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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mel O&#039;Drama" data-source="post: 14009" data-attributes="member: 23">DATE RAPEAccording to the blurb on the back of the DVD case, this is the episode where Sharon Gless "got" the character of Chris being a flawed person. And there's certainly an abundance of that for pretty much the whole 14th precinct this episode.It's occurred to me that I have much in common with the character of Mary Beth. I'm quite proper, very principled and I have absolutely no sense of humour when it comes to practical jokes. Really. I can't even stand hearing about practical jokes that have been played on others without thinking less of the people who pull them. Well, that's Mary Beth this episode.The practical jokes in question here are - as they go - pretty full on. Samuels arranges for Isbecki to go on a date with a female impersonator posing as LaGuardia's niece. In return, Isbecki pays a sex worker to chat up Samuels, not counting on the fact that Samuels is going to develop real feelings for her.It's really interesting to see the repercussions of the joke, particularly with Samuels who is seen to be twitterpated for most of the episode. In particular, he speaks individually to Mary Beth and Chris for advice. Mary Beth's discomfort and Chris's guilt come across strongly.Chris was so glad to finally be seen as one of the gang that she was completely on board with the set up at first, just as she was with the stripper that had been giving a show at the station at the start of the episode. This gives an interesting ongoing dialogue for Mary Beth with a number of other characters. Even Harv suggests she's overreacting (to the point where Mary Beth relents and tries to be more relaxed about it).In an interesting move, the women are forced to pay the sex worker to let Samuels down gently, thus breaking the law and accepting that her loyalty is for sale… objectifying her. It's an interesting juxtaposition. Their motives are good, but their means isn't that different to that taken by Isbecki.The theme of objectification making people less than, and people who object being dismissed carries over into the procedural plot of a date rape victim. A woman who regularly picks up men in bars having her sexual history used against her after a rape is a topical subject. By law it's not allowed, but the Ched Evans case in the news this weekend highlights how flawed that system is (for those who don't know, he's a professional soccer player convicted of rape who was allowed a retrial where his victim's sexual history was used to influence the jury into finding him not guilty - a decision that has horrified many).The responses amongst the 14th precinct are very telling - comments along the lines of "no" usually means "yes", to others saying it's sour grapes because he didn't call her back. Chris and Mary Beth themselves find themselves torn and questioning if the woman may have given out mixed signals. The episode presents things in a thought-provoking way, and feels quite uncompromising - not least in the victim's refusal to conform to a standard expectation of the victim of a sexual assault. I very much appreciate how Chris and Mary Beth view things differently.The rapist here is a singer, reduced to performing at an Italian restaurants. The collar is enjoyably quirky, as Mary Beth asks him to autograph his picture as a ruse before they snap on the cuffs. Once again, Mary Beth's lack of theatrical knowledge as they interview people at the theatre is a nice little wink, considering Tyne Daly's Broadway pedigree.</blockquote>

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