Big Neurodivergent Energy Shows: 11-15

Mostly sitcoms today. I feel like sitcoms in general lend themselves well to neurodivergent interpretations, with lots of quirky characters who have outsized reactions to things. But there’s a difference between “yeah, I could see that” ND interpretations and “omg, autistic/ADHD AF!!!” ND interpretations. And these shows? Far more the latter!

 

Abbott Elementary

I went into this show knowing that a lot of autistic folks claim Gregory, and he’s positively spectacular—episode about safe foods! Not a drill! But I wasn’t prepared to get bowled over by the rest of the cast, especially my beloved Janine. She and Gregory are my favorite workplace sitcom will-they-won’t-they since Leslie Knope and Ben Wyatt (surprise, surprise!) A beautiful show with room for all kinds of brains, including Melissa being canonically dyslexic!

 

Community

It’s not just Abed, which it is. It’s not just some of the other characters, which it is. It’s the lovingly intricate pop culture references and long-game commitment to bits. It’s the theme of broken, lonely people who are better when they’re together. It’s the turn of the jokes and the depth of the existential crises. A beautifully autistic show that’s often brilliant and sometimes messy, one that resonates with me on so many levels.

 

Good Omens

Production on season 3 has paused for now, which is good (ugh, Neil Gaiman, why?), but even if my feelings about the show have grown more complicated due to behind-the-scenes issues, I still really love these characters and their relationship. I love how Aziraphale and Crowley both feel autistic to me in completely different ways, which contributes to them fitting so well together despite having such different sensibilities. Really excited to see these two find their happy ending!

 

The Good Place

Like Community, this is a show with a great “freebie” autistic-coded character in Chidi, but he’s just a gateway to discovering how neurodivergent the show feels as a whole. I love every single one of the characters and how they interact with one another, the wordplay is delicious, and I love the notion that people aren’t “good” or “bad” but are always capable of better, especially with the love and support of those around them. And come on, this is a network sitcom that regularly features ruminations on moral philosophy! You love to see it.

 

We Are Lady Parts

I feel like there’s some strong overlap between neurodivergence and punk, so this show might’ve had Big ND Energy no matter what, but the neurodivergent coding is definitely strong with this one. Most of the characters give off a vibe, but most especially Amina and Saira. Like Aziraphale and Crowley, they have such polar-opposite traits but fit together so well. I love both of them so much, and I adore the show’s heart, bite, and quirkiness.  

Relationship Spotlight: Rollo Treadway & Betsy O’Brien (The Navigator)

October 13, 1924—the day The Navigator was released. Other than the cheap “cannibal” tropes, I love this movie, so much so that I’ve already done a Top Five Gags post, along with Favorite Characters posts for both Rollo and Betsy. So what’s left? Rollo and Betsy together, of course!

Pound for pound, Kathryn McGuire was my favorite leading lady in Buster’s features. She’s great in Sherlock Jr. (if we’re counting that as a feature,) and she’s fabulous here. In both cases, she really gets to do something. Whether it’s action, agency, or humor, she’s more than just a pretty girl for Buster to swoon over, rescue, or do fun gags around. I think that’s the key element that makes Rollo and Betsy’s relationship so much fun.

Rollo is far from the only clueless dandy Buster has played, though he’s definitely a delightful one. But Betsy is clueless too, and when the two of them get stranded on an adrift ship together—the day after Betsy turned down Rollo’s proposal, yikes!—it’s a hoot to watch these two try to figure out how to keep themselves alive. You’ve got to love the first breakfast sequence, where both of them are utterly incapable in the galley. I adore Betsy fussily setting the table with giant serving utensils and Rollo dumping a mountain of sugar in his terrible coffee in an attempt to spare Betsy’s feelings.

They chase away a passing ship because Betsy suggests they get its attention by putting up “the bright” flag, inadvertently signaling that the Navigator is quarantined. When Rollo tries to catch up with the ship in a lifeboat, he first hooks the Navigator to his tiny little boat so he can tow it along with him. Both of them are an absolute wreck trying to get some sleep that first night, and when Betsy falls overboard and Rollo jumps in after her, I laugh out loud as he looks up the long rope ladder in dismay when she faints in his arms.

As the two of them muddle through figuring out ship life together, the edgy awkwardness of the failed proposal and the bickering of overwhelmed survivors gives way to a nice synchronicity. Just as Betsy gets to be hapless and funny like Rollo, she gets to be resourceful too. In the second breakfast sequence, both of them make easy use of the various devices they’ve rigged up in the galley. And while Rollo is the one who puts on the diving suit to make the underwater repairs to the Navigator, Betsy diligently turns the crank to maintain his oxygen supply—even when the ship is attacked, she tenaciously does everything she can to stay at her post.

In a lot of Buster’s movies, the relationship is very simple: Buster’s in love with a pretty girl, something keeps them apart (Buster’s broke, her parents don’t approve, he has a romantic rival, etc.), and after some slapstick heroics on Buster’s part, he manages to win her hand. There isn’t much differentiation between the girls. Betsy and Rollo are different because we watch their relationship grow onscreen through everything they experience together. We see their similarities, both their hapless side at the start of the movie and their more mature side as they develop. In short, we get to see why they like each other. Yes, The Navigator is hilarious and a ton of fun, and I’m sure I’d love it no matter what, but a big reason that it’s one of my favorites is the relationship between Rollo and Betsy.

A Little TLC(w): The New Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre: Season 1, Episode 33 (1986)

*Episode premise spoilers. CW: suicide.*

Another good episode. The relationship drama is off the charts, and even as Zhang Wuji tries to address other pressing issues, the love polygon keeps creeping to the fore.

Zhou Zhiruo has become convinced that Zhang Wuji’s heart belongs to Zhao Min. To be fair, when he heard a lady had come to see him, he did hurry into the room calling Miss Zhao’s name, not realizing that it was actually Miss Zhou. Now he has his work cut out for him trying to convince her that she’s still the one he wants to marry. And he thought convincing people that he didn’t kill his uncle was hard!

For a few episodes now, the story has been getting on the Zhao Min train, so it doesn’t surprise that this issue is rearing its head between Zhang Wuji and Zhou Zhiruo. And Miss Zhou’s distress is very understandable—apart from feeling jilted by Wuji, she’s gone against the oath she swore to her late Priestess for the sake of this relationship, and now she feels like she’s thrown everything away for nothing. (On the other head, she never told Wuji about the severity of this oath.) Once she decides that Wuji loves Miss Zhao, she attempts suicide, which is horrific for everyone involved. It’s tragic that she feels this is her only option, and of course Wuji is frantic when he discovers her, especially since both of his parents died by suicide when he was a child.

Speaking of Zhang Wuji’s parents, he would do well to remember that they were sworn enemies from opposing sects before they were stranded on a deserted island and fell in love. Despite his protests, it’s clear that he has feelings for both of these women, and his insistence on staying with Zhou Zhiruo is in no small part because she’s who he’s “supposed” to want. He obviously cares about her and doesn’t want to hurt her, but in this instance, his nobility and desire to do the right thing is hurting both of them. If he does find himself continually drawn to Zhao Min, it would be better to break off his engagement to Miss Zhou and accept that she should find love elsewhere. By denying what seems to be his heart and sticking with Miss Zhou because he wants to honor his vows, he’s prolonging the problem.

That said, Zhang Wuji is definitely really confused about all this. For someone who’s a preternaturally good martial artist and a noble sect leader, he seems to struggle to fully know his own heart. Zhou Zhiruo tells him, “I know you sincerely want to love me. But you’re bewildered by that demoness.” And honestly, he’s not sure what’s true. He cares for both of them, even though he doesn’t necessarily want to have feelings for Zhao Min. He doesn’t know if he still loves Miss Zhou as much as he once thought, and he doesn’t know if he can really trust Miss Zhao. He knows he doesn’t want to hurt anyone, but no matter what he does, he seems to be making everything worse.