Sunday, August 01, 2010

Short, controlling and abusive.

Weatherston stabbed and cut the stunning 22-year-old Dunedin student 216 times in January 2008 after a short, controlling and abusive relationship.

During his trial he revolted Kiwis by trying to claim she had provoked his murderous rage.

Sophie Elliott's Auckland-based cousin Linda Curtis said she had recently stopped sobbing "every other day" over losing her cousin in such horrific circumstances but the TV2 weeknight drama had made her "re-live" the nightmare.

Shortland Street student Sophie McKay, played by Kimberley Crossman, had recently entered into an on-screen relationship with lecturer Ash Fuller (Bryce Langston), which has been short, controlling and abusive.
Sub splutters: Shortland Street stalker storyline shocks fans, family. Just in case you did not get the message, that this story is really important because it is about Sophie Elliot and Shortland Street (tragedy + celebrity = significance), I have emboldened the key adjectives.

6 comments:

Leigh Christina Russell said...

The assumption that those creating fictional drama should seek 'permission' from real life sufferers is absurd. Fiction is fiction and tragedy is everywhere, besides which one has a choice to watch television - or not. Some of us get by without Shortland Street. Mind you, I think the shows 'Sophie' is a good actress.

Keri H said...

Leigh - if you're writing fiction, you tend to steer away from using real-life victims' names.

On the other hand, if you happen to be a sleazy(I'm not saying the writer *is* sleazy)whack-into-recent- public tragedy-type writer (i.e =a non-creative person) you'll probably think this is all cool, and the pain of family&friends is nothing besides your cool.
You pathetic wee juvenile you-

Julie said...

Sophie's a pretty long term character on Shortie, she's been on the show since 2006. There aren't a lot of young women in the right demographic on the show atm - certainly no other long term ones. So I suspect the name match is not intentional.

You may be interested in Steph's post on the coverage of this at LadyNews.

Keri H said...

Julie - still doesnt obviate using a *story-line* partly mirroring what horribly - happened.

Paul said...

Perhaps we should wait to find out what happens. It looks to me as if the Herald writer has jumped to a conclusion. The character is called Sophie; she is having a bad relationship with an academic; therefore, this mirrors the Sophie Elliot case.

Leigh Christina Russell said...

What I meant in my previous comment is that tragedy in our lives doesn't give us a patent or copyright over our own particular scenario. The more you research the suffering of humanity, the more you find that similar things have happened to many others. And thousands of people are called Sophie. I happen to think that Shortland Street Sophie is a spunky character even as I watch her make mistakes. Obviously this one has hit a nerve with some viewers. Others may learn from it and so avoid similar disaster.