'Atypical' Season 3 Episode 5 review: 'Only Tweed' has a dinner party from hell, small wins and a surprise visit from the girlfriend
We learned in Season 3 Episode 6 of Netflix's 'Atypical' that Paige (Jenna Boyd ) is not doing all that well in college.
In 'Only Tweed' we see just how miserable she was - he did not make any friends, she felt out of place almost right away, and her grades were suffering. We have known Paige to be a go-getter, a perseverent optimist who never takes no for an answer or turns away from a challenge. This is potentially why we were unable to fathom Paige not thriving in college, but we see that despite a bright young girl, she had some trouble adjusting to life outside of her home.
In 'Only Tweed' we see that she had found an interesting approach to gaining control of her life, and it is to organize a dinner party. She instructs Sam (Keir Gilchrist) to do exactly as she wants and invites some of their friends, including a new one. Gretchen, Zahid's (Nik Dodani) new girlfriend is not really a great mix to the friend group, especially since she seems to be hellbent on making Sam's question his choice to go to college. Needless to say, we don't like her, and like Paige is okay, making her learn her lesson.
On the other hand, Izzie (Fivel Stewart), Casey (Brigette Lundy-Paine), and Evan (Graham Rogers) are having their own little trouble, especially after a clearly jealous Izzie starts taunting Evan for standing up Casey's dad. This trio's relationship is surely going to take a hit during the course of the season, and we are excited. Most of us are looking forward to seeing Izzie and Casey get together, but we do feel for Evan. We do think he is a great boyfriend and an even better guy, but maybe he will find himself during the course of this season and be friends with the iconic lesbian couple.
The episode also focuses on Sam recognizing his strengths and weaknesses, and even his own love for Paige. He admits, possibly for the first time, that he misses Paige and that being so far away from her is difficult for him. It was also his way of making her happy to put together the dinner party of her dreams, even though it did not go fully according to plan.
The episode ended with Sam getting a small win - he took part in a Socratic Seminar, landing him a 'C' and later learning that his girlfriend has dropped out of college. It will be interesting to see how their relationship evolves in the context of her moving back. This is definitely a difficult time for Paige, but will Sam be able to be a supportive boyfriend for her? For what we have seen so far this season, he certainly can.
As far as the episode goes, it's one of the more average ones this season, and we would grade a 'C+'. Should you watch it? Absolutely, for continuity and because an average episode of 'Atypical' is still better than most things you will see on anything else today.