In most Accused episodes, there is someone to place blame on, whether in part or wholly.
That was a hard thing to do on Accused Accused Season 1 Episode 15, where Billy struggled to ensure that he left a great musical legacy while ensuring his son didn’t ruin everything he’d worked so hard to achieve.
What made this a hard one to take a stand on was the fact that addiction was involved, and I treat addiction to anything as a disease over which many people have little control.
Yet, on the other hand, there are some actions that addicts take that have real consequences on those around them that make it hard to sympathize with them no matter how much one understands their plight.
What stood out was that we picked up this story too far into the lives of Billy, Leo, and the family.
Based on the anthological nature of the series’ episodes, there wasn’t much that could be done about this, but it did a great disservice to the story.
It felt like this would have been more effective if it was divided into two parts where we saw Billy’s rise to fame and how that affected his family.
The next part would have been about the current events as he grappled with his impending mortality and why he was adamant about sticking to a certain vision on his Greatest Hits album.
We had to rely on the characters’ words to string together what might have happened, and while it was enough to make something coherent of past events, it wasn’t quite as effective.
Billy’s music career was the only thing he and Leo had in common.
And for Leo, it was clear that this was the only way he could connect with his father, who had been absent most of Leo’s formative years chasing a dream. He did achieve the dream, but the cost was great.
I think we should put that song out as a bonus track. I could go through your old notebooks, piece a melody together.
Leo
He had a great career behind him, but it reaches a point in life when you realize that your past achievements are just that — Past achievements.
He wanted to make something personal that would immortalize him in his fans’ minds.
But he failed to see his struggling son, who craved his attention so much that he’d do something drastic to gain attention whenever he wasn’t listened to.
It might have been easy to take measures in the past when Leo was a teenager, but with Jojo in the mix, it became a tad complicated.
As her parent, he had natural rights but couldn’t be trusted to decide what was best for himself, let alone another human being.
It was clear that Billy had gotten used to cleaning up Leo’s messes, and the more he did it, the more of them Leo made.
It had become the same dance every time he would use and come to the brink of death; then they would save him, stuff him into a rehab facility, and hope for the best.
It had almost become second nature for his wife to find the syringe and give him a shot.
One cannot blame Leo for how he was raised and how his brain was wired. But there were some active decisions he made that he was fully responsible for.
You wanna know why I’m an addict? It’s because I’m suffocating in this house. My only escape from the constant look of failure in your faces us the high I think about night and day. I’m sorry it’s the truth. Leo the underachiever. Leo the screw up.
Leo
His parents tried to keep bad company like Dana away from him but couldn’t keep innocent people like Jojo away.
When he overheard his parents talk about him, which he used, one can understand the moment’s weakness, but it didn’t excuse taking Jojo on that boat ride, knowing quite well that he could not stay awake.
Well this is my music, my legacy, and I’ll be damned if I’m gonna let him take that away too.
Admittedly, Billy and his wife did a lot wrong. They made mistakes even when they didn’t realize they were making them. They would give Dana money to stay away.
What could they have done right?
For starters, they could have paid attention to what Leo really needed.
He needed his father. Even if to indulge him for a short while.
Whether Leo thought that the song was good or bad, he should have seen that it was something Leo needed. He wanted something he’d made with his father before his father expired.
I think we should put that song out as a bonus track. I could go through your old notebooks, piece a melody together.
Leo
One song, no matter how good or bad it would have been, was not enough to ruin a legacy he’s built for years.
They could have let Leo see the consequences of his actions through someone like Dana. They took steps to protect him from her influence but maybe they should have let her in once in a while so that he saw what a drugged-out life looked like.
I honestly can’t remember what you were on when you and Dana left Jake in the park that time.
Tommy
The final straw was when they tried to take something away from him that he deemed to be his. Like Billy loved his music, Leo loved his daughter even though he wasn’t what was always best for her.
Leo had nothing much to live for without his daughter and his father’s affection.
It was like how he felt for nineteen years. Unwanted and better off dead.
His mother’s decision not to revive him tore me up. She had done this a million and one time. I couldn’t understand why she couldn’t do that once more. Maybe she felt like she was doing him a favor by letting him. Perhaps it was something noble she did.
Considering all factors, the judge gave Billy a lenient sentence because she was convinced he had committed a crime after all was said and done.
The legacy he tried so much to protect was undoubtedly overshadowed by the crime he went to jail for. Was that all his fans would remember? Would he be able to live with neither his son nor his legacy?
“Billy’s Story” was a cautionary tale about getting one’s priorities right. Legacies come and go, but your actions and their effects on people last a lifetime, possibly for generations.
What did you think? Who was to blame the most for how these events turned out? We have an interview with Keith Carradine dropping later tonight that lends a little insight into Billy’s side of the story.
Until then, let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
Denis Kimathi is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. He has watched more dramas and comedies than he cares to remember. Catch him on social media obsessing over [excellent] past, current, and upcoming shows or going off about the politics of representation on TV. Follow him on Twitter.