I could talk about how I recently realized that I hadn't seen the last season and a half of Royal Pains as I thought I had and how I enjoyed watching the entire season at once. I could also do a review on it, but that's not what inspired me to get my fingers to the keyboard. What inspired me was the character Jeremiah Sacani.
For those of you who have never seen Royal Pains (the complete series is on Netflix), let me catch you up. The story is of a doctor, Hank Lawson who finds himself outcasted from his job as the up and coming ER doctor and finds himself vacationing in the Hamptons with his brother Evan. Due to a series of "right place at the right time" events, Hank decides to stay in the Hamptons with his brother to start a very successful concierge medical buisness for all of the most eccentric, lovable and slightly crazy inhabitants, while building a family of friends, patients and fellow doctors over the course of eight seasons of MacGyver like medical saves.
So, who is this Jeremiah person? He's a doctor who eventually joins the Hank Med medical team as the business expands. To be truthful, at first I didn't like him. He was to...too....something. While I loved most of the other characters most commonly appearing in the show, Dr. Sacani just didn't wiggle his way into my heart. Until this time through, when my son made a comment or two about how to the point and clinical he was, I realized that he didn't seem so odd to me, but more Autistic.
As soon as I realized that his inability to understand social cues and his admitted struggles with social situations and relationships, his desire to avoid physical contact and his need for organization weren't his character, but symptoms, I began to be able to see him and the amazing environment he had created for himself. However, my favorite Jeremiah episode was toward the end to the series, so much so it was among the episodes I hadn't seen yet. In this episode, Jeremiah's parents came to visit, bonding with those in their son's life in an attempt to get to know and better bond with their son. Among one of these conversations, Jeremiah's mother eluded to her son's undiagnosed Autism by saying that " even before they knew that there was a spectrum Jeremiah might be on", they knew that their son wasn't like most kids. Later Jeremiah admitted that he believed his parents liked their dogs more then him, getting hem when they realized that he couldn't be the son they wanted or give them what they needed like physical affection. Spoiler alert, they hadn't gotten their first dog because of him but for him.
So what about all of this warrants a blog post? This was an amazing representation of high functioning Autism. The symptoms constantly toeing the line, leaving viewers like me wondering if he was just weird and awkward and we are just looking for Autism everywhere because it's a part of our lives and being confident that he's Autistic. He was great at what he did and very knowledgeable but it was hindered due to his challenges and he did not do well with change, yet he was a person with feelings, needs and wants which also played a big role in his life, though none of it was easy and he struggled between sticking with what he knew and felt safe or push himself and strengthen some of his weaknesses.
Mostly, however, what touched me the most was the relationships he built. Over the years, it becomes more obvious that the others in his life knew or suspected that he was Autistic and they adjusted. They embraced it and they loved him just as much as they loved each other. He sought out romantic relationships and it was enduring to watch him find his way through it all.
Jeremiah symbolizes hope and ability. The emphasis was never on Autism. They never said the word, but they tackled it. They did it in a way that, for the mother of a teen with high functioning Autism, felt real and let me know that he can do it. That my son can rock the world and do amazing things. He can find love and relationships that can last a life time and will get him through,even if they aren't as easy.
It was a portrayal of Autism that spoke to me in ways unlike others have before it, and I am thankful that I got to experience it.
Have you watched Royal Pains? Did you feel the same way as I did? Let me know in the comments.
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