Reply to Just finished The Queen's gambit on Netflix

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]FWIW I assumed it was an intentional choice to make Beth have HFA.[/quote]

You guys read a lot into stuff to try and make autism "cool". It’s pretty sad. [/quote]

DP.  I don’t know if you’re the same poster who keeps getting so offended at the thought that Beth was autistic, but it’s getting old.  Characters of all types are depicted in film/TV - mentally disabled, physically disabled, geniuses, etc.  Why should autism be somehow off-limits?

Here’s a well-written piece about Beth’s possible autism.

The reason I appreciate the autistic mannerisms of Beth Harmon’s character is because they so authentically mimic those of a lot of women on the spectrum. Throughout The Queen’s Gambit we see Beth develop and mature, and funnily enough - her autistic traits become less and less obvious as she grows older. I believe this to directly mirror how women are inherently better at masking autism through societal conditioning. There are several moments in the series where Beth watches those around her as though she’s studying them and before you know it, you almost couldn’t tell there was anything neurodiverse about her at all (other than the glaringly obvious special interest in the form of chess.)

Although some may argue that her initial non verbal demeanor may have been an indication of the trauma she suffered witnessing her mother’s suicide, I would argue that while there are definitely pointers towards trauma (emotional flashbacks, abandonment issues, etc) the key differentiator is context.

Autistic traits outweigh complex trauma in masses. A few examples other than what I mentioned are the way that she responds to coming of age and sexuality. It seems that she recognises through watching her peers that sex is something that everyone is interested in and so she goes against the grain of the times and surprisingly loses her virginity to a random college student, and is unphased by the entire experience. She continues to use sex as a “is this what you wanted?” card with Harry, but it’s soon realised that in the ‘afterglow’ of that moment she quickly resumes her book and is unbothered as to whether or not Harry spends the night in her bed. The boundaries between what is friendship, what is love and what is companionship are blurred. Blurred boundaries in interpersonal relationships aren’t all that is common - so is fluid sexual orientation. Those on the spectrum are less influenced by societal expectations and therefore do tend to be more open about those they engage with on a romantic level - as is proven by research that showed that those on the spectrum are more likely to identify as LGBTQ. This may be a reach on my part considering Beth doesn’t wake up in bed with Chloe - she wakes up in the bath. But if you know, you know.
https://www.dainarenton.co.uk/blog/2020/11/19/the-queens-gambit-autism-amp-addiction
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