More on Private Practice

Last night, I lay in my bed channel surfing only to find yet again Private Practice. For those of you who don't know about their recent storyline where a main character is raped, shame on you for not reading my blog post. But here's the link any way: http://lifeofafeministchristian.blogspot.com/2010/11/private-practice-and-victim-blaming.html.

I watched to see what was happening with Charlotte (rape survivor) but quickly realized that I have no idea where the writers are going with her (and they don't seem to know either). Charlotte's character currently smiles and acts as if everything is fine. She later admits she's putting on a show so her fiance feels better about the rape (apparently last episode she was"found out"). Okay, I buy that. However, the storyline isn't strong and often gets lost in everything else this shows tries to jam pack in each episode. What I mean to say is, Charlotte is not telling the story. We see the perspective of her friends, partner, and even strangers. We lose Charlotte's voice in an effort to portray the "second victims"(meaning friends and family who are also emotionally harmed after rape). I applaud these stories being told but why does it have to be at the expense of Charlotte?

So while it is a common symptom for women to become protectors of their friends and families, they still have a point of view. Charlotte explains that she won't let her fiance touch her but the audience doesn't see why. You may say, "She was raped, why would she want to be touched?" But I think by showing how touch affects her is better than just stating it. Show the audience how it can trigger memories. SHOW CHARLOTTE'S POINT OF VIEW! Do I have to everything around here?

Yet again, there was one saving grace! Charlotte saw the DA to press charges and the DA refuses after looking at the case. The prosecuting attorney made claims or was going to make claims (I felt it was unclear) that Charlotte had rape fantasies and had lesbian tendencies. When Charlotte refutes the accusations, the DA explains that it's a VERY smart defense and almost always works. I love that they showed how awful the judicial system is for rape survivors but I wanted the show to focus more on that. I wanted the DA to say, "Can you imagine if you had been attacked by someone you knew? It's even worse!" Or explain further. Anything actually. But again, Charlotte's voice was lost as the camera showed us how her poor fiance felt. Do I feel for the secondary victims? Of course. But I think bypassing Charlotte is all too representative of how society bypasses rape survivors. The message remains, "Get over this."

Photo Courtesy of http://seriesandtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/charlotte-raped-private-practice-spoiler.jpg