Final season of Special sees Ryan fully embrace his identity

Creator, writer, and star Ryan O’Connell’s under-the-radar semi-autobiographical Netflix series, Special, is a unique story about coming to terms with living with cerebral palsy.

Loosely based on his memoir, I’m Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves, the first season followed Ryan, an out gay blogger who kept his disability in the closet and let his coworkers and new friends believe that the presentation of his disability was due to a car accident.

Over the course of the first season, Ryan discovered what it meant to be independent as he lived on his own, away from his overprotective and codependent mother, Karen (Jessica Hecht) for the first time, eventually leading to a rift between them as they each began to navigate separate identities.

The second season picks up about two months after the events of the first, with Ryan and Karen still not speaking. While Ryan has become firmly independent and learned to live without his mom, Karen is lonelier than ever, unsure of what to do without her son or a romantic relationship.

Of course, Special has never just been about Ryan (even if its main character is a bit self-centered at times).

Even when Ryan the main character has a hard time recognizing the world outside of himself, the show has always done a lovely job at keeping Karen and his best friend, Kim (played by the vibrant and hilarious Punam Patel) in sharp focus.

Special‘s first season was one of Netflix’s first attempts at a limited 15-minute episode format. While both seasons have eight episodes, Netflix granted Special a full 30-minute runtime for its second and final season, fully doubling the amount of story to tell.

With an expanded season comes more room to flesh out Karen’s and Kim’s stories, leaving no one without closure or a moment to shine.

Special has always dealt in intersections:  the intersection between Ryan’s gay and disabled identities; the intersection between Ryan and Karen’s close relationship as a gay son and mother and a disabled child and nurturing and overprotective parent; and the intersection between a fulfilling relationship one that just appears to be that way.

All of these issues and more are deftly explored in a show that is one of the most inclusive, funny, and sweet ones out there. Special has that perfect mix of belly-aching laughs and melancholy heartbreak that will make you rewatch over and over.

While it’s fortunate Netflix granted the renewal alongside the cancellation, allowing O’Connell and his writing staff the opportunity to finish up the story properly, it’s still a real tragedy they were able to tell so little story to begin with.

We know this isn’t the last story O’Connell has to tell. Until then, you’ll find us rewatching these two perfect seasons on Netflix.

What did you think of Special‘s final season? Tell us in the comments below!