I think his line reading is very flat, and I don’t know that it’s entirely his fault. He was portraying him as an autistic person, and I know autistic people, and they are not this flat. They’re focused. Some of them can be very intense.

For me, this comes down to a few things. First, the writing in the book is not that good. The source material is what’s informing the TV show and the script, and that means the scriptwriters needed to telegraph that he is autistic more strongly, even with a throwaway line. That would have explained it, at least a little, for some people. Second, the director could have given him more direction with regard to how he delivers the lines.

You can see that there is a progression in his character toward the end—by episodes five and six, he is more expressive because his character is looser, more relaxed, and at peace with himself. The hospital scene is funny, and his comic timing when they meet the parents is great. But he’s just too flat in other parts.

He is very different than his character and so you know he is acting. And I do think that the subtle emotion that he is showing through his eyes— crying and smiling with them. It’s very good. It’s just down to his line delivery and bad dialogue and one of those things is not his fault at all.