As any long-time reader of this blog will know, media
representations of Autism are a tricky thing. Everyone wants to be progressive
it seems, and they all want a piece of the neurodiversity pie – which, I should
say, is awesome because more allies are always welcome! The problem is, however,
that such people are often not fully aware of exactly what ASD really is.
Because of this, many (not all – I’ve already mentioned in the past how awesome
both Pidge Gunderson and Billy Cranston are as positive representations of
autistics and aspies in media) shows that try to present a nuanced, positive
view of life on the Spectrum fall flat on their faces while passing through
stereotype land…as though they were Sideshow Bob stepping on a thousand rakes
one at a time yet still not learning from the experience. This is exactly where
Netflix’s new series ‘Atypical’ finds itself, and if I’m being honest, it is a
show that has conflicted me to the core.
The thing about a show like ‘Atypical’ is that – contrary to
what you might read on several Neurodiversity blogs – it’s not ALL bad. If it
was, this would be far easier. The fact is, I actually found quite a bit to
like about this show. As autistic main characters go, Sam may be problematic,
but he’s far from unlikeable. He’s an awkward, nerdy, isolated teenager lost in
his own rich inner world, and who connects with real life through the lens of
his own intense special interests – an approach to life which is intimately
familiar to me, and to which all of those on the Spectrum should be able to
relate in some form. When we first get to hear Sam’s internal monologue and
realize that he makes sense of his dating life through his understanding of the
mating life of penguins? I was smiling ear to ear, remembering all the times I’d
done that myself with video games, computers, Star Trek and Star Wars. The fact
that he has such a supportive and accepting best friend throughout the run of
the show – one who never once makes a big deal of or points out Sam’s autism as
a failing – adds to the list of things I found impossible not to like about
this show. On some level, it’s charming and you can’t help but smile.
On the other hand, there’s a far uglier side to all of this.
Shockingly, I don’t even necessarily mean Sam’s mom – a character who built her
entire existence around Sam’s autism and protecting him from the world. In her
case, I was surprised to realize after the first few episodes that she was essential
as both a commentary on the excesses of parents’ groups and as a foil for Sam –
a barrier he could overcome and grow because of it. Even his father – despite some
ball-dropping on his part – manages to be extremely likeable. He pushes Sam to
try things even when his mother doesn’t believe him capable, and despite his
many personal failings, he always tries to bond with his son as a human being –
something I really appreciated seeing. The problem isn’t with either of Sam’s
parents individually; it’s with when they come together as a familial whole.
Taken as a group, the show definitely communicates that Sam’s Autism is somehow
a burden to his family – his mother is driven to an affair because of his
autism and how invested she became, his father laments the son he never had,
and his sister feels as though she can’t live her own life because of him.
While true to life in that this is a sad reality that impacts many families, it is also an unfortunate message
to be sending in a show that is supposed to be about raising consciousness
around the lived experience of neurodiverse individuals. If Atypical truly
wanted to make a statement, it would present a family that didn’t consider Sam
to be a burden, and instead focussed on all of the hilarious misadventures and
challenges that affect those on the Spectrum. Trust me, there’s enough material
there alone to write a compelling and funny series about.
On that note, Sam’s characterization is also slightly
problematic…mainly due both to how inconsistently he’s written and how one
dimensional he sometimes comes across. As I’ve mentioned above, when Sam is
written right, he’s a loveable, awkward weirdo and dork who I couldn’t help but
find endearing and relatable as one spectrum-dweller to another. When he’s
written wrong, however, a whole host of unfortunate implications ensue. He
displays sexist behaviour towards women, treating them more like objects than
people, and has creepy tendencies (like breaking into his therapist’s house to
proclaim his undying love for her). Many would make the case that there are in
fact autistics who display these traits, but I would counter with the fact that
– yes, there may be – but they are learned behaviours not intrinsic of people
on the spectrum. Including them in a character that is supposed to represent
the human side of autism, if anything, just makes the rest of us look like
disabled monsters. I also question the intensity with which Sam manifests
autistic traits. While yes, there are many autistics who do have Sam’s
experience of the world, that is not true of everyone’s lived autism
experience. Sam is overly stereotypical, which is understandable in a way since
the show is trying to help people grasp autism better, but I can’t help but
feel this would have been served better with greater nuance. The fact that Sam’s
girlfriend tries to shut him up about his interests and makes him feel badly
about them rather than letting him explore them is also problematic. We all
need to learn the lessons of the world, and I distinctly recall being taught
not to talk too much about the same thing socially myself, but that doesn’t
make it any less cringe-worthy to hear her talk about him having three pass
cards after which he can’t talk about penguins any more that day. I mean – what
is he? A well trained monkey?
At the end of the day, I’m willing to concede that shows
like ‘Atypical’ are part of the very early consciousness-raising efforts
surrounding neurodiversity. In that sense – as an early ‘alpha’ if you will –
it is essential. It naturally will make lots of mistakes and fall flat despite
it’s best efforts because, quite frankly, people still don’t know a lot about
Autism outside of the stereotypes. That, however, is where show needs to do its
most growing. I can’t deny that the showrunners mean well with how they’ve put
things together, but if anything, I think they themselves would benefit from
immersing themselves in the Neurodiversity scene. The lack of any autistic
writers on the staff, the fact that the only source consulted in the project
was a medical autism researcher, and the fact that the lead wasn’t played by an
autistic actor, combined with the problematic portrayals of Sam’s family and
his own character make this a deeply flawed show. It has heart, a loveable (if
problematic) main character, and genuinely tries – things I can’t take from it –
but in this case, simply having one’s heart in the right place isn’t enough.
I have no doubt that ‘Atypical’ will help raise acceptance
and awareness of the real human stories on the spectrum for many viewers. For
that it should rightly receive praise. I WANT to love it, even. But the fact
remains, for a show about promoting Neurodiversity, it needs A LOT of work.
As always, yours in diversity,
Adam Michael
