Joey Henderson
Joey Henderson | |
---|---|
Nurse | |
Mother | Kath Bennett |
Sisters | Lauren Henderson |
Joseph James "Joey" Henderson[1] is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street who was portrayed by Johnny Barker from mid 2007 to early 2008.
Arriving in June 2007 as an eager yet awkward newbie nurse, Joey was a potential love interest for
The Ferndale Strangler storyline was hugely praised, with both critics and audiences tuning in to witness the dramatic 9 months that unfolded. Barker was nominated for several awards for his portrayal and the character's death was singled out in a bid for suicide prevention. The Ferndale Strangler storyline has since gone down as one of the most iconic moments of the show.
Creation and casting
Producers decided to embark on a whodunit storyline that not only would draw ratings and celebrate the show's 15th anniversary, but also cut out characters that were proving useless and cast that requested to leave.[2] In May 2007 it was announced that Joey would be arriving the following month, he was described as "proficient and eager – some would say over-eager – newbie nurse. Enthusiastic and co-operative, Joey is hungry for approval. He is less confident socially, but sure to be a hit with the ladies of Shortland Street."[3] Barker auditioned for the role and was curious when producers told him to act calm and nice, but on another take asked him to be mean and menacing.[4] Barker enjoyed taking on the role, stating; "He's a little socially inept in not being able to communicate publicly – kind of like me."[5] He made his first appearance on 18 June 2007 with his first line being: "The thing is, I really want to be a doctor." Barker was told at the audition that there would be a question mark hanging over Joey and when Claire died, he realized Joey was the killer.[4][6] He was officially told four months before the killer reveal.[7]
In January 2008 it was announced that Joey would be written out of the soap later in the year.[8][9] Joey featured in a three-part episode that aired in March 2008, that featured the death of his character.[10][11] Joey's final scene aired on 5 March 2008 with his final lines being: "I am Joseph James Henderson. Gone but never forgotten."
Storylines
Joey arrived to Ferndale as a young and eager nurse, desperate to become a doctor. He immediately showed romantic interest in hospital co-worker
Joey continued to stalk Tania but decided to murder
Later, Alice had a nightmare depicting Joey. She envisioned him when she practiced shooting.
Character development
"Personally, I always like to see someone come into something that's all lovely and tear the place to shreds, which is what Joey did"
—Johnny Barker on his characters ruthless introduction.[12]
Characterisation
Upon arrival, Joey was shown as a shy and eager newbie nurse.[13] He was socially awkward but determined at work.[3] However, by the time Joey is revealed as the killer, his true colours have surfaced and he is shown to be extremely judgemental, showing homophobia, sizeism, racism and elitism.[12] When he caught on that Joey was going to turn out to be the killer, Barker purposely made his character more humorous and goofy, so as to make it as least obvious as possible.[4] He sought inspiration from the character of J.D. from Scrubs and after the killer reveal, Dexter Morgan from Dexter.[4] On screen, Joey is diagnosed with MacDonald's triad by the police.[14] A condition that sees a young child torture animals and wet their bed which potentially show's they will grow into a psychopathic adult.[14] Barker described Joey as a "dork."[5] In March 2008, Joey's childhood was further explored and it was revealed that Joey had been beaten by his father and was left with his grandmother after he strangled his sister. He had taken his anger from his fathers beatings out on neighborhood animals.[15] The detectives suggested that Joey could have potentially murdered his grandmother, though it was never confirmed.[15]
The Ferndale Strangler
Producers of the show decided to embark on a
In July 2007,
Daniel announced the 2008 season would focus on Joey, stating; "You are seeing it from his point of view why he likes working at the hospital, as he has this fascination with all things medical. It's like a playground for him. We see his extracurricular activity, the amount of time he devotes to studying for the next procedure and stalking people and where he stashes all his medical equipment."[8] Only a few writers knew the true identity and false scripts were circulated to avoid guessing.[2] As the storyline came to a close, fan site reaction started to garner negativity and producers decided to end Joey's reign in a dramatic three part episode.[17] Barker particularly enjoyed filming the climax scenes, saying; "The scenes were awesome... I put on the crazy hat and it was super fun to do that."[12]
Reception
Before and after the killer reveal, Joey proved to be a highly popular character, being voted "Favourite Male Character," "Favourite New Character," "Hottest Male Character," "Favourite Male Actor" and "Best Storyline" in the Throng Shortland Street Fan Awards 2007.
The serial killer storyline received a huge surge in viewers with 624,000 tuning in to see Joey revealed as the killer and over 600,000 tuning into the characters demise.[24][25] The accurate portrayal of Joey led many to fear for Barker's safety, and for producer Jason Daniel to ensure Barker will be kept safe from angry fans.[7] Barker hoped his portrayal would influence viewers, stating; "Grandmothers are going to hate me, kids are going to be scared of me, teenagers are going to think I'm hilarious – hopefully, and all those cynical people who don't like Shortland Street, but have got stuck into watching it, I think they'll appreciate it."[12] The storyline was referred to as a "water cooler" topic.[26]
Barker was nominated for the 2008
Joey's death was specified as one of the targets in the 2008 Suicide Prevention Plan launched by Associate Health Minister Jim Anderton to help accurately depict suicide on television.[30][31]
References
- ^ "I am Joseph James Henderson, gone but never forgotten" "Episode 3933". Shortland Street. 5 March 2008. TVNZ.
- ^ APN News & Media.
- ^ a b "Coming up in June". TVNZ. May 2007. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
- ^ TV One.
- ^ a b Barry Hill, Rebecca (June 2007). "Back on the Street". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
- ^ Tay, Karen (December 2007). "Face to face with Shortland Street killer". Stuff.
- ^ a b c d e "Don't hate me pleads Shorty St 'killer'". Stuff. December 2007.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b "Shorty Strangler faces death". Stuff. January 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
- APN News & Media. February 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
- APN News & Media. March 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
- ^ "Killer ending for Shortland Street". Stuff. March 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
- ^ a b c d Botting, Caroline (9 March 2008). "Behind the mask of a killer". New Zealand TV Guide.
- ^ Television New Zealand. 2010. Archived from the originalon 10 April 2012.
- ^ TV2.
- ^ TV2.
- APN News & Media. December 2007. Archived from the originalon 3 November 2012.
- APN News & Media. 6 March 2008.
- ^ "Joey makes a killing in the Shortland Street fan awards". Throng. December 2007. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
- ^ a b "85000 votes determine 2008 Shortland Street fan award winners". Throng. December 2008. Archived from the original on 27 November 2010. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
- New Zealand Magazines. 23 April 2012.
- ^ Philpot, Chris (27 March 2012). "Shorty: vote for your favourite moments". Stuff.
- ^ Mealing, Fleur (17 April 2017). "Ten Shortland St stars we hope make a comeback for the 25th anniversary". Stuff.
- ^ "Shortland Street's 25 most memorable characters". Woman's Day. 23 May 2017.
- ^ "Street's serial killer steals the ratings". Stuff. March 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
- ^ "It was murder says Shorty St cop". Stuff. March 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
- APN News & Media.
- ^ "Shortland Street set to wipe out rivals". Stuff. August 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
- ^ "Tammy Davis". Outrageous Fortune. n.d. Archived from the original on 9 August 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
- ^ "18 Best on the Box nominations for South Pacific Pictures". South Pacific Pictures. 12 February 2009. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
- ^ "Promise to tackel the killer in our midst". Stuff. March 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
- ^ "Suicide prevention plan will target film, tv". Stuff. March 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
- ^ "A role to die for". New Zealand TV Guide. January 2008.
- ^ Bush, Chris (28 February 2008). "Editors Note". New Zealand TV Guide.
- ^ Smith, Janie (19 April 2012). "Maths tutor turns tables on Phoenix". New Zealand TV Guide.
External links
- Shortland Street at IMDb