I despise the thought of Stella, or any other strong female character, being put into that situation and nearly not coming out of it, but on the other hand... Stella (or any other character, male or female, in that situation) was in love, and trusted that person up to that point. She didn't have a lot of time to recoop and rethink her previous notions of Frankie, as would anyone in that situation. She backed off, Frankie rebelled against that and responded violently - and she probably wasn't expecting the extent of his violence. Don't get me wrong, I hate, hate, hated to see that - but on the other hand, realistically, I guess I can see a person like Stella, or anyone in her position/line of work, male or female, finally finding someone that they love and trust, and being blindsighted down the line when that person ends up not being who they originally appeared to be. I don't like seeing the CSI franchise always using women in that role as victim, but after giving that eppy a lot of thought, and after alot of conversation with friends who have seen it and experienced similar things (including myself), I can see how it can happen, even to a street-smart, capable person like Stella.