British author Jojo Moyes has led criticism of a ‘distressing’ rape scene in the latest episode of Collateral.
Last night’s installment of the BBC2 detective thriller, which has an all-star cast led by Carey Mulligan and is written by Sir David Hare, saw some viewers – including Moyes – frustrated by the show’s sexual violence against women.
The hour-long episode saw soldier Sandrine Shaw (Jeany Spark) raped by a senior colleague as she tried to cling on to her job.
Episode two of Collateral, which aired on BBC2 last night, saw soldier Sandrine Shaw (Jeany Spark) raped by her superior Major Tim Dyson (Robert Portal)
‘So creepy’ Earlier in the thriller, which sees Carey Mulligan’s DI Kip Glaspie investigating the murder of a Syrian immigrant, viewers saw the character of Sandrine naked as suffered a flashback to her time serving in Afghanistan
As the episode reaches a dark ending, Sandrine is seen opening the door to Major Tim Dyson (Robert Portal), her superior, before she leads him into the bedroom.
On Twitter, Me Before You author Moyes unleashed a string of tweet’s criticising the four-part series, saying: ‘So bored of seeing women physically and sexually abused in the name of drama.’
She added that she had watched the series because of the actress Carey Mulligan’s starring role, as DI Kip Glaspie, but on viewing the second episode had now decided to switch off.
She said: ‘I hung on for Carey Mulligan, and because I was afraid I’d “missed” something. Now I just feel genuinely enraged. Why can’t broadcasters do better?’
Author Jojo Moyes said she had ‘hung on’ as a fan of Carey Mulligan…but was ‘so bored’ of women being shown to be physically and sexually abused ‘in the name of drama’
Many other viewers also disliked an earlier scene in the episode, in which the character of Sandrine is shown naked in the shower as she endures a flashback to her time serving in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province.
@MrBrianHolmes said the scene didn’t add to the narrative, saying: ‘So creepy when the camera lingered on her naked body in the shower, for no narrative reason… And then the grim final minute.’
He added: ‘I mean when a male veteran is about to have a PTSD flashback, we don’t get lingering shots of his wet naked a***, do we?’
@GreenbaySaint agreed, saying: ‘The female actors need to say no to scenes that are clearly titivation. It happens all the time even in standard programmes. The camera showing cleavage, the examples are endless. I know it will be difficult for those actors but it needs to happen. Just say no.’
Another viewer, @katebevan, asked why there wasn’t better drama for great female leads. She wrote: ‘I love Carey Mulligan, and she’s great in this, and I also love Billie Piper. I SO wish there were telly dramas for them that didn’t involve dead and brutalised women.’
The political thriller sees Mulligan’s character trying to find leads for the murder of Syrian immigrant Abdullah (Sam Otto), with last night’s episode seeing the victim’s distraught sisters shipped off to a immigration holding centre in Essex.
Many other viewers felt that David Hare’s political thriller was following the lead of other ‘gritty’ dramas in including brutality
The latest episode of Collateral saw soldier Sandrine Shaw the focus, as she was identified last week as a possible killer of the murder victim
The first episode of the show saw Abdullah, a Syrian refugee working as a pizza delivery driver slain while delivering a quattro formaggio with a mysterious ‘special k’ topping to the upper-class single mother Karen Mars (Billie Piper).
The ensuing hour saw a diverse spectrum of characters introduced by Hare including the family of immigrants Abdullah left behind, a pregnant police officer (Carey Mulligan’s Kip Glaspie) and a lesbian vicar.
The realistic reflection of London’s cultural melting pot has been widely praised by viewers.
Carey Mulligan leads a glittering cast, who were clearly tempted in by the chance to work with Sir David Hare.
While filming, Mulligan revealed how she coped with being pregnant on set.
The BAFTA Award-winning actress said she told series writer Dave Hare that she was expecting her second child as the show was being cast.
She then asked if she could still play the part while pregnant to which he said yes.
‘I loved that he didn’t rewrite my character, that he just didn’t make a fuss about it.
It felt more real to life, because when you’re pregnant you do just go about your life,’ she said.