I agree, it seems that TPTB want to keep Matt for as long as they can, to me it seems like the rape story outcome has changed in recent months. It would be better for all the Carters if Dean admitted what he did and was out of the picture.

It would make a nice change if they didn't have a serial rapist.

As much as it pains me to say it I think you're right. I'm not for one minute saying that everyone who defends him thinks this way but there's no getting away from the fact that in general he'll be seen as more sympathetic by some because he's young, he's very good looking and he does a good 'feel sorry for me' face. Hasn't it been shown in various social experiments that good looking people can get an easier ride in life, that some people tend to warm to them easier than their poorer looking counterparts? That good qualities tend to be automatically bestowed on them all because of a genetic accident? Perhaps these viewers can't help themselves?!

I know it probably won't happen but I'd love to see how much sympathy your ideas of Phil or Ian as rapists would have got. After all, didn't Phil have an awful upbringing himself with a bully of a dad? Look at the hash he'd made of bringing his own kids up due to his own upbringing? And Ian's got mental issues but I bet people wouldn't be rushing to make excuses for him either, lol! They'd just be a disgusting, ugly middle-aged bastard who should be written out!



Oh undoubtedly. Dean can't take responsiblity for anything. He rapes a woman and practically says it's Shirley's fault. He nearly sets fire to the Vic but hell that's not his fault either, it was wicked Mick who had the cheek to object to his wife being raped! Dean is truly pathetic. I also loathe the way he seems to have forgotten all about Kevin, his proper 'dad'. The one who did all the work and wiped away the tears and snot. Shows me that Dean isn't all that loyal a person.

I can't stand Dean since this rape yet I was really up for his return as I thought that him and Shirley had an interesting backstory which could be further explored but I can't see how a character can possibly come back from becoming a rapist? People still use Emmerdale's Andy Sugden's wife beating to have a go at him years later, what will they say about a sexual abuser? The worse possible assault you can inflict on a person without killing them? IMO they have ruined a perfectly good character by doing this and have cast a shadow over the Carters as it's all starting to get tedious with the actual rape seeming to come a very poor last to mother-son relationships, family conflicts, family loyalties etc.



Very good point. I think you're spot on.

Rape is a heinous crime which some people actually see as worse than murder, where it's hard enough to get convictions without EE seemingly condoning having one staying on the show, and worse, attempting to make them sympathetic FGS. You can have an understanding of why someone commits an atrocious act without feeling sorry for them so if DTC is attempting to go down the 'feel sorry for him' route I think he's making a huge mistake.

Keeping Dean on will be like the baby swap mark 2, I reckon.

I think you're right.

Like I say it's shame they did this to Dean as I wanted his and Shirley's backstory explored more, find out just what happened when he was in prison to make him come out and throw his mother to the ground etc. But instead they went down the rape path and although mainly due to Linda (Kellie Bright) we've seen some excellent drama in the aftermath was it worth losing Dean for because for the life of me I can't see how they can reasonably keep a rapist on the show.

I'm trying to imagine how I'd feel if Dean had a road to Damascus moment, realised just what he'd done, had a breakdown and we saw him having counselling etc - could the character stay on the show under those circumstances? I'm still not sure TBH.

I think he will realise what he's done, apologise, maybe even contemplate handing himself in but be stopped from doing so by Linda. Things will move on. Dean will, by this time next year, be well and truly in the Carter clan.

If this happens, I reckon Linda will find out that Dean was raped in prison the first time and will realise how mixed up he is due to that. This SHOULDN'T be how it is played out, but if Dean is staying, doesn't go to prison but yet still finally realises what he did, I don't see how else it can happen?

Crikey. Is Linda a Saint? Seriously people, would ANY of us want to the man who raped us hanging round, seeing him day to day? Could you ever feel safe where he was and trust he wouldn't do it again? If you were Mick would you trust him around your wife and daughter? Lee around your mother and sister?

I'm not disputing that something like this will probably happen, that Linda's ordeal will be underplayed or minimalised to facilitate Dean staying, but seriously, what's the chances of it happening in reality?

The baby swap plot wasn't too bad in the end because Ronnie gave back the baby, handed herself in, showed guilt and remorse, served her prison sentence and got counselling.

It's a bit messy somehow that Dean doesn't go to prison for the crime. With Ronnie and Ben they handed themselves in, took their punishments and came back and Ronnie even got counselling in prison and managed to build bridges with Kat and Alfie. Now obviously Ronnie, Dean and Ben all committed completely different crimes but if handled right Dean could have gone through prison and rehabilitation and then begun a new life with Buster and Shirley who as his parents would probably forgive him (not sure about Denise though)

Sex offenders on Dean's level usually have form for minor incidents before actual rape itself. So I do wonder if he has been violent to women in the past and while Linda was his first rape he may have harassed other women as well. I recall something about him shaving the hair off his ex girlfriend but I'm not sure if that was added in as foreshadowing or not. Either way I think that highlights he views women as objects and not human beings.

Dean needs to be off the streets and locked up before he becomes fixated on some other poor woman who will get the Linda treatment.

I think it's sad that Linda has become a subplot in her own rape - her ordeal is secondary to poor widdle Dean's turmoil, Shirley playing the martyr, Buster's return and Mick & Shirley. It's a joke so yeah, I'm half expecting Linda, yet again, to be the one sacrificed to keep Saint Shirley's precious son around for the long term. It's not enough she lets people in her home that constantly humiliate and victim blame get, or continually pushes for Mick & Shirkey to reconcile, now she'll have to sort out her attacker as well and STILL the usual suspects on here will attack her to excuse the behaviour of their vile faves.

Thank God Kellie is such a wonderful actress and can sell this crap we're being fed - just a shame that this storyline has only been good for showing that if you're good looking & charming you can get away with anything.

The only way to end this storyline now is to have Dean remain in prison. No release, no mush that attempts to justify what he did, we're past the point of that working now. I didn't have any sympathy for his issues BEFORE the rape, because they were so underdeveloped (and hammily acted), let alone now.

The option of him being 'redeemed' with some shoe-horned in backstory of him being a victim of rape himself would be infuriating enough for me to drop this show.

I have an annoying feeling that the only reason they're keeping him around for so long is so they can get to a point in time where (they think) it's okay to do a 'who killed Dean?' plot, where of course, it was Shirley who did it, but no-one will grass her up because no-one likes Dean anyway.

If that is how this storyline pans out I hope that organisations who support and advocate for rape survivors crucify DTC in the press. I'm disappointed that they haven't already done so. Seeing a woman protect her rapist because he said sorry would minimise the seriousness of rape and make the Carters more gruesome than Ian and Jane.


Well said. Dean rapes Linda but it's okay because she forgives him, he's good looking and people don't like her. Shirley terrorises a pregnant rape victim but it's okay because all the victim wants is for Shirley and her son to be reunited. What kind of freak show is this?

If this happens (and going by the spoilers it could actually be happening) it wouldn't be shoe-horned. It's been mentioned on numerous occasions, back in 2008 and last year, that something happened. I'm surprised if EE go down this route, but it wouldn't be made-up if they do.

Forgiveness can vary from person to person though. I know it's not the same but didn't Kat and Alfie forgive Ronnie for stealing Tommy where other people/characters perhaps wouldn't?

The difficulty is the lack of prison time for the crime. If Dean say handed himself in and later had a meeting with Linda where he made a full apology and she chose to forgive him that wouldn't be so bad because he is still facing punishment (prison time) for the crime.

To be fair, whilst i don't think it would be enough to redeem him (see my prior post about abused becoming abusers)n dean having been raped in Prison in 2007 wouldn't be shoe Horning in a new back story as it was clearly alluded to on screen both when he first came out in 2008 (he was asked what they'd done to him in there and he replied 'everything') and then when he returned last year. Even when he was awaiting trial several people commented on how 'pretty' he is and that could mean Prison being worse for him than many others.

I can't think of any specific soap example of this though except perhaps Ben burning Louise the way Stella burned him.

If Dean was raped in prison, how could he subject somebody else to that horror and inflict that pain ?

He has to be killed off tbh. There's nowhere else for him to go. His smug face and his horrible antics towards poor Linda are just awful to watch.

Maybe EE will go down the psychiatric route, I have no idea. It shouldn't be used, but going by the spoilers it looks like it's a high possibility.

As KitKat said sometimes the abused become the abuser. The only example I can think of though is Ben burning Louise the way Stella burnt him.

It would be bad if, as the other poster suggested, Linda tried to prevent Dean from handing himself in. Linda has been way to forgiving of Dean's supporters so forgiving Dean too would make her even more of a doormat than she is.

Succinctly put!! This is in essence, stripping away all the whys and wherefores, is what EE will be expecting us to swallow. THIS.

Just canonise Linda and be finished if this happens *roll eyes* Insult to rape victims IMO.

Forgiving a rape I can understand, perhaps you need to do it for yourself so you can move on but you'd expect never to have to clap eyes on your rapist again, not have him there, in your face, playing happy families with your mother-in-law.
Speaking of which, you might understand your mother-in-law not wanting to believe her son was a rapist but could you forgive her for calling your a liar, an adultress in public and private? For trying to turn your husband against you? Perhaps this one's easier to 'forgive' for family harmony than your rapist but I doubt you'd ever be the same with her and it would be more of a putting up with her rather than forgiveness - as long as you didn't have to see her all the time and working together would be out so Mick would have to find a way of getting her name from above that door. IMO anyway.

Billy was beaten as a child when he was in care and then beat Jamie when he was his Guardian.

Eric was also violent with Phil and phil has been violent with Ben at times - not to mention other people. Also, Archie abused ronnie sexually and everyone psychologically and he told ronnie that his dad used to not only hit him but mentally lead into it as well.

I'm sure there have been a lot of other examples on various soaps through the years, i'll put my thinking cap on.

However, i was meaning more about real life abuse cases.

I think it probably will come out later that he has done this to other women beforehand. That story about shaving his ex girlfriends hair off was very telling, especially as he retold it as though it was a funny story.

He was violent to shirley when he came out of Prison. He also hired a Prostitute and i wouldn't be surprised if he was rough with her to exercise some demons. Again, as i understand it, use of Prostitutes) especially violently) is also often a starting point for men who go on to rape, they see them as sub human so it is okay to act out their hatred of women on them. As time goes on, it transfers to 'normal' women.