abzug said on the courtroom thread:
WARNING: Don't read this post if you haven't seen season 7, episode 6!!!! (and don't want to be spoiled, that is)












So, the Pat Kerrigan-Nun confrontation scene--very interestingly depicted as an improvised court trial, I think. At first, when I saw the preview for this ep, I thought Pat wanted to kill Sister Thomas. But it quickly became clear that she wanted to condemn and convict her, not physically harm her.
1. The key to Pat is that she have an audience (ie a jury) to hear the case--she objects immediately when Colin (or was it Grayling?) tries to put everyone on lockdown
2. Pat presents her own testimony (which is not generally believed by the jury--big surprise, see the thread on evidence for more on this issue), and then evidence from her friend's journal (which has much more credibility with the "jury")
3. When Pat calls for an additional "witness" (the priest), Grayling (the judge) actually insists that this witness be found and brought to the "trial."

I think its significant that Pat wins her case, because unlike the official courtrooms (which represent miscarriages of justice), in this informal courtroom, her voice is actually heard--she provides testimony, she cross-examines the defendant, etc. And because she is actually able to tell her side (unlike the Julies, Yvonne, even Nikki), justice prevails. But of course, that's only because Pat has used violence and intimidation to make sure she is heard over her abuser--another example of violence often being the only avenue available to women in this patriarchal society.

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I'm just transferring my response to abzug on this topic to a new thread for "spoiler" reasons. And there's a lot of material in the second half of series 7 that can be discussed on this topic.

ep 6 is about what has been discussed for previous eps and as abzug says: who is allowed to speak at a trial and who is silenced. Yes Pat does use violence to get heard, but she laso has support form liberal anti-masculinist males in power. The evidence here also has strength because it's first hand testimonials. The priest condemns himself and the nun. Pat testifies to her past experience, which adds weight to the written testimonial of her friend. Written forms of evidence are rendered problematic by later eps in the series. But it's Pat's insider knowledge that gives the written journal its authority here, reinforced by the responses of the nun and priest.

Evidence that is spoken by those most directly involved in the activities at the centre of the trial, and the spoken evidence by the perpetrators makes the most convincing evidence here. But it also has authority because it's taken seriously by those with institutional authority, and because, as abzug has said, they have some empathy with Pat's situation.

Does it make sense to move this all over to the season 7 thread? That might have been a better idea in the first place, especially given what we're discussing in that thread, and things might get confusing with two S7 threads. Campgrrls, you know the rest of the season best (since I don't know it at all!) so whatever you think is best.

Oh, absolutely, yes. I was wondering whether it all should be in one thread myself. Gotta go to work now.

Some very cool & insightful posts on the main series 7 thread.

OK, I moved the two posts over, but now we need a moderator to lock and delete this thread. Anyone? ;)