Template:QOTW - The Rape of Heather Willis/Production

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The episode's teleplay was written and directed by series creator and execuitive producer Ava Zinn and teleplay was written by Nancy Boyd, Charlotte Clay, Thomas Higgins, and Dallas Barnes and edited by Ava Zinn.

The episode saw the introduction of Quillsville Police officers Ramona Battishill, Kymberly Millspaugh, and Elaine Reed as well as Craven Gifts employees Bobby Joe Bones, Zelda Kellie Martin, Amber Jena Irene Battishill, and Natalia Lightner. Additional characters introduced are Craven North manager Ray Grissom, Craven North Assistant manager Hunter Boyd, Craven East manager Shane Kinney, Craven East assistant manager Caitlyn Sparks, Craven West manager Ben Sykes, and Craven West assistant manager Eliot Clingens. It also saw the final appearance of Tiffani Donovan, Anna Pamhouser, Lando Abhrams, Lilly Abhrams, and Trevelle Abhrams.

The episode reveals Craven Gifts' employees are diverse:

  • Craven's main branch's staff of Bobby Joe Bones, Reginald Wilson, and Scott Schuller are the only remaining males at the main branch with Ava and Adrienne are Craven's only all-female management team.
  • Ray Grissom reveals (and confirming Tina) that Craven Gifts staff are mostly have fat guys. Series creator Ava Zinn confirmed this was due to Indianapolis being one of the fattest cities in the United States.
  • Eliot Clingens reveals that he is not only has been the assistant manager of Craven West since 1999, and the only females on the staff are an accountant and a few sales associates.
  • During the conversation Ava and Adrienne have with the Craven Gifts meeting at The Broken Boilermaker, Ava reveals that Caitlyn is the assistant manager of the of Craven East.
David Caruso voiced Harry Willis in the episode.
Kathryn Morris voiced Lilly Rush in the episode.

In addition to the regular cast, Tracia Matthewson guest starred in the episode as Nancy Bones, Frank Davidson reprises his role as Officer Jarrett Dailey, actress Kathryn Morris reprises her role as Quillsville Police Sergeant Detective Lilly Rush, and David Caruso reprises his role as Harry Willis, who has provided his voice of Ava's father on five previous occasions ("Ten, Pretty, Pretty Angry Women", "The Unbearable Homophobia of Laying', "Buckeye Ava", "A Willis Thanksgiving" and "Quillsville Cold Case: Albert Willis").


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Concerns[edit]

In the episode, Heather decides to raise her child conceived in rape, the traumatic effect of the rape and the child's blood relationship to the rapist had the potential to create some psychological challenges (as Heather killed her rapist), but the circumstance of the child's conception is no guarantee to cause psychological problems. Ava Zinn states that Heather could have difficulty accepting the fact (as Heather wanted to have another child, yet it wasn't under the circumstances she dealt with). As Heather is already a mother of one daughter, series creator Ava Zinn states that she will give birth to a boy the following season.

In announcing the episode, Zinn states that Heather may also face legal difficulties as Heather's rape occured in Indiana. Had Bobby Joe survived, he would have maintained parental rights as Heather is to be the biological mother and Bobby Joe's paternal rights would be terminated anyway.[1] Research by legal scholar Shauna Prewitt indicates that the resulting continued contact with the rapist is damaging for women who keep the child.[1] She wrote in 2012 that in the US, 31 states allow rapists to assert custody and visitation rights over children conceived through rape.[2]

Part 1 of the episode is based on Ava Zinn being raped by a female on April 22, 2015 (which was reported as a female on male rape) in Marion, Indiana, as well as two other times in 2002 and 2010.

Death of Pamhouser and Tiffani[edit]

In a Marti McDaniel Show interview with Karly Jameson that aired on CBS 13 Orlando in November 2019, Jameson revealed why they decided to kill off Pamhouser and Tiffani in the episode, saying: "Well, this was an idea that got pitched in the writers room a year ago and it sort of caught fire, and we thought it could be a fun way to shake things up. As soon as this idea came up, we started talking about what the next couple episodes and future could be and we got very excited about the way this change will affect the dynamics and the characters."[3] She also explained why they decided to kill off Pamhouser and Tiffani and not one of the other characters, saying: "It seemed more in the realm of a reality that two females (Tiffani and Pamhouser) would get shot and killed than if one of the transfemales (Ava and Melissa) died. As much as we love Pamhouser, and as much as everyone is loyal to their friends, we felt it would be more traumatic to lose Ava or Melissa, rather than the Pamhouser and Tiffani."[3]

She also discussed how the other Queen of the Willis actors reacted when they heard Pamhouser and Tiffani would be killed in the episode, saying: "I think they were glad it wasn't them. [Laughs.] I think they were surprised, as anyone would be and I think they were pretty stunned especially this far into the show. They were as shocked as anyone."[3] She also explained why they decided to replace Pamhouser and Tiffani with Alisan, Karly, Avril, and Kendra, saying: "It felt like the way that this show was conceived by Ava all those years ago, was this entire friend and family unit. So by losing Tiffani and Pamhouser, it felt like a void needed to be filled both comically, and also for the interpersonal relationships between all the characters. We felt that we needed to fill that role."[3]

She went on to explain why they decided to place Kendra Kendall back to Quillsville saying: "I think it was Ava's idea actually place Kendra with Ava and Melissa. She loves television news and always loved the idea of Hoosier Anchorwoman! Kendra Kendall handing out with Diane Willis' cousin and Stephanie Rose's husband in particular and she thought it would be fun to write a character based around Kendra Kendall, her family and her personality and just who she was before Hoosier Anchorwoman! and now on Queen of the Willis."[3] She went on to discuss if she was worried about the backlash from Queen of the Willis fans, saying: "I'm not, only because our fans are smart enough and have been loyal to our show for long enough, to know that they can trust us. We always make choices that always work to the greatest benefit of the series."[3]

In January 2020, Ava Zinn spoke about how she was surprised by the fan reaction after Tiffani and Pamhouser were killed off, saying: "It surprised everyone. We were all very surprised, in a good way, that people still cared enough about those characters to be that angry. We thought it would create a little bit of a stir, but the rage wasn’t something we counted on."[4]
  1. 1.0 1.1 Prewitt, Shauna R. (2010). "Giving Birth to a 'Rapist's Child': A Discussion and Analysis of the Limited Legal Protections Afforded to Women Who Become Mothers Through Rape". Georgetown Law Journal 98 (3): 831–62. Archived from the original on 24 October 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121024060610/http://georgetownlawjournal.org/articles/giving-birth-to-a-rapists-child-a-discussion-and-analysis-of-the-limited-legal-protections-afforded-to-women-who-become-mothers-through-rape/. 
  2. Prewitt, Shauna (22 August 2012). Raped, pregnant and ordeal not over. CNN
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 "Queen of the Willis' Shocking Death: Boss Reveals Why They Decided to Kill Off [Spoiler]!". WLOF-FTV. 2019-11-24. 
  4. "Ava Zinn breaks silence on why she killed Pamhouser and Tiffani: Didn't expect 'rage'". 2020-01-07.