The token autistic character on a TV show has explained neurodivergence using the most convoluted metaphor possible, according to reviewers.
The latest episode of Spectra, a sitcom about a quirky autistic woman trying to fit in with her neurotypical flatmates, has been met with confusion from critics, who could not understand why lead character Spectra Michaels “couldn’t just explain her autism normally” and instead “resorted to a metaphor as surreal, incomprehensible and deeply uncomfortable as David Lynch directing a car accident.”
The episode features a heartfelt scene in which Spectra explains her autism to flatmate Kit McGodden while they share fish and chips at an overcast pier. She says: “Imagine a prawn who’s not like the other prawns. Maybe her shell is purple, or sparkly, or purple and sparkly. And you’ve just ordered a prawn cocktail with that prawn in it.”
“You get upset because one of your prawns is different. You’ve never seen a prawn like that before. But they’ve changed the local fishing byelaws, so they can’t throw the prawn back in the ocean. All they can do is send the prawn to prawn therapy, where they try and teach her to be more like a lobster. But the prawn is still a prawn. She’s just wearing a carapace that doesn’t quite fit.”
Spectra then goes on to explain the social model of disability, intersectionality, functioning labels and more, using a cast of undersea characters. Reviewer Lottie Fitzgerald remarked: “I just didn’t think we needed a five-minute monologue about a hammerhead shark who refuses ADHD medication for fear of losing his ‘sparkle’.”
Writer Cameron Brereton explained: “I wrote Spectra as a tribute to my autistic son, who challenges and delights us every day. He’s also going to make me look really fucking virtuous to the BAFTA judging panel.”
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