5th November 2017
Warning may contain spoilers!
It is always interesting to see how Autism is portrayed on TV and in the movies. There seems to be a lot of shows with either actual Autistic characters or people without stated Autism, with Autistic traits. On social media it seems that this causes a lot of debate in a number of areas, as often the characters are stereotypically male, have savant like intelligence and are very cliché in both how they behave and how they are treated. As we all know, no two people on the spectrum are the same and that everyone is different. One of the key things that often gets criticised is that all Autistics are male. However, there is one show that I have recently watched that has a female lead character who is clearly Autistic “The Bridge”.
“The Bridge” is a Scandinavian crime drama based around unusual crimes that occur on the Oresund Bridge which links the countries of Sweden and Denmark. The central character is called Saga Noren, a Swedish police detective who throughout the series is paired up with Danish detectives to work on the cases which span the two countries. Saga clearly has Aspergers Syndrome, although this is not confirmed in the show. She is extremely socially awkward and clearly does not understand the neurotypicals around her, but is an extremely good police dectetive, being able to think in ways that her colleagues cannot. For example, she often comes across as being oblivious to the feelings of the people who she is interviewing but at the same time gets the information required to move the cases through to conclusion. Often wrongly in media, Autistic people are portrayed as having no empathy, but Saga does obviously care about the people in her life such as her work partners, sister and Hans who is her boss. He is the person she cares about the most. She expresses her emotions differently though and through the excellent acting of Sofia Helin, this comes across well on screen.
Saga tries to fit in with those around by copying neurotypical behaviours throughout the episodes. A great example of this is when she tries to smile more around her colleagues. Martin, her partner at the time tells her not to do this as it is not really her and people can tell it is false. She never shows positive emotion in the show but does show stronger negative ones such as anxiety. Often it is shown that she researches by reading books in order to know how to behave around others. There are scenes in the show where you see her trying to do the right thing but not quite getting it right. For example, when one of her work colleagues’ young daughter is shot, she buys her a book on how to recover from post traumatic stress as a get well present even though she is only about eleven years old. She makes the effort though and then returns to her methodical self. Saga has some great skills. Her ability to make connections to solve the crimes comes across really well. She is loyal to the rules and willing to work all hours of the day to get the job done. She does have some other interesting traits that could be Autistic. Her executive functioning seems to be impaired as often you see her changing clothes at work after smelling her armpits. Also she drives a classic car which seems to be a collector’s car and is certainly more expensive and well looked after then any of the other vehicles driven by other police staff. She has a need for order too (as seen when people move her books in her flat – it causes her anxiety).
So what did I think of “The Bridge”? I loved it. And Sofia Helin’s portrayal of Saga is the reason why I loved it. Firstly it is so refreshing to see a different version of Autism being shown. The situations that Saga finds herself in over the three series are dealt with in a refreshing way. Although I did find some scenes difficult to watch, like when Saga has to have a DNA swab, which for someone who does not like being touched, was shown as being painful and distressing. I enjoyed the scenes with her work partners in which she often made “faux pas” or talked about inappropriate subjects like sexual partners. Being on the spectrum myself I could relate to saying the wrong things by accident on many occasions. I also think the other actors in the show were really good in also showing the social problems that Saga has. Those who do not know her seemed to think she was rude when she instructed them due to a lack of manners etc. and seemed to not understand that she just thinks differently.
I think for me the only real negative of the show is the fact that it is never disclosed that she has Autism. In particular there are scenes with her boss where they talk about her social difficulties. He makes allowances to help her and helps others to understand her. It seems to be really hinted at that she is Autistic but it is not stated. I think it would have been stronger as a show for having her revealed as having Aspergers. The portrayal is so strong in my opinion it just seems a shame not to go the whole way and have it written into the show. They are currently making a fourth season so maybe it will – I hope so. Although the show deals with the struggles she has, it also shows the positive strengths that Autism can bring to a work role, in this case as a police officer. I enjoyed how she was able to make connections nobody else could, see patterns in the crimes that were being missed, how she put the extra hours into solving the cases. She is shown to be extremely good at research and collating information. I think one of her strongest points is her ability to stick to the rules despite the consequences. Saying this she is able to break them in extreme cases (to her distress) but more than often she stays true to them. On several occasions when fellow officers break protocols, no matter how small, she reports them. This is the right thing to do but often alienates Saga further from the team she works with. Sometimes the broken rules are even serious crimes. I think Sofia Helin played the part well in balancing the loyalty that Saga has with doing the right thing and with the people around her. It comes across as very traumatic for her, but also that she is prepared to accept the responsibility.
In series two, Saga’s partner returns to work with her after experiencing some pretty horrific life events. In the show he appreciates the opportunity to work with Saga, who is emotionally detached so does not dredge up the past issues he is going through. He needs to get on with his work and so she is perfect for this. I had not thought about this before but I think this can be another positive thing about Autistics. If someone needs detachment in their work, then an autistic might be an ideal person to work with. They can both just concentrate on the work together without distraction.
Taking Saga out of the equation, “The Bridge” is still a really good show. I am not massively into crime dramas but the stories are interesting and well written. The photography and the style of filming are moody and suit the show’s story. The acting is great and I am looking forward to the next season although unfortunately this will be the last. I would recommend anybody whether on the Spectrum or not to watch “The Bridge” if you haven’t done so already. Although be warned, it obviously has very strong adult themes and may also have some triggers for some people. I hope there are more female portrayals of autism in future shows and that they are written, filmed and acted to this standard.