‘As We See It’ explores life on spectrum
Proof that comedy, or at least “dramedy,” can be found anywhere, “As We See It” debuts on Amazon Prime. Set in a group home for three young adults on the autism spectrum, each portrays an extreme example of social helplessness, hopelessness and near pathological lack of empathy.
When we first meet Harrison (Albert Rutecki), he’s being coaxed by his counselor, Mandy (Sosie Bacon), to take a few steps around the block. Shy, frightened and obese, he recoils at every jarring noise and eventually collapses at the sight of a barking dog. Jack (Rick Glassman) has a job as a coder/ developer at a publishing house. He has the ability and focus to work hours on end, but has no social antenna and is soon fired for questioning his boss’s “inferior intelligence” in front of the staff. Violet (Sue Ann Pien) works at Arby’s and aches to be like the “normal” women she follows on Instagram or hears about in gruesomely vulgar hip-hop songs. Her lack of social awareness leads her to have frank, sexually loaded conversations with customers.
“See It” also follows friends and relations outside the home, including Violet’s protective brother, Van (Chris Pang), and Jack’s exasperated father, Lou (Joe Mantegna). As the series opens, Mandy has just been rejected by five medical schools. Her law school-bound boyfriend thinks she should move on from the group home and concentrate on re-applying.
“As We See It” is smart enough to allow some of the charming aspects of its three main characters to emerge while at the same time continually reminding us just how much time and dedication it takes to nurture them through each baby step of socialization.
Is it right for Mandy to sacrifice her future for her clients? Or for Van to lose all hope of having a relationship because he’s so worried about Violet? There are no right or easy answers here. Don’t go looking for problems to be resolved with hugs and lessons. At the same time, “See It” shows how developing an affection for “difficult” characters can be the most rewarding.
› One could compile an actor’s who’s who just listing the men who have portrayed Winston Churchill. John Lithgow (“The Crown”) and Gary Oldman (“Darkest Hour”) are among the most recent, but the list also includes Richard Burton, Albert Finney and unlikely comic character actors including Timothy Spall and Ian McNiece. Brian Cox (“Succession”) even had a go in “Churchill.”
Leave it to Jeremy Irons to play Neville Chamberlain, Churchill’s unloved and often-derided predecessor in the 2021 historical drama “Munich: The Edge of War,” on Netflix.
The film explores the politics and strategic realities that led to Chamberlain’s agreement with Adolf
Hitler (Ulrich Matthes) in 1938. Based on the novel “Munich” by Robert Harris.
› Streaming television has no shortage of comfort food for viewers who grew up in the 1980s. The trend continues with a “new” edition of “Fraggle Rock,” streaming on Apple TV+.
› The eight-part series “The Fix” looks at common misconceptions about drug addiction and the “war on drugs” that resulted in mass incarceration without any significant drop in addiction or drug use. Based on the bestselling book “Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs” by Johann Hari, it streams on the Roku Channel.