Diksha Sundriyal
Created by Howard Gordon, Fox’s anthology crime drama series, ‘Accused,’ presents the audience with the point of view of the people put on trial for various crimes. Each episode brings a new story, focusing not just on the crime but the intention behind it, leaving it to the audience to decide whether or not they find the subject guilty. The first episode of the second season, titled ‘Lorraine’s Story,’ brings forth yet another twisted case where morality clashes with intention. It begins one year into the disappearance of a boy named Rory Conley, whose parents are approached by a psychic named Lorraine Howell, who offers to help them find their son. Interestingly, the episode and its characters draw from real-life parallels.
The Fictional Case of Rory Conley and Lorraine Howell Reflects Reality
‘Accused’ is a fictional series where all the stories are concocted by the writers to present an intriguing yet thought-provoking tale to the audience. According to Howard Gordon, the show was created with the intention of delivering interesting stories, and for that, the writers of the series look towards real-life instances. When they have stories and cases that captivate them, they use the premise and give it a fictional spin for the TV series. With that in mind, the case of Rory Conley and Lorraine Howell is also made up and isn’t based on one particular incident.
While the writers of the show haven’t acknowledged if a specific missing persons’ case or a psychic’s involvement in a real-life investigation inspired them to write ‘Lorraine’s Story,’ one can decipher the roots of their fictional rendering. Self-professed psychics offering their help or people looking for their help in times of distress is not unheard of. Over the years, and all across the world, there have been cases where such psychics have come forward, claiming the intention to help. However, there are rare, if ever, cases where things have actually turned out well. Most of the time, they have been found to be wrong.
Self-Professed Psychics are Known to Have Indulged in Missing Persons’ Cases
One of the most well-known cases of a psychic turning out to be wrong is Sylvia Browne. She is known to have made false predictions at least twice and was even subject to public outrage about her actions. In 2002, eleven-year-old Shawn Hornbeck went missing. Browne later told his parents that he was dead. However, the boy turned up alive and was found five years later in 2007. In the same vein, 17-year-old Amanda Berry was abducted in 2004. Browne told her parents, too, that their daughter was dead. But Berry was found alive in 2013 when she escaped her captor after a decade of captivity.
While Browne’s actions may have discredited her, there are times when people claiming to have psychic abilities have been known to have helped make major breakthroughs. In 2013, a woman named Pam Ragland, who claims to be a psychic, helped find the body of 11-year-old Terry Smith while a major search and rescue operation was underway. In October 2023, a woman named Christine Seebold-Walrath claimed credit for helping find a girl who was abducted from Moreau Lake State Park in Saratoga County. In May 2024, a woman claimed that a year earlier, a psychic medium named Carolyn Clapper helped her find the dead body of her 56-year-old mother, Theresa Jones.
Instances like these raise one’s curiosity about the credibility of psychic mediums. The authorities generally prefer not to get involved with them, but the desperation of the people who have lost or are looking for their loved ones leads them to seek out help wherever they can get it. With ‘Lorraine’s Story,’ ‘Accused’ presents a very interesting dynamic to the audience. Instead of asking whether or not we would trust a psychic, it presents the question of whether or not a psychic should be found guilty in the eyes of the law for their inputs, no matter if they are true or false. The episode walks a fine line in this aspect by presenting a balanced act, which gives weight to both sides of the argument. At its core, however, it is the legality of the situation that truly matters and decides the fate of the protagonist.
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