Were I to title a post about Prime Video’s new autism-centric As We See It, I’d title it, “We need to talk about Mandy.” For someone who I guess wants to specialize in autism care, she seems sort of all over the map, in some fairly bad ways. Spoilers within for the entire season.
She’s mostly pretty great with Violet (including begging her not to apologize for a meltdown) but she:
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pushes Harrison to get outside the apartment into the bright light and loud noise and just tells him it will be all right (it’s only neighbor AJ who later thinks to give Harrison sunglasses and headphones)
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tells Jack to make eye contact when he goes to apologize to his boss and then when she touches him before he goes in and he says he doesn’t like to be touched she just says “I know” (because apparently Jack has to apologize for inappropriate behavior but Mandy doesn’t)
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actively dislikes that Selena tells Violet that she shouldn’t have to go on any date she doesn’t want to go on (because, sure, let’s teach a woman who’s desperate to be “normal” that she should do very personal things she doesn’t actually want to do)
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says “I know” when Harrison says he doesn’t want to wear a suit and he hates them and then says “pretty please, for me?” (because, sure, let’s emotionally manipulate autistic people)
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makes Harrison put on a shirt and tie for some set period that she’s timing while he complains that it’s all too scratchy
She literally at one point late in the season tells Jack that he is normal and shouldn’t have to “pass” or pretend for anyone, and yet she basically manipulates and tortures Harrison.
All of this in a show where Jason Katims said he was going to “do better”. (A comment I don’t personally understand the story behind, but I gather it has to do with autism depictions in Parenthood.)
Full disclosure: I pretty much deliberately avoid all shows with autistic characters in them, even if (like here) they are depicted by autistic actors (who are all pretty good), and I guess this is sort of why?