Private Practice‘s rape episode was a ratings success: up 44 percent, the best since January. One blogger called it, perhaps hyperbolically, “likely the most realistic depiction of rape in media history.” So was it awareness-raising or sexual assault as entertainment?
In the last episode, the strong-willed character of Charlotte was raped by a mental patient in the hospital. In the episode that aired last night, Charlotte told only one person, Addison, that she had been raped, and refused a rape kit. (She did, however, keep her underwear in a locked drawer, so there may still be evidence). To everyone else, she insisted she had only been mugged. Meanwhile, the mentally ill rapist is apprehended by police and talks about how the bitch had it coming to her.
Actress KaDee Strickland had worked extensively with RAINN and met with rape victims prior to shooting. “The thing I’ve learned from my work with survivors is that they want this,” she said. “The only way people can confront their feelings is to see that there are more outlets for their stories being told.”
The issue of Charlotte’s refusal to report was a concern of several commenters on fan sites (and in the show as well, when Addison told her a refusal to report could harm other women, as seen in this clip). Here’s a representative one:
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