Oscar Henry is a fictional character on the

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

Shortland Street ''Shortland Street'' is a New Zealand prime-time soap opera centring on the fictitious Shortland Street Hospital, first broadcast on TVNZ 2 on 25 May 1992. It is New Zealand's longest-running drama and soap opera, being broadcast continuously ...

'' played by Christopher Brown from 1998 to 1999. Oscar debuted in mid-1998 as a love interest for

Minnie Crozier Minnie Crozier is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera ''Shortland Street'', who was portrayed by Katrina Devine from her first appearance in 1994 as part of the Crozier family unit until 2001 when the character was axed as part of ...

(

Katrina Devine Katrina Devine (born 21 April 1980) is an Irish-born New Zealand actress. Biography Devine migrated to New Zealand with her family when she was six years old and competed in Irish dance during her teens. In 1994, Katrina earned a role on '' Sho ...

). He was at first liked by the clinic staff but he was soon revealed to be possessive and overpowering. When Minnie broke up with him, he blackmailed her and raped her. The character starred in a hugely high-profile storyline that saw him steal $1,000,000 from the clinic and end up in a coma after an attempt on his life. The storyline ended the 1998 season with a whodunit that led into 1999 with the revelation that Mackenzie Choat (Ingrid Park) was the assailant. The character then participated in a dramatic conclusion that saw his coma revealed as fake and Mackenzie finally end his life by exploding the clinic. The character, his rape storyline and his death were popular. Oscar proved empowering to the characterisation of Minnie and furthered the character's long-running track record of bad love interests.

Storylines

Oscar arrived to the clinic as a replacement for the departed

Jenny Harrison Jenny Harrison is a professor of mathematics at the University of California, Berkeley. Education and career Harrison grew up in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. On graduating from the University of Alabama, she won a Marshall Scholarship which she used to ...

(Maggie Harper). He started to date

(

) but clashed with both

Fergus Kearney David Fergus Kearney is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera '' Shortland Street'' who was portrayed by Paul Ellis for numerous recurring stints from 1995 to 1999 before becoming a regular character until 2001. The character returne ...

(Paul Ellis) and Mackenzie Choat (Ingrid Park). Oscar started to control Minnie's lifestyle choices and appearance, leading her to decide to break up with him. Oscar was infuriated and blackmailed her with nude pictures they had taken together. Mackenzie helped Minnie break up with him and a furious Oscar forced himself into Minnie's house and raped her. He framed Mackenzie for theft and had her fired, before he embezzled $1,000,000 from the clinic with the intention of running away. However, Minnie discovered Oscar unconscious after being bludgeoned in her mother,

Ellen Ellen is a female given name, a diminutive of Elizabeth, Eleanor, Elena and Helen. Ellen was the 609th most popular name in the U.S. and the 17th in Sweden in 2004. People named Ellen include: * Ellen Adarna (born 1988), Filipino actress * Elle ...

's (

Robyn Malcolm Robyn Jane Malcolm (born 15 March 1965) is a New Zealand actress, who first gained recognition for her role as nurse Ellen Crozier on the New Zealand soap opera ''Shortland Street''. She is best known for six seasons of playing Cheryl West, mat ...

) living room. Oscar remained in a coma and suspicion fell on many, mainly Minnie, Fergus and Mackenzie.

Lionel Skeggins Lionel Skeggins is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera ''Shortland Street'' who was portrayed by John Leigh. His casting on the show began in late 1993 as a guest role and ended in early 1999 as a fan favourite regular. Lionel ret ...

( John Leigh) discovered it was Mackenzie who had attempted to murder Oscar for his cash and she soon speculated that Oscar was faking his coma. When Mackenzie confronted Oscar about the false coma, he attacked her only for Mackenzie to knock him out and set his hospital room on fire. He died instantly in the explosion.

Character development

Although Oscar appeared competent and efficient, the staff at the clinic soon started to realise Oscar had a controlling streak that often undermined his social behaviour. This overpowering undertone soon became hugely clear to his girlfriend -

, when he started to force her to dress and act as he pleased. When she questioned him, he raped her and was revealed to the clinic as little more than a thief and a fraud when he embezzled a million dollars from the clinic. His horrid personality and antagonistic nature, ensured Oscar didn't manage to escape, being bludgeoned by an unknown assailant. However, due to his personality, many characters were suspects.

Reception

Oscar has been named as one of the soap's best villains. His death is also remembered as an iconic episode. His rape of Minnie contributed to the character's high topicality and long run of unfortunate romances. Paul Ellis (

), particularly enjoyed working with Brown and found the characters storyline interesting and unique. Former producer Simon Bennett listed the rivalry between Oscar and Mackenzie as one of his favorite story lines throughout his run on the soap.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Henry, Oscar Shortland Street characters Fictional physicians Television characters introduced in 1998 Fictional businesspeople Male characters in television