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Critic’s Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
4.5
“Picture me inside the misery of poverty…”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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