Part of the premise of "A Kind of Spark" is the idea that some people that we think of as autistic, are actually that way because they have magical powers. I find this to be a dangerous precedent, the idea that people who are different, are different because in actuality they have superpowers or an alien. It is the like the mom telling the kid, "You're special, all the other kids are just jealous." It has the right intentions, but it is a little misleading and insulting.
The show is very heavy handed with their commentary. Doing the parallel of kids with special needs being rounded up like it was a witch hunt. And the kids in this show, some of them are just the worst. The show writes bullies to be nothing more than strawmen to be knocked down. They will go out of their way to be a jerk and have absolutely no redeeming qualities. If you are wanting the audience to learn how not to bully kids with special needs, then you need to set up a more relatable antagonist. People should be able to watch and see themselves in the characters. They see the errors in their ways and realize, I should do better, otherwise I will end up like that person there. But when they are this cartoonishly over the top evil, it becomes impossible for the audience to learn that because no human being would act that way.
The child actors are all doing fine, the script is just beyond saving. I don't like it. The show comes across as preachy, standing on a soapbox and scolding their audience. And they aren't even good at being preachy.
