Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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Did you cry last season? I don’t remember doing that but thanks to a few sweet moments, among the chaos, Atypical’s season starts strong.
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| Network | ||
| Netflix | ||
| Director(s) | Joe Kessler | |
| Writer(s) | Robia Rashid | |
| Air Date | 9/7/2018 | |
| Characters Introduced | ||
| Kathy | Wendy Braun | |
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Daddy Isn’t Here: Doug, Elsa, Casey, Sam
Season 2 begins right where season 1 ended and Casey is really laying it into Elsa by subliminal messages. If only because Sam doesn’t know, at first, and thinks Doug is building a porch, in the middle of winter, at his grandpa’s house. Which puts Sam a bit on edge for he just gained some sort of stability with his dad so him being gone throws everything off.
Yet, considering when he learns about Elsa’s affair he handles it with a shrug, he might be fine. I mean, he even says, with amusement, he never met someone who committed adultery before.
Commentary
One of the things which really got to me with this episode is that, as much as we are seeing the madness of Doug being gone, and not having access to Julia, is doing to Sam, Casey isn’t forgotten. Even before the affair, she wasn’t close to Elsa, and this just gives her a solid reason to call her by her first name and mentally flip her off. And, while I know there is a bit of bias in saying this, I really do like seeing, taking note Doug did disappear before, the idea that Doug is an essential part of his kids’ lives. A stabilizer even.
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For while the idea of the bumbling dad, or absentee father isn’t as prevalent as it used to be, add in Doug being the one cheated on and you got something a bit more fresh than usual. Especially once he returns and is talking about Elsa packing her things and getting out of the house. Something you don’t see or hear often.
New School Jitters: Casey, Sam, Evan, Elsa
Though Casey isn’t on the spectrum, like Sam, she enjoys routines, familiar environment, and isn’t necessarily big on change. Reminding us that, a lot of the things Sam goes through as a person with autism, are very universal. It’s just his tolerance is often much lower. Yet, thankfully for Casey, between Evan and her now former coach, she has sources of support rather than one primary and a bunch of secondary options who, even when all available, don’t make up for that one.
But, while Casey might be anxious about her first day at Clayton, that doesn’t mean she is going to stop being Casey. One of the things she decides to maintain is picking on Sam through moving his toothbrush. Something that she knows will make him bug out because, well it is a hygiene product. But, with all Sam is going through, she eventually pushes him too far and so he throws juice all over her uniform – the day before class. Which, bad enough Elsa was altering her jacket but then that?
Well, she ends up pouncing on Sam like a lioness.
Commentary
There is a certain amount of normalization here that you have to appreciate. When it comes to people on the spectrum they are often othered in some way or another. Yet, as shown, anyone who doesn’t have the support system they need, the stability they require, it’ll make them a little nutty. Especially if there are little things bothering them which are becoming big deals.
For Sam, it was his toothbrush and for Casey, it was the mounting worries of starting a new school. Yet, with Sam, as noted in the next topic, seeing Julia and Doug coming back, he found peace. Then with Casey, just having her dad, who is her confidant, she was able to hit reset as well.
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And in seeing that, as said in the topic summary, you realize probably one of the notable things which could separate someone with autism and someone atypical is just their ability to handle stress. Especially when they don’t have the words or tools to handle it. Be it on their own, with a friend, family member, or with a therapist.
Sam Needs A New Therapist: Sam, Elsa, Zahid, Paige, Julia, Kathy, Doug
Speaking of therapist, Sam goes through a handful of them trying to replace Julia. Problem is, none of them seem to mesh well with Sam. Either they are trying to be his friend, just stare him down, or come off like a rabbit. Thus coercing him to see Julia for while Elsa, Zahid, and Doug have a place in Sam’s life and heart, he can’t bring himself to dump everything going on onto them. He tries to with Paige but with them not dating, and her spending time with family in Maine, she isn’t trying to take that all on. Especially since Sam keeps wanting to talk about the handjob from episode 8 of last season.
But, with using her new friend Kathy’s connections, Sam will have a new therapist named Dr. Brob in the next episode. On top of a mother who is no longer in the house since Doug kicked her out.
Commentary
With the noted preview above, I wonder if that is Dr. Brob’s session? That thought aside, while handled in a jokey joke way, I like that they had Sam shop around for a therapist and even return to the one which worked for him. Since therapist shopping is the same like you do with a mechanic or any other doctor. You can’t just find someone licensed and stick with them not just try one, hate their candor, and just take it on the chin. If you are going to trust your life with a person, you have to be able to vibe with them.
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Which I think throws people off sometimes, the idea of having to really vet, past an internet search, a therapist. But, what also has to be noted is Sam’s growth. As brought up by Julia, over the course of a year, Sam has grown in terms of emotional intelligence. He now knows how to speak upon what is bothering him and while his skills with other people’s feelings are a tad off, just him noting he doesn’t want to put too much on Zahid, despite how willing he is to take on a load, says a lot. Also, it was rather touching since Zahid is like the brother Sam isn’t likely to get.
Question(s) Left Unanswered
- Since Sam is no longer going to Julia for therapy, and she doesn’t seem to want much interaction between them, what are they going to do with the character? Unlike Zahid, she is part of the opening credits so I don’t think she is going anywhere.
Highlights
- Casey’s scenes with Doug, towards the end, and when Sam reminds her that he is her big brother and he could take care of her, they had me crying.
- Elsa playing the role of the bad guy which has become custom for men/ the dad to play.
- Showing Sam’s struggle with finding a therapist and also establishing how much therapy has helped him over the course of a year.
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