I now see River as someone who was turned into someone autistic, and I guess that blocks any other perceptions on the character.
Yes. We've discussed this. I don't know enough about autism to see it that way: I see someone brain-damaged and suffering in various ways, but with superhuman abilities. River was an intelligent girl who was tortured and damaged by forces beyond her control; whether her psychic abilities were innate or imposed on her is unclear (to me), but something she has to live with.
Drusilla was an otherwise-normal woman with psychic powers who was tortured and damaged by Angel to the point of insanity - meaning a total break with normal perception and reasoning.
Put another way: I don't think it matters what we call the condition of Dru or River, the characters are variations on a theme that Joss Whedon finds interesting - the intersection of perception, intelligence, power and insanity so that new, different, creative dialogue and insights can be created with these characters. In both cases, Drusilla and River should have been harmless, but their physical capabilites (brought about by their forced transformation), their lack on inhibition, and their strange viewpoints make them both dangerous and formidable.
What were those Greeks thinking?
Freud wondered the same thing - and made a career of it!
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2008-05-07 03:42 am (UTC)Yes. We've discussed this. I don't know enough about autism to see it that way: I see someone brain-damaged and suffering in various ways, but with superhuman abilities. River was an intelligent girl who was tortured and damaged by forces beyond her control; whether her psychic abilities were innate or imposed on her is unclear (to me), but something she has to live with.
Drusilla was an otherwise-normal woman with psychic powers who was tortured and damaged by Angel to the point of insanity - meaning a total break with normal perception and reasoning.
Put another way: I don't think it matters what we call the condition of Dru or River, the characters are variations on a theme that Joss Whedon finds interesting - the intersection of perception, intelligence, power and insanity so that new, different, creative dialogue and insights can be created with these characters. In both cases, Drusilla and River should have been harmless, but their physical capabilites (brought about by their forced transformation), their lack on inhibition, and their strange viewpoints make them both dangerous and formidable.
What were those Greeks thinking?
Freud wondered the same thing - and made a career of it!