TV Talk Discussion Group

Topic: What Is Up With New Heart Doc On Greys?

Yeah, she's a world away from President Roslyn, isn't she??  The prez is tough, outspoken, forward, where this doctor is very quiet and withdrawn.  Shows what a good actress she is.

Can't WAIT for "Battlestar" to return - it's been WAY too long, and we're not going to get that many more episodes till the finale anyway!  Sad.

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She was also great in Dances With Wolves. eom

Of course; her introduction to most of us, I think. -Spell

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Posted by: Skullys Girl
Date posted: Fri Dec 5 17:31:10 2008
Message:
I used to work with a girl who had Aspergers, and my husband's cousin has it as well. I think this actress is doing a great job depicting the habits and tendencies of a person with this condition. She is clearly showing that a person who has Aspergers doesn't know how to react to social situations, her interactions with the other doctors and patients shows that her brain reacts differently. She sees the the most functional part of situations, but doesn't take social cues the way other people would...last night was a perfect example- the way she knew that the girl's organs would be very viable so she stated that, without the filter that would tell her it's an inappropriate thing to continue to push on people at that moment. I have to agree with Rosebud though, that in my experience, she wouldn't have been able to recognize that she was being offensive and inapproriate, however, I suppose it's possible that, being a specialized surgeon, she has been taught that certain reactions mean certain things, so even if she wasn't naturally perceptive to her offensiveness, she has learned that the behaviour of the other people means she has been. Who knows! She's a great actress, though I still struggle to see how she will fit on the Grey's map. She's older than most of the characters(which I don't care about, but since Grey's is all about who is sleeping with whom, that takes her out of the running!!), and given that she has Asperger's it takes her out of the social loop of Grey's...which inevitably is what every character becomes- their personal lives and interactions with each other above their medicine!

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Actually I just remembered that the girl on America's Next Top Model- Heather- had Aspergers, and she was able to percieve people's reactions...maybe not all of them, but definitely a lot of the time she could tell if people were upset, or took her the wrong way, or even making fun of her...so it's definitely a learned behaviour , which makes me reasses my thoughts on this doctor- I now think that with this, combined with what I already know of Aspergers, she is playing the charcter very well. /Skullys Girl

As I've said before, when it comes to issues based in the brain, every case is unique. Not all Asbergers' cases are the same. eom

Hey - I've gotta take exception to your assumption, S.G., that McDonnell's character won't be involved in any sexual liaisons at the hospital. Can't you imagine how interesting it would be for Sloan or what's-his-name, Lizzie's guy, to have a completely unexpected link-up with her? I think it would be intriguing. And of course there's always Callie ... she's without a girlfriend now, right? There are definitely possibilities. -SpellingAddict

I didn't mean to imply that she COULDN'T ever be involved in a relationship, but frankly, I think most of the staff of Seatle Grace are too shallow and self-involved to be willing to invest in a relationship that would always have a more challenging element in it. These people are more immediate gratification people, hense all the sex in the on-call rooms and one night stands, and I don't see this new doc realistically jumping into anything without thinking. /Skullys Girl

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Posted by: Rosebud1
Date posted: Fri Dec 5 16:09:04 2008
Message:
I don't think that one depiction is better, or worse, than the other.  Every case is different.  Not everyone w/Aspbergers has the same tics that the character on Boston Legal has, but not everyone w/it is as connected as the new doc is on Grey's.  Part of the problem w/Aspergers can be their disconnect or inability to read visual or physical cues people show naturally.  The doc seems to be able to assess what people are feeling quite well.  She also seems to know when she is saying something that might offend or be considered rude, which is part of what is missing for people w/Aspbergers.  But, again, every case is different.

Personally, I think that the character on Boston Legal also has a form of Taurettes (sp).  His tics are more in line w/that than w/Aspbergers.

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That's what I've thought for a long time, too, that Jerry must have Tourette's; his behavior is in line with what I've seen of it before. But then I don't know that much about Asberger's anyway. I think these shows provide a real service, actually, in exposing us to these things we might not have seen before, thereby preparing us to deal with it when it touches our lives. One good thing they're doing, besides providing the usual escapist soap drama, ha ha! -Spell

Spell, ICAM! That is one of the reasons soaps (& other dramas) are such a great tool, in many cultures. The information they can give is received MUCH better than if it is presented in some dry, rote method--like a lecture or a pamphlet. As I've said before, it has been proven many times over that information centers & charities that deal w/specific diseases or conditions receive a least ten times the information calls & requests after a soap has addressed an issue. It can be a great service & generate interest in finding out more about something the audience may not have known about, or been exposed to, before. eom

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Posted by: lisa3
Date posted: Fri Dec 5 12:39:45 2008
Message:
LOL, I think the Asperger's guy on Boston Legal is OTT. The Grey's doctor is much more in line with how an actual person with Asperger's might act, IMO, though of course there's a lot of variation possible. I have an online friend who has Asperger's and I wouldn't have known it if she hadn't said so. She sometimes posts about various issues she faces,  which is the tipoff. Her other posts about "mainstream" topics wouldn't have made me suspect a thing.

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Posted by: Cathy Craig
Date posted: Fri Dec 5 9:53:16 2008
Message:

She has Aspberger Syndrome. It's a bit over the top, if you ask me.

It's done well on Boston Legal. This doc is too much.

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