Special may be the most insightful series there has been about gay sex and dating, which one might not expect based on its sunny branding and the assumption that you’ll be watching inspiration porn. Ryan’s best friend, Kim (Punam Patel) who, for all these wordy explanations about thematic importance, it must be said is hilarious, considers the ways in which conversations about body positivity have triggered her own feelings about self-worth.
Their vibrant lives make Ryan interrogate the ways his worries about other people’s comfort around his existence have robbed him of his own comfort and happiness.Ī lot of space is given to his mother’s storyline, exploring how a caretaker’s life is impacted by that duty and calling, and what happens when those services are no longer needed.
That dumb word again: It’s important because of the spotlight it gives to the disabled community, with a moving and insightful storyline in season two featuring a disabled support group. It chronicles his attempts at dating and having a sex life, his possibly codependent relationship with his mother (Jessica Hecht), and his attempts to accept the ways in which his life is and isn’t defined by his cerebral palsy. The series has essentially the same logline.
