Kitty Winter's 12-episode arc on the show "Elementary" is concluded with a nod from critics after the show "flipped the switch" on how rape stories are presented in television.
Not only did most critics agree that Ophelia Lovibond's portrayal of Winter in "Elementary" was exemplary, but they also agreed on the kind of storytelling showed in her arc. Winter's story is concluded in the January 29 episode, "The One That Got Away."
AV Club mentions, "The Kitty Winter arc will go down as one of 'Elementary's' most successful."
In the conclusion, Sherlock (Jonny Lee Miller), told Winter that it might not be worth it to kill the man who raped her, but ultimately left matters for her to settle. Winter, just as her namesake on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original work, threw acid in the face of her attacker. But it was not the conclusion that had critics nodding, Buzzcnet says.
Instead it is how the character herself is portrayed. At first, Winter was considered as being "at the edge of sexist caricature" especially after being pitted against Lucy Liu's Joan Watson on her first appearance and subsequently being revealed that she was a rape victim. However, it quickly evolved into "an authentic representation of female friendship."
Lovibond herself had a hand in how Winter was portrayed in the series. She describes Winter: "She's not a victim. She has not allowed this to take over her life." Lovibond also expressed something about rape. "Rape isn't a one-time thing: It is something that will change your wiring a little bit."
Even showrunner Rob Doherty took some advice from Lovibond, especially regarding one particular scene in the November 20 episode. Involving a mathematician, who is in a scene with Winter while being shirtless, Lovibond expressed her opinion: "I said, 'I don't want to be too close to him, because even though he's clearly nonthreatening, Kitty's not comfortable being in a room with a naked man.'"
Doherty admitted, "That hadn't occurred to me." The concluding episode was Doherty's first time writing solo for the show after season one's second episode.
Liu also weighed in on how Winter and Watson portrayed female friendships. "I think it's a very positive portrayal of how women group together in reality."
Winter was first shown as Sherlock's protégé, but upon reaching season 3 episode 12, Hypable describes her as "the shell of a woman struggling to recover from her recent trauma." In flashbacks, it is seen that Sherlock tossed away his cocaine when she agreed to training with him.
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