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Gardner family.

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Introduction

The coming of age fiction and heartfelt comedy-drama is a recently new Netflix original series that has been talked about. Atypical premiered on August 11, 2017, a full season with eight episodes on Netflix. Now going onto the 3rd season, Atypical has had a season come out every year since it premiered. The series was created and written by Robia Rashid and Academy Award-winning producer Seth Gordon. The show has been nominated for a few awards, some including a 2018 Satellite Award for best television series, comedy or musical and a 2019 Peabody Award for entertainment.

Thesis

Atypical is a show based on the life of a teenage boy, Sam, that is on the autism spectrum. Through every episode, we see different obstacles that come his way, whether it’s through him trying to explore love, family issues, his dad trying to get a better understanding of him or school/college things. Sam is trying to be more independent, as his mom, in particular, hasn’t let go. This show provokes laughter, heartwarming moments, arguments and different climax.

Purpose

The purpose of this analysis is to critically examine an episode of the television program Atypical for its context, critical orientation, the look of the program and its code, and analysis of emotional appeal and the influences the program has on viewers.

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Casey Gardner comforting Sam after he had an episode and was freaking out.

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Description of Atypical
Atypical is an original series brought out by Netflix. This year they just released their third season. Each season contains 8-10 episodes, each episode is no longer than 35 minutes each. It is a coming of age fiction show that is about the life of an 18 year old boy on the autism spectrum. Many family problems rise as he tries to explore new things like dating and going to college. Keir Gilchrist plays Sam Gardner, which is the main character and the central person in the show as he plays the boy on the spectrum. A big part of the show is Sam talking to his therapist, Julia Saski who is played by Amy Okuda. He tells her everything and he also would ask her for relationship advice. This led to him having a crush on her and he ended up confessing his love to her. This caused a distance to form between Julia and Sam, causing Julia to stop seeing Sam for sessions which leaves him devastated. Brigette Lundy-Paine plays Casey Gardner, Sam’s sister, who is 16 years old and is an athlete for track as she explores herself and questioning her sexuality as the episodes go on. She looks after Sam at all times, it’s her job to make sure he’s okay. She plays more of a tomboy role. Michael Rapaport plays Doug Gardner, the dad married to Elsa Gardner, the mom, played by Jennifer Jason Leigh. Doug Gardner has a hard time understanding Sam and has always been closed off to everyone around him about the fact his son is on the spectrum. As the episodes go by we see him developing his relationship with Sam and his efforts in trying to relate to him. As Elsa Gardenr, is super overprotective about her son and has a hard time letting him go. She is afraid to let him make decisions for himself and hasn’t grasped the concept that he’s grown and matured. She is a very sneaky character as she one day meets this bartender Nick at a bar and starts to talk to him. She secretly starts to go see him and they form a relationship based on hooking up. She ends up being caught in action by her daughter Casey, this causes the family to break up leading to Elsa’s character hitting a really low point. She then gets kicked out of the house and tries to do anything in her manner to get Doug to forgive her and let her come back to the house. Casey completely disowns her mom as she refuses to give her any attention. The show is very based on family and all the conflicts that evolve throughout the episodes. It’s about learning to overcome and trying to work on bettering things, even when everything might be going wrong, just to help bring the family closer together. Each character has their specific personalities that help bring the theme and concept of the show together.

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Sam Gardner and Casey Gardner

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Episode five of season one came out on August 11, 2017. Because of the fact that it’s a Netflix original, the episode came out altogether with the rest of the episodes of season one. The episode opens up with with a monologue from Sam, in the setting of his job at Techtropolis. Sam is going to bring his girlfriend, Paige back to his house for the first time. When he brought her into his room, she started touching and picking up all of her things causing him to get triggered and lock her in the closet. Meanwhile, Casey is going to visit Clayton Prep, a private school that gave her an offer to do track there. This is the first time Casey is going to be away from Sam, which worries her. We find out that Doug, the dad, hadn’t told Chuck, his coworker of five years, that Sam has autism. Elsa, their mom is going behind her family's back hanging out with the bartender Nick she met in the previous episode. The episode ends with her at his house for his birthday, starting to passionately make out as they were going to sleep together. Throughout the episode, there is a lot of buildup in character, allowing us to get more of an understanding of the type of people they are.

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Questions for Analysis

I chose the following questions from the analysis from the guidelines for television criticism to achieve the purpose stated at the beginning of this chapter. I then put the questions into four headings: (1) Context, (2) Critical Orientation, (3) The Look of the Program and its Codes, and (4) Analysis of characters. There are other ways to analyze this program but these will reveal the most important aspects of Atypical’s opening season.

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Atypical was created and written by Robia Rashid, a producer who has previous works on How I Met Your Mother and The Goldbergs. The show was produced by Sony Pictures Television and it was produced in Los Angeles, California. Rashid’s purpose in writing this show was to shine light on those on the autism spectrum who as they grow up want a little more independence. It also shines light on the effects that it might bring to the families with someone on the spectrum. Rashid wanted to create a show of showing a dating story and someone trying to grow to be more independent, from a different perspective than the usual, like having someone on the spectrum as the main role. She explains she had to do a lot of research and reading on Autism. She consulted with Michelle Dean, a California State University professor, who worked at who worked at UCLA's Center for Autism Research and Treatment. Michelle Dean was present throughout the making of the show she was also on set while they were filming it. Rashid wrote the pilot herself. In an interview with Vulture, she says she wanted there to be edge and heart within the script and the story being told through it. Autism affects people of all sorts, different races, genders, which was something Rashid wanted people to be more aware of too. While writing the script too, she interviewed a lot of people that were actually on the autism spectrum to provide their input. One of the people she consults with that's on the spectrum is David Finch, he reads through all the script and was on set, giving suggestions and his input on what was best. As the season goes on, Rashid tries to include more people on the spectrum in real life to allow it to be as realistic as possible. She considered the main role being someone that was actually on the spectrum, except Keir Gilchrist was the perfect fit as he has had a lot of experience with people on the spectrum, was very passionate about it and care about it a lot. The sets are all realistically like one would see in real life. From the house, to the schools, to the bar, the therapist's office, Sams job, and all the other location settings in the show, all have a natural realistic approach.

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Sam Gardner trying to flirt with a girl.

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The following questions that will be answered under this analysis heading are:

1. How do the characters and events in the programs in the program reflect real people and events?

2. Does the program reinforce or challenge mainstream and cultural values?

Looking deeply into the characters, the buildup of each character in season 1 is extreme. When focusing specifically on episode 5, we see different sides of characters coming out. As the episodes go by we learn more about the type of person Sam is, as he is on the spectrum. The whole storyline being about a family with a kid on the spectrum and on top of that having family issues, reflect on real people and events. It is clear that they are no perfect family, as there are many problems that evolve just between the family itself. Problems like the dad having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that his son is on the spectrum. The mom is a cheater and sleeping around with the bartender Nick, sneaking around with him until her daughter catches her in the act. Not to mention the fact that the mom can’t let go of Sam and is constantly worrying about him and on top of him. And Casey having the responsibility to look after Sam at school and just, in general, make sure he’s okay at all times. When viewing all the events that happen just between the family, it reflects a lot of what any average family could be going through. The show puts out realistic conflicts that can come between any family. Especially just the task of having a son or sibling on the spectrum, the way the family has to overcome and handle different challenges that have to do with him, working around his needs, can reflect any family with someone on the spectrum.

Atypical can be viewed as reinforcing mainstream and cultural values. The program touches upon many different values throughout the different characters portrayed in the program. One of the cultural values that are reinforced throughout the program is individuality. Sam being on the spectrum shows a lot of individuality traits. He is his own individual person, he likes to be independent and do things for himself. Although this can sometimes be challenged by those around him, in particular, his mom, he still does what wants to do and what works best for himself. He doesn’t like to be told what to do and he’d prefer to do things by himself, making decisions for himself. Another event that happens in the show that reinforces cultural values is when Casey starts catching feelings for her best friend Izzy.  This confronts all values of society and its culture, shining a light on the LGBT community. Not to mention all the cultural values portrayed through the family, due to the fact that family is the central idea in the program. Just having the program be about a kid that’s autistic is a reinforcement in cultural values itself.

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The following questions that will be answered under this analysis heading are:

1. Does the program have a personality or actor whom you enjoy watching?

2. What attracted you to this program?

The personalities that come with each actor in the show differ. One of the people I enjoy watching the most is Sam. Sam is obviously the main character on the show, as he is the main focal point at all times. Because he is on the spectrum, the way he thinks is very different and interesting to follow. An example of this is, he is obsessed with Antarctica and penguins and all the different animals, so when something happens that is unusual for him or hard for him to understand he compares it to something that has to do with penguins or Antarctica. Giving himself this analogy, he finds comfort in viewing things through different perspectives. It’s enjoyable to see his mind and what he has to offer to every individual in the show. It’s also enjoyable to watch him grow and expand his mind to things that are more mature and different  to him. Not to mention his unintentional humor, that also brings a lot of joy into watching the show.

What caught my eye about this program is the fact that it was about a boy with autism, as I have always been very involved with people who have disabilities. A very big part of my life was spending time and hanging out with friends who were on the spectrum, so to see that a show running on Netflix has a main character with someone on the spectrum excited me. Every show that goes by, episode by episode, it interests me to see how Sam gets through his everyday life with being neurotypical. One of the other things that attracted me to this show is that it’s a family-based show. I love to watch shows that portray realistic, average families going about their lives, not to mention all the problems that come their way/ are built up throughout the episodes.

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Casey Gardner and her friend Izzy developing a love connection.

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Overall Evaluation & Understanding of the Program

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Overall Evaluation & Understanding of the Program

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Atypical fulfills the criteria of a good television show, as it touches on topics that aren’t usually the center of television. Having a show based on the life of a teenager on the autism spectrum, showing it’s imperfections and struggles that might come with it, could allow viewers to be more aware of what it’s like living under those circumstances. On Top of everything dealing with family issues, trying to separate himself and become more independent, and explore things that are usually not in his comfort zone. Even with serious events and conflicts that happen throughout the show, there is always some sort of humor that is brought in, whether it’s something Sam says or something that happens. This shows makes one grow a connection with the characters, always wanting to know what happens next to them or what their next action is going to be. With a lot of emotional appeal brought throughout the show, the emotions conveyed could be seen as relatable to others. Atypical puts a good portrayal over families that may be dealing with similar situations, showing that no family is perfect and problems could evolve leading to downfall, but there is always potential to work things out and become better.

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The following questions that will answered under the analysis heading are:

1. Who or what has power or domination over others in the program? Whose voice is heard and whose is not? Who asks questions and who supplies the answers? What issues are given importance and which ones are not?

2. How do you think the program may influence certain types of viewers? Does the program have the capability to influence attitudes, beliefs, values, and behaviors?

The main person that has domination over others in the program is Sam. In episode five of season one, while Casey is in her interview with the guy from Clayton Prep, she says “Sam takes up so much space, that everybody around him needs to be empty”. This a prime example of the dominance Sam has over others. People cater to Sam’s needs, he receives more attention than others because that's what he requires being on the spectrum. It’s almost as if people walk around the ice with him constantly making sure they don’t tip him off in the wrong way or do something that will trigger him. Another example of showing that Sam has dominance is Casey and the parents questioning whether it’s a good idea for her to go to Clayton Prep as she wouldn’t be at school with her brother anymore and she would be hours away from him. This shows that they do things revolving around Sam and what benefits him the most. Casey second-guessing throwing away the opportunity to go to school for track just for the sole purpose of Sam and worrying how he’s going to make his way without her shows the issues given importance too. Sam asks all the questions and all the answers are given to him by the people he surrounds himself with.

The program has the potential to influence many different types of viewers. One of the types of viewers specifically that it might leave impact/ influence are those who have disabilities and are on the spectrum. Seeing someone they can potentially relate to, being the main character, could attract them to the show, which could later cause them to see Sam as an influence. It could influence people like Sam to be more out there and it could show that they could get through different struggles in their life even with the disability. It could also allow them to see things from different perspectives. It could show them that people around them really do care about them and that having a disability is normal. The program could also impact families with kids on the spectrum, giving them insights that not every family is perfect and there are hardships with having kids on the spectrum. Even just with the example of the dad, him trying to work his way into trying to relate to his son and accept the person he is could have an impact on family members dealing with the same things. Going off of that, the program does have the capability to influence attitudes, values, and behaviors. It has the capability to influence the behaviors people have towards people with disabilities. Since in the show, for the most part, it is shown that many people are nice to Sam and accepting towards him even with him being autistic. This show could have a positive impact on its viewers, simply because it is relatable and doesn’t just portray the picture-perfect life of a family.

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The following questions that will be answered under this analysis heading is:

1. How do the physical actions of the characters reveal their personalities and/or motives?

2. If you are looking at an indoor set, what makes it look realistic and natural? What objects, furniture, and other articles contribute to the look?

Looking at season one, episode five, most of the physical actions of the characters reveal a lot about their personalities and their motives. To start off, because of Sam’s character being on the spectrum, his personality depends on his physical actions. Sam is someone to memorize everything about people, he is always carrying a notebook and writes down what he hears. He remembers everything anyone tells them and will recite it back if needed to be. Like in episode five when his boss asks him about Paige, his girlfriend, Sam gave a full descriptive explanation of who she is, basically telling him everything he knows about her. He is also very blunt with what he says, he is brutally honest and will say anything and everything that is on his mind, unless someone tells him he’s not allowed to say something. As mentioned previously, Sam is obsessed with Antarctica and penguins specifically. When he is put in a situation he doesn’t really understand the purpose of, or when he is uncomfortable or upset, he compares it all with penguins and Antarctica. It’s almost like a coping mechanism to make himself understand a situation better or even just make himself feel better. In episode five, he brings Paige over his house. When he brought her to his room,  she starts touching and picking up all of his things around his room and he got very bothered by it so he locked her in the closet. This specifically shows a lot about his character because it shows the way his brain works. He didn’t think anything bad of it, he just thought that was the way to stop her from touching his things. Moving on to Casey, Sam’s sister, her physical actions also show a lot about her personality. She is a very caring and overprotective person when it comes to her brother, but doesn’t really like showing her feelings or doesn’t like having any attention on the fact that she cares about her brother. An example of this is, in episode five Casey was visiting Clayton Prep, a private school she got an offer for, for track. Through the visit, she had to have an interview with someone from the school to basically decide whether she would be accepted into the school or not. During that interview, she got a call by the girl that was supposed to give Sam his lunch money  and so she got up in the middle of the interview, without saying anything and answered the phone immediately. The guy that was giving the interview said: “seriously, answering the phone in the middle of the interview and now your texting, are you trying to blow this”? This goes to show how important this interview was, but even with that she stopped what she was doing to make sure Sam was okay. She later goes to explain that it’s almost like her job to take care of Sam and that she just always has to be aware of what’s going on with him because he takes up so much space. Throughout the episodes it almost seems like Casey is emotionless until it has to do with something with Sam, then she reacts. Another example of this is when she punched a girl in the face for making fun of Sam. Moving onto the mom’s character, Elsa, episode by episode more of her character and personality is built up by her physical actions. A major example of this is when she went to the bar one night after being stressed with everything going on at home with Sam and getting into an argument with the dad, Doug. At the bar, she met the bartender Nick and they ended up talking and getting each other’s number, she then later ends up cheating on her husband by getting with Nick. At the end of episode five, we see Elsa at Nick’s house about to sleep with him for his birthday. She lies a lot to her family to get around the fact she was talking to Nick and seeing him. This shows how inconsiderate she is and how dishonest her character is. She knew what she was doing was wrong, but she still continued to do it, for her benefits. Another thing about her personality is that she is always on top of Sam trying to make decisions for him and basically taking over him. She gets scared to allow Sam to make decisions for himself and almost treats him like he is still a baby. I think overall, her character is shown as being insecure and worried just by her actions. Lastly, the dad, Doug, has a few incidents that define his personality. Doug is overall a very caring person and cares about his family, but it is clear that he is still trying to get a better understanding of Sam and is a little embarrassed to tell people his son is autistic. In episode five, he has one of his coworkers, Chuck, to come over with his wife for dinner. At the table, they were all talking and Elsa mentions Sam being autistic and Chuck was brought by surprise because he never knew that. Doug stayed quiet and didn’t say anything and when they left Elsa says “you have worked with Chuck for five years and you never decided to tell his Sam has autism”? He quickly stutters with what he says and responds with saying it was never a topic of discussion brought up. Although his actions towards Sam say differently, because he is always nice to Sam and very caring, he does have a hard time accepting the fact his son is autistic and it shows.

Looking at the indoor settings shown throughout the show, they are for the most part very realistic and natural looking. To start off with Sam’s house, it looks like any typical house, it’s very natural looking. Starting with the kitchen, there are plates, bowls, cups, and mugs inside of the cabinets, there is a knife rack, wooden spatulas, coffee maker, microwave and it’s all in place as if it would be in a normal house. There are small decorations around the kitchen that makes it look very natural, there is a calendar with writing all over it hanging on a wall in the kitchen and small paintings, again, that you would typically see in a house. Every window around the house has curtains. The living room has a couch and a TV, and a coffee table. Around the house, there are plants and things on the walls like paintings and small decorations that give the house a realistic homey feel. In Sam’s room, there is a bed, desk, drawers, closet, his turtle’s tank, posters all around his room, lamp and other decorations that are apart of his character. In the parent’s bathroom, there is shaving cream, toothbrushes, toothpaste, lotion, hair gel on top of the sink counter, again making it look as realistic as any bathroom would be. The main thing about their house that makes it look so natural and realistic is that it’s not perfectly clean and perfectly aesthetic, there are some messy areas in the house that are not always clean giving it that natural feel when compared to any home. Moving onto Sam and Casey’s high school, there are lockers, classrooms with desks, whiteboards in the rooms, posters throughout the classrooms as seen in any high school class, any basic item someone would see in a classroom or in a school, is shown throughout the school making it look realistic. Sam works at Techtropolis, an appliance store. In the store there is a cash register, there are posters with signs that say discounts and deals, all the workers have uniforms with name tags on them, and there are a whole bunch of different appliances one would find at these stores. Atypical does a good job making their settings look natural and realistic overall.

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In a journalistic review from The Atlantic, by Sophie Gilbert titled "Atypical Is So Close to Great", she writes about how the show is suppose to be warmhearted, and show people on the spectrum can be normal too, yet it's very inconsistent. Although Sam is experiencing many normal events any teenager in high school would, like dating, his actions still show abnormal aspects of things contradicting the story trying to be told throughout the show. She also explain that some parts are inaccurate to what people on the spectrum are actually like. Gilbert writes that Sam's character is very stereotypical and often times not portrayed properly. She says he's used more like a "comic relief". Although at the end of her review,  she wraps up by saying that the show did succeed in allowing the audience to be sensitive to what people like Sam go through on a daily basis.
https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/08/atypical-review-netflix/536538/