Atypical | A Netflix Series Review

Lately, for TV to be considered “good” – and good enough for other people to talk about – it has to be marred with people of poor character. Flawed characters who will do anything, literally anything to get by. It’s all so very exhausting really. Sure, some of those shows give us laughs or make us happy that we aren’t “those” people, but can’t we also have shows about people we wouldn’t mind being friends with? It’s been a summer of murderers, philanderers, launderers, and drug user-ers…I just wanted that to work. How about some lighter fair?

In Netflix’s Atypical, Sam (Keir Gilchrist) is an 18 year-old high school senior on the autism spectrum. With the help of his therapist, Julia (Amy Okuda), he decides that he would like to start dating, because you know, he is 18 and would like to see boobs at some point. His younger sister Casey (Brigette Lundy-Paine ) – who serves as Sam’s life Sherpa, protector, and best friend – is on her very own adventure of change and first loves. Sam’s parents Elsa (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and Doug (Michael Rapaport) struggle to balance the life of taking care of a child on the spectrum, while continuing to appreciate one another as husband and wife. Finally, Julia – who is essentially a secret member of the family with her own story – struggles to find the balance of work and home and finds it hard to not blur the line. This is not just Sam’s story, it is a lot about how Sam affects and has affected the people around him. In all, you get a rich story where people grow, grow stronger, become weaker, fight through and do the life thing. They accomplish this with an airy levity to it that carries a feeling of wonder. Atypical does have its share of “darker” moments, but they don’t set the tone for the show, more so they are simple story-enhancing devices that do their job, then leave.

Keir Gilchrist as Sam is a wonderful piece of casting, managing to make Sam both sympathetic and sensitive. As the main character, you don’t find it to be laborious to want to spend more time with him. Keir’s timing, mannerisms, and deliveries make for a full fledge charming character, who informs as well as entertains. Best of all is when Jenna Boyd’s Paige, a friend of Sam’s, makes her appearance, as her personality plays off of and intensifies Sam’s into some great pieces of entertainment. Brigette Lundy-Paine’s portrayal of Casey really walks a line expertly. She is supposed to be this snarky, stubborn, self-centered teenager – and she is – but she is also a very caring and loving sister. She just has this laser guided system that targets one person in the household with a constant barrage of tension and irritation. Casey is charming and relatable and never crosses the line of becoming the kind of insufferable teenager that shows like this tends to give us. She has actual explanations for all her actions, and they do give her a big heroic moment in the first episode that buys her a lot of good will as the series moves forward.

Jennifer Jason Leigh and Michael Rapaport as the Gardner parents are perfectly and almost annoyingly good examples of “Good Cop, Bad Cop”. Michael Rapaport’s portrayal of Doug made him the sort of everyday guy that I would like to be friends with. He connects with his daughter, longs for a connection with his son, and works at keeping his wife Elsa interested in him. Does the character have his downsides? Sure he does, but Rapaport’s take on him keeps him on the side of the angels, great for a laugh, and awesome as an audience surrogate.

Elsa. Elsa, Elsa, Elsa. First let me say: Where the hell has Jennifer Jason Leigh been all this time?! Ok I just looked, and it’s been literally everywhere I haven’t been looking. Back at the ranch, JJL’s (yea I’m just going to use that because it doesn’t feel right calling her just Jennifer or Leigh, and especially not Jason) Elsa is the recipient of the “character best to hate” award. The sad thing was that I only took issue with her when she went back to doing self-destructive activities. Subtracted from that, she’s relatable as a mom who has made her entire life about her son with disabilities. You understand her motivations, and then when she starts to go too far with things, it makes sense: she just wants to feel something different. Though she is an A-hole about it, it’s logical and it’s hard to really hold it against her. Except you do, because she deserves it.

I could go on about each supporting character, but I am going to save the time and what’s left of my vocabulary and writing skill to just tell you that the supporting characters all bring something worth watching to the table. It’s easy to see who they are and their level of importance because nearly everyone else is practically a faceless caricature. They all bring a levity with them, and serve as the voice of the audience for our characters, practically saying the right thing for our leads right when they need to hear it.

In a summer of dark and gritty, with sparse amounts of light and levity, Atypical expertly walks a fine line. It’ll make you laugh, give you a hint of understanding in what the family life of a person with autism is like, and it will entertain. Each 30 minute episode feels coherently packed with story and never feels condensed. And the leads always leave you with something to think about. Like, how do we make eye contact and look away at the same time? By the end of these 8 episodes, you’ll be dying to know too.