Atypical on Netflix

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I loved it, great cast!

Why do shows always have to have one creepy sex-obsessed friend?

It isn't funny.

This show is so good. Why add a Barney Stinson creep?

I enjoyed Zahid, made me laugh. And I think IRL we all have one friend that is like Zahid/Barney/...

It fell short for me in two areas. Firstly, the writing. There are too many times where the direction of the plot or the actions of characters feels contrived for the sake of drama or one-liners. For example, the main character is undergoing social skills training in a sense, mediated by his therapist. That makes sense, but it doesn't make sense that at his age they've never covered things like how to smile or zones of proximity for varying levels of intimacy, when it's heavily implied he's received a lot of early intervention. Another example is when his family members speak to him frequently in metaphors, which he misunderstands. You'd think by now his family would have learnt not to do that.

Secondly, the main character. This kind of goes back to the first issue, but sometimes he does or says some really stupid things, things that are being portrayed as being the result of his autism but comes off as inauthentic as he's an adolescent, not a child, and fairly intelligent. It again comes off as contrived as a result. When he breaks into the house for example, the reason the story gives for his motivation is that he's simply following rules that he's been given, but it's completely absurd that someone of his intelligence wouldn't realise the rule of not breaking into someone's house takes precedence.

I think the bigger issue that underlies both of these points is that the series swings frequently between drama and comedy, but it doesn't always get the balance right. For that reason it'll often have a character be part of a dramatic arc, but then utter something that makes no sense for that character for the sake of a making a joke. And it might've been an admittedly funny joke that made me laugh, but it'll be at the expense of keeping the characters true to themselves and their motivations, which undermines the drama.

Despite all the above, I enjoyed the show. It featured a good cast with some very good acting from everyone, even if the script they had to work with wasn't up to the same standard. I felt like even if they didn't nail the portrayal of high functioning autism in a young adult, they did nail the feeling of frustration of growing up with it. And the family dynamics, how they change when a child is diagnosed with it felt really spot on. There were many moments in the series where it was difficult for me to watch because it brought back a lot of memories and even made me realise some things that I maybe wasn't really that aware of - like how being autistic can isolate your family members from other people and each other. I like that the focus felt equally shared between the main character and the rest of the family, who often seem just as affected by the main character's problems. I appreciate the level of research that went into making the show, even if sometimes it seems like the writers feel like they've had to include everything they've learnt into the show through clumsy expository dialogue to its detriment. Overall, despite thinking there is a lot of room for improvement the show is still enjoyable and I would recommend it if the premise interests you.

I mentioned this in another post about the dad and his "discovery" of Sam as a person. It isn't possible that this stuff is THIS new to him, even if he was a crappy dad, there is a certain amount of reality you can't not learn.

Though I'm forgiving a lot because Sam is 18... NOT talking about some of these things leaves out the audiences opportunity to learn what Sam's family would have learned when he was younger.

As for the metaphors... I dislike it for another reason... we are a metaphor rich family, my son isn't afraid of them or broken by them anymore... he understands that if someone says "this spoon a purple goat" that there is an absolute impossibility that is literal, so he either ignores it, asks, laughs (because metaphors are the funniest things ever)... and he's 10... I feel like Sam is smart enough that he should be beyond being derailed by figurative speech... but again, the audience is being introduced to a grown man with autism... some story elements are going to be overplayed.

I said the same thing... SO glad it wasn't geometry or space or something ordinary or cliche...

I think Paige and Zahid are subversive ASD characters... as soon as I saw Paige I thought it was a setup, her energy and geekyness and rules (and autism becomes her special interest)... Zahid's hyperconfidence and social wrongness (as well as his obliviousness to that wrongness)... I think that may be brilliantly intentional.


amen

I still can't believe Sam broke into his therapists house.

I don't. I'd drop some that disgusting like a bit potato. But then I'm female.

I thought the Zahid character was terrible. And as someone else said, I can't believe Paige wasn't AS, but the show strongly implied she was NT.