Anyone watching Silk (Rape case...)

[deepdarkwood]

?

[HerBeX]

No, don't dare.

Please come back and de-brief us all.

[HerBeX]

So. Verdict?

[deepdarkwood]

Oh, these things are just impossible aren't they?

In some ways, I think it was interesting.
I think the underlying assumptions were that the woman wouldn't bother to lie, that the system was weighted against her (if rapists are handsome and clean they get off was mentioned explicitly), & the sympathy was firmly with the women (complainant and defending council

But, the man got off.
And was aided and abeted by a (clearly uncomfortable) female, and with a mostly female jury. There was clearly a sense of don't put yourself through complaining, it's more hassle to complain than to be raped. Esp as you'll loose.

What is the line between depressing reality and reinforcing perceptions?

I haven't watched any of Silk before, though, so am doubtless missing some of the subtler undertones (I think the female main character may be suffering after effects of rape/dubious sexual liason - wasn't clear.

I do like MAxime Peake though, and think there's a vaguely interesting character trying to get out there.

[HerBeX]

Actually that sounds quite subversive.

Might be able to bring myself to watch it.

[deepdarkwood]

Let me know once you've watched it Prole - am still listening and learning in this section

[edam]

I dunno, it might have opened some peoples' eyes. Especially that bit when the barristers seized on the comment about 'I feel so guilty' as proof that she'd made it up. And then the truth was she'd had to abort a baby conceived as a result of rape. Especially as one of the barristers had invented a claim she'd had sex with him in an attempt to conceive.

[zikes]

Yeah I watched it last night, it was pretty interesting. It's the first one I've watched so I'm not sure what else is going on with the lead, either. I thought some of the handling of it was good and how unjust it was possibly raises awareness?

Isn't society soaked in rape culture anyway, so women are as likely to espouse it as men?

[deepdarkwood]

Did you feel she was blamed Dittany? My reading of it was that the female barrister/Maxime character DID believe her - but that she had taken the case on to prove she was worthy of silk. And as a woman she had to prove this more than the men. She won because she was a better lawyer - but that didn't make it right (ito the decision, and in terms of her having taken it on)

I was doing the same 'Grr, why are they making a female get him off" but they I thought would I feel any happier if the genders were reversed, and I felt that would be just as bad (underlying message: only female lawyers defend rape, blokes wouldn't take on that kind of case)

[zikes]

There was a good female police officer who supported and believed the victim.

The lead character was kind of railroaded into representing the rapist legally and was having a crisis of conscience throughout. She was depicted as being hamstrung by the rules of her profession and at the end seemed devastated by her win (in a scene at home). She believed the victim and brushed off the rapist when he tried to congratulate her afterwards.

It was also revealed that her boss, although he knows her to be the better candidate than the male character, isn't going to put her forward for silk, as she's too valuable to him as a "workhorse".

I think the audience was meant to identify with her and feel the injustice of it all.

[Mamaz0n]

I watched it.

I wasn't sure if i would enjoy it or get seriously angry over it all. (i have history obviously)

It was interesteing that she claimed to not "do rape because teh system is weighted against the victim"

And she later realised that she thought that the defendant did indeed rape the victim, and yet she still got him off. Whilst that annoyed me i had to tell myself that no, she didn't get him off. She did her job which was to give his defence. The jury decided he was not guilty.
This annoyed me as it made me feel that even on tv the men get off, i wondered what message this sent out to rapists.

But then i told myself that had he been found guilty i would have been angry at the unrealistic portrayal of teh (in)justice system. that people would be lulled into a false sense of justice and fairness.

Very few women that make it to court are ever given justice for the crimes against them.

It was brave of the show to do a rape trial so early on. I think that by way of a tv show it did a good job of putting the issues out there for the viewer to self debate. I think having the female barrister defend was an interesting angle

[Mamaz0n]

I think that the storyline is building up to her revealing that the pregnancy is a product of rape. or that she had been raped previously. There is a definite hint towards it.

I agree that the court room action is not the forefront of the drama but more a side dish to the workings of the chambers, which seems to be the main meal.

[HandDivedScallopsrgreat]

I watched it last night (videoed it). Agree with BTP. Cliches brought out - "women lie about rape" - no counter-arguments given; rife sexism in the workplace of the barristers. Maxine Peake was very good (as usual) but her character is between a rock and a hard place - again very cliched. I suppose it might be representing the reality of chambers but it was quite soul-destroying looking at it from a feminist perspective.