Hello everybody, this is George Harvey (aka The Autistic Blogger). Welcome to another instalment of Are They Autistic?: the series where I look at characters from various forms of media and analyse whether I think they’re on the spectrum or not.
Today we’ll be looking at Regina “Reggie” Abbot, the main character of the Netflix animated series Twelve Forever. It’s a series I’ve been interested in seeing for a while now but never got around to it. Either because I couldn’t find the time to or because I didn’t have a Netflix account. However, the series has stayed on my mind because parts of the trailer intrigued me about Reggie’s character. Let me explain.
From what I could tell, Reggie is a preteen girl struggling with the reality that she’s growing up. She’s embarrassed to get a bra for her birthday, feels awkward going clothes shopping, and shows no interest in things like makeup or beauty magazines – much to her mother’s disappointment. Furthermore, Reggie seems determined to stay a child no matter what. She spends her time drawing pictures and making costumes; she paints her face black and white, claiming to be a “dead skunk bride“, and has a collection of stuffed animals and action figures. In her own words, she describes herself as “some weird loser who’s loud and awkward and still plays with toys.”
As you can imagine, Reggie’s desire to stay young causes problems in her social life; she has few friends who share her interests, and it even puts her at odds with her family. Moreover, the situation causes her stress. She knows growing up is inevitable. But she’s worried it’ll mean giving up everything she loves and condemning herself to a life of boredom and misery. Nobody wants that. But it feels like there’s nothing she can do about it. The world is bearing down on her.
One day, Reggie gets so frustrated that she can’t bear reality anymore. She wants to go someplace where she can just be herself. “Where everyone’s cool, and no one ever tells [her] to grow up.” Amazingly, she gets her wish. Through the power of her desires – and a magical key – Reggie and her friends (Todd and Esther) can visit the world of Endless: an island full of bizarre creatures and neverending fun. They’re also granted superpowers, which come in handy when protecting the island from threats such as the Butt Witch. It’s the perfect place for Reggie to escape her worries and live out her fantasies. But it also allows her time to work through her growing pains and resolve conflicts with her friends. Maybe then she’ll learn getting older isn’t as dull and depressing as it seems.
So you might be wondering why I’ve chosen this series and character, specifically. After all, dealing with maturity is a relatable story we’ve heard many times before. Even the addition of a fantasy world easing us through the transition is nothing new – think of classic novels like Peter Pan or Alice in Wonderland. However, I couldn’t help drawing comparisons between Reggie and myself. It’s a little farfetched to say so, but I think her behaviour is similar to someone with Autism. Let me give you some examples.
Firstly, there’s Reggie’s reluctance to change. As mentioned before, getting older is never easy; it comes with many new challenges and experiences. For people with Autism, though, these changes are especially harsh. Understanding the world around us can be difficult, given how differently our minds process information. Because of that, we tend to fixate on whatever we find familiar or amusing. We take comfort in these things because they’re simple to understand, and we know the rules. However, when stepping out of these comfort zones, we know our disabilities will sometimes make new experiences longer and harder to learn. Plus, there’s no guarantee we’ll succeed in them as well as most people. Usually, that’s not the case, and we manage just fine or even better. But it doesn’t make the learning period any less stressful or scary. Consequently, we’re more hesitant to commit to it and often default to what we know.
In Reggie’s case, it’s similar. The thought of becoming a young adult is off-putting to her because it’s entirely different from the life she’s always known. I couldn’t tell from the trailer if she has trouble understanding the world. But her childish antics are more extreme for someone her age – even by some Autistic standards. I’ve already given a few examples above. However, we’re also shown a comparison with Reggie’s brother, Dustin; he’s adjusted to being a teenager much better than his sister – who he now sees as an annoying pest. With so much changing in her life, Reggie takes comfort in the remnants of her childhood. They’re reminders of times when everything was fun and familiar. Maybe she acts the way she does because she doesn’t want to grow up. Or perhaps something inside her is affecting her confidence, which makes moving on too emotionally demanding.
There’s also the fact that Reggie has specific interests. Having a different perspective of the world means Autistic people are sometimes fascinated by the most unusual things. For example, Maud Pie and Mud Briar (Friendship is Magic) are interested in rocks and sticks, respectively. Haruhi Suzumiya (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya) is drawn to anything not remotely normal. I’m someone who watches a show about colourful talking ponies that’s aimed primarily at young girls. And Reggie loves toys and being creative. For an outsider looking in, these things are strange or irrelevant to obsess over. Thus it often creates distance between them and the Autistic person. We see this with Reggie’s mother trying to get her daughter interested in fashion. However, anything can be fascinating if you take the time to understand what makes them so uniquely appealing. The problem is finding people who share that passion for something so specific. Or a least know why you love it so much. Most people usually gravitate to what’s popular with everyone, and that’s that.
Out of everything I took from Twelve Forever‘s trailer, though, the most intriguing part was when Reggie’s mother explains that her daughter “locks herself in her room for hours, making up stories and living in her own little world.” Hearing these words, I couldn’t help thinking back to my preteen days. I’ve expressed it before, but when I was younger, I always thought about my favourite TV shows, games and characters. I’d relive them inside my head, even at the most inopportune times. I then started coming up with my own stories and ideas, which led me to want to pursue a career in creative writing. Could it be that Reggie is also at this stage? Could she unknowingly be setting herself up to make a living off her passions? It’s entirely possible. After all, parts of Endless are created from her imagination, drawings and toys. Not to mention “living in their own world” is a common way of describing Autistic behaviour. This similarity with me was the most convincing evidence I had thus far.
So you might think I have a solid case for proving that Reggie is Autistic. However, keep in mind everything I’ve mentioned so far comes from my impressions of the trailer – and a few short clips on YouTube. You also have to remember that Autism is several different conditions working together. And they can affect people in different ways. For example, I have a girlfriend who’s also on the spectrum. But unlike me, she doesn’t have Asperger’s Syndrome. So whereas I find it difficult to talk in most social situations, she can talk for hours about almost anything non-stop.
Just because there are similarities between Reggie and me doesn’t mean we’re both Autistic. The only way I’d know for sure is if I watched the series for myself. Did it confirm or disprove any of my theories? Find out in Part 2 (Are They Autistic? – Reggie Abbot (Twelve Forever) – Part 2 | The Autistic Blogger (wordpress.com)).
Image courtesy of: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8009622/?ref_=tt_mv_close
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