Continuing my series on commonalities within Big Neurodivergent Energy stories. Many of these are qualities that wouldn’t necessarily scream “neurodivergence!!!” at first glance, but I see them popping up again and again. While not every BNE story shares every trait, and having them doesn’t automatically mean the story is inherently neurodivergent, I find that there’s too much overlap for these similarities to just be a coincidence.
I’ve already looked at style, now let’s talk about tone. When it comes to tone, the overarching theme is, to quote Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, “The situation’s a lot more nuanced than that!” Rather than boxing themselves into just one thing, BNE stories tend to employ multiple often-contradictory tones, playing at both ends of opposing extremes.
Sharpness and Sweetness
It’s not uncommon for BNE stories to include a mix of characters who are deeply cynical and/or curmudgeonly and characters who are sunshiny and optimistic. On stories like Ted Lasso and Kipo and the Wonderbeasts, the sweet, positive protagonist wins the hearts of the spikier, more distrustful folks around them. As their influence is felt through the show, the overall balance of the tone shifts more heavily toward sweetness, but it never fully loses that sharpness either—even as characters like Roy and Wolf start to let their guard down more, they keep a bit of their bite. We see this sweet/sharp mix all over: J.D. and Cox on Scrubs, Leslie and Ron on Parks and Recreation, Aziraphale and Crowley on Good Omens. On Pushing Daisies, we have Ned, Chuck, and Vivian on the gentler side while Emerson, Olive, and Lily are more hard-edged. These dynamics aren’t absolute, though—again, they shift over time as the characters influence each other. The sweeter characters still have low or tough moments, and the sharper characters still have moments that show off their softer side.
Comedy and Drama
By and large, it’s rare to find a story that’s pure comedy or pure drama. Most everything is going to give you a mix of both—dramas have funny banter, and comedies have serious/heartfelt moments. Think of it like a vanilla ice cream cone with chocolate sprinkles, or vice versa. But rather than sprinkling a bit of comedy into a drama or vice versa, I find that BNE stories often include a more potent mix of the two, like a chocolate-and-vanilla swirl cone. It almost feels like the word “dramedy” was invented for stories like this! Scrubs regularly shifts from silly fantasies and slapstick to death and self-doubt. Loneliness and trauma are recurring themes on Pushing Daisies, alongside goofy murder scenarios and sticky-sweet romance. In Nimona, we get the madcap humor of Nimona’s impression of Ballister or her little-demon-boy antics, but the entire third act is just constant emotional devastation. I know I definitely didn’t go into DuckTales expecting any pathos! From Our Flag Means Death to Doctor Who to A Series of Unfortunate Events, “It’ll make you laugh, it’ll make you cry” is a regular occurrence.
Heavy and Uplifting
BNE stories can get into some really serious topics. Ed’s suicidal ideation on Our Flag Means Death, Nate’s toxic downward spiral on Ted Lasso, the unrelenting sexism Eizabeth faces in Lessons in Chemistry. On Maya and the Three, Maya’s funny warrior brothers are all killed by the big bad in the second episode. On 3Below, Aja and Krel are refugees who had to flee their planet during a violent coup, and their parents are barely clinging to life. The characters on Scrubs have to face death all the time. Yet by and large, the tone of these stories is ultimately one of hope. Things can get really bleak and painful, and the characters don’t always get the victories you hope to see for them, but something prevails. It might be a found family coming through for each other, a beautiful moment of sacrifice for the right reasons, or even just moments of joy persevering against all odds. Despair gets its claws in, but it doesn’t win.
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