But that's just the point, isn't it? What *do* we see?
I think I may be seeing something slightly different than you here.
Yes, he was restrained. But he still must have gotten into the position to *be* restrained - and that, just as likely as not, involved some sort of active impulse on his part. Which, even if just caused but unrestrained primal urges from the deepest layers of the subconscious that have nothing at all to do with conscious personality etc., is still enough for me to move this into an emotionally slightly more complicated realm.
What do you make of the words of Test Card Girl? Why the emphasis on how Sam shouldn't feel ashamed because he "can't be lonely all the time"? To me, that speaks of subconscious, perhaps even partly conscious, desire. TCG isn't trying to get Sam to ignore that he's being raped, she's trying to get him to accept his need for - even just physical - company. Yes, she's tricky, but she also is the voice of his subconscious. And, in combination with Sam's behaviour later in the ep, this creates a somewhat coherent picture.
But, just looking at the actual scenes, I don't see enough unequivocal evidence for rape, and enough evidence that is at least ambiguous if not even directly indicative of the absence of outright rape. To see outright rape here, IMO, requires investing the script with a degree of subtlety that I don't think is in there, really. So I tend to go with what the script/scenes explicitly say, because in this case, I see no compelling reason to go against it.
"From what we see"
I think I may be seeing something slightly different than you here.
Yes, he was restrained. But he still must have gotten into the position to *be* restrained - and that, just as likely as not, involved some sort of active impulse on his part. Which, even if just caused but unrestrained primal urges from the deepest layers of the subconscious that have nothing at all to do with conscious personality etc., is still enough for me to move this into an emotionally slightly more complicated realm.
What do you make of the words of Test Card Girl? Why the emphasis on how Sam shouldn't feel ashamed because he "can't be lonely all the time"? To me, that speaks of subconscious, perhaps even partly conscious, desire. TCG isn't trying to get Sam to ignore that he's being raped, she's trying to get him to accept his need for - even just physical - company. Yes, she's tricky, but she also is the voice of his subconscious. And, in combination with Sam's behaviour later in the ep, this creates a somewhat coherent picture.
If I were to write a similar situation, would I do it very differently? Hell, yes. Because this kind of situation is a horrible cliché from a different era, and a dangerous one at that - because while I do believe that some situations of that sort *don't* constitute rape, I also believe that most actually *do* (and even those that don't are ethically questionable enough), and representing them as unproblematic perpetuates the dangerous idea of "s/he really *wanted* it". (So, yes, I am aware of this issue. I just think there is a grey area somewhere.)
But, just looking at the actual scenes, I don't see enough unequivocal evidence for rape, and enough evidence that is at least ambiguous if not even directly indicative of the absence of outright rape. To see outright rape here, IMO, requires investing the script with a degree of subtlety that I don't think is in there, really. So I tend to go with what the script/scenes explicitly say, because in this case, I see no compelling reason to go against it.