So, I'm kicking myself yet again for not starting my blog back up again when I had the chance a couple of months ago, mostly because there is something I'm about to write, and I really don't want one of the first pieces to be a massive diatribe about a relatively recent movie I watched last night.
And it's not the first time this mega-studio has released a film where they treat one particular disability in this way...
The movie itself had some interesting concepts, but chose to downplay them in favour of flashy action sequences and punch-the-air "There he is!" cameos.
Until one major character's arc was revealed to be a disability trope.
Including the thoroughly debunked bollocks about there being a medicinal cause.
*facepalm*
I'm going to be doing a full write-up on this later, but I've been stewing over this all night.

#AutismLife #Movies

Okay so I was going to stay silent but I think the fire has died down enough for me to speak again about this one last time.

The Good Doctor has reached its conclusion this month and my thoughts are swimming with surprisingly happy ones.

I have previously written about how Shaun Murphy is an improvement in autistic representation, but it is still stereotypical in many ways with the classic symptoms, white male, etc.

Then I wrote about the final season’s introduction of Charlie Lukaitis whom I could relate to more in terms of the challenges I have living on the spectrum. I was also happy that she was played by an autistic actor as well instead of a neurotypical one which I felt was even better.

But what made me mad was the backlash the character received for being abrupt and owning her mistakes even though she is a student.

Well in the episode following her complaint filed she and Shaun were eventually forced to work together after she was the only one who could help him when he became overwhelmed. After that, he began to see her in a new light.

I loved how Charlie once shared a story about a TV show she watched with her dad to ease her anxiety as a kid. My mom did a similar thing with me, except for playing Madonna instead.

I’m glad Shaun and Charlie were able to improve their working relationship. I feel like her role was pared down a little but perhaps it was to show that she learned to control her impulses more. Eventually, the hate died down too so maybe you pyjaks should take down those videos and Reddit posts.

Regarding the series finale, I don’t think I could have asked for a better happy ending. I knew Dr. Glassman was going to die eventually but Shaun I feel learned an important lesson about accepting fate.

Claire Browne also returns and Shaun has to make a choice to save her instead with Glassman sacrificing his career to do so. So ten years go by and where are we now?

Well, Shaun gives a TED talk about how Glassman inspired him. He is now the Chief of Surgery and runs a neurodivergent foundation with Claire. On the side, Claire lost an arm from her post-op infection but she and Jared got back together, Morgan and Alex have officially adopted Eden and Audrey has started a practice in Ukraine.

Everyone seems to have a bright future, even those I had doubts about like Jordan and Daniel reunited and Jerome was seen to eventually move on from Asher’s tragic death. But what really pleased me was to see where Dom and Charlie were: Dom opened his own clinic, having gotten over his hemophilia while Charlie became a successful attending surgeon.

As for Shaun, he and Lea eventually had another baby, a daughter, and although her name is never mentioned, I already know it’s Maddie.

So to wrap this up, it’s not often that we see series like this where all surviving characters get a happy ending. There’s always a hitch but here it shows Shaun has come full circle and demonstrates that autistic people can be successful in career and relationships.

However, that still does not change my stance on where we are at with autistic representation. Shaun is just the beginning. It would be cool to see a spinoff with Charlie but that doesn’t seem to be happening.

No matter how far it went, the stereotypes cannot be ignored. Shaun’s lack of facial expression still makes me cringe. The time he found out he was being sued and didn’t react felt so artificial. If it were me I would probably be really upset and show it.

And let’s not forget his monotone and lack of hobbies outside of work. Those were still there at the show’s end. So while its ending was heartwarming there were a lot of things that still never changed.

How does that make me feel? Well, like I said, we have a long way to go. It’s a good show overall but far from perfect.

👽Emily

https://monsterladysdiary.wordpress.com/2024/06/02/an-end-of-a-surgeons-era/

#asd #autism #autismLife #medicalDramas #mentalHealth #rambles #shows #theGoodDoctor #TV #TVSeries