Rant - UK Viewers of Drama "Accused"

Question

Did anyone in Uk watch the drama "The Accused" this evening . A taxi driver had a wife with MS in a wheelchair and he turned out to be a particularly unpleasant character who burgled a customer's house, then found out all about her and wormed his way into her life, murdering her partner along the way. So the storyline was very silly but it was the portrayal of the woman with MS that pushed my button and it was just depressing....

I guess like all these dramas..that is all they are and they so often get it wrong. It is great to get the publicity and spread public awareness and it does not need to be sugar coated..but not so helpful if it sends the wrong messages..i.e. MS = wheelchair. This as we know is not the case for many.

Any thoughts from anyone else?

Sarah

supermum_ms · Accepted Answer

I think movie and TV land goes for tragic impact over authenticity, if the women wasn't in a wheel chair it wouldn't be as compelling to watch. They do the same for anything that may pull at the heart strings, people die pretty on TV, all Autistic people are savants, everyone with cancer looses their hair 2 seconds after dx, I think the list is endless.

"but you look so good" wouldn't have the same affect, the wheel chair makes the situation obvious, someone who doesn't look ill just doesn't work in drama. People who dont know someone or dont themselves have the condition being portrayed dont see the mistakes, its only those with a connection to the condition that notice when they get it wrong.

The media is just as bad, showing the worst case situations of any condition and thats what the general public remember about the disease, then there are the ones that have some life altering condition and they still climb mountains and everyone thinks the condition isn't a problem because everyone with it can still climb mountains.lol

Unfortunately people still (for reasons I can't fathom) believe every thing they see and hear on TV, and there's not much anyone can do about that.

Cheers.............JJ

Mand125 · Answer

Hi Sarah

I missed it but it's being repeated on BBC 4 tomorrow so I might watch it so that I can join in with your rant. 

It is probably because of the negative (if that is the right word) portrayal of MS that some of us avoid telling people about our condition. My Mother never knew that I had MS because I know that she would have thought that I would "end up in a wheelchair". Rightly or wrongly I managed to keep it from her. 

Mand

RedFlame · Answer

I didn't see the show but I do know what you mean.  Actors and writers nearly always portray an illnes or even a set of illnesses incorectlly.  Multiple Sclerosis is one they love to dramatize.  In the U.S.A. just about everything is made fun of.  

Here it's mental health that is given the wrong impression.  

I'm sorry that they did that on U.K. tv show.  

hugs

Red

twist330 · Answer

Ok sarah now I'm going to have to watch it on catch up!

Twist

Rant - UK Viewers of Drama "Accused"

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Would love tips to enable me to walk 2 small dogs despite spasticity & walker.

Any mother and daughter pairs that both have MS?

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scared of ms and im only 18

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