Episode two - Accused (2010) Discussion

[–] 13 years ago

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It was very good performance from Mackenzie Crook, but too many wrong bits in it to be taken as a shock value episode.
A L/Cpl should wear a single chevron, but the character had 2 denoting a Cpl.
The Sgt had facial hair..........apart from a moustache, its not allowed.
The tents showed mass beds, but in Afghanistan, each bed space is seperated with a 'canvas wall' so each squaddie has his own 'space'
ANY of those soldiers wearing their berets like that would be charged on AGAI67. Trust me!
Oh, theres NO bullying in HM Armed Forces.........its 'character building'
Overall, quite good, but first episode edged it for me

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[–] airforcepara 8 years ago

This episode was a bag of nails; cringeworthy in the extreme! I cannot believe that this was allegedly based on a real soldier's experiences. 4-1/2 years of my 25 year career was spent on active service with Army units, and I never saw, nor heard of, anything remotely like it.

Sergeants do not command posts like that portrayed; where were the officers?

Wasn't there a single member of the production team who could have shown the actors how berets should be worn?

And by the way; Lance Corporals in the Household Cavalry wear two stripes!

Festina lente!

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[–] hillrosemary 13 years ago

I agree. I thought the acting was very good, and the writing was a vast improvement over the first episode. This time Mr McGovern managed not to preach or harangue, and his characters were far more well-rounded and credible as a result. None of them were one-dimensional 'baddies' or 'goodies'; both the recruits were cocky and mouthy in civilian life as well as bullied and victimized in the army, and while I found the corporal and his methods repugnant, I could see his point about maintaining discipline and the danger of panic and fear under fire becoming 'contagious'. It was the moral light and shade in the situation that made the episode so gripping.

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[–] 13 years ago

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[–] badgerking10 13 years ago

I must say, I wasn't too impressed... Soldiers brave enough to take part in combat with the Taliban compliantly putting up with abuse from a playground bully of a lance corporal didn't feel right... Though, you do hear about bullying going on in the army and, while various family members and friends have served in the navy, I have no connections to the army. So, I won't dwell on that point... I feel I'm on firmer ground with my other problems... The "pub toilet" opening was a bit off-putting and hardly an engaging start to a one-off drama... Wouldn't he have been court-martialled, rather than tried in a regular crown court..? While people can do odd things when they're grieving, opening the coffin, removing the guy's body and taking his clothes off seemed a bit too bizarre... And, even given the limitations of a one-off, one-hour drama, I thought the local Afghans were portrayed rather stereotypically - either as Taliban fighters or annoying pedlars... Positives..? Well, considering it was all filmed in the UK, they did a good job of making it look like the camp was really in a hostile desert environment.

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[–] mackay254 13 years ago

There is no way corporals have that much power.
A complaint made to a sgt can be taken higher if the sgt doesn't deal with it, all the way to OC. No-one has to put up with this sh!t in the army any more.

Many in the army now complain that the soldiers know all too well about their rights and not so much about their responsibilities.

However, if, while on patrol, you come under enemy fire and one of your mates just cowers, they're neither use nor ornament and it's understandable that they will be unpopular. The solution is to ship him/her out.

The real coward here was the father.

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[–] jfdesign 13 years ago

If our own soldiers could torture prisoners and get away with it, then why not our own men?

A lot of people are conned into thinking that "our boys" are somehow like the men who fought and died in WW2. This is a complete misunderstanding, as this is a different war, plus this war has a higher percentage of white working class people fighting, as opposed to WW2, which had a much greater mix of backgrounds.

What we now have in the middle east is a white working class men's club who have been given power that they would never have gotten back home. These individuals may be tough, but they are not smart, and that is where we are losing.

The episode got a lot of criticism from the army, which simply suggests that this behaviour still exists.

If we do manage to win this war, I know there inevitably will be celebrations in the street to welcome back "our boys".

But I dont intend to be there.

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[–] mackay254 13 years ago

I think you are being harsh on our soldiers.
Yes, they are from working class backgrounds. Your point?
Working class bad in your book?

Lots of young men and women who join the army are there to learn a trade and make a contribution, many of them are honest, hard-working and intelligent people. They see the army as a way of bettering themselves and having respect for themselves.

There are thugs in the army and weak-minded people and bullies, as there are in all walks of society. But to tar them all with the same brush is unfair.
These people are just like their forefathers in WWII. They have the same traits, good and bad. And they are putting their lives on the line in exactly the same way.

Go ahead, curl your lip and turn your back- in my book you're wrong.

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[–] pol96-1 11 years ago

mackay254; you didn''t pay attention during this episode. Corporal Buckley states that in his opinion most British men who join the army aren't very smart and lack imagination. He didn't say, as you did, that they're "intelligent people".

His point was that they're easily-led yes-men which makes for a smooth running regiment. When soldiers don't fit this mould they're made "the bitch" and punished for being different.

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[–] rolandrozen 11 years ago

As a conscripted soldier in worldwar one and two i could maybe and hopefully motivate myself to help my fellowsoldiers with the shooting, thinking of my family being threatened. But far away fighting against "taliban" in far awayistan in a war started by non combatting men like george bush and tony blair i am afraid i would be a big coward. NOnthe less i admire the people who fight there. They are not completely voluntarely there because there is a lot of unemployment in the UK. But i still don't understand that young people want a career in the dangerous army.

The episode was convincing and heartbreakingI understood the corporal Berkeley as well as the "coward" All the best to the English soldiers, God bless you all and i hope you discover at some point in your life the beautifull sonata's of Beethoven and other nice things.

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[–] Virus-3 9 years ago

I was rather surprised that the accused soldier was being tried
in a civilian court rather than being court-martialed by his
service. Any comments?

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[–] Chiffmonkey 8 years ago

A lot of people complaining about the mistakes don't seem to be getting the point of this episode. It's showcasing how two points of view can be equally justifiable yet utterly incompatible to the point where someone would kill.

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