Atypical (Season One)

Continuing the high school drama kick I'm apparently on, I checked out Atypical on Netflix, which is about an high school student named Sam -- who is on the autism spectrum -- and his family. I have very positive things to say about the show, but before I do, I feel like I need to discuss something.

After watching the show, I decided to check out some reviews online, one of which was rather scathing (and judging by the comments, the author was not alone). That review came from someone who identified themself as being on the spectrum (a very useful perspective for a show like this, to be sure) and was disappointed by the characterization of Sam. In particular they felt that Sam was portrayed as an exaggerated and stereotypical caricature who misses social cues far more often than is realistic and whose "utter lack of tact is jarring". From this perspective, I could understand why Atypical's portrayal of Sam could be seen as damaging, as people on the autism spectrum are under-represented in television and characters who are written like someone on the spectrum may not be identified as such (thinking specifically of Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory). While watching the show, I did not process Sam as being representative of people on the autism spectrum in general and just thought of Sam as representative of Sam, a person with a condition that affects different people in unique ways. That's the direction from which I am reviewing Atypical, but I wanted to acknowledge the other viewpoint above because I feel it is important.

*****

Atypical is nominally the story of Sam Gardner (Keir Gilchrist), but it quickly becomes clear that the show is just as much about his younger sister Casey (Brigette Lundy-Paine), his mother Elsa (Jennifer Jason Leigh*), and his father Doug (Michael Rapaport). Despite spending a considerable amount of time with Sam's parents, it's a high school show, and one that runs afoul of my biggest pet peeve about high school shows: inappropriately aged actors. At the time of release, Gilchrist, Lundy-Paine, and Jenna Boyd (who plays Paige, one of Sam's potential love interests), were all 24 years old. This does a disservice to the realism** of the genre.

*I know Jennifer Jason Leigh from two things -- this show and Fast Times at Ridgemont High. I am therefore only aware of her existence at two ages, 20 and 55. I feel like I am trying to see Stacy Hamilton in her face every time I watch her on this show and it's super difficult.

**In one accidentally hilarious scene, one of the over-aged high school kids tries to order a drink at a bar, only to be told, "You're clearly not 21".

That complaint aside, nearly every arc and character on this show are great, and Atypcial builds them all into fully realized characters who behave in believable ways (with one exception, which I'll get to). The principal storyline of the season is Sam's attempting to enter the dating world, which is difficult enough for anyone but is even tougher for him given his condition. He tries to work through his issues with his therapist, Julia (whom the show smartly fleshes out beyond just her interactions with Sam), and many of the dating ideas he tries out are built from their sessions together. Gilchrist's performance in the role is excellent and Sam winds up coming off likable despite some of the things he does, because you can tell he's well meaning and just trying to figure out the "rules" of something unfamiliar to him.

As fun as it is to watch Sam, his sister Casey is the show's strongest character and has the most to deal with. She's a track star who's navigating her relationship with her first boyfriend, Evan (Graham Rogers), trying to do what's best for her future track career, dealing with extreme peer pressure from her friends and coach, dealing with pretty substantial issues with each of her parents (we're not talking about typical teenage bullshit here, either), struggling with the ways that Sam's condition has altered her upbringing and family life, all while serving as Sam's de facto guardian through the harsh social waters of high school (when she's not semi-lovingly pushing him around and making fun of him herself). Casey can be very cold and biting, and usually she has a pretty good motivation for it. I think the show strikes the perfect balance between Casey's righteous rage and moments of unnecessary teenage jerkiness, making her someone who's easy to like, yet grounded in reality.

Elsa and Doug are also given quite a bit to do as the parents of these two. For years, Elsa has taken upon herself to responsibly (yet aggressively) manage Sam's autism. She attends support meetings with other parents and has a deep understanding of Sam's condition and what he goes through. She's essentially the primary caregiver, but feels stuck given that it can often be an unrewarding job (and the litany of shit thrown her way by Casey makes it all the more difficult). Her loyalty to her family and role begins being significantly tested before the curtain closes on the first episode. Doug is coming from a different place, as he's been historically uninvolved with Sam, but with Sam's newfound interest in dating, he sees a second chance to connect with his son.

The non-Gardners on the show are generally quality characters as well. Sam's friend and co-worker Zahid is something of a womanizing bonehead, but he's good for comic relief and the way he's invested in Sam's problems is legitimately endearing. Casey's boyfriend Evan has his moments as well and seems pretty relatable, especially given the situations he gets put into by Casey and the rest of the Gardners. The one character on the show that doesn't really work is Paige, who is interested in Sam but we know so little about her that it's not really clear why. Sam isn't particularly nice to her and she's openly condescending about Sam's most prominent interest (Antarctica). It would work better if Paige's affection for Sam was a little more well-developed, because as far as we can tell, she either 1) thinks he's really hot, or 2) just wants someone to label as her boyfriend. Neither of those would provide the required weight for her apparent emotional investment. Then again, I guess teenagers are goofy.

Little problems aside, Atypical has a stellar plot that seamlessly weaves in twists that pack some major highs and emotional gut-punches. This is in stark contrast to a show like, say, This Is Us, which drops random, occasionally nonsensical bombs out of nowhere just to try to give you all the feels. In Atpyical, every place the story goes seems logical and works well within the universe that the show has created for itself. With just eight half-hour episodes, the show doesn't try to do too much and spends just the right amount of time playing out each arc. It's an addictive watch that sucks you into its world and compels you to root for its characters (a happy Casey is just as satisfying as a happy Kate from Everything Sucks!). It does all of this while offering a unique perspective on our world that isn't commonly seen on television (Sam's voice-over narration is a great feature). I've seen some pretty great TV so far in 2018, and Atypical is likely to wind up near the top of the list.

Season One Grade: A