Hi Dietland readers! I just wanted to drop a quick note in case anyone was looking for recaps/posts re the last two episodes, S1:E08 Rad Fatties and S1:E09 Woman Down. Beware: there be spoilers in this tiny post.

There were some excellent and important things that came out of these two Dietland episodes, but I’m afraid that the depiction of Plum Kettle (Joy Nash) being raped means that I have to bow out. I won’t question the writers, but to be honest: I am just so damn tired of watching gendered sexual violence against women being shown onscreen. There was Wentworth, Broadchurch, then Collateral, Game of Thrones, just so many fucking shows showing women being raped that I have to wonder if people even notice any more. To be honest, the fact that I identified so strongly with Plum’s character and that experience made it that much more harrowing. I was only able to watch about 5 minutes of Woman Down.

If you want to show sexual assault and the aftermath respectfully, it’s not exactly Must See TV. Trauma takes time to heal, there are so many stages, I don’t know how or why shows shoehorn it in for outrage then just switch to another plot point as though it’s a sandwich choice. Broadchurch actually did this part very well. But still. So.much.rape.

What about conversation starting, TTM? Don’t you think we’ve had enough conversations about rape? This was date rape, which apparently some people don’t believe exists, does everyone really want to watch people parse exactly what sexual assault is? Could that not be even more upsetting for people who have experienced it? I would argue that anyone who doesn’t think that was sexual assault isn’t watching Dietland anyway.

But! I am not one of the writers, I am not even A writer, I am just a recapper with a history and as such I am practicing a little self care on this topic and leaving it right here. I support Dietland and everything they do, I can’t believe we’ve been able to see so many amazing things on TV (naked fat women!! Wooooo!!), fight on, sisters!