[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Accused Episode 4 “Kendall’s Story.”]
When Kendall’s (Malcolm-Jamal Warner) 10-year-old daughter is assaulted within the newest episode of Accused, he does take issues into his personal arms — however solely after letting his pal Lamar (Donald Paul) get in his head and there’s far more to the story.
Lamar insists that the police gained’t catch the man, declaring the monitor file of the detective (Wendell Pierce’s Trent Douglas) on the case. Moreover, his brother David (Kobna Holdbrook-Smith) spots the man within the park. The three males find yourself chasing him right into a public restroom, the place Lamar and David are the primary to strike. Kendall does kick him, off Lamar’s encouragement, nevertheless it’s his pal who goes again and kicks him just a few extra instances, together with within the head, when the man reaches for his cellphone. Kendall then struggles with what to inform the police, however by the point his spouse Alisa (Karen LeBlanc) convinces him to be sincere, it’s too late. Lamar and David have already put all of the blame on Kendall and lie on the stand that it was all his thought. Douglas believes him, the detective reveals to Kendall on the finish, and guarantees to do every thing he can to make it proper.
“I’m going again to how dad and mom all the time say, ‘One thing occurs to my child, I’ll go to jail for them,’ however I believe there’s a very fascinating part of that to discover additionally in that you just take issues into your individual arms and that places you in jail and in that case, you’ll be able to by no means actually be a lot good to your child once you’re in jail,” Warner tells TV Insider. “You possibly can’t assist your loved ones and also you undoubtedly can not shield your child if you happen to’re jail. There’s only a entire different facet of past the large discuss or the rapid emotional response.”
The actor breaks down the heartbreaking episode.
What was your response to the script?
Malcolm-Jamal Warner: After I first learn it, I liked it. One of many issues that we continuously speak about simply rising up is, “if I ever have youngsters and somebody touches my child, I’m prepared to go to jail for my child.” I believe it’s one thing that we speak about, however once you’re really confronted with it, it’s not as straightforward because it appears.
And particularly in these circumstances.
Yeah. I dug the script additionally as a result of there’s so many parts — simply the sensation of being violated, clearly your child being violated, however then as a father or mother, you’re feeling violated, so there’s that emotion. After which there’s additionally the betrayal of friendship. That compounds what’s already an emotional journey. By the point I completed studying the script, I used to be heartbroken for Kendall on so many various ranges, so many sides of his life.
Steve Wilkie/FOX
On the finish, Kendall tells Douglas he ought to’ve taken the prospect he’d given him, however that’s in hindsight. The person that Kendall is, being so loyal to his buddies, might he have turned on Lamar and David with out figuring out they’d activate him in time? It had taken that dialog with Alisa and Kendall didn’t appear prepared to inform her the reality till then.
Yeah, that’s a tough factor, and I believe that’s in all probability the one factor that I struggled with as an actor, discovering the place — if it was me, Malcolm, there wouldn’t be a lot of a query — in Kendall the place it was natural to him to not need to activate his buddies despite the fact that it could imply his personal demise, for lack of a greater phrase. So there was simply a number of backstory — between him and his buddies rising up — that I needed to create as an actor with a view to make that dilemma significant and natural to who Kendall is.
His spouse had mentioned Lamar hadn’t been his pal in a very long time, however that’s one thing he had been blinded to, so he was blindsided by this betrayal. He thought there was that loyalty there.
Yeah, and I believe there’s a part of Kendall that knew that. I don’t suppose it was fully new data that Kendall’s spouse was giving him, however there was that piece that he didn’t need to face himself. I believe there’s part of Kendall nonetheless needing that friendship. Though the friendship appeared, in our eyes as viewers, a bit dysfunctional, there was one thing about it that Kendall felt he actually wanted to carry onto. Quite a lot of that’s wrapped round Kendall’s personal success and no matter emotions of guilt include being extra profitable than the individuals you grew up with and no matter type of below the floor jealousies and animosities are current in a number of dysfunctional friendships. I believe that was actually Kendall’s Achilles heel, needing that friendship and being so invested in that friendship towards his personal good.
There’s additionally that line that Lamar has about how Kendall tries to search out the nice in people who’s not there. That performs into it as effectively.
Yeah, that’s heavy and I don’t suppose Lamar was conscious sufficient to see that in himself, however I believe as a viewer, once we see what’s occurring and we hear that come out of Lamar’s mouth, it’s like, yeah, you’re completely proper, you’re a type of individuals.
Do you suppose Kendall’s misplaced that a part of himself now?
Yeah, I see that stage of betrayal affecting him deeply, however I believe it’s additionally opened his eyes to actually listening to his intestine. I believe what we see all through the episode is him not following his intestine. I believe that was an enormous lesson — not simply the betrayal but additionally there’s self-accountability that’s not misplaced on Kendall.
With out Lamar in his ear telling him the police wouldn’t do something, Kendall would’ve let Douglas’ investigation play out, proper? Even when he had, say, noticed the person who assaulted his daughter by himself one night time?
Yeah, undoubtedly. It may need been a for much longer, extra irritating course of however I additionally consider within the detective sufficient that if Kendall was in a position to come to him with extra data, I believe the detective would’ve risen to the event as effectively as a result of there’s his personal journey and one thing he has to show as effectively.
Does that imply Kendall believes Douglas when he tells him that he’s going to maintain trying till he finds what he must make this proper?
I don’t know. I believe at that time, Kendall is a lot in his personal world and personal torment that he looks like if he does include one thing, it could be simply what he wants however simply the extent of betrayal, it’s tough, on the final level we see Kendall, for him to place a lot perception or hope into something apart from his sense of survival.
So he doesn’t suppose there’s any hope in any respect?
I believe it’s too far for him to actually make investments a lot in as a result of he’s gotta take into consideration his day-to-day, how he’s going to outlive in jail. I believe the one silver lining which will shield him that he understands too is when individuals discover out why he’s in jail. A rapist goes to jail, he’s in hassle. However if you happen to’re in jail due to somebody who has molested your baby, I believe there’s a stage of respect which will save him throughout his time there. I do suppose that he’s conscious of that, however he can’t actually suppose too far past that as a result of proper now it’s about how he’s going to outlive day-to-day.
Accused, Tuesdays, 9/8c, Fox
