While the creating team of this new program packed an awful lot into the very first episode, I don't remember ever seeing a show that not only had me hooked within the first ten minutes the way this one did, but had me loving it more and more as it progressed and evolved. Admittedly many of the characters outside of the family, especially those in the school, were way over the top in the way they treated, mistreated, or mostly over-compensated for the "disabled" new kid (the teacher's and students' welcome when he first enters the classroom?), his reactions to all of them were hilarious. And Dina Spybey-Waters, whose character was crazy enough years ago in "Six Feet Under," was just as hilarious as his "voice." As others have stated on the message boards, all this kid wants is to be treated like anyone else. Not to mention he is witty and sarcastic as all get out.
And while his mother may be fighting a little (well, actually a lot) too hard for his rights and for him to be treated equally rather than special (trash or person?), the same as we gays have always wanted to be, and already has a reputation for going overboard at several other schools, I'm sure that her past experiences have caused her behavior to become more and more aggressive with each new neighborhood and school like this one with which she has had to deal with this kind of nonsense.
However, the initial conflict within the family unit and the way it was resolved in the end was truly heartwarming. The mom's admission of her over-protection of her wheelchair-bound son at the cost of neglecting her other son's needs and her left-handed apology to him wrapped up the whole episode like a warm fuzzy blanket. Corny? Maybe. But true enough.
The father and daughter characters have yet to be fully developed, but I believe that given enough time they'll be a big contribution to the show. But all around the writing and acting were all top-notch. And special mention must be made to Cedric Yarbrough's character as well as his portrayal. I love the way he confronted the defensive mother with his own experiences of being treated differently, but loved even more the way he and the kid bonded at the end, and I hope that he does end up being his "voice." They would make a great team.
Overall, I already adore this show and hope that it doesn't get cancelled the way other great but quirky shows on ABC like "Eli Stone" and "Better Off Ted" did years ago. It had me laughing and tearing up as well, and to me, that is a satisfying half hour of TV viewing that I look forward to each week. But alas, shows like the Kartrashians and other such ilk garner more of the American viewing public these days than wonderful shows like this, so I'm not getting my hopes up.
And while his mother may be fighting a little (well, actually a lot) too hard for his rights and for him to be treated equally rather than special (trash or person?), the same as we gays have always wanted to be, and already has a reputation for going overboard at several other schools, I'm sure that her past experiences have caused her behavior to become more and more aggressive with each new neighborhood and school like this one with which she has had to deal with this kind of nonsense.
However, the initial conflict within the family unit and the way it was resolved in the end was truly heartwarming. The mom's admission of her over-protection of her wheelchair-bound son at the cost of neglecting her other son's needs and her left-handed apology to him wrapped up the whole episode like a warm fuzzy blanket. Corny? Maybe. But true enough.
The father and daughter characters have yet to be fully developed, but I believe that given enough time they'll be a big contribution to the show. But all around the writing and acting were all top-notch. And special mention must be made to Cedric Yarbrough's character as well as his portrayal. I love the way he confronted the defensive mother with his own experiences of being treated differently, but loved even more the way he and the kid bonded at the end, and I hope that he does end up being his "voice." They would make a great team.
Overall, I already adore this show and hope that it doesn't get cancelled the way other great but quirky shows on ABC like "Eli Stone" and "Better Off Ted" did years ago. It had me laughing and tearing up as well, and to me, that is a satisfying half hour of TV viewing that I look forward to each week. But alas, shows like the Kartrashians and other such ilk garner more of the American viewing public these days than wonderful shows like this, so I'm not getting my hopes up.