Accused Season 1 Episode 8 Review: Laura’s Story

On Accused Season 1 Episode 8, “Laura’s Story,” we’re shown firsthand how dangerous the internet can be — for both victims and perpetrators. 

Molly Parker stars as Laura Broder, a woman whose life falls apart when her son is killed in a school shooting. After it happens, Laura goes public about making her voice heard. 

Laura makes it known that she supports gun control. However, when she’s faced with the terrifying reality of people claiming the shooting her son was involved in is fake, her tunnel vision is widened, and she’s forced to face the horrors of the internet. 

Anyone born roughly between 1994 and 2000 is lucky enough to have been allowed to watch the internet flourish, grow, and become what it is today. 

We grew with the internet, learning new things as they came out because they were presented to us, never being thrust upon us with no direction. 

Now, even if the internet isn’t as dangerous as it was, if you make one misstep, all of your advertisements are skewed negatively. 

This happens more broadly to Laura — as she doesn’t use the internet as often as her son does, she’s caught off guard in learning that people out there are sick enough to believe school shootings are being faked. 

Sometimes conspiracies are childish, funny, and downright compelling, as stated by a man in Laura’s support group. But it doesn’t become severe enough until you’re in the middle of the conspiracy. 

Enter Margo Martindale playing Joanna Pierce — Accused’s very own Alex Jones. 

“Laura’s Story” shows the horrific extremes some people will go to to stay relevant, and it causes problems for both sides of the coin. After Laura’s son, whether accidentally or not, kills Pierce in her own home, Laura takes the blame and subsequently goes to prison. 

This episode is well-written and beautifully acted, but somewhere along the way, there’s a disconnect. 

It’s unclear where this break comes from, but the episode ends up feeling almost desperate when it comes to a close instead of wrapped up. 

“Laura’s Story,” told from the point of view of thousands of parents in the United States, is profoundly moving and unsatisfying.

It tells the story of a mother’s love for both of her children, but at the same time, it puts on a show by having Laura’s child kill Joanna Pierce. 

This is, admittedly, an objectively reasonable episode of Accused. However, it just feels like something is missing, and that leaves us feeling unsatisfied as the episode comes to a close.  

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Accused airs Tuesday at 9/8c on FOX.

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