#the good lawyer

[whitefluffyyeti]

The good doctor “The good lawyer”

[vesnaproduction]

𝐊𝐄𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐃𝐘 𝐌𝐂𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐍, in The Good Lawyer Pilot [ #181 GIFS ] / kennedy mcmann is an irish, scottish, dutch actress, please cast her accordingly and use appropriately. all of the gifs have been created from scratch by me. to access the gifs please click the source link. please do not claim them as your own or put them in other gif hunt. you are free to use them in your crackship but, please, if you find them usefull, think about giving a like or reblog the post.

[nancy-drewdles]

now that we successfully manifested our nace endgame and hardy confirmation, can we manifest the good lawyer pickup and alex getting cast as joni's love interest/opposing counsel

[pluckysidekick]

The Nancy Drew cast continues to impress - and even surprise us with some new S4 content!

This BTS video of Kennedy’s photo shoot from her stylist is giving me life:

Meanwhile Leah is looking fierce in red, while Maddison’s red mushroom filter hat is…endearing?

Speaking of Maddison, she shared a blurry photo from the final ND shooting day 😭. It’s a nice bookend to the first S4 cast photo - I just wish it was clearer!

Finally, it’s already been discussed of course, but Riley gave us a glimpse of a chaotic S4 scene in his stories this week as he did his last Nancy Drew ADR recording session.

People think that’s Nick (in green) and Ace (in white) in the background. I’m not convinced that’s Nick’s hand (looks more like Alex’s), but in any case what is it holding up? Could it be a charm against evil (maybe from Bess?), or even Ace’s barometer necklace from The Space Between (haha, no, but I can dream)? And then what the heck is going on with Nancy and what is she holding? There is some drama going down, I’m guessing with the sins of the town’s past.

Based on the scene and wardrobe, I believe this is from Episode 5, directed by Scott Wolf, where we’ll get a confrontation in the woods, and we’ve seen a previous glimpse of Nancy and George running in (I think) the university set. Everyone is expecting the Larry Teng directed episode 6 to be a big one, but episode 5 is shaping up to be pretty dramatic.

Speaking of Season 4, I am very close to publishing Chapter 13 of The Space Between, an epic Season 4 speculation fic. It’s a great time to catch up if you haven’t read through Chapter 12 yet - it has the whole crew trying to solve the mystery of the graves, Nace angst and of course curse breaking, sins of the past, and lots of shenanigans that probably wouldn’t pass the censors!

[live-fast-pet-frogs]

The Good Lawyer: a surprisingly positive experience

So if you remember my last post about ABC’s backdoor pilot “The Good Lawyer”, which is also the 16th episode on season 6 of “The Good Doctor”, you know I was very skeptical about the representation of someone with OCD, especially with the wording they used in the early synopsis of the episode.  I thought I would share my thoughts again AFTER I watched the actual episode, and let me tell you I think it was a lot better than I originally thought. Just in case it wasn’t obvious I have OCD, and have had OCD since I was 2 years old, and I have been in treatment for it since 2020 and am scheduled to come off my meds soon as my compulsions have become essentially non-existent and my intrusive thoughts are quite manageable with only occasional meltdowns (so basically nothing I can’t handle). I am also a film student about to get my masters degree this autumn so this review I’m writing will hopefully come from an informed place, but since I am not a medical professional there might be some misinformation. Feel free to correct me if I got something wrong about OCD, I am basing this off mine and my friends’ experience who are/were also struggling.  1. The myth around OCD=tidy gets debunked really early on in the episode where Shaun tells Lea about hiring Joni as his lawyer for his malpractice trial.

Shaun explains to Lea that people with OCD are not, in fact just neat and tidy, but they suffer from intrusive thoughts and manage them by carrying out compulsions. I was happy this got addressed, even though it is kind of the bare minimum.  2. Joni’s OCD.

Joni exhibits typical compulsions for OCD which emphasize her obsession with the number 3, and tapping different objects three times. We find out that she developed OCD after she lost her father at a young age, and later on it became her coping mechanism as her mother struggled with alcoholism.

Not only do we see her compulsions, as an audience we also get to “get into her state of mind” when she experiences the intrusive thoughts.

When Joni gets intrusive thoughts, the space around her seem to get distorted and narrow, loses colour and the camera pans closer and closer to her face, emphasizing the panic, anxiety and loss of focus. I find this super relatable as I really tune out the rest of the world when I get my thoughts and I can even stop midway through conversation, losing my train of thought (which happens to Joni during trial as the plaintiff’s lawyer’s chair squeaks as he leans back on it). 

Joni also experiences a fair share of health anxiety, which is actually how she gets introduced in the episode, worrying about whether she can develop cancer from the material of her wooden workdesk.

She even goes as far as covering bits of her furniture in plastic and taking her “outside” clothes off in a bag the moment she gets home.

While the health anxiety I find relatable (because I totally don’t ask my bf whether I got a TBi every time I hit my head even to a small degree), I am not sure about the plastic bits. It seems a bit excessive to me, and I don’t see the point behind the plastic “doorways” in the house. If we get a proper show out of this I hope it gets explained what Joni’s health anxiety is triggered by because at this point it just seems like something to be added to “haha person with OCD is a neat freak”. 

Another thing I also was unsure about, is the way the intrusive thoughts went in Joni’s brain.

“Fix this or bad things will happen.” 

What bad things? Not to be a hater, but since my OCD doesn’t allow me to say certain trigger words out loud, “or bad things will happen” is the really toned-down version I give to my friends. With OCD, the bad things can be anything. In Joni’s case, since we saw her doing compulsions in the flashback scene in hopes that it will stop her mother from dying, it might be related to the health of her loved ones. Maybe if they varied, like “Fix this or mom will die”, or “Fix this or my client will go to prison”, “Fix this or my sister will get into an accident” it would have been a lot better. 

3. The people around Joni

So from this episode we gather there are two significant people in Joni’s life: her mentor and her sister. 

Her sister is also her carer in a way, but it also seems like she is enabling her and indulging her in her compulsions. This is very realistic that when your loved one has OCD it seems easier for you to accomodate their needs by giving reassurance or even creating an environment for them where they can carry out their compulsions. This is the wrong approach, and again, if the show gets green-lit I hope it gets explored. No blame on people supporting their loved ones with OCD but it is important to get the word out that this behaviour is damaging and can stall the problem or even make it worse on the long run. The best help a person with OCD can get is therapy, meds or both. 

Joni’s sister also seems to believe the current situation is better for Joni, since she doesn’t need to “hide her rituals”, to which Joni quickly reminds her that she isn’t happy this way, because her coworkers and boss treat her as an embarassment and hide her from the public eye, in a small closet-sized “office” where she can do “research” and not interact with others so nobody can see the state she’s in.

Joni’s mentor, Janet is what you would expect: a stone-cold career woman who absolutely cannot tolerate mistakes. (at least on the surface). The only reason she hasn’t fired Joni yet is because the latter threatened to sue the law firm for firing a disabled employee in a discriminatory way. Janet regularly belittles Joni, calls her out for her public rituals or meltdowns over intrusive thoughts.

However, she is also protectice of Joni and believes in her ability to be a good lawyer. Idk, I am not sold on Janet yet, she seems very much like a J.K. Simmons from “Whiplash” kind of mentor who bullies her protegees only to then take credit when they manage to thrive.  We also find out the reason why Joni became a lawyer is because Janet was assigned to one of the court cases on whether Joni and her sister would get taken away from their mom and go into foster care.

So yeah. I am curious to see their dynamic in the future.

4. OCD being a superpower

My biggest fear was that after reading the synopsis where they referred to Joni’s OCD as a “superpower”, we would get her to have scenes like Shaun, where he just randomly comes up with solutions because he is autistic. I cannot emphasize more that autism and OCD are two completely different conditions that may have similar symptoms but are VASTLY different. OCD is a mental illness, autism isn’t. OCD is treatable, autism isn’t because it is not an illness. 

but this also gets debunked quite quickly, Joni is simply a smart and detail-oriented person, who works well despite her diagnosis, not because of it. She explains to Park that her brain, unlike most people’s is very focused on details, which can be true for an individual who has struggled with OCD since childhood. It might be why I’m good at finding clues and solve every escape room and riddle, I don’t even know. 

But it seems like it was just the synopsis of the episode written by an absolute knob, and the actual portrayal of the character isn’t “OCD Ex Machina”.

Overall, I actually liked this episode and really hope it gets a show because the main character is quite interesting, is played by an actress with OCD (Kennedy McMann who also campaigned for the character’s illness to not be portrayed as a superpower) and I am actually curious to learn more about her and the people around her. There is potential and I do think people with OCD could and would enjoy it.

[seriesluticons]

like or reblog if you save. ♡

[buffyfan145]

Really liked that backdoor pilot “The Good Lawyer” in that episode of “The Good Doctor” last night!!! :D I’ve been a fan of Kennedy’s for awhile now with “Nancy Drew” and was curious to see how they portrayed her character having ODC on screen as I have it myself. I thought they did a great job and showing how it is with the obsessive thoughts which cause the compulsions, but also that it helps her mind to not only easily do all that research but how she can vividly see things in her mind as I do too (and it’s helped me be able to become an author). I also really liked learning Jodi’s backstory and want to know more if the show hopefully gets picked up for next season. :)

[amateur-detectivedrew]

[snowluthor]

The biggest mistake The Good Lawyer is already making (besides casting Felicity Huffman) is attempting to replicate the Shaun/Glassman dynamic. Not a fan of these unsupportive “mentors”.

[perfectlyfinespacebacon]

the good lawyer

honestly as always, kennedy mcmann is amazing. joni having OCD didn’t seem like a gimmick to me and it just seems like the show has so much potential. I’ll miss her as Nancy Drew but looking forward to seeing the pilot get picked up 🤞🏼

[mari--lace]

I don't know if I would have loved it anyway or being in the Daredevil fandom changed my brain (well, it most certainly did), but I really loved "The Good Lawyer"!

For now it's just one episode inserted in The Good Doctor's s6, but I hope they do make it into a whole new series. It was a pretty interesting trial, imo, and I'd love to see Jony deal with more trials.

She's a young woman with OCD, which makes her really good at noticing small details (for one thing) but also poses big challenges to being in a court and talking to a jury without getting distracted.

[neilrnelendez]

i really like this good lawyer crossover!!

kinda wanna watch the actual show when it’s officially on the air!!

[nacelover1993]

OMFG 😍😍😍😍😍

[wyrmswears]

??lego ninjas

[pluckysidekick]

Don’t forget Kennedy McMann is starring in a backdoor pilot for The Good Lawyer in tonight’s episode of the Good Doctor on ABC, and streaming on Hulu tomorrow.

[live-fast-pet-frogs]

The Good Lawyer, hopes and peeves

I heard the Good Doctor is looking to produce and episode that can possibly be a backdoor spinoff to the show titled "The Good Lawyer". Apparently it will feature a young female lawyer who has OCD. This was a surprise for me, as I expected that not unlike The Good Doctor, TGL would also be adapted from a korean show and my bet was Extraordinary Attorney Woo.

As a person with OCD I am quite sceptical about this choice though. While OCD is underrepresented in the media, it is also misrepresented and in most cases confused with OCPD (obsessive compulsive personality disorder, with vastly different symptoms eg. keeping rigid schedules and experiencing distress at the slightest change in their routines), autism, or just general cleanliness or quirkyness.

In reality, OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) is an anxiety disorder that consists of obsessive, intrusive thoughts that are disturbing and distressing (in some cases can be of violent, religious or sexual nature), and compulsive actions that can be but are not limited to self-harming behaviours. It is also an incredibly debilitating illness that can ruin relationships and make the sufferer isolate, harm and doubt themselves. Without the correct psychological help OCD can become chronic and can lead to the person becoming essentially housebound, or worse. It really sucks, take it from me. It is however treatable to a degree, and therapy can make a massive difference and bring back quality of life. I can say that finally after twenty years of suffering and three years in therapy, I am scheduled to come off my medications soon as I am finally feeling like my intrusive thoughts aren't directly interfering with my everyday life.

So now that we established that this is a serious mental illness, NOT a cute personality quirk, not a developmental disorder or neurodivergence, read this:

Do not get me wrong, the fact that it is role that's open to female identifying actors of any ethnicity and ability is great, and hopefully they cast an actress who has/had OCD and can bring some nuance in the role. But some of the wording around this synopsis really ticks me off.

"Joni's OCD symptoms take a severe toll on her personal and professional life."

This is good and realistic. As mentioned above, people with OCD can struggle with jobs, especially if they are in highly stressful workplaces, for example a law office.

"Joni (...) is often embarassed of her symptoms"

Again, visible compulsions can be a characteristic of someone with OCD. The thing about compulsions is, they are often unreasonable and the sufferer can feel the need to exhibit compulsions at random times and cannot always control themselves (even if they can it is very distressing to them). To give an example, one of my compulsions was knocking on wood, 40 knocks exactly with both hands, and then twisting my wrists 40 times. The intrusive thought that brought these actions out mostly had to do with the wellbeing of my brother who was severly ill at the time. I thought that, if I didn't carry out the compulsions, something would happen to him. Unreasonable, but at the time it feels so real that it doesn't matter whether you are in your room or in the frozen food aisle in Tesco, you have to do your compulsions. It is embarrassing when you feel other people's judgement or being misunderstood.

"She is a great lawyer, using her attention to detail, compulsive over-thinking and analytical skills as a superpower"

Here's where it gets icky. First things first, intrusive thoughts are not something you can control. You can't "turn on" ruminating when you want to, and definitely cannot use it as a "superpower". This was a point that was argued in OCD support groups but the majority of OCD sufferers including me think that it is rude and dismissive to refer to OCD as a superpower, or asking to focus on the "positives". Yes, in my case OCD gives me a higher sense of morality and a bigger attention to detail, but it wasn't usually in the positive aspects of life. I would refer to it more like a curse I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy rather than a superpower. It's an illness that needs treatment. The symptoms ease up following treatment. So portraying OCD like a superpower or something that makes you "special" can be harmful and get in the way of healing. This particular mindset and use of words is usually characteristic of those who aren't well informed on the topic.

Overall, I will make the final judgement AFTER I have seen the respective episode, but so far I am worried that this too will fall into the category of the misused "OCD trope" and fail to represent accurately. A lawyer with OCD is an interesting concept but I would rather watch the character managing her illness, and seeking treatment for it rather than try to use it to her advantage at work.

rant over.