At first, the series felt like “autism 101″\u2014like the advert that wouldn\u2019t let us forget, \u201cPatience is autistic.\u201d Yes, we got it. The overemphasis grated, especially early on. It felt like the show was trying too hard to educate rather than letting the story unfold naturally. But as the series progressed, it became more relaxed, and I found myself connecting with some moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One standout was the portrayal of overwhelm and shutdown. There\u2019s a scene where Patience fears being shot, and the noise, anxiety, and panic felt tangible. That moment captured the visceral nature of overwhelm perfectly, something many neurodivergent viewers could identify with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It also helped that they cast Ella Maisy Purvis, who is AuDHD herself, as the lead. Her authenticity added depth to the character. While I appreciate the effort to hire someone who shares the character\u2019s traits, I still think good writing trumps all. A neurotypical actor can\u2019t save a poorly written script, just as an authentic actor can\u2019t fix tired stereotypes. Unfortunately, the show leaned on some of those stereotypes, like portraying Patience as the “genius” others come to rely on\u2014a trope I\u2019d love to see retired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The adult autism support group featured in the series had potential, but its representation felt one-dimensional. Neurodivergent experiences are so diverse, yet the group came across as stereotypical and lacked the richness that could\u2019ve made it relatable to a broader audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That said, there were relatable moments. For example, Patience\u2019s need to pick a specific table in the canteen mirrored my own habits. As I mentioned in a recent podcast episode, I always choose the same table at a restaurant, and if it\u2019s taken, it genuinely throws me off. Those small, everyday quirks resonated far more than the broader \u201cgenius\u201d narrative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the whole, while the series had its flaws, it got some things right. It\u2019s not perfect, but it\u2019s a step towards better representation. I\u2019d love to see a show where neurodivergent characters aren\u2019t defined by their diagnosis or reduced to clich\u00e9s. Just let them navigate life, quirks and all, without making it a spectacle. Until then, I\u2019ll take this as a well-intentioned, if imperfect, effort.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When it comes to TV shows featuring autistic characters, I approach them with a mix of curiosity and caution. The risk of stereotypes and superficial depictions is all too common, so when I first saw the advert for that series, I wasn’t keen. But after seeing more glowing recommendations than negative ones, I decided to give it a go. Here’s what I thought.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":163,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-136","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-divergently-blogging"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.divergentlybeing.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.divergentlybeing.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.divergentlybeing.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.divergentlybeing.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.divergentlybeing.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=136"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.divergentlybeing.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":172,"href":"https:\/\/www.divergentlybeing.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136\/revisions\/172"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.divergentlybeing.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.divergentlybeing.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=136"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.divergentlybeing.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=136"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.divergentlybeing.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=136"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}