Template:QOTW - The Rape of Heather Willis/Reception

"The Rape of Heather Willis" first aired on WXXC in Fort Wayne on April 5, 2019 at 8:00 PM preceding INNCD 47 Action News at 7 and succeeding INNCD 47 Action News at 9 and INNCD 47 Action News at 10. The episode first aired on WEVI the following Saturday at 5:00 PM in Indianapolis.

In Fort Wayne, the episode compete against Fresh Off the Boat and Speechless on ABC-owned WMRI, MacGyver on NoSirGifts flagship station and CBS affiliate WTOR, Blindspot on United Broadcasting-owned NBC affiliate WFTW, Last Man Standing and The Cool Kids on Fox-owned WINO+, Dynasty on United Broadcasting-owned CW affiliate WGOM, and a repeat of Hogan's Heros and WKRP in Cincinnati ABC-owned MeTV affiliate WECW.

In Indianapolis, the episode will compete against an NBA basketball game on ABC-owned WHOO, The Masters on NoSirGifts-owned CBS affiliate WIFX, IndyCar series or Golf on NBC-owned WNBI, The PGA on Fox-owned WIND, and repeats of The Rifleman on ABC-owned MeTV affiliate WICW.

This episode received mixed critical reviews. One critic wrote of the episode before it aired, "The chilling serious episode of Queen of the Willis cripples the show’s strengths." Other shows, even the procedurals with rape and incest, are playing around during prom season, Queen of the Willis went for an episode about rape that wrote off any chance that comedy could save it if things took a wrong turn." The critic praised Ava Zinn's performance Ava Willis and Heather Willis like we never saw them before. It made Ava Zinn endearing every bit the opposite from from a typical episode, and I applaud Zinn for taking part in the #MeToo movement"

Another critic gave the episode a slightly more positive review, writing, ""The Rape of Heather Willis", judging by only the title, could have been a Lifetime movie or a made for TV film in the Ava Zinn fashion or anything else than a typical episode of the show, but it was pretty much a typical episode of the show." He continued, "it's pretty much that episode where someone on the Queen of the Willis writing staff needed a new way to get out of its comfort zone and this episode saw a family dealing with rape."