The Kristina abuse storyline on General Hospital continues to get worse with each passing day. As if the show's portrayal of her as the villain in this whole scenario weren't enough, one of the main characters essentially justified the attack to the accused on Tuesday's episode. Obviously I am referring to Luke, who apparently is so open-minded and non-judgemental that he has even found a way to understand the beating of a 17 year old girl. Granted Luke was talking to Ethan, who obviously did not commit the crime he is accused of, but for Luke to say that he "can see where a guy would snap and...do something that he didn't intend to do" after what Ethan experienced, is reprehensible. I guess I should not be surprised given Luke's history, but what Ethan experienced is known as a bad day. If Ethan can't handle being told off by the older sister of a girl who has a crush on him the same day said crush was expressed I'm amazed he made it through high school without being arrested.
Luke's comments [no copyright infringement intended]
For months I have watched this storyline unfold, convincing myself that it would help teenage girls who found themselves the victim of abuse, but the way it is being told is not helping anyone. In fact it may be doing more harm with all the mixed messages that are being sent. Viewers are already losing sympathy for the victim as the show continues to remind them that Kristina's lies are a part of some sort of pattern rather than the result of someone who is scared and confused. Furthermore, the show is sending the message that Kristina's lies are more about punishing Ethan, than protecting Kiefer. This was evidenced by the scene in which Kristina reminded Ethan that he was mean to her when he asked why she was lying about who attacked her. The ease with which Kristina is accusing Ethan also makes it seem like she is trying to punish him. At times her accusations come with such little hesitation it seems that she may have even convinced herself that Ethan is the one who attacked her.
Kristina's comments [no copyright infringement intended]
Kristina is not being presented as the victim she is. Instead she is being showcased as a liar and a manipulator who just happened to get attacked. Luke's comments in reference to her on Tuesday were nothing short of derogatory and were indicative of the way she continues to be villainized on this show. I suspect this will only get worse in the coming weeks because I do not foresee an end to this storyline any time soon.
For months I have watched this storyline unfold, convincing myself that it would help teenage girls who found themselves the victim of abuse, but the way it is being told is not helping anyone. In fact it may be doing more harm with all the mixed messages that are being sent. Viewers are already losing sympathy for the victim as the show continues to remind them that Kristina's lies are a part of some sort of pattern rather than the result of someone who is scared and confused. Furthermore, the show is sending the message that Kristina's lies are more about punishing Ethan, than protecting Kiefer. This was evidenced by the scene in which Kristina reminded Ethan that he was mean to her when he asked why she was lying about who attacked her. The ease with which Kristina is accusing Ethan also makes it seem like she is trying to punish him. At times her accusations come with such little hesitation it seems that she may have even convinced herself that Ethan is the one who attacked her.
Kristina is not being presented as the victim she is. Instead she is being showcased as a liar and a manipulator who just happened to get attacked. Luke's comments in reference to her on Tuesday were nothing short of derogatory and were indicative of the way she continues to be villainized on this show. I suspect this will only get worse in the coming weeks because I do not foresee an end to this storyline any time soon.
Paula,
ReplyDeleteWith all due respect, what Luke said can be taken two ways - I took it more like he could see how someone could snap, but the look on his face sort was like "yeah I can see it but it still isn't right." Remember, Luke's not exactly the paragon of virtue here (lest we forget how he raped Laura years ago and how the writers turned this into a "romantic" event). I do think the GH writers are missing the mark here and that more emphasis should be placed on what happened to Kristina, rather than how's she's reacting. I would think Alexis would be taking Kristina to a therapist at this point, too.
I just hope something happens by Friday because like I have a life and as much as kitty loves "GH Hug Hour", I'm thinking of other things I could be doing.
Hi Peggy,
ReplyDeleteYeah, I think I alluded to Luke's history in the post, if not I meant to. Good point about Alexis taking Kristina to a therapist. I don't know why no one has thought of that, isn't that why they keep Lainey around? Although she may have her hands full with Liz these days. lol! I can see that GH is going to drag this thing out for a while. I bet Kiefer walks in and interrupts Kristina while she is talking to Lucky, if not him then it will be Alexis again. I honestly don't understand why everyone leaves Kristina alone all the time if they are scared for anyone to talk to her.
As always thanks for commenting!
P.S. My dog loves "GH Hug Hour" too. He knows I'm not really busy at that time and always wants to cuddle! :)
Paula
Paula,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about the way things are going on GH. I find myself being irritated with Kristina and then I realize the she IS the victim. I just don't get why she won't tell the truth. Is is\t because her family keeps shutting her up and telling her how bad Ethan is? Or is because when she gets on the verge of telling, they shut her up and tell her not to talk about it? Yeah, she needs therapy in the worst way. Getting over an attack like that just may be made easier with someone neutral to talk to. And carrying the guilt of lying and hurting someone else may be eased by someone taking the time to listen and letting her talk.
Also, what is Sam going to do to Jason when she finds out that he may not believe Kristina? I think maybe she could've used some therapy in the past for the abuse she endured.
Good post!
Hi Lizzy,
ReplyDeleteI think maybe Kristina is hesitant to tell the truth because everyone keeps telling her how bad Ethan is and because she is constantly being interrupted. I also think she is scared of what Kiefer might do to her at this point if she does tell the truth. I'm actually getting tired of everyone interrupting her every time she opens her mouth. That could go on for months. It was the same way with the whole Liz debacle. Someone would always walk in like they were going to hear the truth and then they didn't. That sort of thing gets old fast.
I think Sam would be furious if she knew Jason suspected Kristina of lying. He would be smart to keep that to himself until he finds proof! lol!
Thanks for commenting and for the compliment!
Paula