[S03.E14: Influence]

2 hours ago, Evagirl said:

I wish Shaun would get a big-boy haircut.  The bangs need to go.  IMO.☺️

I disagree. His hair is fine the way it is - bangs or no bangs. Just as long as he doesn't get a rat-tail.

[S03.E11 Fractured]

Um...I'm not sure the pulse test is an accurate way to figure out how much you really love someone, Shaun.

[S03.E10: Friends and Family]

11 minutes ago, possibilities said:

I agree Carly is bland and non-descript, they've mostly used her as a plot device rather than developing her character, and I think it's a mistake.

Yeah...if they don't plan on developing a character and are only going to use them as a plot device, they should just keep them as a recurring character.

[S03.E10: Friends and Family]

Jesus Christ, am I the only one who actually likes Lea and doesn't find her annoying? She can be annoying sometimes and she is not perfect, but she is overall a really good character and I actually always found the anti-Lea people more annoying. I don't care who Shaun ends up with in the end as long as its satisfying, interesting, and healthy. If Shaun ends up with Lea romantically, I will be happy for both of them. If they don't, I'll also be happy as long as they are still good friends.

Also, am I the only one who finds Carly too bland and boring? She's way too good and perfect that it's annoying. She's a bit too one dimensional and that's pretty much my only problem with her.

[S03.E08: The Moonshot]

6 hours ago, possibilities said:

Unless you have actual knowledge and understanding of autism, most of the time, opinions are unfounded and coming only from projections and prejudices. It's really hard to avoid doing that, but to me it seems like an important exercise.

kfir, you seem to be confusing autism with childhood. They are not the same at all. I hope you will do some self-education, instead of relying on misconceptions and ideas that are insulting and harmful to a large population of autistic people.

Shaun is just a tv character, and the writing is imperfect. But there are so many things you're saying about autistic people that are just flat out incorrect here, it's not really grounded in reality of what the show has shown or the reality of real autistic people.

I see Carly being respectful, and meeting Shaun where he is. You see Carly pressuring him. If the genders were reversed, I don't think that would change anything. If "Shawna" asked "Carl" out, and they went on months of dates, and talked about all kinds of things, learning what each valued in life and in relationships, and then Shawna said she wanted to have sex but it was challenging, and Carl educated himself about how that is for autistic people, and they discussed the research on what helps, and decided to try it, and then Shawna had a meltdown (we've seen Shaun have many meltdowns in many contexts, and it often is scary to people the first time, but then they learn how to handle it-- like how Park got rid of the buzzing light during the quarantine), and then came back and explained herself and said she really did want to do this, and she looked at the research again and concluded that really wants to try again... how is any of that Carl taking advantage of Shawna?

I think it's a story about people overcoming obstacles together.

One way to look at it is if you have a woman who was sexually abused as a child. She might be freaked out and have a panic attack when trying to have sex as an adult. Should her partner just dump her, and declare that clearly she's not capable and it's wrong to get involved with her, even if she says otherwise? Is that how you respect someone? Of course, you don't have to be with someone if you don't want to be with them. But it's not wrong to stay and try to work it out, even if there are challenges along the way.

I think that sometimes the mannerisms of Shaun are being interpreted as childish but they are not. It's like how people will think someone who has a speech impediment is stupid, when they might be very intelligent, but have a disability that affects their diction and tone of voice. (I had a friend who was a freaking genius but most people would take one look at her and decide she was an idiot because she drooled and had a speech-related disability. Once you learned how to understand her speech, what she had to say was well worth it, but many people could not get over their gut feeling that she must not have anything to say, so they didn't try).

I still think that if the show would give us more scenes of Shaun and Carly interacting in the ways that DO work, it wouldn't feel so daunting to imagine why/how they are/could be/should be trying in the areas that are hard. I really liked when (a few episodes ago), Carly told Shaun she hates small talk and really enjoyed the serious topics he wanted to use for ice breakers in their first few dates. We need more of that. Right now, it IS hard to see why they are together and how it isn't a big mistake, because all they show us are the ways they struggle, and not the ways they are compatible.

I don't particularly have an idea that they should be together forever. But lots of people in life and in fiction have more than one relationship, and it's not a sign they shouldn't have been there. Sometimes things don't work out, or they're good for a while and then they've run their course.

In answer to the question upthread about whether Shaun has been shown interacting with other people with autism: yes, a few times. But it's always just been patients who show up at the hospital, and never anyone he seeks out. He's avoided any kind of community with others with autism, which I think is a big mistake both for the character and for the show.

Coming from an autistic person, thank you! And I agree with you that Carly definitely isn't Shaun's soulmate for life. I had a good first relationship that ended. I think the show should have Shaun handle at least one break-up...you know, experiment a little. I also prefer slow-burn relationships anyway, kind of like what it appears they could be doing with his relationships with Claire and Lea (I really wish Shaun had more scenes with both of them this season). In my opinion, in order for a fictional relationship to work, the couple must have a lot of time to show that they have chemistry platonically before they actually become a couple.

Also, to add to your criticism of kfir's post, I'm pretty sure Shaun is capable of being a father. He has mentioned that he does want children. I want him to be a father, too...but not right now, and it probably won't be with Carly.

[S03.E08: The Moonshot]

While the progression of Shaun and Carly's relationship is nice, I'm not so sure they're going to be together forever. I wonder how long this relationship is going to last.