Love autistic representation in Astrid

(1 minute read)

Anyone else watching the police drama called Astrid? It’s on Amazon Prime and sometimes on PBS. It’s in French with English subtitles. The title in France translates as Astrid and Raphaelle, which is a much better title, in my opinion, because this show isn’t just about a young woman named Astrid. It’s about the unlikely friendship between two women—Astrid, an archivist with Aspergers Syndrome who strictly follows rules and Raphaelle, a homicide detective in the Paris police force who likes to bend them.

Astrid works alone in basement of the library

Astrid loves solving puzzles and has an eye for detail. She excels at her job as an archivist in the judicial library in Paris, but outside of work, she’s a nervous wreck. Making a phone call or having to talk to a store clerk can make her physically ill. Outside of work she often wears noise-cancelling headphones so she can block out distractions, which includes both noise and other people.

Astrid often takes what others say literally. If someone asks her if she has a minute to talk, she will look at her watch and after 60 seconds, she will walk away. If a colleague says don’t move because he wants to give her something in the next room, she will stand as still as a statue until he returns.

Raphaelle

Raphaelle is a commandant in homicide. Raphaelle first takes notice of Astrid when she asks the archive to pull the files on two recent suicides. Astrid hands her three files and points out details that suggest that the suicides were actually murders, probably done by same person. Raphaelle is impressed by Astrid’s intelligence and asks her to help with other investigations going forward.

Astrid is lonely and would love to have friends, but she often says and does the wrong thing without realizing what others might think. When Raphaelle sees Astrid stumble, she often gently pulls Astrid aside to give her a few words of advice. Over time, we see Astrid and Raphaelle not only share their thoughts on each case, but also share stories about their lives.

I like how the program shows the world through Astrid’s eyes and how others in the police force slowly warm to her and come to value her not only as a colleague, but as a friend.