Eastenders

Eastenders Episodes: The Mo and Trevor Episodes - Domestic Violence

This year (2003 to 2004), we followed the episodes dealing with the moral issue involving domectic violence - Trevor's treatment of Mo.

The Mo and Trevor Episodes

From the first arrival of the Slater family at Albert Square, it was clear that Mo's marriage to Trevor was a little different. She was living with her family, because Trevor was 'away'. Eventually he returned and Mo went back to their home to be with him. It was not long before the family were suspicious that all was not right. Mo seemed to have bruising and cuts which she attributed to accidents.

Pressure built up from the family for Mo to leave Trevor, but she always pretended that nothing was wrong, that Trevor was good and so on. Billy Mitchell made it clear what he though of men who use violence against their wives and, as he had grown rather friendly with Mo, decided to act for her good. He paid someone to go to Trevor's house and beat him up.

Relations between Mo and Trevor did not improve. She left him for a while, but Trevor kept coming to the Slater house and, in the end, persuaded her to go back with him. It was not long, however, before petty jealousies triggered Trevor's temper again and again, Mo found herself on the receiving end of violence.

Trevor was often away 'working' but Billy, suspicious that things were not right, followed him and discovered that he was secretly living with someone else, someone who was in fact carrying his baby. When Billy took Mo to confront Trevor at the other woman's home, she was devastated.

In spite of all this, Trevor with professions of sorrow and evidence that he was responding well to counselling to control his temper, worked his way back into Mo's favour again. Family members - Charlie, Kat, Lynne - could all see the dangers, but Mo continued to defend her husband saying that he was a different man, that he loved her and she loved him.

The violence, however, continued. When Trevor found out that Mo was going to her sister's wedding (he found her new hat in the airing cupboard), he attacked her in the bathroom and, as became known later, raped her. Thus, included in these scenes of domestic violence was also the issue of 'marital rape'. Trevor immediately expressed his regrets but in such a way as to suggest Mo was partly to blame. He dismissed the rape as being the one good thing that could come out of the incident - she might be pregnant.

Mo continued, despite these events to defend Trevor against her family's allegations, but the violence did not stop. There was more jealousy at Christmas when Mo stayed out longer than she should have done and then the big outburst when Trevor discovered that Mo had been taking birth-control pills. Mo, at last , makes a stand. How could he be the father of her child when he cannot even be a good husband? She pointed out to him that he was weak and that she did not want to be with him any more. She walked out on him.

Trevor cannot take it in. On New Year's Eve, Mo agrees to baby-sit for Mark and Lisa. Trevor discovers where she is and makes a call. He barges into the house and becomes violent. Oblivious to the fact that the baby is crying and needs attention, he gets Mo by the hair and pulls her to the floor. Mo manages to pull away from him for a moment, reaches for the iron, which seems to be still plugged in and smashes Trevor over the head with it twice and once more after he has fallen to the floor. Thinking she has killed him (and Phil in the meantime having taken the baby), Mo runs home to tell her family what she has done.

Trevor, however, has not been killed and later returns to prey on poor Mo. She is terrified to the extent that when the police arrive, she readily admits to attempted murder so that she can be safely locked away. For several episodes, Mo displays great fear, hiding behind locked doors, but still showing, from time to time, some concern for Trevor. Charlie is so frustrated that he visits Trevor and physically attacks him, which Trevor then reports to the Police as intimidation of the 'victim' of the case. The full extent of Trevor's behaviour, yet unknown to the Police, is still to be exposed.

These episodes in East Enders do reflect some of the dilemmas faced by and the puzzling behaviour displayed by victims of such domestic violence. Why do battered wives keep returning to their husbands? Why do they ignore the sound advice of friends and relatives?

Some features of Battering in Real Life Situations

Battering is used to control another person through fear and intimidation… that person may believe he (or she) has the right to do it. It can take a number of forms, the following being seen in the Eastenders episodes:

• Physical - hitting, beating, punching, kicking - such violence often escalating into more serious attacks
• Sexual - where the woman is forced into unwanted sexual activity
• Psychological - constant verbal abuse, watching, following, harassment, possessiveness and isolating the woman from friends and family, depriving of money and resources and destroying personal property.

Characteristics of a Wife-beater (compare with Trevor)

This is a general picture:

• Women are seen as property or objects for personal use.
• He has low self-esteem - feels inadequate.
• Blames violence on other circumstances, especially his wife's behaviour or stress.
• To outsiders he may seem charming and pleasant - even to his wife when they are in the company of others.
• Behavioural signs are: extreme jealousy, possessiveness, a bad temper, unpredictability and verbal abuse.

Why do Women Stay and/or Go Back?

There is an idea, suggested in these episodes, that the victim believes she deserves such punishment or, as Trevor suggested when challenged by Charlie about the rape, that she enjoyed it.

In many cases leaving can mean:

• Loss of economic support
• Nowhere to live, even worse where there are children to care for
• Losing custody of any children
• Harassment at work or becoming subject of gossip

Thus reasons for not leaving might be:

1. Fear of more violence
2. No support from friends and family if she leaves
3. Thought and shame of being seen to be a failure
4. Lack of financial support
5. Love and care is still shown in between the violence and leads to false hope.
6. Self-blame.

Thus Eastenders, through the various characters, particularly those of Trevor and Mo, gives a good insight into the problem of domestic violence.