When first hearing that the show was about the family of a boy with cerebral palsy, the automatic response is to expect the mood of the show to be sad and/or heartbreaking. However, I found the upbeat and partly comical mood of the show to be a refreshing outlook on disability. It starts out with a seemingly "normal" family driving to get half priced breakfast before their coupon expires. When they arrive at their destination, they park in a handicapped spot without any indication on their vehicle of the necessity for use of the spot. Immediately, an older woman makes a comment about how it is unfair they use the spot, and complains about the problems she has with walking. Rather than speaking a response, the family instead opens the back door of the car, lowers the ramp, and lowers down the wheelchair of their son JJ who has cerebral palsy (immediately shutting up the older woman). This beginning scene then sets the context in which disability will be portrayed throughout the remainder of the show- light heatedly with a twinge of comic relief on a topic that makes so many people uncomfortable. Throughout the rest of the episode, the characters in the show portray the actual normalcy of disability, and how, even though it makes so many people uncomfortable (i.e. when JJ goes into his classroom for the first time and gets a standing ovation from peers he has never met before), we all need to remember that just because someone has a disability that it does not make them abnormal. The show does a great job portraying this message to its viewers. One of the most comical aspects of the show is the reactions JJ's family (as well as JJ himself) has to people' extreme kindness in reaction to his disability. The entire family find people's reactions to be absurd, and goes as far at times to mock those who treat JJ any differently. I recommend this show not only to those who know someone with disability (or has a disability themselves) but also anyone in need of some comic relief surrounding a topic that makes so many uncomfortable.
Review of Speechless
