Yes, hello, I'm alive!
I'm sorry I wasn't able to post an entry for yesterday. I guess, I'm just caught up in finishing requirements for school and maintaining a good health status the past few days that I forgot that I have this at hand as well. No worries. Like always, I will do a double post for today to make it up to you guys (for those of you that are still intact with reading my blogs, of course---if ever there are still a lot of you out there).
I've been meaning to write about some shows I've watched so far but I haven't gotten my way around it until today. So the first series that I finished from Netflix over the quarantine period was Atypical. It's a series about Sam, who's a teenager with autism discovering the life unfolding right before his very eyes. He's a high-functioning teenager with autism who's very fond of Antarctic facts. To top it all, he really really loves penguins to the point that he named a penguin in their ocean park, paid from his life savings (Her name's Stumpy... Cute, right?). He also loves rules, lists and keeping things organized. But on the other hand, he also loves to draw (and he's pretty good at it).
I had to rewatch for me to write this especially because the next and final season is coming up (which was said to be in 2021, as stated from a Netflix news I read). I felt a bit dismayed because I was hoping that Atypical would at least have more seasons than just four in total. I guess, not all people appreciate a good show about autism? I even researched this one show sitcom entitled Speechless, which had a similar vibe to Atypical. It only had three seasons in total. To be fair though, I don't think they romanticized autism in the show (except for little tidbits but can be forgiven). When I was watching it for the first time, it felt like I was watching and following a teenager's coming-of-age and that teenager just so happened to have autism.
I got to see Sam's struggles not only in intimate relationships but also in friends and family. There's also the little things that I loved watching in the show. It was nice that Sam was relatable in certain levels as people without autism. It only showed that people with autism in general aren't as different as any other person if we only understood them. The Antarctic facts that went with Sam's actual experiences were also perfectly inserted at every episode. It shaped the narrative well.
Watching through the three seasons, it's nice that Sam is not the only focus in the story as well. They also showed Casey, which is Sam's younger sister. The series portrayed high school miseries and triumphs through both Sam and Casey. I love how indistinguishable it is at times for who's older than who between the two of them. For most parts, Casey feels responsible for Sam because he has autism. But Sam also shows his concern and care for Casey since he's the older brother. However weird, their relationship as brother and sister is similar to that of most siblings with the teasing and annoying but still having to care for one another. I also appreciated their openness to each other about their personal lives (which is sometimes, too much information... What with Sam being too straightforward and honest with what he's thinking). It is also interesting with the show inserting a commentary or two about teen sexuality.
Doug and Elsa's relationship is also another thing. The neglect that both of them felt in trying to mold their families and focus on Sam became such a staple issue throughout the story. It still shows that no matter how well Sam had been raised and how fine he's been doing at present, there was still something tainted in their family.
Overall, this series deserves more than just four seasons. It was everything I had hoped for in a show. I guess, I'll just have to rewatch all four seasons again after the last season comes up.
Comments
Post a Comment