We knew this was going to be a very difficult episode to watch after the closing moments of last week’s installment. With this episode, Private Practice creator Shonda Rhimes dared viewers to turn away from Charlotte King’s broken eye socket, her broken wrist and arm, that gash that required 50+ stitches to close.
Rhimes dared us to watch as the fiercely proud Charlotte refused to acknowledge that, along with the bloody injuries she sustained, which everyone could see by just looking at her, she’d also been raped. That was something that only viewers and Addison knew and it was a bold choice on Rhimes’ part.
When Pete, bringing with him some natural medicines to help relieve some of the excruciating pain Charlotte was suffering, asked her, “Where does it hurt most?” Charlotte’s answer was the entire episode in a nutshell: “My soul.”
Upon learning that Private Practice was going to have this “special” episode built around the rape of one of the show’s strongest female characters, I worried that it’d become a heartstring-pulling, overly melodramatic episode with lots of stirring string instruments playing in the background featuring all manner of stereotypical scenes, the likes of which Charlotte derided when she explained to Addison the utter and complete desecration of her body and soul that she’d just endured. This, Rhimes was telling us, would not be that kind of episode.
There were so many moments of excellence and surprising turns that I can’t do justice to them all here, but most involved the unflinching portrayal of Charlotte’s physical, emotional and spiritual agony. For example, the sounds which emanated from Charlotte when Amelia was stitching up her gash — with no meds because Charlotte has a problem with pills — cut right through me because you knew that this character had just experienced unimaginable anguish during the assault and now had to put up with even more as her friends tried to patch her back together. It seemed so cruel. Also moving: The moment when Cooper, drunk, first saw Charlotte lying in the hospital bed and she wound up being the one who was comforting him, stroking his hair, trying to make him feel as though everything was going to be okay.
But what struck me most was Charlotte’s vigorously powerful speech about violation, delivered in the face of pressure from Addison to report the rape to the police so the guy could be apprehended and other women could potentially be spared Charlotte’s fate. Charlotte’s description of the rape, along with the accompanying tears the story elicited from Addison, concluded with Charlotte’s declaration that she did not want anyone looking at her the way Addison was at that moment. Later, when Cooper invoked the word “victim,” Charlotte flipped out, “You ever call me ‘the victim’ again and this marriage is off.” Again, having Charlotte lash out at Cooper for stating the obvious fact that she’d been victimized was an interesting move.
Meanwhile, another story was being told simultaneously, ratcheting up the tension expertly. It reminded me of two trains running on opposite ends of the same track. I was certain that they’d crash together in the episode’s closing moments in some kind of awful, dramatic reveal. I kept waiting for Sheldon to get Charlotte’s attacker to admit that he’d assaulted a woman at a hospital, then the police would connect the dots and detain the guy, test the blood and discover the truth. It would’ve provided a degree of justice and Charlotte wouldn’t have to worry that her attacker was out there, roaming the streets knowing where she lived and worked.
But that never happened. The attacker, who admitted to raping and brutalizing a woman, was set free because no one had reported a rape to the police. And if someone else is attacked by that guy how will Addison, truly struggling to keep this secret, treat Charlotte?
What did you think of this episode, as well as Rhimes’ decision to have Charlotte keep the rape aspect of her attack quiet?
Clacked by Meredith O'Brien 
on Nov 05, 2010 @ 13:00 EST5EDT
I think eventually Charlotte will open up and tell the truth. Retribution to the assailant will come. Amazing writing! Amazing acting!!! Kudos to shonda rhimes!
It was a powerful, well-acted, and all that. But they want to portray the female characters on the show, especially Charlotte, as strong, and then when something bad happens to them, they cannot do the right thing, i.e., report the crime, so that the guy can be caught and convicted. I understand what they are saying about Charlotte not wanting to be treated as a vectim, I understand that it can be very hard to admit that someone did this to you but Charlotte was supposed to be stronger than the average rape victim and also more aware of the importance of doing the right thing. She still acted like a very strong woman, yes, but she would have been even stronger if through all the pain, physical and emotional, she was able to do the right thing. This is _not_, I repeat, _not_ a blame on any woman who in a situation like this, does not want to reveal the rape. The most important moment in the episode for me, however, was when the guy admitted that the reason he did this was because he thought his girlfriend was an “emasculating b****” and Charlotte had told him to wait his turn, so she was too (“they all are,” he said). This is why all violence against women takes place, for control. And that it another reason why Charlotte’s bringing charges against him would have been more powerful because it would have demonstrated that she would not allow him to control her. If this was real life, I would still say that a strong woman like Charlotte, would report this even later but this Shonda Rhimes’s show, so it all depends on what she writes.
“Stronger than the average rape victim”?
Frankly that’s quite an insulting and horrible thing to say. Seeing as many times the cops laugh at rape victims or tell them what they experienced wasn’t all that bad, it’s depressing to see commenters on this story saying things like that. Also, Charlotte was not the average rape victim. The “average” rape victim is usually attacked by someone she knows or trusts and may not even experience any physical harm, or very little. The so-called stranger in the bushes attack is much less common. But I’m glad to know that America has created a stereotype for the “average rape victim” to which they can compare other women and their experiences.
You know what Star… why not just calm down. Its a show for christs sake.
I believe I have watched this show since it came on.The characters have really become so real you can understand thier feelings.No matter where the story line goes you know it will be interesting.This latest one has been so real,I congratulate every one that makes this happen. Keep it up.
I keep waiting for a twist with Charlotte’s attacker. i.e. Is he her brother, ex, or someone else she’s trying to protect? Any thoughts?