Gen V episode 4, “The Whole Truth,” includes a reference to Johnny Depp that appears to take a position of support towards Heard. It’s quite a significant moment considering how biased the media has been against Heard since she was sued for defamation by her ex-husband, Depp. The case stemmed from an op-ed Heard wrote for The Washington Post, in which she identified herself as a victim of abuse, though she never mentioned Depp by name.
Before filing the lawsuit against Heard, Depp had tried to sue The Sun for libel after it published a report labeling him a “wife-beater.” However, the court ruled that Heard’s allegations were “substantially true” and Depp lost the case. This resulted in Depp suing Heard for defamation and Heard countersuing Depp for the same. The case generated a lot of publicity, and Depp fans launched an extensive and horrific smear campaign against Heard and her followers. Utilizing harassment, cyberbullying, and death threats, Depp’s fans desperately tried to interfere with an ongoing court case by attempting to drown out unbiased reporting with false claims and misinformation.
The bias against Heard wasn’t limited to social media; news outlets also exhibited bias, with The Daily Wire spending thousands to promote anti-Heard propaganda. The case was understandably very troubling for domestic abuse survivors—the idea of being sued by one’s abuser for merely identifying as a victim of abuse is horrific. Speaking out about abuse is already so difficult, and to present victims with the possibility of being subjected to the vitriol Heard had to endure is terrifying.
Fortunately, as time has passed, supporters of Heard are starting to feel safer speaking out, with 130 feminist organizations signing an open letter of support for her last year. Now, it seems Gen V is demonstrating support for her as well.
Gen V shows support for Amber Heard
Gen V‘s latest episode introduced Tek Knight (Derek Wilson), a parody of Batman and Sherlock Holmes who uses his detective skills to cover up Vought’s corruption. Knight arrives at Godolkin University under the guise of investigating the death of Golden Boy (Patrick Schwarzenegger). In reality, he already knows that the death is related to The Woods and Vought’s corruption. Knight soon reveals the real reason he’s there: to find an innocent victim to take the fall for Vought.
Knight tells Indira Shetty (Shelley Conn) his plans to blame an innocent student, stating, “I’m gonna Johnny Depp someone so hard they’re gonna want to crawl into a hole and die.” It seems pretty clear that the reference is throwing shade at Depp, making his name synonymous with lying and destroying a person’s life, as Depp did in his defamation case against Heard. Of course, the quote has sparked some debate online, as Depp’s fans are doing mental gymnastics to somehow twist the quote into supporting Depp. However, when you use someone’s name as a verb, it usually means you’re eponymizing some action with their name; in this case, it’s basically naming the act of lying and scapegoating someone after Depp. If the show was trying to support Depp, it would’ve switched that line to something like, “I’m gonna Amber Heard someone …”
The consensus online is that the quote is against Depp and in support of Heard, with many expressing joy that such a significant show is taking a stance against the media bias in the case.
Many supporters of Heard have been silenced due to the extensive harassment campaign of Depp’s followers. Most don’t have the resources to combat the doxxing and death threats from these bullies. However, the top show on Prime Video does have the power to challenge these trolls and to take a stance without being silenced. While other major studios and platforms have been reluctant to stand up to Depp’s obnoxious fans, it’s comforting to see Gen V boldly doing so, possibly widening the path for others to feel safer speaking out on the case and its impact on domestic abuse survivors.
(featured image: Prime Video)
