Hannibal NBC Aspergers

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Hannibal has a asperger detective. What does everyone think of the character named Will portrayal of a person with Aspergers?

The show portrays him as a strong visual thinker,
gets along with animals better then people,
avoids eye contact,
avoids social interaction when he can help it,
but the thing I don't really enjoy is how much empathy he has, and the fact that he is able to put himself in other people's shoes, Personally I've found those things hard. Other then that, I like the character.

@Tsproggy. I agree. Everything was right on except the empathy. In fact, I think Dr. Lector's response to the girl with the bleeding throat was more Aspie like. Only the scene where the doctor walks in sees the girl and puts his hand over her wound. He had no emotional response. I think that was an Aspie trait. As far as Will's imagination, I think your right that he may be able to walk through a murder scene in his mind, even recreate it. However, he would not be able to create the emotions. He may be able visualize a person screaming, but that would not cause him any pain.

Yea, being a visual thinker myself I know what they're trying to do to show you kind of how he thinks, but being in someone else's visions and feeling what they feel is awfully hard, for me at least.. Yes, Hannibal Lecter seemed very calm and collected, sadly it can be so because Aspergers shares a lot of traits with things like schizo and stuff that I'm horribly undereducated about but have read a bit on. Such a fine line.

I think too that an Aspie is able to remove an emotion connection to things that NTs can not. Meaning they can see things without clouding it with a emotional response. I always thought that I would be a good detective. I even check into it. However, they told me I would have to start as a patrolmen and work my up to having a possible chance to being a detective. I said forget that. I cannot see myself dealing with people over speeding tickets and DUIs.

I also thought I would be a good Corporate head hunter. Meaning a person that is hired to come in and fire people. I do not think this would bother me at all. Again, you have to work your way through so many other things just to have a shot at it. I could not see myself putting up with all the other to get the job I wanted. It is not like they have a degree in a head hunter.

I liked the first episode, the three leads are all great and it was well written. I already prefer it to "the following" but it was almost too dark at times which could end up getting tiresome. I think Hugh Dancy is extremely underrated as an actor (he was the lead in "Adam" also playing a character with aspergers).

I've never read the novel Red Dragon, so I have no idea if Will Graham had been portrayed as an Aspie of any sort, but he certainly didn't come across as one in the two movie versions of the book, Red Dragon, and Man Hunter. As I recall, Graham in both movies had had a wife and son, rather than a bunch of stray dogs he took in.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer

I thought the show was good. Could be a great series, time will tell. I can identify with William in general, and certain things hit home, as I expect the people producing the show were hoping to do.

As far as empathy is concerned..
For me, it is often a matter of overloading easily, similar to how William on the show was overloading. This is actually quite common with Autistics. It is yet another aspect of "us" that is often misrepresented and misunderstood by non-Autistics, and even by Autistics (IMO). As with other situations that can cause "overload," when I "feel" too much from people in a place, I begin to "blank," or even shut-down. It is like yet another sense (sound, touch, smell, etc... empathy) that can be hypo- or hyper-. I can easily understand someone mistaking that for "lack of empathy," but it is quite the opposite (for me and many others). I actually countered my diagnosis with this initially, figuring that if I was "hyper-empathic," there could be no way I was Autistic. This blog is but one excellent place to find plenty of other Autistics from all over the spectrum that experience empathy similarly.

I watched last night's episode and the show isn't as disturbing as what is featured on CSI or Criminal Minds, so Hannibal wasn't any different.

Hugh Dancy played an Aspie very well in the romantic comedy Adam

he's also married to Claire Danes, who won the Golden Globe for playing Temple Grandin in the HBO movie, and also plays bipolar very well in Homeland