page_title: Did You Hear What Happened to Charlotte King?
section_title: Critical response
hierarchical_section_title: Did You Hear What Happened to Charlotte King? / Reception / Critical response
caption_attribution_description: Photograph of KaDee Strickland
context_page_description: "Did You Hear What Happened to Charlotte King?" is the seventh episode of the fourth season of the American television medical drama Private Practice and the show's 61st episode overall. Written by Shonda Rhimes and directed by Allison Liddi-Brown, the episode was originally broadcast on ABC in the United States on November 4, 2010. Private Practice centers on a group of young doctors working in a private medical practice, and this episode deals with the immediate aftermath of Charlotte King's rape.
  The episode, written in collaboration with the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, revolved around KaDee Strickland's character, Charlotte, and was intended to accurately portray a victim's recovery from rape. Nicholas Brendon guest-starred as Lee McHenry, and Blue Deckert appeared as detective Joe Price. "Did You Hear What Happened to Charlotte King?" earned Rhimes, Strickland, and the series several awards and nominations and was well received by critics, with Strickland's character and performance praised.
context_section_description: The critical response was largely positive, with a TV Guide writer ranking "Did You Hear What Happened to Charlotte King?" one of 2010's top 25 television episodes. Alec Stern of The Michigan Daily cited the episode as an example of the show's improved quality, and The Futon Critic's Brian Ford Sullivan also included it in his list of 50 best episodes of 2010. Strickland's performance received an overwhelmingly positive response after the episode first aired. The reviewer from TV Guide felt that Strickland's performance was worthy of an Emmy, and that the first time Freedman saw King's injuries was "like we weren't even watching TV anymore". A TVLine post later listed Strickland as one of the Emmy Awards' 21 biggest snubs. E! News' Kristin dos Santos also praised Strickland's portrayal of King, writing that she deserved an Emmy nomination, and Winston Mize of SpoilerTV wrote that Strickland was "robbed. of. all. the. awards". TV Fanatic's Steve Marsi liked the episode, saying that its pacing and Strickland's performance immersed the audience despite the difficult subject matter.
  The treatment of rape in the episode has been widely praised by television critics. SpoilerTV's Winston Mize felt that it was one of Rhimes' best shows, and that it avoided a preachy or excessively-dramatic take on rape. JeromeWetzelTV of Blogcritics found the episode "disturbing, intense, tragic, and moving", with the rape handled delicately and responsibly. E! News' Jennifer Arrow described the rape scene as "the most realistic depiction of rape in media history" and noted Brendon's casting as an evil character in contrast with his more light-hearted performance as Harris in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
  The depiction of King's rape and its aftermath was compared to similar storylines on other shows. Arrow called it part of the "rape-on-TV trend", linking King's rape with those of Gemma Teller Morrow of FX's crime drama Sons of Anarchy and Naomi Clark of the CW teen drama 90210. According to Arrow, all three characters were "strong, no-nonsense ladies who generally dominate their environments" and did not report their rape. She asked if each show's decision for the victim not to report the rape was part of a larger cultural belief that "trusts in women who keep their silence". TV Fanatic's Steve Marsi called the episode reminiscent of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in its presentation of events in real time and emphasis on character reactions. The Michigan Daily's Alec Stern called sexual assault "a crutch Shonda Rhimes has turned to in all three of her series", writing that the development of King's character was superior to the storyline of Mellie Grant's rape on the ABC drama Scandal.
caption: KaDee Strickland's performance was well-received by critics.
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