We need a couple of weeks to get over our feelings for The Good Doctor, but here we are! The Good Doctor 5x12 “Dry Spell” and The Good Doctor 5x13 “Growing Pains” are transition episodes that are capable of moving us by showing how fragile trust is, how much it costs to recover it and what it means to understand the people we love, even if we don't agree with them. Time for a double review!
Here we go!
Confidence is very easy to lose…but very difficult to regain. Sometimes, it's worth fighting for and sometimes it just isn't, but it's always worth listening to. A person doesn’t lie to someone they love just for the pleasure of it, there is always a reason.
Sometimes, that reason is understandable, sometimes not, but there is always something there. And if you regret it while doing it…your mind tortures you with the possibility of losing that person for lying for so long, so you keep lying and fall down the deepest rabbit hole ever.
But the key to all of this is listening. By listening with an open mind, you can decide if it’s worth trying to regain trust in someone and forgive…or not. And the last two episodes of The Good Doctor are proof of that.
Glassy, as usual in The Good Doctor, is right in what he says to Andrews. It’s one thing to try to prioritize what he has to fix after Salen's passage through the hospital, and quite another thing to disconnect from the needs of the staff just because it’s the easiest thing to do.
Andrews is not in a good position against his teammates. They remember that he only decided to do the right thing at the last moment. And now, he ignores them doesn't help at all because it's not the right decision. He needs to reconnect with them, he needs to show them that he wants to be part of the team, the family, they are. He always wanted to. And Andrews needs to face his fear that they will reject him.
The game is a relaxed situation that helps repair the ties between Andrews and the rest of his teammates, helps repair something that felt completely broken, and helps Andrews to listen to both the problems and the solutions they propose.
Salen was like a hurricane that destroyed everything in her path. Now, it’s a question of repairing everything that is in pieces, not only the hospital policies but also the relationships of the hospital members, the companionship, the friendship, the family. It’s about recovering the human relationships that make San Jose the hospital that it is, it’s about recovering what makes it unique.
Shea is so so cute. I mean, the only problem they had was that they wanted to go in together…but they couldn't find the time. Sometimes, life and work get complicated and we don't have time to dedicate to ourselves or our partners.
They’re streaks ... but the important thing here is that both Shaun and Lea put everything on their part to find the time and the way to be together. Even when Jordan is there, in their apartment.
It's hard for Shaun to include someone else in their apartment, in his shelter. That entails an adaptation period for him, just like the one he did when he started living with Lea.
But now, Lea is part of his life, he trusts her to the point that he doesn't have to think about what is socially correct, he doesn't have to make an effort, just be… him and say what he wants to say or do what he wants to do instead of worrying about whether it’s socially acceptable. It’s the trust and complicity of living together, of sharing a life.
But with Jordan it's different, she's part of the job, not his sphere, and Shaun doesn't have that trust with her that he has with Lea. So Shaun feels that he has to be on the alert not to say or do anything that he shouldn't. He's a little awkward at first... but Jordan is Lea's best friend, she's happy to have her there and he likes her.
Jordan is not there to censor any behavior by Shaun that isn’t socially acceptable. Shaun can adapt to this change, he can include Jordan in his sphere, because of Lea.
And here we see that Shea, during these two episodes of The Good Doctor, put everything on their side to not distance themselves or let their relationship wither. They put everything on their side to listen to each other, understand each other, and choose each other again, every day. And that’s love. I'm just waiting for them to get married, in the season finale, maybe?
Shaun helps his patient emotionally in a brilliant way. The key to this case is understanding those we love, even if we don't agree with what they do and say. Mother and son love each other but they cannot put themselves in each other's shoes, they don’t make the effort to understand or want to understand.
But Shaun, being honest as he is, is the first to put the cards on the table for both of them. Because, sometimes, you just have to take a distance and speak clearly, to work from there.
Morgan and Park keep scoring points for me. At first, I also thought that Park didn't want to move in with her because those excuses were pathetic. However, later I understood the reason: fear and pride.
Morgan comes from a wealthy family that gave her everything except what she needed most (love) and Park's origins are much more humble.
He had to stand for himself all his life and he's proud of it. That’s why he resists Morgan helping him financially. It doesn't feel…right.
But it is. They decided to share a life. It's not about Morgan paying for everything and him being a keeper. It's about both of them trying their hardest to go one step further in their relationship.
Right now, Morgan has more financial capacity than he does, so what? Right now, it's not about how much each one contributes, it's about taking another step in their relationship, choosing a life together, it's about commitment.
And Morgan must have had a hard time asking. After what happened in her past, she refused to fall in love, be happy, to commit. But here she is now, completely in love with Park, crushing her fears down to propose just that. Park's attitude hurt her... although she understood why he did it in the end... because she felt the same too.
For Park it's not just about pride, it's also about fear. Now, he and Morgan are so good together that he's afraid that living together will somehow change that. The last time he was so serious with someone, it all ended in a mess and Park is afraid that history will repeat itself. Morgan has that fear too…but if they want to move forward on their path together, they must take a risk and jump into the void in the hope that the other will pick them up. And that's just what they do.
PS: Viktor is so lovely! Where can I find a man like him?
PS 2: I LOVE Lea and Jordan. They’re creating something amazing working together and I love that The Good Doctor did this. Unfortunately, most shows put women in competition with each other instead of uniting them and this series is a very welcome breath of fresh air.
This is where our The Good Doctor review ends. We will be back next week with a new one. Stay tuned!
Agree? Disagree? Don’t hesitate to share it with us in the comments below!
The Good Doctor airs Mondays 10/9c on ABC.
