The Good Doctor - Carrots & Two-Ply (or Not Two-Ply) - Review

The Good Doctor airs Monday night 9PM CT on ABC

This review will tackle two episodes, which in some way were written as a two part. The same theme carries through from Carrots into Two-Ply (or Not Two-Ply), in a crafty way but its noticeable. I watched both episodes on the same day but two and a week later because of some issues. I am writing this on a wet, cold Sunday night. Before Carrots, we left off on a terrific episode that opened a couple of storylines that I feel are still being sidelined. The only theme that they seem to keep going back to is Dr. Browne’s unethical behavior. I want to fire her, but this is just a TV show so tough titmouse.

Let's start with Dr. Murphy and Lea, who were teased as each other love interest but clearly, that didn’t seem to simmer into any sweetness, so the writers decided to move along from it swiftly. The truth is they handled that burn out with a lot of expertise and gave the two characters hilarious material to work with, in Carrots. My opinion of Lea has not changed much, I still believe she’s manipulative and enjoys yanking Dr. Murphy’s chain and will end up hurting him but to be fair, she trod carefully and redeemed herself a little bit by understanding why he needed a roommate. Remember Murphy was removed from a living situation that he cared about not just once but several times so wanting to live with Lea was growth for him.

In Two-Ply (or Not Two-Ply) Murphy and Lea are living together, and the situation is starting to feel like one big mistake especially to Lea who had to deal first hand with Murphy on overdrive. I haven't had a roommate that has to have everything “proper,” but sometimes I think I am that person. The only thing I agreed with Murphy on was the remote control placement, which frustrates me as well when not in the right place. Murphy is a handful and can be mean, what I like about him is the reflection he does and always tries to course correct, which makes him a good guy in my books. I am not sure if this arrangement with Lea will last, Lea being on the show just to serve as Murphy’s roommate might not be sustainable but I will take it.

Dr. Murphy and Dr. Park were paired in Carrots and worked with Dr. Lim on a case that was used to give a little bit of a glimpse into Park and Lim’s lives. The case was about the taboo that’s weight loss surgery, but this was used to illustrate how secrets in marriages/relationship can be detrimental to the foundation of those same unions. We found out that Park and Lim are divorcees and Park is struggling with his failures as a husband and/or father but also battling secrets that might have cost him his marriage. One thing that irritates me sometimes about this show is the level of HIPPA violations that occur and slide past the hospital administration. Park had several conversations with the patient’s husband, which he shouldn’t have particularly how he insinuated that the reverse bypass might cause the patient to gain back his weight. Park has deeper issues that he needs to deal with and Lim calling him out at every chance was appropriate. My favorite part about the case they were working on was Dan Bucatinsky on my television.

In Two-Ply (or Not Two-Ply) Park and Browne were paired to work on a case after Dr. Melendez kicked Browne out of his team for undermining him in the case they worked on in Carrots. Browne is smart and is genuinely great at emotional intelligence, but she could do with some discipline. She struggles with insecurities, which make her want to always be right. Failure is not in her vocabulary and to be a good surgeon Browne will need to hit some roadblocks that will not be easy to pass through even with all her intellectual ability. She is defiant a majority of the time, but her ways work. Park and Browne handled a patient that had ingested a foreign object settled in her organs for many years. Despite this not being a unique occurrence, the speed with which they handled the case was a little unrealistic, but this is TV where we are supposed to suspend our imagination. There was still a little bit of breakthrough in Parks storyline, and for how much building up they are doing on this, I hope it will be worth it.

Dr. Reznick and Dr. Browne worked together in Carrots, and she was paired with Murphy in Two-Ply (or Not Two-Ply). I cannot help but feel that the writers are falling into the trap of making the black woman seem aggressive and incompetent and the white woman as assertive and capable. Both Reznick and Browne are manipulative, but how they are written, one comes off as just an annoyance, but the other comes off as bad at her job. I could be projecting, but I wager I am not the only one that sees this. Browne going behind Dr. Melendez and persuading the patient to go ahead with a procedure that had no substantial evidence could work was predictable. She has done this so many times that I was waiting for Melendez to get her kicked off the program but I think he likes her A LOT. It’s slowly rolling down the hill, but the viewers should be ready because that relationship is going to happen.

The case Reznick and Murphy worked on was interesting but has been recycled throughout every medical drama since way back when. It is a tired trope which I wish could die a fast death but what set this apart was how they approached it from a making a mistake and learning from its point of view. The talk Melendez had with Reznick was necessary because it hopefully helped Reznick recognize that she continuously lets competition get in the way of practicing good medicine. She sees Murphy and Browne often as competitors, and her first instinct is always to outsmart them, but they are brilliant residents. I am hoping for some growth for her. Melendez is a fantastic teacher, and he gives a lot of chances to the residents, and I was happy to learn that small detail about his history with Lim. I will admit I was not a fan of his from the beginning, but I have grown to appreciate his presence.

You all know that I was not going to let that ridiculous IRB scene go unmentioned right? I hate that I work in surgery and when I watch this show I always have that lens on so, I judge some things based on real-life experience. The IRB which is for those that might not be familiar with the term, Institutional Review Board. Hospitals have these in place so that they can "self-monitor." This particular scenario was condensed for obvious reasons, but the reality is, what Browne presented would not fly in any IRB. The study she presented that’s not approved by the FDA especially since the hospital is based in the United States. No surgical IRB would take such a risk, and if there is any, I would love someone to point me to it. IRB’s are a tedious, necessary and painful pun intended process, to go through.

Both episodes dealt with Murphy’s separation anxiety so well, if there’s something they get right its Murphy's mental and behavioral issues. It was clear that he struggled to see Dr. Glassman in a state that translates to Murphy as weak. Glassman is brilliant and understands well what Murphy is going through. What's fascinating though is that Murphy’s instincts about Glassman are also spot on so it is incredible to see how they lift each other up even when they think the other does not understand. I loved the two episodes despite the continuity issues from tough titmouse into Carrots.

What did you all think of the episodes?