there’s also a part during “show me your hands” where the camera pans over to paul and emma and he’s standing there copying the poses of the cops. i fucking love paul
I myself am high functionally autistic, and I like specific kinds of musicals(in particular, shows by Stephen Sondheim, Jason Robert Brown, Dave Malloy, Adam Guettel, Lin Manuel Miranda, Tim Minchin, shows like The Cradle Will Rock, Jesus Christ Superstar, Cabaret, City of Angels, Chess, Martin Guerre(those previous two in concept, though their librettos could use work), Titanic, Ragtime, Der Glockner Von Notre Dame(the 1999 German stage adaptation of Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame), A Man of No Importance, Runaways, Spring Awakening, The Grinning Man, God Bless You Mr. Rosewater, A Strange Loop, etc. pretty much what they call “musicals/musical films for people who don’t like musicals(at least the conventional light hearted “family friendly” “Disney-ish” “musical comedy” types (ala Rogers and Hammerstein, Oliver, Bye Bye Birdie(which I utterly LOATHED since seeing it in high school, if I dare be honest, sorry), etc.)(works effectively parodied by the likes of the Book Of Mormon and Urinetown(which I also both love) that don’t challenge the audience to think about critical subject matters(Like Les Misérables which breezes through the political climates of the time(and how they may still relate to now) and possible critiques and solutions offered in the novel, or Miss Saigon which doesn’t even begin to describe how or what the issue of the Vietnam War really was, if not why it happened and what lessons one can take from it(ESPECIALLY when it could relate to today’s issues with the Middle East) etc.), display complex situations with three dimensional characters, or at least act as a thorough character study(Dear Evan Hansen and Amelie(the London production specifically) come to mind), etc. (All factors of which, for me personally, are what I like about the previous mentioned musicals and musical writers, as those works were like teaching stories I myself could follow, which helped me better understand facets of life and different people and personalities in a nuanced way that isn’t black and white, and even helped me discover myself in specific characters as well(I relate heavily to the likes of Henrik Egerman, George Seurat, Mother’s Younger Brother, Evan Hansen, Moritz Steifel, and Christopher Boone(a main character who is displayed to actually be on the Autism spectrum, from the play The Curious Incident of The Dog in The Nighttime), and emphasize with the likes of Usher, Clara Johnson, and Pierre Bezukhov, for examples) in my own self development as a person. Any of the musicals and song styles, referenced and used the way they are, in this musical usually don’t bode well for me, so I understand Paul’s perspective on the matter. Although, as a bridge between those distinctions, I do enjoy Grand Hotel as well.
I never thought of it like that and I saw your title and it clicked right away. We’re never meant to see him as illogical or unsympathetic or stereotypical, that’s so cool.
Watching the musical for the first time I was a bit freaked out because Paul has a lot of the same stims and mannerisms that I do. At times I was almost doing the exact same hand movements he was doing, and the whole “okay okay okay” and/or uncomfortable smile is my go-to response when stressed or out of my depth
can i add an emma adhd headcanon onto this? i’ve been thinking about how she copies paul’s “okay” stim in black friday, and it comes off much more as her picking it up than deliberately copying it the way a neurotypical person would
Literally saw this and went “not again” Most of the characters I heavily relate to are either autistic or autisticly coded/ it’s heavily implied. I,,, should look into a diagnosis
You know what, maybe you should :p I felt the same way. And I got diagnosed afterwards. I was like: "Huh, all the robot characters are so relatable. Also Pearl from Steven Universe?"
@@emilyredbird7497 totally, I’m just nervous about it cause I have an adhd diagnosis, so maybe it’s just that? Like I know they’re connected but honestly more of my symptoms line up with autism rather than adhd
@@garydoq That's odd. Did they not check you for both at the same time? I was, and thought everyone was xD The two diagnoses are alike, and a lot of people have both :)
@@emilyredbird7497 4th grade, by the way, for me was 7 years ago, so maybe processes have changed. I didn't know there was a connection between the two until about a year ago
@@Jezkerx yeah It kind of does but intimate could mean a lot of things. Idk I’m kinda reaching but whose to say he’s just different in Black Friday? It’s an alternate universe after all. There’s bound to be some differences though I understand that the fundamentals of the characters don’t really change and it doesn’t really matter anyway
@@Barbie-gt9lw asexual people can have intimate and/or romantic partners. You don’t have to h/c him as ace too but the acespec experience is as broad and nuanced as you’d expect any group of human beings to be
Oh man if I saw this when this video came out back at the height of my interest in this musical and before I knew I was autistic I think it might’ve helped me figure some things out MUUUCH earlier lol
Yay finally i found some videos of a heacanoned autistic person without half of the comments saying im stupid for thinking that theyre autistic. It's totally fine to think a caracter isn't autistic but its a bit annoying when people click on a video just to go against it when it isn't particularly hurtful :/
I am a huge Team Starkid fan and found this video a few months back. I never thought of Paul as Autistic but I truthfully did not know much about the gradient of which autism presents. I watched your video noting that every instance you pointed out as an Autistic trait, was something I always really related to. Since then I have done more research and believe that I am somewhere on the spectrum. So thank you.
This is such a nice thing to hear!! I’m also autistic and I heavily related to Paul when I first watched tgwdlm. I was only diagnosed when I was around 17 years old and it took me a while to come to terms with the full scope of my diagnosis, how having autism effects my daily life. I think once u realise what it is, you start to drop a social mask and find ways to accommodate yourself. I wish u love and success!! ♥️
Love him lying to the Green Peace Girl, getting caught in a lie, and just completely going mask-off about his honest opinion of Green Peace without any attempt to salvage himself
Oh no, does this mean his okays are gonna become a stim of mine lol. I'm not autistic, but i do have ADHD and some autistic traits, plus adhd and autistic family members (one and both in diff people) This is the second time I've hyperfixated on TGWDLM/Black Friday, but this time it's a little broader and is focused on Jon Matteson/Team Starkid as a whole more. I might gain more stims lol, it wouldn't be the first from a hyperfixation (stupid Noxcrew button that triggered my need to echo sounds, my lil bro (AuDHD) had way too much fun when he noticed that lol)
Yesterday I had to get up for work and I played this so I’d stay awake but then I had the problem where I couldn’t stop thinking about this video for the rest of the day. It make me feel happy :)
Why do I feel like him enjoying plain black coffee is something of a routine/sameness thing? Like, you can use different coffee beans I guess, but most plain black coffees are very predictable. If you go to different coffee shops they might make their lattes or other coffee drinks differently even if it's slight, and it can even be different with different workers. You could make the coffee at home but even then it's just more efficient to drink the coffee right after making it rather than needing to add other stuff - you're lookin for the caffeine most of all! Also, when you go to the store what if they're out of that specific creamer you like to use? What if you accidentally add too much sugar? You don't have time to measure it out each time to get the same taste! Idk, I could just be looking too much into this, I just relate on that level a lot because I tend to get stressed when foods and drink I usually get are suddenly made different or are very unpredictable lol
This vid old by now but I just wanted to thank you for making it because compilations like this are what prompted me to consider the implications (lol) that Paul is autistic, and ended up inspiring me to make and upload an entire video essay about the subject, including what it says for Paul's character and the themes of the show. I think yours is one of the videos I show in a screenshot at one point so thank you again! I love this fandom!!!
My undiagnosed ass: Hm, I like Paul, he’s super relatable. He’s super autistic coded, I’m sure that has nothing to do with why I relate to him though :)
If you're only interested in portraying the stereotypes and cliches of autism then fair enough, however, in doing so you run the risk of ridiculing people on the spectrum!
@@hacktplanet450 I am autistic too and I'm entitled to my opinion without your unnecessary language. Are you rude to everyone who has an opinion that differs from your own?
Jon Matteson on his way to play autistic guys in all three hatchetfield musicals
Its the autistic holy trinity
I’ve got theory-
Love to see an autistic coded king that doesn't fall into the same damn "asshole genius" archetype from everything else
I mean, he is an asshole. He didn't want to save the non-existent turtles.😮
his special interest is hating musicals
musicals are his special disinterest. his special hatred.
@@boydivision666 Lol special dissintrest xD
there’s also a part during “show me your hands” where the camera pans over to paul and emma and he’s standing there copying the poses of the cops. i fucking love paul
oooh really? could you give a timestamp please??
@@loomy_views_things idk the timestamp but its so funny hes just trying to copy mariahs cop character
@@loomy_views_things th-cam.com/video/dqxytIY5Ejc/w-d-xo.html 1:28 :)
I believe the time stamp is 38:26 in the proshot, you can see them at the far left
He also mimics Emma when they're sat talking in Hidgens fortress
also
”i know this is probably a bad time but uh.. do you like film?”
”yeah you know what, this is a bad time”
One of my fav Paul lines in the whole show
Sometimes when I get overwhelmed have meltdowns I LITERALLY go "okay. okay. okay. okay. okay."
Same. I had to do a phone call today and went okay for at least 5 minutes afterwards
ive got the same thing except it’s the word “cool”,,,, “coolcoolcool coolcoolcool”
REAL.
Sameee
And I do the same stim as him! It's probably one of my main ones lmao
Pfft the whole just saying no to things without any reason other than not wanting to is exactly what I do as a autistic
okay but like… do you need another reason??
@@arielhuntley9454 Nope but society thinks you do.
That's why Paul is so relatable! Except of course... I quite like musicals
I myself am high functionally autistic, and I like specific kinds of musicals(in particular, shows by Stephen Sondheim, Jason Robert Brown, Dave Malloy, Adam Guettel, Lin Manuel Miranda, Tim Minchin, shows like The Cradle Will Rock, Jesus Christ Superstar, Cabaret, City of Angels, Chess, Martin Guerre(those previous two in concept, though their librettos could use work), Titanic, Ragtime, Der Glockner Von Notre Dame(the 1999 German stage adaptation of Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame), A Man of No Importance, Runaways, Spring Awakening, The Grinning Man, God Bless You Mr. Rosewater, A Strange Loop, etc. pretty much what they call “musicals/musical films for people who don’t like musicals(at least the conventional light hearted “family friendly” “Disney-ish” “musical comedy” types (ala Rogers and Hammerstein, Oliver, Bye Bye Birdie(which I utterly LOATHED since seeing it in high school, if I dare be honest, sorry), etc.)(works effectively parodied by the likes of the Book Of Mormon and Urinetown(which I also both love) that don’t challenge the audience to think about critical subject matters(Like Les Misérables which breezes through the political climates of the time(and how they may still relate to now) and possible critiques and solutions offered in the novel, or Miss Saigon which doesn’t even begin to describe how or what the issue of the Vietnam War really was, if not why it happened and what lessons one can take from it(ESPECIALLY when it could relate to today’s issues with the Middle East) etc.), display complex situations with three dimensional characters, or at least act as a thorough character study(Dear Evan Hansen and Amelie(the London production specifically) come to mind), etc.
(All factors of which, for me personally, are what I like about the previous mentioned musicals and musical writers, as those works were like teaching stories I myself could follow, which helped me better understand facets of life and different people and personalities in a nuanced way that isn’t black and white, and even helped me discover myself in specific characters as well(I relate heavily to the likes of Henrik Egerman, George Seurat, Mother’s Younger Brother, Evan Hansen, Moritz Steifel, and Christopher Boone(a main character who is displayed to actually be on the Autism spectrum, from the play The Curious Incident of The Dog in The Nighttime), and emphasize with the likes of Usher, Clara Johnson, and Pierre Bezukhov, for examples) in my own self development as a person.
Any of the musicals and song styles, referenced and used the way they are, in this musical usually don’t bode well for me, so I understand Paul’s perspective on the matter.
Although, as a bridge between those distinctions, I do enjoy Grand Hotel as well.
@@michaelwilliamybarra2409 the book _the curious incident of the dog in the nighttime_ was my summer reading book between sixth and seventh grade!
Paul and Richie are my autistic babygirls and I would die for them
I never thought of it like that and I saw your title and it clicked right away. We’re never meant to see him as illogical or unsympathetic or stereotypical, that’s so cool.
I went into this thinking: "Nah, he can't.. Right?" and now I'm convinced. I now HC Paul as Autistic and no one can stop me
Ik this comment was made years ago, but the actor says that he believes that paul does have autism and that he was autistic coded
@@maddi_b_123 put some respect on Jon Matteson's name!!
@@maddi_b_123oh really??? I didn’t know that that’s cool :D
Watching the musical for the first time I was a bit freaked out because Paul has a lot of the same stims and mannerisms that I do. At times I was almost doing the exact same hand movements he was doing, and the whole “okay okay okay” and/or uncomfortable smile is my go-to response when stressed or out of my depth
can i add an emma adhd headcanon onto this? i’ve been thinking about how she copies paul’s “okay” stim in black friday, and it comes off much more as her picking it up than deliberately copying it the way a neurotypical person would
ABSOLUTELY!!!
emma & paul is true adhd & autism solidarity
Literally saw this and went “not again”
Most of the characters I heavily relate to are either autistic or autisticly coded/ it’s heavily implied. I,,, should look into a diagnosis
You know what, maybe you should :p I felt the same way. And I got diagnosed afterwards. I was like: "Huh, all the robot characters are so relatable. Also Pearl from Steven Universe?"
@@emilyredbird7497 totally, I’m just nervous about it cause I have an adhd diagnosis, so maybe it’s just that? Like I know they’re connected but honestly more of my symptoms line up with autism rather than adhd
@@garydoq That's odd. Did they not check you for both at the same time? I was, and thought everyone was xD The two diagnoses are alike, and a lot of people have both :)
@@emilyredbird7497 I don't think so? I was diagnosed in 4th grade and I'm pretty sure they just tested for ADHD
@@emilyredbird7497 4th grade, by the way, for me was 7 years ago, so maybe processes have changed. I didn't know there was a connection between the two until about a year ago
Okay, but that's relatable. Not the hating musicals part, I love musicals. But this is relatable.
Shoutout to Jon Matteson for thinking Paul is autistic coded!
“Ok” vocal stimming for the win
thank you so much for making this video. it's true Paul is an autistic icon
My friend said "Paul's social awkwardness is physically painful" and I.. yeah it's very painful for me 😬 lmao
This is so cool! I also see theories that Paul is asexual as well
Black friday debunks this
@@Jezkerx yeah It kind of does but intimate could mean a lot of things. Idk I’m kinda reaching but whose to say he’s just different in Black Friday? It’s an alternate universe after all. There’s bound to be some differences though I understand that the fundamentals of the characters don’t really change and it doesn’t really matter anyway
He says he wants money or a partner in what do you want so I don't think so, maybe bi or pan
@@Barbie-gt9lw asexual people can have intimate and/or romantic partners. You don’t have to h/c him as ace too but the acespec experience is as broad and nuanced as you’d expect any group of human beings to be
@@Mambo1061 I never implied they couldn't
As an autistic person who loves musicals, I can now see why I relate with Paul
hold up i'm autistic and i've never thought about this hc ajsdhfgjkldjf i love it
Same
Oh man if I saw this when this video came out back at the height of my interest in this musical and before I knew I was autistic I think it might’ve helped me figure some things out MUUUCH earlier lol
Yay finally i found some videos of a heacanoned autistic person without half of the comments saying im stupid for thinking that theyre autistic. It's totally fine to think a caracter isn't autistic but its a bit annoying when people click on a video just to go against it when it isn't particularly hurtful :/
Also he is autistic he told me himself !!
@@hacktplanet450 Wow :0 i want to meet Paul too!
this video should just be every time paul is on screen
Finally . . . A video made for ME /j
AHAHDFGH I MADE IT SPECIFICALLY TO CATER TO ME SO I APPRECIATE THAT !!!
@@hacktplanet450 all my friends say I AM paul that likes musicals haha
I showed this to my brother (who has autism) and said "it's a musical about you"
I never put those two together...
the stims with the okays are rlly mMmmm
I am a huge Team Starkid fan and found this video a few months back. I never thought of Paul as Autistic but I truthfully did not know much about the gradient of which autism presents. I watched your video noting that every instance you pointed out as an Autistic trait, was something I always really related to. Since then I have done more research and believe that I am somewhere on the spectrum. So thank you.
This is such a nice thing to hear!! I’m also autistic and I heavily related to Paul when I first watched tgwdlm. I was only diagnosed when I was around 17 years old and it took me a while to come to terms with the full scope of my diagnosis, how having autism effects my daily life. I think once u realise what it is, you start to drop a social mask and find ways to accommodate yourself. I wish u love and success!! ♥️
I can't believe I never caught this interpretation this is SO correct
Love him lying to the Green Peace Girl, getting caught in a lie, and just completely going mask-off about his honest opinion of Green Peace without any attempt to salvage himself
I got so many things i say when i get excited from musicals
Okay, okay, okay
C-c-c-come on (from BeMoreChill)
And certain parts from La dee dah da day
His my mood everyday
he really is
thats probably why i related to him so much ((i love musicals thoo (special interest))
Oh no, does this mean his okays are gonna become a stim of mine lol. I'm not autistic, but i do have ADHD and some autistic traits, plus adhd and autistic family members (one and both in diff people)
This is the second time I've hyperfixated on TGWDLM/Black Friday, but this time it's a little broader and is focused on Jon Matteson/Team Starkid as a whole more. I might gain more stims lol, it wouldn't be the first from a hyperfixation (stupid Noxcrew button that triggered my need to echo sounds, my lil bro (AuDHD) had way too much fun when he noticed that lol)
Yesterday I had to get up for work and I played this so I’d stay awake but then I had the problem where I couldn’t stop thinking about this video for the rest of the day. It make me feel happy :)
3:04 the fact that i’ve watched tgwdlm twice AND heard this audio multiple times, but never realized the two were related…
Why do I feel like him enjoying plain black coffee is something of a routine/sameness thing? Like, you can use different coffee beans I guess, but most plain black coffees are very predictable. If you go to different coffee shops they might make their lattes or other coffee drinks differently even if it's slight, and it can even be different with different workers. You could make the coffee at home but even then it's just more efficient to drink the coffee right after making it rather than needing to add other stuff - you're lookin for the caffeine most of all! Also, when you go to the store what if they're out of that specific creamer you like to use? What if you accidentally add too much sugar? You don't have time to measure it out each time to get the same taste! Idk, I could just be looking too much into this, I just relate on that level a lot because I tend to get stressed when foods and drink I usually get are suddenly made different or are very unpredictable lol
oh my fucking god it all makes sense.
youre so right for this
This vid old by now but I just wanted to thank you for making it because compilations like this are what prompted me to consider the implications (lol) that Paul is autistic, and ended up inspiring me to make and upload an entire video essay about the subject, including what it says for Paul's character and the themes of the show. I think yours is one of the videos I show in a screenshot at one point so thank you again! I love this fandom!!!
oh my god how have i never seen it....... that's why he's so relatable to me I feel so called out rn
My undiagnosed ass: Hm, I like Paul, he’s super relatable. He’s super autistic coded, I’m sure that has nothing to do with why I relate to him though :)
thank you for this i owe you my fucking life
I knew I wasn't the only one who thought this!!!
futhering my point that danny pudi should one day play paul
Can we call him Dani Pudin?
Basically Me In a Nutshell
love this!
He IS I LOVE IT
oh my god yes
He’s acoustic
And Emma is like a electric guitar! >:D
Martin Edward Jackson Richard Thompson Richard
Lee John Anderson David Lewis Ruth
Wilson Jose Rodriguez Linda Taylor Donna
If you're only interested in portraying the stereotypes and cliches of autism then fair enough, however, in doing so you run the risk of ridiculing people on the spectrum!
Buddy I am autistic
I believe Paul is autistic because I am autistic and I relate to him a lot. Don’t bring that negative shit here.
@@hacktplanet450 I am autistic too and I'm entitled to my opinion without your unnecessary language. Are you rude to everyone who has an opinion that differs from your own?
@@Greg_Romfordthis video was made in good faith, you’re reading into it way too deep buddy. Lots of people headcannon Paul as being autistic!
@@Greg_Romfordif ur unsure just read every other comment on this video from autistic people saying it resonated with them.