He Said, She Said
I still am working my way through season six of Brooklyn Nine-Nine. I watch it for the comedy (and also because Amy is cute), but I was surprised to have seen a very important episode earlier: S06 Episode 8, titled “He Said, She Said.”
Obviously, I’m going to spoil the episode, so if you still plan to watch it, this will be the best time to stop reading. I think what I say here won’t affect the impact of the episode (much less the comedy in all of it) but, of course, you might not want the plot spoiled.
In the episode, we see Jake and Amy investigate a sexual harassment case that happened in a financial firm. This banker guy, Seth, who holds a major position in the firm, got a “broken penis” because his female co-worker, Keri, smashed his private bits with a golf club. They brought the guy in for questioning and, as expected, he tried to pass the blame on to the woman. His defense is that Keri was mentally ill and whacked his dick for no reason at all.
Of course, there are always two sides to the story. Keri was brought in to the station, too, and she said that on that night, Seth was drinking, grabbed her, and tried to take off her shirt.
She also explained how she was good at her job and she loved it, and that she was not the violent person Seth wanted to portray her as. In a nutshell, she told the officers that she whacked Seth’s penis out of self-defense and, of course, to avoid getting raped.
In those first few scenes, it wasn’t made clear who was telling the truth. Keri’s story resonated with Amy, though, and Amy made a promise that they will get the guy.
Things happen, and while Amy was all up in getting the bad guy for harassment, Keri suddenly tells them that she will not press charges. Asked why, she answered that she was offered $2.5 million by the firm if she signs a Non-Disclosure Agreement and “let it slide.” Basically, money to keep her mouth shut.
“I mean, I think I have to take it. This is a ‘he said, she said’ situation. I know how that goes down,” Keri said. “No one’s gonna convict him on my word alone. The system’s as broken as Seth’s dong.”
It’s obvious from Amy’s reaction that she’s not happy with this, that the guy could walk scot-free, but she managed to persuade Keri to press charges, anyway.
In the following scene where Jake and Amy were talking about the case, Rosa overheard the conversation. What follows, I think, is a rather insightful exchange on how different people deal with sexual harassment and all the bad stuff that comes with it. I cannot describe it to justify its weight, so I’ll just transcribe it here:
ROSA: Wait, her firm offered her a big deal and you told her not to take it?
AMY: Yeah, because that would mean letting a sexual assaulter go free.
ROSA: Do you have physical evidence to prove that he did it?
AMY: No.
ROSA: So it sounds like he might go free, anyway. I mean, at least, if she takes the deal, she won’t walk away with nothing.
AMY: I’m surprised you feel like that. You’re such a feminist.
ROSA: I am a feminist. But I am also a realist. I’m just looking out for the victim. Let’s just say, best-case-scenario, that you do find evidence. She’ll still go through a very public trial where they drag her name through the mud. Even if she wins, she still loses. It’s two steps forward and one step back.
AMY: Yeah, but if one person comes forward, it inspires others to speak up. And that’s a hell of a lot better than taking a deal that lets sexual predators walk free!
ROSA: Dude, obviously, I get that. I’m just saying, remember that there’s a very real woman here whose career and life are gonna be affected by you pursuing this case. I’m just saying, consider what’s best for her.
I will say that I, personally, take Amy’s side. But the thing is, it would be easy for me to take a position such as Amy’s because I know nothing about what it feels like to be a woman assaulted sexually, and all the shame and hassle and stress and humiliation, etc — all the bad stuff that comes with it. You can’t deny that Rosa made some good points there. While in favor of a “deal that lets sexual predators walk free,” it’s not hard to see that she really cares about the victim, and I mean care about her as a real person with a very real life and future — not just as a symbol to rally under when it’s time to hunt down predatory people.
I don’t like to think Amy forgot that she is also dealing with a woman and not just a case, but that exchange with Rosa served as a wake-up call. It’s not that Rosa didn’t mean well, it’s just that the system is this broken that her friend — who she knows to be a vocal feminist — has to be put in a position to take such a stance in the matter.
Later, we would see that Amy did take the case personally, as she tells Jake the story of how she was sexually assaulted by her superior when she was still a fresh policewoman trying to make detective. It’s one of the rare instances where you don’t see Peralta joke around for more than a full minute. I’m glad that they took that scene seriously.
More scenes later, Jake and Amy go to the firm’s office and find that they cannot get a testimony that would support their case. It’s made obvious in that scene that everyone was paid to shut up, so they tried another strategy: contact the employees at their homes, make it a personal call, to see if there’s someone willing to talk.
One guy was willing to talk. He said that he has screenshots of Seth bragging on their work Group Chat (all males only, of course) about how he tried to get it on with Keri, and got a whacked dong out of it. The guys were all laughing about it, too. Amy and Jake thanked the guy for coming forward.
The cruel joke in all of this is that the guy who snitched didn’t do it out of integrity or some noble virtue. He did it because he wanted Seth to be sacked, so he can take his place on the corporate ladder.
This episode is really good at portraying how disgusting and insensitive people can be when dealing with these kind of situations.
That part of the plot ends with Keri winning the case, but at the same time she had to quit her job. She was not made to leave, no one forced her to. She just wanted to do it. About quitting, she had this to say:
“…the whole atmosphere here has changed. Everybody looks at me like I’m either a victim or a traitor. And I’m not even in any of the non-work group texts […] If I’m not [invited to any of the big events], then, suddenly I’m not looked at for new accounts, or promotions, or anything. My career here is over.”
If you’ve seen the episode, you must have noticed that Keri is a very beautiful woman, full of confidence, and even in the aftermath of the assault her demeanor never changed. She’s still the confident woman that she is, still holds her posture very well, her face is still radiant. What I’m trying to say is that she didn’t have the air of one that had been assaulted. Not many women are as strong, but to hear that someone like her is now seen as nothing more but “the woman the boss tried to rape,” I can understand her decision.
She adds: “But I’m really proud of myself that I didn’t let him get away with that. So, even though it sucks, if I had to do it all again, I would. Especially the broken penis.”
The episode ends with Rosa congratulating Jake and Amy for getting their guy.
ROSA: Look, this is a hard fight, but it’s an important one. It’s good you convinced her to press charges.
AMY: But she lost the money, and she had to quit the job she loves. That’s exactly what you said would happen.
ROSA: But you got the guy who assaulted her. And look over there.
AMY: Keri’s co-worker?
ROSA: She came forward to report an assault because she was inspired by Keri, which is exactly what you said would happen. Two steps forward, one step back is still one step forward.
Sana all may character development.
This observation on the subject might be weird coming from a guy, but I really like how the episode portrayed awareness of what could go down when sexual assault happens. I felt like it was worthwhile to review and talk about. Honestly, for most of the episode, I felt like I’m Jake sandwiched between Amy and Rosa discussing when he says: “I’ve landed on active listening. I will no longer be chiming in.”
Silence may be the safest position to take, but while “I feel like I shouldn’t be here,” Jake also ponders in that line: “…or should I be here because men should be part of the conversation?”
