“That’s what I hope to do: lube and disabled awareness.”
Donald PadgettRyan O’Connell told the Huffington Post he has a goal for the second and final season of his Netflix series Special, the groundbreaking show about a gay man with cerebral palsy trying to find himself in a straight and able-bodied world. Season two of the series debuts Thursday and he hopes to continue pushing boundaries, particularly around portrayals of sex.
“I want gay sex and Special to be synonymous,” O’Connell said. “I want my show to be known for topping, bottoming, top anxiety, lube ― all those things. I want to take the mystery and shame out of gay sex by depicting it as I’ve experienced it: erotic, humiliating, empowering, funny and intense, all within the same thrust.”
The second season picks up with Ryan, played by O’Connell who also lives with cerebral palsy, after he moves out of the home he had previously shared with his mother in the first season. The sparks fly when he meets a handsome and charismatic dance instructor, Tanner, played by Max Jenkins. Still, there’s something amiss in their relationship, as Tanner is otherwise involved. And yes, there’s plenty of gay sex. In season one, the show broke boundaries and pushed the conversation forward by depicting the intersections of gay sex, disability, and sex work. But O'Connell isn't done.
In the penultimate episode of season two, Huffington post reports that as the show reaches an emotional climax after two characters have a romantic getaway, they are interrupted by literal poop in an "intentionally cringe worthy scene." While we haven't seen it, just the mention brings to mind a scene from the recently aired It's a Sin.
O’Connell learned his show had been picked up for a second season with each episode doubled from 15 to 30 minutes in the same call from Netflix where they told him season 2 would be the show’s last, an experience he likened to a roller coaster ride. He did see a bright side to the news, however, expressing gratitude for the advance notice “because it would have felt like creative blue balls” to write a second season not knowing if there would be a third. He said the knowledge gave him time to leave the characters in a good place for the audience.
“We need pleasure,” O’Connell explained. “We need joy. We need escapism.” And that's what he intends to provide, along with some scenes that will help demystify and destigmatize a few things as they relate to sex.
“Hopefully, I’ve removed some stigma and made nondisabled viewers feel less skittish and uncomfortable around disability, too,” O’Connell added. “That’s what I hope to do: lube and disabled awareness.”
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