Accused Season 1 Episode 11 Review: Jiro’s Story
Everything that happens on Accused Season 1 Episode 11, “Jiro’s Story,” comes from a place of fear.
After the death of his mother, Jiro is scared he won’t be able to take care of his brother the way he deserves to without sacrificing his own life. However, the choice to send him to a specialized facility brings on its own fear.
Jiro feels pressured by his professional and his personal life, and this stress is too much for him to handle. It is then that he starts acting out, resulting in an assault that could have cost him his freedom.
Accused has the perfect formula to tell a story. “Jiro’s story” begins at the trial and as it advances and more evidence is presented, we are able to understand what happened to get Jiro to that point.
However, before it is revealed that Jiro attacked Leon, as the audience we already suspect that Kip wasn’t the one harassing Sam.
Kip is introduced abruptly as he comes on to Jiro and Sam walking up the stairs. He immediately starts asking, “did you tell him?,” but instead of assuming it’s about someone else, Jiro connects Kip to the bruises on his brother’s body.
The moment we see Leon walk in after Sam says “bad guy,” we begin to suspect that it is him who has actually been harming Jiro’s brother. Sam goes quiet and acts differently when Leon is around.
But even then, Jiro doesn’t seem to catch on. He is obsessed with Kip and begins to act irrationally.
Jiro’s behavior gets worse as the episode goes on and his paranoia and suspicion grow.
His work is completely affected by this, pointing to another one of his fears. Jiro and his wife wanted to continue sending their daughters to private school — something he can only do if he keeps his job.
The anger he has regarding his brother’s abuse is reflected on his work, forcing his boss to send him on a leave of absence. Later on, Jiro loses his job for jumping to defend his brother.
This anger is related to his fear. He realizes he has failed his brother simply because he was afraid of what his brother’s presence would mean for his life.
This irrationality begins to affect his marriage as well as he starts fighting with his wife and goes as far as to nearly hacking her account to break into Kip’s records.
From the beginning of “Jiro’s Story,” we are able to note there is something weird going on with Leon. He seems to always pop up when Sam is talking to Jiro about the “bad guy.”
At the same time, it seems like the entire institution is backing him up. Whenever Jiro has questions about what is going on, he is met with walls of patient confidentiality instead of answers that will guarantee his brother is safe.
Once Kip is out of the picture and there’s still plenty of time left on the episode for another twist, we realize the trial isn’t about Jiro attacking Kip.
From the moment the lawyer mentions Jiro’s devotion to his brother, it becomes clear that he is on trial for harming someone who abused Sam.
Even though it seemed as if everyone is in on the abuse, the front desk lady allows Jiro to go in without knowing what he is walking in on. A small sign that not everyone in the institution is a bad person.
When Jiro finds Sam and he begins to say “bad guy” as Leon walks in, the secret is uncovered and we quickly realize who Jiro is on trial for.
It is during the trial scenes that as the audience we can understand Jiro’s actions are based on fear. He is afraid to break the promise he made to his mother regarding his brother’s care.
He is afraid to disrupt his life by bringing his brother home, but in the end he realizes it is the best option.
In order to keep his promise and guarantee his brother’s safety, Jiro has to bring him home to his family.
As we see Jiro enjoy a pool day with his daughters, wife, and brother, we understand he is free after the trial. However, we wonder if Leon and the institution paid for what they did to Sam.
Accused Season 1 Episode 11, “Jiro’s Story,” introduces a story that makes us think about fear, love, and devotion.
Jiro and Sam’s bond ends up being stronger than all the pain they have been through. It is that what triumphs over the abuse and the assault Jiro is on trial for.
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Accused airs Tuesday at 9/8c on FOX.
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Lara Rosales
By day, Lara Rosales (she/her) is a solo mom by choice and a bilingual writer with a BA in Latin-American Literature known as a Media Relations Expert. By night, she is a TV enjoyer who used to host a podcast (Cats, Milfs & Lesbian Things). You can find her work published on Eulalie Magazine, Geek Girl Authority, W Spotlight, Collider, USA Wire, Mentors Collective, Instelite, Noodle, Dear Movies, Nicki Swift, and Flip Screened.