If you like numbers and supernatural drama, take a look at the new show on FOX, Touch. The stories center around a speechless autistic boy, the red thread and interconnectedness. And it’s about choices and trust. It’s extremely well-written and well acted, tapping into both that which is intellectual and deeply emotional. You can watch the pilot and the only two episodes here.
I’ve seen the pilot and actually liked the story, but the pilot promoted a few stereotypes about autism.
There is a general belief, particularly among religious people, that autistic individuals have some form an mental compensation for what appears to be a mental deficit. While there are a few autistic people with an exceptional ability, known as autistic savants, such cases are very rare.
TV typically portrays an autistic child as silent, preferring to sit alone for hours totally absorbed in the task of staring blankly at their hands as they flap them around in front of their faces. TV usually portrays an autistic child as becoming very upset when touched, and showing a tendency to wander off when an adult looks away for even a few seconds.
Sometimes this is the case, but as the father of an autistic son, I know better.
We watched the pilot when it came out in January and it jumped the shark by the end of the show. I’ve heard the actual series is better, but I haven’t decided if I want to try again.
Jim: I hadn’t before heard the expression “jump the shark.” Here’s what Wikipedia says:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumping_the_shark
Sounds like a useful phrase that I will consider using too.
The show we’re all most interested in– “The American Empire”, (as well as its spin-off, “The American Dream”) has, I believe, jumped the shark. It happened about 40-some years ago, when The Producers changed the format from its inception as high-minded drama, to sit-com, and then finally to its current incarnation as horror-comedy (a la ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’).