my post keeps getting auto-deleted on the main sub so ill post it here for yall!!

SPOILERS AHEAD

-

-

-

-

I'm in a bit of a minority here because a lot of autistic folks don't like this franchise much. I understand why. It has its flaws and the subreddits/social media platforms are full of misinformation and harmful sentiments about not just the participants but autism as a whole. I try to be kind and not nitpick, but I see why some autistic folk can't handle anything to do with it. I do think though if you're on a subreddit for a show about autistic people, you should be open to learning about autism from autistic people, even if they don't end up on the show.

However, I love autistic people and love seeing THEM. That's why I watch.

This was, unfortunately, my least favorite season. I liked the new participants, but I had an issue with the editing (as always), and it was less engaging to me than other seasons.

But! The proposal scene and engagement party brought me to floods of tears. I cringe a little at Tyler's outdated use of the term Asperger's and Madison's distinction of 'classsic autism', but again - I won't nitpick. I get the sentiment and it's a beautiful one - Madison has higher support needs than Tyler most of the time and they still fit together and love each other. I see all the time people complaining that people with higher needs are being matched with 'higher functioning' (bleh) people, but Madison and Tyler prove that sometimes it can work. And work beautifully.

The entire cast are fantastic folks and the support they show one another is unmatched. This show isn't about how good it can make a non-autistic audience feel. It's about community.