The Bridge - America

Geez. Most people clearly have no clue what people on the autism spectrum are like. Sonia cross has what is formerly known as aspergers-now it's reclassified as a form of ASD-autism spectrum disorder. As someone who deals with this, I can say that Diane's performance is SPOT on. The first episode may have been a little shaky-but after that it's all good. I also want to point out that further in the series you do see her character get emotional-and I've seen people complain about that, because they claim it's "innacurate". It's not. People on the spectrum are prone to meltdowns and sometimes innapropriate emotional reactions. This can easily happen when it's something that's emotionally connected to them. Diane does a great job with this role.

Although it's an acquired taste, any fan of AMC's "The Killing" will quickly pick up on the parallels in this unusual murder mystery. It features two oddly paired police detectives, one from the El Paso police and another from Ciudad Juarez. As in the killing, the female detective is dedicated but personally challenged by an imbalanced personality and a singular drive to follow her leads to the bitter end. Unlike other viewers, I like Diane Kruger in the role and think we're only seeing the beginning of her personality development: I do believe she is an Asperger's sufferer and captures the traits of one afflicted with this quite well. There are many high-functioning and accomplished individuals with these symptoms all around the country, and in many ways, her focus on the details and minutiae of this case will help rather than hinder her along the way.

As her mismatched Mexican partner in the investigation, Demian Bechir possesses all the odd charm of his counterpart in "The Killing," the streetwise and pragmatic Detective Holder.

I've never seen a TV program that focuses on a sensitive border issue or the tragedy of so many murdered girls in Juarez, so I applaud FX for giving us something truly original. "The Killing" is the only thing remotely comparable to it, and I actually like the same type of slow unraveling of a gripping mystery we're being drawn into. I'm so weary of the CSI and Law and Order one-hour quick kill and wrap-up compacted into one hour of predictable procedural. I'll definitely keep watching!

SPOILER: Being intimately familiar with Asperger Syndrome (AS), I think it would be extremely difficult for an actor to play. Kruger did a reasonably good job in the first episode and I think that's actually why some people were turned off by her performance; AS is often characterized by the flat affect that she is exhibiting and it doesn't make for the kind of dynamic character that people are usually drawn to.

This show should spark a lot of discussion and raise awareness of AS. The plot piqued my interest and I'll definitely continue to watch.

(Note to director: Shot of victim's eyes fading into headlights was cool!)

I am always amused by reviewers claim to have seen the "original" foreign version and then proceed to give one or two stars to any American version. I have watched the original of this series and liked it a lot. So I was interested to see how the show was recast for an American audience. So far, the plot is very true to the original and as close as it can given the change in countries. And it is at least as good as the original as far as the first show is concerned.

What I liked about this show is the interesting twist of the two partners who are effectively forced to team up with each other. For me, the Americanization of the plot line was a positive and I thought was very well done.

Try this show and I think you will like it if you like solid police procedurals with an interesting twist in the personalities of the main characters.

Edit: After watching the first 5 episodes of this sleeper show of the season, I believe this version tops the original. It grabbed my attention from the beginning and its interweaving of the US border problems, drug dealing and wild west type newspaper headlines is very well done. Watch it and enjoy.

One last thought. The original was topical to Sweden and Denmark so I am amazed how naysayers who saw the original either never spotted the topical nature of the show or seem to be saying that the Sweden/Denmark cultural aspect of the original show should have been duplicated in a U.S. show! Most U.S. viewers would not know what to make of seeing Sweden/Denmark cultural clashes or even know of those clashes! What are these naysayers thinking??

I think Diane Kruger's portrayal might be off putting to people who don't realize Sonya's character has Asperger's. Once you know that, I think her character will make more sense. I think she does a brilliant job as Sonya. In fact, I think all the character portrayals are well done. I like Demián Bichir's polar opposite character where Sonya is socially awkward and inept so she says and does what ever comes to mind while Marco has to navigate the delicate politics of not going out of bounds with his Mexican Superiors and is good at charming his way into and out of most situations. I haven't seen the original show this was based on so can't compare but if it's better than this, I'll have to see it some day : )