Atypical, a series that celebrates difference, adaptability and an open-minded approach towards life. Since I watched all four seasons of Atypical together, I thought of talking about all four seasons together.
Storyline of Atypical
The initial promotions of atypical led with a question “What does it really mean to be normal?“ This question was catchy enough to get me to watch this show. Sam is a kid on the autistic spectrum, even the mere noise of the tinkling of bracelet charms could become deafening for him.
Sam’s 18 now and has always been inside a cocoon as his mother Elsa was super protective. However, now he wants to figure out how to date, take responsibilities, fall in love and also go to college.
Sam was always fascinated by penguins and tried to express his emotions and breakthroughs by somehow connecting them to the lifestyle of penguins. Here is an example of how he expresses his thoughts when he discovers about his mother’s extramarital affair- “There’s a hole in the Antarctic the size of Maine. It’s most probably the result of hot water bubbling under the ice. Invisible but destroying ice sheets from under the surface.”
The narration of his feelings to his therapist Julia makes it easy for us to comprehend the co-relation between his observation regarding penguins and his personal life.
Sam’s best friend Zahid gave him very vague advice which made the show a bit funny at times. Casey, Sam’s sister also adjusts to a lot of life changes, for example, her first boyfriend, getting to know about her mother’s extramarital affair. The first season was very focused on Sam. However, in further seasons, I like how every character evolves in this series and eventually explores their individuality.
All the seasons pick up where the last season was left. Season two of Atypical was much more improved as compared to season 1 as it is not focused on Sam alone. Doug learns about Elsa’s affair with the bartender which kind of breaks the family apart. Casey also gets a chance to shift to a better school via excellence in sports. She comes across some very mean girls at school and a frenemy Ezie. Sam also, somehow adjusts to being at school without his sister Casey.
“Whoever said” Practice makes perfect “was an idiot. Humans cannot be perfect, because we are not machines. Unfortunately, the best thing you can say about practice is that it helps.”
In season 3 Elsa tries to find a new normal with Doug and mend their relationship. Sam discovers his excellence in art and takes up a college. It was very difficult for Sam to adjust to changes and everything around him was changing. I was very convinced with the acting of the protagonist Sam Gardner (played by Keir Gilchrist). In college, he joins a peer group with other kids with autism that adds to the humor as well as the genuineness of the show.
“I realized that although I hated it when you touched my things and put on my clothes, I hated it even more when you left.” -Sam Gardener
To Sum Up
Until the fourth season of Atypical, there have been love stories, affairs, a lot about penguins and Antarctica and coming-out stories. The last season wraps up the show very well. Atypical throws light on many different issues and sums up to be an amazing show. I could connect to a lot of characters and be quite empathetic towards them. Gardner’s have their own complications which have been addressed in detail. To be precise Atypical gets all the details right which makes it a delight to watch.
If you have watched this show then do let me know about your views as well.
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