“Atypical” Review

“I’m a weirdo.  That’s what everyone says.  Sometimes I don’t know what people mean when they say things, and that can make me feel alone, even when there are other people in the room.”  Sam Gardner, Atypical

As the parent of a 15 year old daughter with autism, I was excited to watch Atypical, the new Netflix series about an 18 year old high school senior who has autism.  This half-hour comedy tells the story of Sam’s quest to find a girlfriend and to discover love.  While the coming of age theme is universal, telling it through the lens of autism is unique.  I wondered if the show would portray autism accurately, and if I would see reflections of Belle, my quirky teen, in the show.   At first, I had my doubts.  The first episode seemed like a thinly-veiled lecture entitled “Autism 101.”  Perhaps that was necessary for viewers who didn’t belong to the “tribe.”  After the second episode, the story of the Gardner family deepened, and I found myself rooting for Sam, his sister Casey, and his parents Elsa and Doug.  Overall, Atypical delivered a sensitive, humorous look at autism tinged with family drama.

Atypical was written by Robia Rashid, who is known for her work on Will & Grace, The Goldbergs, and How I Met Your Mother.  “I was very aware that more people were being diagnosed with autism, and it was interesting to me that a whole generation of kids were growing up knowing that they were on the spectrum and wanting independence. That point of view seemed so interesting to me — and such a cool way to tell a dating story,” explained Rashid. (Robia Rashid Interview)  How would autism affect Sam’s view of love, romance, and dating?  Would his autistic traits become a barrier?  Would a neuro-typical (non-autistic) person ever fall for an atypical?  And if Sam did successfully become independent, how would it affect his family?

Sam (Keir Gilchrist)

What this show does well is to reveal both the obvious and subtle traits of autism.  Sam, played by Keir Gilchrist (The United States of Tara),  wears noise-cancelling headphones in the high school hallways and only buys shirts made of 100% cotton (not tri-blend cotton.)  He is obsessed with Antarctica and penguins.  He stims by twiddling, pulling on a rubber band at a certain frequency.  At his part-time job in an electronics store, he can recite the exact features of each printer and flat screen television.  While he’s a genius at some things, flirting with girls is a completely foreign language to Sam.  In one scene, Sam is approached by a flirty female classmate who asks Sam if he’d like to study for a biology test together.  “Why would I want to do that?  I’m getting an A in biology and you’re only getting an A-.  That wouldn’t benefit me at all,” he replies and quickly returns to his drawing, completely oblivious of her short skirt, smile, and body language.

Gilchrist uses Sam’s posture, eye-contact, and body movement as much as his dialogue to bring him to life.  Sam has a street-wise best friend named Zahid, who coarsely explains “the facts of life” to Sam.  Zahim’s enthusiastic and vulgar coaching throughout Sam’s sexual awakening (Episode 6: “Taking the D-train to Bonetown”), give Atypical some of the show’s biggest laughs.  In this episode, Zahim takes Sam to a strip joint to see naked women.  Sam gets sensory overload from the strobe lights and loud music and needs to leave immediately.  Atypical allows the viewer to both empathize with and find humor in Sam’s autistic traits.  In some ways, Sam is every teenage boy who wants to get laid; in other ways, he is a social refugee trying to learn the verbal and non-verbal language needed to get a visa into the dating world.

The cast of Atypical:  Casey (Brigette Lundy-Paine), Sam (Keir Gilchrist), Doug (Michael Rapaport), and Elsa (Jennifer Jason-Leigh)

The subplot of Casey Gardner, Sam’s younger sister, highlights the conflicting roles that siblings play when a child in the family has autism.  When parents discover their child has autism, the needs and desires of the neuro-typical sibling are frequently put on the back burner.  While Mom and Dad helicopter over Sam’s every move, they burden Casey with responsibilities well beyond other girls her age.  They expect Casey to act as a babysitter and bodyguard to her older brother.  Mom seems to hardly notice when Casey wins a track competition or gets a boyfriend, because she is too busy stocking up on the “right” chicken nuggets for Sam and driving Sam to weekly therapy sessions.  Brigette Lundy-Paine, the actress who plays Casey, does a stunning job as a sibling who loves and protects her brother but is also annoyed by his rigidity and eccentricity.   While Casey exists in Sam’s shadow in early episodes, by the end of the season, she emerges as the moral compass and anchor of the family.

The parents, Elsa, played by Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Doug, played by Michael Rapaport, mirror many of the marital challenges faced by a parents raising a special needs child.  Doug loves sports and finds it difficult to connect with his prickly, penguin-obsessed son, so he checks out and lets Elsa do the emotional work of managing Sam.  Doug’s story centers on improving his relationship with Sam.   Elsa takes pride in being a Mama Bear, who attacks department store clerks in the quest for a sensory-friendly dressing room and attends a weekly autism parent support group.  In her forties, Elsa discovers that she has given up her identity and become an “Autism Mom” whose entire existence revolves around Sam’s needs.  Elsa’s character tries to rediscover herself as something other than an “Autism Mom.”  While Sam begins to fall in love, Doug and Elsa face the possibility that their love story may be ending.   The painful exchanges between Doug and Elsa suggest why up to 80% of parents with a special needs child end up divorced.  I appreciate how Rashid wrote so honestly about the challenge of maintaining a good marriage while raising a special needs child.

In conclusion, I recommend Atypical as a big-hearted comedy-drama that shines a light on autism.  While it is true that every person on the autism spectrum is unique, Gilchrist’s portrayal of Sam is sensitive and accurately shows the most common challenges faced by young people with autism.  Does Sam ever fall in love or find a girlfriend?  You’ll have to tune in to see!   I hope you will.  While families who have a child on the autism spectrum will certainly be drawn to the show, I would recommend Atypical for neuro-typical families, too.  The universal themes of growing up, falling in love, marriage and family life will resonate with everyone.  Atypical reminds us that no matter what our differences, we all want the same things—love and acceptance.

Sam’s obsessive interest is Antarctica and its penguins.

I am not certain if Atypical has prepared me for the day when my daughter Belle starts dating.  I know the day is coming very soon.   A sophomore, Belle is adored by many boys at school.  You see, females on the spectrum are a bit of a rarity.  The ratio of boys to girls on the autism spectrum is 5 to 1.   In every social skills group, summer camp, or school program, Belle is always surrounded by boys—quirky boys who love robots, video games, and computers.  Apparently, Belle’s encyclopedic knowledge of viral YouTubers, her amusing graphic t-shirts, and her kick-butt gaming skills are aphrodisiacs.  It’s only a matter of months before she will fall for one of these boys.    I’d better start getting used to the idea.

 

Resources

Atypical IMDB

Robia Rashid Interview

15 Fun Facts About Penguins