Different from penguins: Representations of polyamory in Netflix’s Atypical
Geschreven door: Martine Sam Gardner, the protagonist of the Netflix series Atypical , has an obsession with penguins and Antarctica. He tells us early on that penguins have a pattern of behaviour that is not true when it comes to humans: they mate for life. Throughout the series, Sam will explore (like the great explorer and researcher that he is) different ways of connecting with women. In this article we will delve into this issue and analyse how the series addresses love in general and polyamory in particular. For those who have not seen the series, the story revolves around Sam (Keir Gilchrist), who was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) when he was 4 years old. He lives in a house in the suburbs of an American city with his parents, Doug (Michael Rapaport) and Elsa (Jennifer Jason Leigh), and his younger sister, Casey (Brigette Lundy-Paine). The series begins when Sam turns 18 and he expresses at a family dinner his desire to get a girlfriend and have sex with her, c