hour segments studies the lives of those individuals just like you and me - they were not mean or bad people but life got in the way and due to a series of circumstances resulted in them being arrested. This is masterpiece stuff - brilliant.

It was not a block buster series but, somewhat interesting because of the actors involved. RichardD

bon

Love it came so fast!