(This post was originally posted by Rebecca on the Coronation Street Blog in October 2011.)I have to say that I think that the rape storyline with Frank and Carla is being superbly done. Over the summer I drifted off from Corrie - and this blog - but the autumn has seen me rapt once again, and it's partly because of this storyline. I think it's been handled superbly, and sensitively, by the writers, I think it's been acted wonderfully by Andrew Lancel and Alison King, and I think it's beaten other such high-profile storylines into submission.
Frank has been creepy ever since he first showed up on the cobbles, but he's really upped it recently, up to and including poaching Carla's staff and his defiant declaration that "I'm the victim!". Not only that, but his mother, played by the immense Gwen Taylor, is almost as creepy as he is.
When Frank raped Carla, it wasn't about sex, it was about power. Since the beginning, their relationship has been about power, ever since Frank played the knight in shining armour and saved the factory, through to how he commandeered their engagement, their wedding plans, where they would live, and even to how he made her be around his parents. Carla is a strong woman, but she was caught on the back foot, and she was gradually worn down, I think due to her difficulties with work, with her drinking problem, and with her feelings for Peter. Plus, let's not forget that this is a woman who has lost a lot in life - Paul, Liam, her family - so it makes sense that she craves stability.
When Carla finally called it off, she took the power back from Frank and he responded in the only way he knew to - by raping her. She did the right thing by calling the police, even though it would have been a believable and realistic plot for her to not go to the police. Frank cleverly admitted that they'd had sex, as he knew that his DNA would show up, but said that she "liked it rough". So it will end up being her word against his, if in fact it goes to court.
This is the face of rape. It's estimated that one in three women have suffered from sexual assault or rape. The most common perpetrators of rape are husbands or partners.* Even though in 2006/2007 0.5% of women reported rape or attempted rape in the British Crime Survey~ (equating to around 85,000 nationally), fewer than 800 persons were convicted of rape that year.
If this storyline was real life, I think Frank would get off with it. It may not go to court, Carla may decide not to testify, it would be her word against his, the CPS may decide not to proceed.
But this is soap, and in soaps the baddies rarely get away with it for long. At the very least Frank will lose his new factory. I hope it goes all the way and that he loses his freedom, too. That would send a very positive message to people like Carla who are raped - sometimes frequently - by people they know, trust, and maybe even love.
* Source: Truth About Rape Campaign
~ Source: Wikipedia - Sexual Offences in the United Kingdom
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