That was a riveting ep. I loved how Reid and Sammy connected through music, and it wasn't preachy - a great commentary on the special problems of autism and the devastation caused by the BP oil spill.
Stumbled upon this post while link-surfing, and had to comment.
As someone who is on the Autism spectrum with many family members on the spectrum including a brother with autism, I was spitting nails about how they handled it. The amount of exoticism--the idiot savant--the kid acting like a zombie--Reid being absolutely, totally, and completely wrong when he gave one of his little speeches on the subject--
It was obvious nobody connected with the episode had done any actual research on autism, except maybe watch Rain Man. (Okay, that's a little harsh--there were a few things they got right, like the rigid routine and the picture book.) My full reaction post is here if you're interested
( ... )
I'm not going to pretend to be an expert on autism or qualified to judge how the show handled it, so I can understand if your personal knowledge and experience made it an exercise in frustration for you (because god knows I can speak to moments like that in other areas).
But I did find the scenes between Reid and Sammy (and Sammy and his mother at the end) genuinely affecting. The devastation seen on the city streets, the wordless montages of the day's beginning and end, the way music was used, and the use of touch - Sammy taking Reid's hand and patting his mother when they were reunited - were all evocative and remarkable, especially given there was no dialogue in any of those scenes.
In a season which has been very much hit and miss so far, and which has sorely tried my love for the show, that sense of empathy and connection reminded me why I'm still a fan.
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As someone who is on the Autism spectrum with many family members on the spectrum including a brother with autism, I was spitting nails about how they handled it. The amount of exoticism--the idiot savant--the kid acting like a zombie--Reid being absolutely, totally, and completely wrong when he gave one of his little speeches on the subject--
It was obvious nobody connected with the episode had done any actual research on autism, except maybe watch Rain Man. (Okay, that's a little harsh--there were a few things they got right, like the rigid routine and the picture book.) My full reaction post is here if you're interested ( ... )
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But I did find the scenes between Reid and Sammy (and Sammy and his mother at the end) genuinely affecting. The devastation seen on the city streets, the wordless montages of the day's beginning and end, the way music was used, and the use of touch - Sammy taking Reid's hand and patting his mother when they were reunited - were all evocative and remarkable, especially given there was no dialogue in any of those scenes.
In a season which has been very much hit and miss so far, and which has sorely tried my love for the show, that sense of empathy and connection reminded me why I'm still a fan.
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