Atypical: anything but typical
On Friday, Nov. 1, season three of Netflix’s “Atypical” premiered, ending the two-year wait for fans who had fallen in love with the talented cast and endearing story line in 2018, when the second season came out. Telling the story of Sam Garner (Keir Gilchrist) - a high school senior on the autism spectrum - and his family, the show aims to deconstruct the societal stereotypes of those diagnosed with autism and to provide a first person narrative to put the audience into Garner’s shoes. However, as the seasons progress, the focus becomes less about a boy with autism and more about a family dealing with growing up (and at times growing apart), with Doug (Michael Rapaport) and Elsa Garner (Jennifer Jason Leigh) on the brink of divorce after adultery and 16-year-old Casey Garner (Brigette Lundy-Paine) discovering both herself and her sexuality. The new season brought it all: heartbreak, passion, reconciliation and new beginnings, and it is fair to say that fans are already looking forward to season four. The season picks up with Sam beginning his freshman year at the local college. After attending a mainstream public high school, not separated in a special education program, he is determined to approach college like any other “neurotypical” student (a person not on the autism spectrum), refusing disability services. He is nervous about his new world, aware that he views life through a different lens than the rest of his peers. But it soon becomes apparent that with structure and dedication, he will not become one of the four out of five students on the spectrum who fail to graduate from college, and in fact realizes he can thrive at the collegiate level. The story line that kept most fans on the edge of their seats and allowed the show to gain popularity with teens is the love triangle Sam’s younger sister, Casey Garner finds herself in. Being forced to choose between a charming local boy and an ambitious track star, Casey’s feelings of confusion are perfectly relatable to young girls and boys exploring and questioning their own sexuality. Autism is always the center of the show, and while Netflix has received criticism in the past for not casting real autistic actors, the second season addressed the complaints by casting a number of actors on the spectrum, even though Gilchrist is not autistic. It is incredible how nuanced the acting and writing is, creating intertwining stories the entire family can connect to. “Atypical” is a fantastic show that speaks to the teen experience and is an honest depiction of the difficulties of coming of age in the present day.