How H&A handles rape compared to other shows

[ter06]

Watching Carla's rape on Coronation Street this week has made me realise how badly H&A handles this story time after time! The Bianca story had so much potential as I believe Lisa Gormley can deliver powerful scenes but she wasnt really given that many to do and now it's easy to forget she was even raped at all. Carla's rape on Corrie this week is how a rape should be done on a soap - she has been in every episode this week, was given the screen time she deserved and other stories were put on the backburner - the complete opposite to how H&A handled it. And, I didnt hear the "attack" word once.

So, what do UK & Ireland fans who have been watching Corrie think? Or how any other show's handling of rape compares to H&A?

[alexx]

I haven't seen Coronation Street's rape storyline, though I will watch it. The rape of Terri in All Saints (Aussie drama) was written well and I believe thats how they should handle the subject. But Chloe, Carly and Dani's rape in H&A were all written better than Bianca's.

The producers obviously wanted the focus of the storyline to be the accusation against Heath because the show is all about the River Boys at the moment, it most definitely was at that point anyway.

H&A could have done the storyline well if they chose to make it one of the years best, but they decided against it for whatever reason. Producing like that doesn't make sense to me since this is a drama and high emotion deriving from character development like rape should have been the forefront and opportunity to really push the boat out and write some poignant and chilling drama. They failed on that score and it seems it was a deliberate choice to do so.

[lozlovesh&a]

I do believe that if there were no river boys/braxton brothers then Bianca's storyline would have got what it deserved. Lisa Gormley could have made it into a powerful storyline but it really hasn't done that.. part of the reason is this stupid 3day episode rule and part of it is also the rb's. You could easily forget that she was date raped at the ball, and even trapped under the school roof during the storm. And Xavier seems to have forgotton about Kelly. At lesat we know that she is still doing counselling sessions but still apart from the very first one we haven't seen it... and I think we should see it.

[cadyctslover]

You could easily forget that she was date raped at the ball, and even trapped under the school roof during the storm. And Xavier seems to have forgotton about Kelly. At lesat we know that she is still doing counselling sessions but still apart from the very first one we haven't seen it... and I think we should see it.

Ouch, ouch, ouch. Spoilers in my face. Remember this is UK discussion.

I'm not sure how this is going to play out, but there really hasn't been much focus on this storyline since it happened, the RB's are stealing the limelight.

I am impressed with how brutally they have talked about it, especially the scene with Liam and Bianca yesterday at UK pace when she screams:

"You can't even say it, can you Liam? RAPE."

"Why would I want to say rape."

It's sad to hear this isn't being developed further in future episodes

[flea]

I love Home and Away more than any other soap, but I do feel it fails in tackling major storylines that can be seen as controversial - things like Rape, Race story's, Homosexuality, Cancer, Drugs and countless other things.

I think a part of that probably comes down to what is seen as being acceptable to broadcast on TV. I do feel in the UK we are more relaxed about such things, where as it appears that in Aus that is not the case. For example, off the top of my head in Corrie we have Sophie and Sain as a lesbian couple, Sean and Marcus as a gay couple, Hayley who is a transsexual and a cross dresser called Mark. All are main characters who live on the street and are part of the soap community, and not just support characters, or ones brought in for the purpose of a "shock" (note Im not saying anyone who is in a same sex relationship, is tansgender or whatever is shocking per say) story line. On the flip, we had a very poor handling of Charlie on H&A thinking she could be gay, and a storyline that ran for about 3 weeks, and hasn't really been dealt with since. There hasn't been, to my knowledge of watching H&A for nearly 20 years, any other gay characters, and certainly no main characters like that.

When thinking back to the major controversial storylines that H&A have done over the years, only one sticks in my mind as being a bold one - and that was Edward's battle with Huntington's. I remember this story as even though I was only very young at the time it actually got me thinking, and wanting to know more about Huntington's. It was brilliantly handled in the short time it aired (again another problem in the fact that they could have developed the storyline for a longer time) and it made me sit up and pay attention to things outside of the normal soap story's. That to me is when soaps are at their best, when they get people to feel for the characters, and to think about things.

Rape is one of those story's that shouldn't be done lightly, and should be handled with care. I do think H&A have handled it sensitively, but at the same time a lot of opportunity has been lost in this story too. I appreciate censorship may be greater, but by trying to avoid using the word rape it actually takes away from the story line. If you are going to tackle a story, then make sure its blunt and to the point and not sugar coated.

I think another issue is how things like drugs and alcohol are handled in the show - and that it is often used as a way to portray negative stereotypes. The amount of time characters end up in rehab compared to other soaps is very high, and again it seems to be a case of 3 or 4 weeks and then everything is forgotten about. Go back to Corrie, and Peter Barlow has been fighting his drinking for a good few years now. Its a huge part of his character, but it doesn't mean that it is all he is about. Irene in many ways is the same, and a good example of a character who can have a vice, a dark past etc, and still have a part in the show. Now I know a program going out on TV like this can't portray drug use as being a good thing, but it is never used in a way where no harm happens to those taking part. You never see someone on H&A take anything they shouldn't without there being consequences. As controversial as this may sound, loads of people do drugs without developing a habit or ruining their or others life's. A point in case would be how many characters are seen smoking in H&A? Only the shady and "untrustworthy" are seen when this rarely happens. Its another negative connotation which isn't actually correct in all walks of life.

My main annoyance with H&A is the quick turn around of story's, often being finished in a matter of weeks, and without really exploring the more taboo elements of what could happen. Take the current storyline that is airing in Aus at the moment where

Leah loses the baby. This would be a perfect chance for Miles to relapse and see Rabbit again, as he has seen loss again

, and this is a main, or should be, part of this characters mind and wellbeing, but it probably won't ever be mentioned again. Another great chance to develop someone, and to tackle a hard subject, but it will probably not be handled at all.

[ter06]

^The thing is that H&A is rated PG so it actualy can push these boundaries and use more colourful language but it doesn't.

I agree with what you say about things never again being mentioned on H&A. When Irene relapsed after she got out of prison there was no follow up after she stopped drinking which was such a shame because it had great potential. Again, with Irene, she never confronted Hayley after being released from hospital when Hayley had signed her in when she thought Irene was going crazy. It's never mentioned Ruby was in rehab, rarely mentioned Charlie is bi. Now I know they cant keep referencing these things time after time again but it is realistic for these things to be referred to.

I love H&A, it's been my favourite show for 23 years but watching Corrie this week and the depth and emotion that went into it made me realise how badly they handly some things.

[lozlovesh&a]

You could easily forget that she was date raped at the ball, and even trapped under the school roof during the storm. And Xavier seems to have forgotton about Kelly. At lesat we know that she is still doing counselling sessions but still apart from the very first one we haven't seen it... and I think we should see it.

Ouch, ouch, ouch. Spoilers in my face. Remember this is UK discussion.

Sorry! My bad. I forgot this was a UK discussion. lol. I'm sorry.

[cadyctslover]

^ Haha don't worry

[Ryan]

I have said it before, but I sometimes feel Home and Away is written by numbers. Who can appear in this episode does not appear driven much by what storyline is taking place, but more by how many episodes they've appeared in that week and how many other characters have appeared already in the episode? In what should be the episodes where Bianca or any other character is overcoming their situation, they've disappeared because they've either fulfilled their quota of episodes for that week or even more bizarrely, they'll reappear at the end of the week beginning to get over their experience.

What is frustrating is that it occasionally gets it very right and then something minor comes along, like the storyline is left hanging, so stupid continuity error and you're left disappointed.

[ter06]

They seriously need to reconsider the 2/3 episdoe rule. I understand there are only a certain amount of episodes a year a character can appear in but give them time off at the end of a big store like any other soap.