Atypical season 4, episode 9 spoilers follow.
Back when Atypical first arrived on Netflix, it came with the tagline "Normal is overrated". And at first, it did seem like this show really was going to deviate from the norm in important, meaningful ways. By centring a sitcom around an autistic character like Sam, there was a chance here to provide an entire community with some much-needed representation.
But when the first season dropped, autistic viewers were divided. For every fan who enjoyed the show, there was another who deemed it "offensive" thanks to inauthentic storytelling and some regressive stereotypes. Four seasons in, Atypical has tried to address some of these problems by bringing on board performers who are actually autistic in real life, although it could be argued that some of those initial concerns still persist.
And on top of all that, outlets like Refinery29 and Kulture have also questioned how Atypical tackles Black and Asian representation, suggesting that a disproportionate number of these roles have been portrayed as stereotypical or even "villainous". It's also worth noting that initially key characters like Julia, Sam's therapist, and Sharice, Casey's best friend, are now almost entirely absent in the final season, although this kind of discussion is far more complex than just a mere numbers game.
But despite all this, one area where Atypical does excel in is LGBTQ+ representation – and that's largely down to Casey. Sam's sister, a fan-favourite character, is played by Brigette Lundy-Paine, who also happens to be a queer, non-binary performer. And during an interview with Advocate, they even credit this show for helping them navigate this aspect of their identity. "I think I really have Atypical to thank for really teaching me about who I am."
While Lundy-Paine says Casey wasn't explicitly queer at first, they already "sensed" their character wasn't straight. And when they did find out what Casey had in store, Brigette immediately started to cry. "I didn't even know how much I wanted it to happen," they told Them.
What followed was a beautiful, sensitive exploration of teen romance which started with Casey's love for Evan and ended with something else entirely. Across the first three seasons, Casey's seemingly idyllic relationship began to change when she developed feelings for Izzie, a female classmate at her new school. Torn between her love for them both, Casey eventually chose Izzie, but what works so well here is how this arc was worked through gradually in a very realistic way.
Coming out and understanding who you are is a process, one that takes time. Few TV shows actually realise this. Far too often, these storylines are rushed in order to create more drama or simply move onto the next plot point. Thankfully, Atypical took a far more nuanced approach to Casey's journey. She and Izzie didn't even hold hands until the end of season two, and their first kiss occurred well into season three.
However, one unfortunate side effect of all this is how some viewers debated the semantics of their relationship. In the first three seasons, Casey doesn't label her sexuality because she herself doesn't know how to describe it fully. That's led some fans to say she's a lesbian, and others to say she's bisexual. Casey's Atypical Fandom page only uses a lesbian descriptor, which has led to a lot of debate in the comments section, particularly among those who see this as bisexual erasure, an ongoing problem even within the LGBTQ+ community.
However, with the release of season four, that debate has finally been settled in the show's penultimate episode, which includes a brief but heartfelt conversation between Casey, Sam, and Zahid:
"So, I think I'm bi," says Casey.
"Of course you are," replies Sam. "You had a boyfriend and then you had a girlfriend."
Casey points out, "It's not always that simple," and she's right, as the discussion among #Cazzie fans proved. But crucially, Casey now feels "relieved" to speak her truth, bringing some closure to this journey that the show has taken us on across four seasons.
On the one hand, Casey never needed to label herself if she didn't feel comfortable. But in a world where the very existence of bisexuality is still dismissed far too often, it's gratifying to see such a beloved character openly identify herself as such. Casey's feelings for Evan were just as real and valid as her feelings for Izzie. One doesn't negate the other, and it's important to see that her attraction to both is an intrinsic part of her character.
Without this revelation, there would have still been some scope for fans to suggest that Casey's love for Evan was just a phase, or a stepping stone to her eventually realising that she's queer. But of course, Casey was still queer when she was with Evan, just like all bisexual people are still queer when they're with people of the opposite sex.
Lundy-Paine once told Pride that Atypical has always been queer to some degree. "It's about being different, feeling like you don't have a place and finding that place, and kindness and empathy. Those are all very queer values."
Although it's debatable how well the show handled some of these themes, we can still celebrate how Atypical's final season validated Casey's love for Evan, which in turn helps validate plenty of bisexual viewers watching from back home.
Atypical season 4 is now streaming on Netflix.
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After teaching in England and South Korea, David turned to writing in Germany, where he covered everything from superhero movies to the Berlin Film Festival.
In 2019, David moved to London to join Digital Spy, where he could indulge his love of comics, horror and LGBTQ+ storytelling as Deputy TV Editor, and later, as Acting TV Editor.
David has spoken on numerous LGBTQ+ panels to discuss queer representation and in 2020, he created the Rainbow Crew interview series, which celebrates LGBTQ+ talent on both sides of the camera via video content and longform reads.
Beyond that, David has interviewed all your faves, including Henry Cavill, Pedro Pascal, Olivia Colman, Patrick Stewart, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Dornan, Regina King, and more — not to mention countless Drag Race legends.
As a freelance entertainment journalist, David has bylines across a range of publications including Empire Online, Radio Times, INTO, Highsnobiety, Den of Geek, The Digital Fix and Sight & Sound.
