Sam Gardner

Sam Gardner is the main protagonist of the Netflix original series Atypical. He is a teenaged boy who struggles with being on the autism spectrum. He is portrayed by Keir Gilchrist.

Why He Rocks

 * 1) His portrayal is an accurate representation of people on the autism spectrum.
 * 2) He is an aspiring artist, as he likes to draw animals.
 * 3) He learns from his mistakes and grows when he finds himself in the wrong.
 * 4) He is friendly to everyone around him.
 * 5) He genuinely cares about his family and his friends Zahid and Paige.
 * 6) He is capable of being a romantic partner to Paige.
 * 7) Despite his internal struggles regarding him being on the spectrum and the hardships he deals with because of it, he never uses it as an excuse for his faults and chooses to take responsiblity for his actions, which demonstrates great emotional maturity and high integrity.
 * 8) He isn't afraid to challenge himself, no matter the difficulties.
 * 9) He is incredibly intelligent and knowledgeable, especially when it comes to animals. In fact, he has the third-highest GPA by the time he graduated from high school.
 * 10) He is a loving caretaker to his pet turtle Edison.
 * 11) Keir Gilchrist did an amazing performance portraying him despite not having autism himself.
 * 12) He has his share of comedic moments.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) He can be naive when it comes to certain social cues and take things literally. While it is funny in certain cases, it can somewhat make others feel awkward.