Atypical’s third season is now streaming on Netflix. Set after the previous season, Sam Gardner is attending a college as a freshman. His sister, Casey is juggling between two people she likes. His parents, Elsa and Doug are trying to keep their marriage alive.
This review doesn’t contain no SPOILERS. Feel free to read my non-spoiler article, just in case if you’re up to date. Does it live up to the hype? Let’s find out!
Smart & Dumb Elements
Smart: Cast Members from the first two seasons such as Keir Gilchrist, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Michael Rapaport, Nik Dodani, Jenna Boyd, Graham Rogers, Fivel Stewart and Amy Okuda all did a decent job for their respective performances.
Newcomers to the series including Sarah Gilbert (Darlene from Roseanne) and Eric McCormick (Will from Will & Grace) both did a good job for their performances.
Showrunner Robin Rashid did a great job crafting Season 3’s eight-part story arc. She’s been working on the show since it first streamed in 2017. In addition to playing Sam’s mother Elsa, Jennifer Jason Leigh co-produced the third season as she did with the last two seasons.
Cinematography never suffered from a bad case of Shaky Cam. Thank goodness the cameraman never drank too much Red Bull while dancing to Madonna’s “Ray Of Light.” You know that one scene with Peter from “Family Guy” drinking Red Bull for the first time?
Humor retains its quirky atmosphere. Sam has some fish out of water moments. Sarcastic word play delivery by Casey. To put the icing on the cake, Sam’s love interest Paige, remains as an obnoxious over-the-top nice girl lacking an indoor voice.
If you want to spice things up a bit. Take a shot every time Sam mentions penguins, Antarctica or Ernest Shackleton. Sam is known for his fascination with penguins. If I were you, don’t drink alcohol. I do not condone alcohol poisoning. Stick to water or root beer.
Casey’s arc was interesting. She is my favorite character on the show. Why can’t I have her as a real life sister? The rest of The Gardner Family were interesting. All characters earned themselves Character Development.
Each episode is named after a quote from a specific character. Makes sense in context.
Chemistry with Sam interacting with his family and friends serve as the main highlight of the show. As the third season progresses, each character serves a purpose.
Dumb: Product Placement (Pee Pee for short) has a lot of brands. Who’s in charge of selling out Adam Sandler? He has an obsession with food.
I have nothing against Sam’s therapist Julia, but I think her involvement is done. She already factored in the last two seasons.
I swear to god I’m not making this up. In the fourth episode titled “Y.G.A.G.G.” a song by a former Disney Channel star is played in the background. I’ll give you a hint, her father is a country singer known for his song about an “achey breaky heart.” I have no choice but to Triple Down this con. If you’re a fan of Liam Hemsworth’s ex-wife, bite me. If I were an editor on the show I would’ve picked anything by Charli XCX. I’m a huge fan of her music.
Without giving anything away, a “we are done” cliche is used in almost every buddy cop/romantic comedy film. I dislike this trope, because we know two people will forgive each other and move on.
The Final Verdict: B-
Similar to its predecessors, Atypical’s third season is an average eight-part story arc worth your spare time. If it weren’t for the cons listed as dumb, I would’ve given it a solid B. Not saying Season 3 is amazing nor a stinker. If you’re a fan of Atypical, give the new season a try. As of late 2019, no confirmation of a fourth season has been announced. We shall see if Netflix green-lits a potential installment.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 