We´re here for another week! The Good Doctor 5x14 “Potluck” is the episode where the show tries to be what it isn't and that's not necessarily a bad thing…but it's not necessarily a good thing either. Time for a review!
Here we go!
The Good Doctor 5x14 "Potluck" faces Glassy and Shaun for the first time. Until this moment, both were on different sides of the hospital but when they have to work together, the problems begin. In reality, it's all about the tension caused by the situation in which the hospital finds itself….and the way neither of them puts themselves in the other's shoes.
Shaun fails to put himself in Glassy's shoes at the time and see things from his point of view, and Glassy also fails to understand that Shaun is trying to help in the only way he knows how. Jordan is the queen who finds the key here. Shaun learned to be a doctor thanks to Glassy and he´s just trying to return the favor, helping him in any way he can… even if he messes up the way he does it, he doesn't know how to do it.
And, even though I suffer when father and son fight, I like that the show digs deeper into their dynamic. They always make me smile.
Apart from Glassy and Shaun, what The Good Doctor 5×14 “Potluck” starred in was fear. Asher and his boyfriend took a big step forward in their relationship, they both felt it was time to define their relationship but they were both afraid that the other would reject them.
Asher was afraid of scaring him away when he called him "boyfriend" for the first time and his boyfriend (I never tire of saying it) was afraid that his past would end up driving them apart. What they were both afraid of was opening up to each other, risking being vulnerable because that meant exposing themselves to pain…but who doesn't risk, doesn't win and I'm proud of both of them for risking everything and admitting how they felt, waiting for the other to hold their hand…and that is just what happens. I'm excited about this ship!
Another ship that doesn´t get rid of fear is Morgan and Park. They're living together and that's a huge step but it feels so…easy, so natural…it's scary. It feels like they were made to share a life. And that abrupt change overwhelms them and makes them feel dizzy. It's like they've been stuck and all of a sudden they're taking all the steps together.
Somehow it feels right but they're scared of how right it feels. They both love each other and are so scared that something will go wrong…that they prefer to keep to themselves some important things that should be said, just to know how the other feels. They both feel good about moving forward in their relationship but both feel they need to stop.
So maybe Park doesn't remember what he said… Morgan is clearly disappointed with that and, frankly, so am I. I'm sure this thing will come back later in The Good Doctor and can´t wait!
However, the problem for Lim and Andrews was not fear. Both said things that they felt and others that they did not and some were true. But beyond that, the thing with them is that they're both broken. They both lost the love of their lives and have been missing ever since.
Until now, they had not recognized the emptiness they feel (they avoided the trauma) and what they did is a big step because they can work on healing from there, helping each other. After all, that is what they are friends for. That emptiness is not going to disappear from one moment to the next, but counting on each other will help it to do so.
That said, The Good Doctor 5x14 “Potluck” is the complete opposite of what I want to see when I tune in to this show. The episode is hilarious but when I want to watch comedy I don't tune in to this series. I tune in to The Good Doctor when I want to see a show that unintentionally touches my heart, and moves me to tears because of the personal stories of the patients that are reflected in all the other characters.
Let me clarify something: did I like the emotional conclusions of the characters? Yes. Did I like the way the show came to it? Not at all. I rolled my eyes a few times during this episode and there is also little to say about the emotional conflicts in this episode and neither of those things is typical of this show.
The episode is momentous for the characters and feels the complete opposite of that. It's okay for a show to get out of their comfort zone (I love when they do that) but it's not okay for a show to pretend to be something it's not. I said what I said.
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.
