From the very first episode, I found myself very fond of the characters in this show.
Autism is represented in a simple, general way. Nonetheless, with deep, meaningful relationships and without ignoring that, people on the spectrum have more in their lives than just a diagnosis.
[Spoilers ahead]
Sam is a grown-up - what’s Elsa’s role now?
Sam (Keir Gilchrist) has come of age, and it is time to go to college. A different environment, with different people and, most importantly, diverse and, perhaps, bigger challenges.
Emancipation is hard, but he is ready. Elsa (Jennifer Jason Leigh), however… Sam’s mother is in a hard place about her marriage and her life. Sam doesn’t need her so much anymore, and she starts to feel lost.
It’s quite common for parents, especially stay-at-home mothers, to start questioning the meaning of their lives and even the value of their efforts as soon as the kids stop being so dependent. It’s not difficult to imagine how complicated it can be for a mother who has lived her life to help a child who doesn’t fit. She did everything for everybody except for herself.
Friendships are the most complicated relationships
As you grow up, you also realize that keeping a friendship can be a very delicate task. Your life is changing, and your friends' as well. How to deal with that?
In this season, Sam faces a hard breakup. His friendship with Zahid (Nik Dodani), which had been, until this point, a symbol of stability and help to Sam, suddenly becomes a source of frustration and uncertainty.
As Sam finds out that Zahid’s new girlfriend stole something from the shop where they both work, he faces a terrible dilemma. Should he preserve their friendship by saying nothing? Or should he do what he considers to be the right thing? It is difficult for anyone, but even more so for someone on the spectrum.
Sam needs life to be black or white. He has no idea how to deal with the different shades of gray. His final decision breaks the probably strongest bond he was able to build outside his family.
Wider family dynamic
The show was able to subtly recreate with the audience the same thing that was happening to Elsa.
Sam is no longer so dependent, so his mother starts looking at the world around her. At this point, the show starts looking around as well, and the viewer with it.
In this season, Casey (Jack Haven) has a little more screen time, enriching the story even more. She is struggling with her sexuality, and it was good to see how Sam can be so understanding and supportive towards Casey when she needs to.
At the same time, their parents also struggle to know what to do about their lives and marriage. Sam seems a bit detached from that problem, as if he had no idea or didn’t care about what was going on.
The problems, however, don’t end with his nuclear family. His girlfriend is also having a hard time adapting to college life. It can be seen as a reminder that even so-called normal people can have trouble adapting to change, and it may offer some help and motivation to those on the spectrum.
A Heart Warming show
I think I’m biased for many reasons I won't explore in this review, but I really like this show.
It has a couple of things that I would make differently, sure. For example, I think it’s too optimistic that the vast majority of people who cross Sam’s life simply accept his eccentricities. The world I know is, unfortunately, very different.
Another situation I can’t fully understand is that they keep showing Amy Okuda’s (How to Get Away with Murder) character, Sam's ex-therapist, even though she no longer contributes to the story.
As a whole, nonetheless, Atypical is a very good show, and I’m eagerly awaiting the next season.
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