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Anonymous wrote:To 12:13- she had substance abuse issues, that was one of the storylines. No one said she was perfect, just that her experiences and interests were very different from most of her peers.

Exactly. She was smart and worldly (not necessarily all in good ways). She tried to connect with them but discovered that they were too boring.

You do realize that some parents spend a lot of time and money working on social skills with their kids because peer connection is actually important, don’t you? Its not just being too cool and mature. Its a necessary life skill that Beth wasn’t very good at.

Not wanting to hang out with vapid girls with zero common interests doesn’t mean she wasn’t good at handling social situations (any more than any other kid with her background).

Seems like you are trying to force a diagnosis on her. Why is that?

Its not just the girls, beth had odd interactions with everyone. Only the willfully ignorant refuse to see it. Why are you so insistent beth was too cool and above it all? She obviously had serious issues which could be explained by a few different things. Or a combination.

I think the issues covered in the show - early childhood, orphanage, profoundly gifted - more than explain any “quirks”. You don’t need to project anything extra to explain her behavior.

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Anonymous wrote:To 12:13- she had substance abuse issues, that was one of the storylines. No one said she was perfect, just that her experiences and interests were very different from most of her peers.

Exactly. She was smart and worldly (not necessarily all in good ways). She tried to connect with them but discovered that they were too boring.

You do realize that some parents spend a lot of time and money working on social skills with their kids because peer connection is actually important, don’t you? Its not just being too cool and mature. Its a necessary life skill that Beth wasn’t very good at.

Not wanting to hang out with vapid girls with zero common interests doesn’t mean she wasn’t good at handling social situations (any more than any other kid with her background).

Seems like you are trying to force a diagnosis on her. Why is that?

Its not just the girls, beth had odd interactions with everyone. Only the willfully ignorant refuse to see it. Why are you so insistent beth was too cool and above it all? She obviously had serious issues which could be explained by a few different things. Or a combination.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To 12:13- she had substance abuse issues, that was one of the storylines. No one said she was perfect, just that her experiences and interests were very different from most of her peers.

Exactly. She was smart and worldly (not necessarily all in good ways). She tried to connect with them but discovered that they were too boring.

You do realize that some parents spend a lot of time and money working on social skills with their kids because peer connection is actually important, don’t you? Its not just being too cool and mature. Its a necessary life skill that Beth wasn’t very good at.

Not wanting to hang out with vapid girls with zero common interests doesn’t mean she wasn’t good at handling social situations (any more than any other kid with her background).

Seems like you are trying to force a diagnosis on her. Why is that?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To 12:13- she had substance abuse issues, that was one of the storylines. No one said she was perfect, just that her experiences and interests were very different from most of her peers.

Exactly. She was smart and worldly (not necessarily all in good ways). She tried to connect with them but discovered that they were too boring.

You do realize that some parents spend a lot of time and money working on social skills with their kids because peer connection is actually important, don’t you? Its not just being too cool and mature. Its a necessary life skill that Beth wasn’t very good at.

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it okay for a 14 year old?

No

No. Makes light of drug use. It seems for most of the story that her success is somewhat tied to it. Not a great lesson for a teen.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To 12:13- she had substance abuse issues, that was one of the storylines. No one said she was perfect, just that her experiences and interests were very different from most of her peers.

Exactly. She was smart and worldly (not necessarily all in good ways). She tried to connect with them but discovered that they were too boring.

Anonymous wrote:To 12:13- she had substance abuse issues, that was one of the storylines. No one said she was perfect, just that her experiences and interests were very different from most of her peers.

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Anonymous wrote:For those critical of Beth or the actress playing her, this article outlines what may be going on - consider that Beth is autistic. This would explain both the acting and the choices Beth makes and situations she doesn’t totally react as you might think is more believable. I think Anya Taylor-Joy was brilliant.

https://valneil.com/2020/10/30/accidentally-autistic-the-queens-gambit/

No. She is like the way she is because she had a traumatic childhood, is a genius, and battles a drug and alcohol addiction. Why can't girls be brilliant and not be labeled? When she has the chance to go to a normal school, she realizes she doesn't have the right clothes. She immediately picks up those social cues that girls are staring at her ugly clothes. When she has money she buys the most amazing outfits. When she is asked how old she is at the orphanage and is about to say 15, the orphanage director pipes up that she is 13. Beth is socially savvy enough to realize adoptive parents prefer younger kids so she says she is 13. She becomes addicted to tranquilzers before she is 10. The actress who plays Beth actually lived for the first 6 or 7 years in Argentina and then moved to England where she learned English. I think any quirkiness in her speech is due to her pausing for a split second to think in English and speak like and American. It isn't because she is acting like a woman with autism.

Agree. It’s annoying that PPs assume a he’s autistic just because she’s smart and doesn’t like the nitwits in her HS.

Totally agree! It is so trite to want to label a smart + unique girl.

So labeling her as a trauma victim is so different? Why are people acting like autism is a dirty word? Plenty of people are brilliant and on the spectrum. Its obvious Beth is too.

Not really. She’s able to read emotions and manage social interactions just fine. She just doesn’t give two Fs about dumb people or social norms.

That's how I interpreted it too--she didn't give a F.

Does she? Or does she just not know any better? The evidence seems overwhelming. The flat affect, the singular focus (chesss), difficulties with peers, and the addiction issues. HFA is associated with higher rates of addiction.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theatlantic.com/amp/article/518289/

Or perhaps it's b/c she is an orphan and wasn't really socialized. She raised herself w/ Jolene basically. The adoptive mother contributed to her addiction. Chess gave her hope and meaning and something to be proud of in herself. She did the best she could with the hand she was dealt.

+1

Her "difficulties with peers" was because her peers sucked.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those critical of Beth or the actress playing her, this article outlines what may be going on - consider that Beth is autistic. This would explain both the acting and the choices Beth makes and situations she doesn’t totally react as you might think is more believable. I think Anya Taylor-Joy was brilliant.

https://valneil.com/2020/10/30/accidentally-autistic-the-queens-gambit/

No. She is like the way she is because she had a traumatic childhood, is a genius, and battles a drug and alcohol addiction. Why can't girls be brilliant and not be labeled? When she has the chance to go to a normal school, she realizes she doesn't have the right clothes. She immediately picks up those social cues that girls are staring at her ugly clothes. When she has money she buys the most amazing outfits. When she is asked how old she is at the orphanage and is about to say 15, the orphanage director pipes up that she is 13. Beth is socially savvy enough to realize adoptive parents prefer younger kids so she says she is 13. She becomes addicted to tranquilzers before she is 10. The actress who plays Beth actually lived for the first 6 or 7 years in Argentina and then moved to England where she learned English. I think any quirkiness in her speech is due to her pausing for a split second to think in English and speak like and American. It isn't because she is acting like a woman with autism.

Agree. It’s annoying that PPs assume a he’s autistic just because she’s smart and doesn’t like the nitwits in her HS.

Totally agree! It is so trite to want to label a smart + unique girl.

So labeling her as a trauma victim is so different? Why are people acting like autism is a dirty word? Plenty of people are brilliant and on the spectrum. Its obvious Beth is too.

Not really. She’s able to read emotions and manage social interactions just fine. She just doesn’t give two Fs about dumb people or social norms.

That's how I interpreted it too--she didn't give a F.

Does she? Or does she just not know any better? The evidence seems overwhelming. The flat affect, the singular focus (chesss), difficulties with peers, and the addiction issues. HFA is associated with higher rates of addiction.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theatlantic.com/amp/article/518289/

Or perhaps it's b/c she is an orphan and wasn't really socialized. She raised herself w/ Jolene basically. The adoptive mother contributed to her addiction. Chess gave her hope and meaning and something to be proud of in herself. She did the best she could with the hand she was dealt.

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Anonymous wrote:Was Beth supposed to be autistic?
I thought this was a fantastic portrayal of someone with autism without making it the defining aspect of the character's life/personality.

There was something definitely off/different about her. She had no idea what to do with the doll the high school chess coach gave her and couldn't relate to the Apple Pi girls at all. Maybe it was due to her rough start in life or maybe something else like autism.

Uh. She didn’t want the doll because that didn’t interest her. Same with the vapid HS girls.

She was precocious, not autistic.

I must have missed the part where that was specifically stated. Can you remind me when it was said or when we hear a diagnosis?

Episode 3, 18:34

Try again. I remember Miss Deardorff talking about her talent for chess but don't think she used a specific word for it other than "gifted child" in Episode 1 with the high school coach. There are a lot of other clues in the series about Beth that point to something more than just precocity. Either way its all speculation. In the 1960s that wouldn't have been a common diagnosis for a girl. This was the era of "refrigerator mothers". But given what we know today, we might call it something else.

What “clues”?

She didn’t want to play with a doll and thought the girls were vapid. Nothing at all “off” about that.

Ok. I'm not going to argue with you about it. Agree to disagree.

So no other clues? Got it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it okay for a 14 year old?

No

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those critical of Beth or the actress playing her, this article outlines what may be going on - consider that Beth is autistic. This would explain both the acting and the choices Beth makes and situations she doesn’t totally react as you might think is more believable. I think Anya Taylor-Joy was brilliant.

https://valneil.com/2020/10/30/accidentally-autistic-the-queens-gambit/

No. She is like the way she is because she had a traumatic childhood, is a genius, and battles a drug and alcohol addiction. Why can't girls be brilliant and not be labeled? When she has the chance to go to a normal school, she realizes she doesn't have the right clothes. She immediately picks up those social cues that girls are staring at her ugly clothes. When she has money she buys the most amazing outfits. When she is asked how old she is at the orphanage and is about to say 15, the orphanage director pipes up that she is 13. Beth is socially savvy enough to realize adoptive parents prefer younger kids so she says she is 13. She becomes addicted to tranquilzers before she is 10. The actress who plays Beth actually lived for the first 6 or 7 years in Argentina and then moved to England where she learned English. I think any quirkiness in her speech is due to her pausing for a split second to think in English and speak like and American. It isn't because she is acting like a woman with autism.

Agree. It’s annoying that PPs assume a he’s autistic just because she’s smart and doesn’t like the nitwits in her HS.

Totally agree! It is so trite to want to label a smart + unique girl.

So labeling her as a trauma victim is so different? Why are people acting like autism is a dirty word? Plenty of people are brilliant and on the spectrum. Its obvious Beth is too.

Not really. She’s able to read emotions and manage social interactions just fine. She just doesn’t give two Fs about dumb people or social norms.

That's how I interpreted it too--she didn't give a F.

Does she? Or does she just not know any better? The evidence seems overwhelming. The flat affect, the singular focus (chesss), difficulties with peers, and the addiction issues. HFA is associated with higher rates of addiction.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theatlantic.com/amp/article/518289/